Idiomatic expressions in business

FINAL PHRASES

OPENING PHRASES

The text is about... According to the text... The text looks at (the problem of...)... The text deals with the issue of... It is clear from the text that... The experts (author) make it clear that... Among other things the text raises the issue of... The problem of... is of great importance. One of the main points to be singled out is... Great importance is also attached to... In this connection, I'd like to say... It further says that...

I find the question of... very important because... We shouldn't forget that...

I think that... should be mentioned here as a very important mecha­nism of...

I'd like to stress the point that...

I'd like to draw the attention of... to the fact that...

I'd like to suggest; remind

Finally the experts come to the conclusion that. Finally the experts agree about...

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out of action - not working

e.g. The computers are out of action today, I don't know how we are going to clear those accounts.

they got on like a house on fire - they became good friends, they were good together

e.g. Mary and our new assistant got on like a house on fire. (= They worked well together and enjoyed it.)

every now and again - sometimes

e.g. Every now and again they send an inspector from head office.

at odds with - in disagreement with somebody or something

e.g. He is at odds with his boss about the new loans. (= He disagrees with his boss about the new loans.)

out of hand - out of control

e.g. During the 1987 stock market crash nearly got out of hand in our securities department.

he is out of his mind - he is crazy

e.g. He plans to close over 60 branches next year. He is out of his mind. (= I think it is crazy idea.)

Colloquial phrases concerned with work and business include the fol­lowing:

to be on the job — to be at work, to be working; especially working well

e.g. Nobody knows his business. Nobody knows how he spends his time. Even when he's on the job, he... disappears most of each day soon as his work is done.

(to be) on the go — (to be) at work or doing something active I do my best.

e.g. I'm on the go night and day.

to get down to (one's work, business) — to settle down to it seriously

e.g. The holidays are over; we must get down to work again.

to get on with work (job, etc.) — to advance in doing it; to progress with one's business.

e.g. We've had enough amusement and must get on with our job.

APPENDICES

The general idea of being (very) busy may be expressed by the follow­ing phrase in common use:

to have one's hands full — to be very busy; to have as much to do as one is able to do. When a man is so busy engaged that be cannot attempt any­thing more, he is said to have his hands full.

e.g. Do not expect him to help you; he has his hands full.

to have (a lot) on also means to be very busy.

e.g. I've a lot on this week, but next week I shall probably have more time to spare.

Other phrases expressing the notion of being busy include the follow­ing:

to be snowed under with work; not to have a minute to spare; to be (hard) at it

e.g. After so much inactivity it's good to be hard at it again I'm snowed under with work this week, but next week I'll probably have more time.

(to have) other fish to fry — (to have) other business to do (and there­fore be busy)

e.g. What did you mean by saying you had other fish to fry, Sir Charles?

A busy person may protest (against some additional work, etc.) in the following words:

і have only one pair of hands:

e.g. Can't you look after yourselves for once? I've only got one pair of hands, you know.

The idea of working too hard is expressed in the following phrases: to burn the candle at both ends — to work too hard; use all one's energy;

stay up late and get up early

e.g. "I'm worried about you," she said.

"What's the matter?"

"You mustn't burn the candle at both ends."

to overdo it — to make oneself too tired by working too hard

e.g. Mind you don't go overdoing it now you are here. Remember no

late hours.

Other phrases connected with the idea of much work include the fol­lowing:

to work one's fingers to the bone - to work very hard

e.g. I intend to go at my profession in earnest, and work my fingers to the bone.

to keep one's nose to the grindstone — to work hard and labouriously

e.g. John wants to take the doctor's degree; he has to keep his nose to the grindstone.

to have one's work cut out (for one) — to have as much work as one can do; to have a difficult task

e.g. It's a big job, he'll have his work cut out for him.

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Getting over the hard, preliminary work may be colloquially put in this way:

to break the back (the neck) of a thing (job, etc.) — to have disposed of the main part of the task

e.g. This has been a big job but I have broken the back of it now.

Other common phrases dealing with work arc-to sack a person — to dismiss him from work

e.g. As a matter of fact, I hadn't thought they would want to sack me.

to get (be given) the sack (the boot) — to be dismissed from a job

e.g. Unless you improve your work, you'll get the boot.

to kick out — to remove, to dismiss

to get a golden handshake — to get a large amount of money when leav­ing a job

e.g. "I'm worried about our finance."

"But you got a nice golden handshake when you left'.'

"When I was kicked out, you mean'.'

"OK. When you got the boot."

to give notice (to one's employer) — to give official warning of one's intention to cease employment

e.g. I have given him notice. In a couple of weeks I shall have shaken off his accursed slavery.

to be in the same boat — to be in the same bad situation

e.g. Jim and I both lost our job yesterday. Now we are in the same boat.

to call it a day may be similarly used with the meaning to consider that particular period of work finished.

e.g. You must have had something in mind? You didn't think you'd close shop and call it a day?

to be at a loose end - to be without definite occupation; to have nothing to do although you would like to be occupied

e.g. She's at a loose end, you know, badly wants something to do.

to play truant (play hookey) — to remain away from one's place of work, especially school, without a good reason

e.g. I happened to have nothing very pressing just then to tie me, and I determined to play hookey from my consulting room for half a day and go over to Eastfolk museum.

Thorough knowledge (understanding) of a thing (person) is expressed by these phrases in common use:

to know something (somebody) like the palm of one's hand — to know thoroughly

e.g. Everything can be done is being done, you needn't worry about that. Martin knows the place like the palm of his hand.

to know on which side one's bread is buttered — to know when one's interests lie

e.g. He looked clever, but he had also — and it was one of his great attractions — an air as if he did not know on which side his bread was but­tered he should be easy to deal in money matters.

APPENDICES

Other common phrases dealing with money matters are:

to be in the red — to be in debts

e.g. Your account is in the red.

to be in the black — to have money in a bank account

e.g. Our account is in the black this month.

Colloquial phrases to express failure include the following:

to fell through — to fail to materialize; to come to nothing; to fail

e.g. He made careful plans but they all fell through.

to miss the bus — to fail to seize a vital opportunity

e.g. There were several vacancies in the new plant, but Geoffrey missed the bus.

to go to the wall — to fail; to succumb to superior force; to get the worst of it (Out of proverb: The weakest goes to the wall)

e.g. Business is a hard game, and the weak go to the wall.

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BRITISH ENGLISH

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