Originally Posted On: https://www.businessenglishteacher.com/business-idioms/
Here is a list of 101 business idioms that are commonly used in the corporate world. Each idiom is clearly explained with a definition and an example of practical usage.
Once you have read through the list, you can also take a quiz to test and reinforce the material. A PDF copy of these frequently used work idioms could be downloaded as well.
Idiom | Definition | Example |
Back to square one | To get back to from where it started | We went back to square one after wasting two full days. |
Back to the drawing board | To start from the beginning, all over again | We went back to the drawing board after our plan was rejected. |
Back-room boys | People who do important work but aren’t visible to general public | He resented being a backroom boy when Dave took all the credit. |
Ball park figure | A rough estimate | Can you give me a ballpark figure as to what this project will cost? |
Bang for the buck | Something that gives you more value than the money you spent | Online ads provide more bang for the buck than TV commercials. |
Blue-collar | Someone who does manual labor work | Joe is a blue-collar worker at the company warehouse. |
Bottom line | The final total of the account or the ultimate deciding factor | I don’t need any details. All I care about is the bottom line. |
Brain drain | Loss of an educated workforce to other geographic locations | France suffered a brain drain during the economic crisis. |
Break even | To have no profit or loss at the end of a business activity | It took us two years just to break even. |
Busman’s holiday | Spending your time doing the same thing you do at work | The painter spent busman’s holiday painting his own house. |
By the book | Strictly according to the rules | Rules are not to be broken – Barb does everything by the book. |
Call it a day | To stop working and go home | Let’s call it a day and go home. |
Call the shots | To make the important decisions | Who calls the shots when the boss is out of town? |
Cash cow | A consistently profitable business or product | That line of leather shoes is a real cash cow. |
Cave in | To agree to something, you didn’t want to accept previously | The management caved in to the demands of the union. |
Climb the corporate ladder | Work your way up to higher positions in a company | He quickly climbed the corporate ladder to become CEO. |
Cold call | A call made without an appointment to sell something | Sales people were handed a list of numbers to cold-call. |
Cook the books | Alter facts or figures dishonestly or illegally | The mafia boss forced the accountants to cook the books. |
Corner a market | To dominate a market or business | She cornered the market and put two competitors out of business. |
Crack the whip | Threatening people to make them work harder | Joe’s father had to crack the whip to make him study harder. |
Cream of the crop | The best person in a group | Google hires the cream of the crop graduates. |
Crunch the numbers | Do a lot of math calculations to make a decision | They crunched the numbers before buying that new property. |
Cut a deal | To reach an agreement | Her agent cut a deal giving her 30% of the profits. |
Cut corners | Skip certain steps in order to do something as easily or cheaply | Don’t hurry. You cannot cut corners if you want to do a perfect job. |
Cut to the chase | Get to the point quickly | Joan was very busy, so I cut to the chase and told her the fact. |
Cut-throat | Very fierce and intense | There is a cut-throat competition to gain the market share. |
Dead end job | A job where there is no chance of promotion | I am in a dead-end job and looking for a new opportunity. |
Dead wood | Someone or something that is no longer useful | She cleared out the dead wood as soon as she took over. |
Elephant in the room | A huge problem that no one wants to talk about | Debt crises is the elephant in the room that no one is talking about. |
Eleventh hour | The last minute | Eric always waits until the eleventh hour before starting a project. |
Fine print | Important details usually printed in tiny letters in a contract | Read the fine print before you sign the contract. |
Foot in the door | The first step toward a goal by gaining entry into an organization | She got her foot in the door working as a researcher on a TV show. |
From the ground up | Starting from the very beginning | Let’s start working on the project from the ground up. |
Game plan | Plan of action or a strategy | We need a new game plan for the upcoming season. |
Get down to business | Start doing things that need to be done | Let’s get down to business first; we can eat lunch later. |
Get The ball rolling | To begin an activity or a process | She tried to get the ball rolling by asking a few questions. |
Glass ceiling | An unofficial or social barrier to advancement in a profession | She crushed the glass ceiling to be the first woman president. |
Go Through the Roof | To increase much more than expected | He is rich now because his commissions have gone through the roof. |
Golden handcuffs | Special benefits offered to keep an employee from leaving | They hired her with a pair of golden handcuffs. |
Golden handshake | A large amount paid as an incentive for early retirement | The new owners offered all employees a golden handshake. |
Golden parachute | An employment contract that guarantees great benefits if fired | She is not afraid of getting fired because of the golden parachute. |
Gray area | A situation in which it is difficult to distinguish between right & wrong | At the moment, the law on compensation is very much a grey area. |
Have your work cut out | Accomplish a difficult task in a short time | He will have his work cut out to get into the team. |
Headhunt | To recruit the best people for top-level positions | A rival company headhunted her. |
Heads up | To inform or warn about something beforehand | Please give me a heads up if there is any change. |
Hit the nail on the head | To give a perfectly correct answer | Tom hit the nail on the head when analyzing the problem. |
Hot water | In deep trouble | The company is in hot water because of the declining sales |
In a nutshell | A brief summary or in a few words | Tell me in a nutshell what happened in the meeting. |
In the black | A person/organization that is making a profit | We’re in the black but we aren’t making much money yet. |
In the nick of time | To arrive just in time | I got to the meeting just in the nick of time. |
In the red | A person/organization that is losing money | We were in the red for two whole years. |
In the works | In development; coming soon | Our new product is in the works. |
Jack of all trades | Someone who can do many different jobs | We need someone who is the jack of all trades for this position. |
Last straw | Final annoyance that causes you to get angry | He got fired because he skipped the meeting; it was the last straw. |
Learn the ropes | Learn how to do a job or activity | It takes a while to learn the ropes in a new job. |
Learning curve | The amount of time it takes to learn a new skill | It was a steep learning curve for him as he had no prior experience. |
Long shot | Very slim chance of succeeding | I know it’s a long shot, but it’s worth trying. |
Long-haul | Prolonged time and effort | It’s going to be a long-haul before the company becomes profitable. |
Movers and shakers | People with a lot of power and influence in a particular field | All the movers and shakers of the industry have their offices here. |
No brainer | An easy decision that doesn’t require much thought | Buying this product at such a discount is a complete no brainer. |
No strings attached | No special conditions or restrictions | The investment offers 15% interest with no strings attached. |
Off the top of your head | From memory without much careful consideration | Off the top of my head, the cost was pretty reasonable. |
On the back burner | A low priority matter that is put aside for the time being | It’s not an urgent issue, lets put it on the back burner for now. |
On the same page | Agree with someone on a specific issue | Regarding the offer both partners are on the same page. |
Out of the loop | Unaware of the information or an event | I am always out of the loop of the office gossip. |
Pencil someone in | To make a tentative appointment | I’ll pencil you in for Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm. |
Pick brain | Ask for ideas and opinions | I was picking her brain about which computer to buy. |
Play hardball | Firm and ruthless in getting what you want | He’s a nice guy, but he can play hardball when he needs to. |
Play second fiddle | To be less important or in a weaker position than someone else | I’m not prepared to play second fiddle to Joe anymore. |
Plum job | An easy job that pays well | Joe found a plum job using his family connections. |
Pull the plug | To stop or to discontinue | The management pulled the plug on long lunch breaks. |
Read between the lines | Look for the meaning that was suggested indirectly | Reading between the lines is necessary for complex negotiations. |
Red tape | Excessive rules/regulations that make it hard to do business | Those new laws just create a lot of red tapes. |
Rock the boat | To disrupt a situation or cause problems | Don’t rock the boat until the negotiations have ended. |
Round the clock | 24 hours a day | We were working round the clock during the exhibition. |
Rule of thumb | A guiding principle based on experience and common sense. | As a rule of thumb, each client should have a separate file. |
Safe Bet | Something that is very likely to happen | It is a safe bet that the current owners will not sell. |
Same boat | To be in the same difficult situation | None of us has any money, so we’re all in the same boat. |
Second nature | A skill so ingrained that you do it without even thinking | Typing becomes second nature after a while. |
Selling Like Hotcakes | Sell something very quickly that many people want to buy | I need another load of scanners because they are selling like hotcakes. |
Set the record straight | Give the true version of events that have been reported incorrectly | Let me set the record straight about what really happened. |
Sever Ties | To end a relationship or an agreement | The company severed ties with their supplier. |
Shape up or ship out | A warning to perform well or leave | The management warned the employees to shape up or ship out. |
Show the ropes | Show someone how to do a job or activity | Michael will take you around and show you the ropes. |
Slack off | Perform unproductively and lazily | Employees tend to slack off on Fridays. |
Small talk | Informal conversation about things that are not important | Guests stood with their drinks, making small talk about the weather. |
Talk shop | Discuss work-related issues in off-work social situations | Let’s not talk shop outside office hours. |
Test the water | Try something out to see if it works or not | I’d like to test the water first before committing myself. |
The ball is in your court | It’s up to you to make the next move. | We answered all their questions, so now the ball is in their court |
The big picture | To get an overview of the entire situation | Joe never loses sight of the big picture. |
Think outside the box | Explore ideas that are different and non-traditional | He is trying to think outside the box to make this event a success. |
Throw in the towel | To admit defeat | After struggling for years, the company finally threw in the towel. |
Thrown in the deep end | Put into a difficult situation without any preparation | Lynda was thrown in the deep end right from the first day of her job. |
Touch base | Make a brief contact to discuss something | Just wanted to touch base to make sure everything is fine. |
Under the table | Something was done secretly and illegally | They offered him money under the table to change his mind. |
Up in the air | Still not decided | The board meeting is still up in the air. |
White-collar | Someone who does office work | Jane left the factory for a white-collar position in a local bank. |
Win-win situation | A favorable outcome for everyone involved | The compromise was a win-win situation for everyone. |
Word of mouth | Oral informal communication between people | Word of mouth is one of the best ways of getting business |
Writing on the wall | Clear signs that something bad is about to happen | I can see the writing on the wall that this company is doomed. |