1 Flashcards
to finally do something
about time (too)
“They’ve finally appointed a new chairman, and it’s ___.” [to finally do something]
about time (too)
legal
above board
“The tax loophole is all ___.” [legal]
above board
including everyone or everything
across the board
“The pay increases will be applied ___.”
[including everyone or everything]
across the board
a task that falls into normal daily work routines
all in a day’s work
“Dealing with emergencies is ___.”
[a task that falls into normal daily work routines]
all in a day’s work
normal, to be expected
(all) par for the course
“Delays of up to six months are par for the course.”
[normal, to be expected]
(all) par for the course
to disagree strongly with someone
at loggerheads
“The two managers were ___ over the expansion plans.”
[to disagree strongly with someone]
at loggerheads
in charge
at the helm (also “take the helm”)
“He decided to step down after 20 years ___ of the company he’d founded.”
[in charge]
at the helm (also “take the helm”)
withdraw your demands in a negotiation, or accept you’ve lost the argument
back down
“The union says that if we don’t ___ on our demands, they’ll call a strike.”
back down
a negative consequence or reaction after an action or event
backlash (Also, “a backlash against” something.)
“If we make further losses, we risk a ___ from our investors.”
backlash (Also, “a backlash against” something.)
people whose work is important but who don’t get much recognition
backroom boys
“___ in the R&D department are essential to our innovation strategy.”
[people whose work is important but who don’t get much recognition]
backroom boys
change your opinion or decision on something, often to dilute it or “water it down”
backtrack / backpedal
“The government is ___ on its proposals to increase inheritance tax.”
[change your opinion or decision on something, often to dilute it or “water it down”]
backtracking
given money to survive
(be) bailed out
a bailout
“Will Spain be the next Eurozone country to require a ___?”
[given money to survive]
bailout
an approximate amount
ball park figure / estimate
“Can you give me a ___ for the amount of tax we’ll have to pay this year?”
[an approximate amount]
ball park figure
get value for money
(get) bang for your buck
“I’m concerned we aren’t ___ with these investments.”
[get value for money]
getting much bang for our buck
Used as a business idiom, it means something that shows changes in market conditions, etc.
(be a) barometer
“The inflation rate is a useful ___ of the government’s economic policies.”
barometer
be very rich
be loaded
“Ask Daniel for a loan. He’s ___.”
[very rich]
loaded
to be in good (economic) shape
be on fighting form
“After the merger, the new company was ___.”
[to be in good (economic) shape]
on fighting form
do something which will probably be successful
be on to a winner
“You’re ___ with that website.”
[do something which will probably be successful]
on to a winner
be attacked or criticised
be / come under fire
“The Sales Manager has ___ for his average performance.”
[be attacked or criticised]
come under fire
“If you need to know the exact figures, go and ask the ___.”
[the accountants]
bean-counters
an accountant
bean-counter
lead to the result you expected
bear fruit
“We’re hoping that our efforts will ___.”
[lead to the result you expected]
bear fruit
have to face the worst part of something
bear the brunt
“Consumers will ___ of the increase in sales tax.”
[have to face the worst part of something]
bear the brunt
not get to the point
beat around the bush
“Don’t ___. How much have we lost, exactly?”
[not get to the point]
beat around the bush
the foundations
bedrock
“The ___ of the company’s wealth is its property holdings in central London.”
[the foundations]
bedrock
a small extra income for going out, etc
beer money
“He earns a little ___ from his weekend stall.”
[a small extra income for going out, etc]
beer money
secret, not in public
behind the closed doors
“The deal was done ___.”
[secret, not in public]
behind the closed doors
something happening in secret while other things are visible
behind the scenes
“____, both the unions and the management are trying to find a compromise.”
[something happening in secret while other things are visible]
behind the scenes
reducing expenses
belt-tightening
“The company’s going through a period of ___, which means we have less to spend on marketing.”
[reducing expenses]
belt-tightening
to be in a difficult position, with no obvious solutions
between a rock and a hard place
“We are ___. If we stay in the market, we risk making a loss, but if we leave, we’ll lose our investment.”
[to be in a difficult position, with no obvious solutions]
between a rock and a hard place
major players in a market
big boys
“The company are the ___ in academic publishing.”
[major players in a market]
big boys
an important person
big cheese / shot / wig
“Jake is a ___ in the video gaming industry.”
[an important person]
big cheese / shot / wig
a person / company with influence in a small sector or
sphere
big fish in a small pond
“He’s a ___. You should get to know him.”
[a person / company with influence in a small sector or
sphere]
big fish in a small pond
to make a tough decision
bite the bullet
“We’re going to have to ___ and lay off a few people if we’re going to survive.”
[to make a tough decision]
bite the bullet
to hold back from saying what you want
bite / hold your tongue
“I was sitting in that meeting ___.”
[to hold back from saying what you want]
biting my tongue
a large gap
black hole
“The new government has found a ___ in its finances.”
[a large gap]
black hole
to give someone complete control over something
blank check (US spelling)
“He’s got a ___ to restructure the whole section.”
[to give someone complete control over something]
blank check (US spelling)
to fail
bomb (to bomb)
“The new product ___.”
[to fail]
bombed
a time of great prosperity
boom time
“It’s ___ for house-owners right now, who are seeing the value of their properties soar.”
[a time of great prosperity]
boom time
delay or blockage (especially for credit, investment or procedures)
bottleneck
“Production problems have caused a ___ in order fulfilment.”
[delay or blockage (especially for credit, investment or procedures)]
bottleneck
“Strict credit terms are creating a ___ in business financing.”
[delay or blockage (especially for credit, investment or procedures)]
bottleneck
the final figure on the balance sheet / overall success or impact
bottom line
“Cutting costs would help us improve our ___.”
[the final figure on the balance sheet / overall success or impact]
bottom line
“What impact does this role have on the ___?”
[the final figure on the balance sheet / overall success or impact]
bottom line
reach the lowest point
bottom out
“Experts believe that the housing market hasn’t ___ yet.”
[reach the lowest point]
bottomed out
recover from earlier losses or problems
bounce back
“The company has ___ after its first quarter losses.”
[recover from earlier losses or problems]
bounced back
the person who invented / managed a plan or strategy
brains behind (to be the brains behind)
“Steve is the ___ our growth strategy.”
[the person who invented / managed a plan or strategy]
brains behind
to be at a point where you make neither a profit nor a loss
break even (Also ‘break-even point’)
“We hope to ___ this year.”
[to be at a point where you make neither a profit nor a loss]
break even
be too expensive to buy
break the bank
“We can’t afford a leasehold in central London. It would ___.”
break the bank
house or shop as a physical asset or investment
bricks and mortar
“If you want a safe investment, choose ___.”
[house or shop as a physical asset or investment]
bricks and mortar
drive a company to the brink of collapse
bring something to its knees (be brought to its knees)
“The recession has ___ the company ___.”
[drive a company to the brink of collapse]
brought the company to its knees
refuse to listen to criticisms, complaints, suggestions etc
brush aside
“The management team ___ customer complaints.”
[refuse to listen to criticisms, complaints, suggestions etc]
brushed aside
successful period of time or activity
bubble (burst the bubble)
“The dotcom ___ was bound to burst eventually.”
[successful period of time or activity]
bubble
experiencing a lot of problems
(a) bumpy ride
“The manufacturing sector experienced a ___ in the first quarter.”
[experiencing a lot of problems]
a bumpy ride
leave a company on such bad terms that you will never be rehired
burn your bridges
“Write a nice resignation letter so that you don’t ___.”
[leave a company on such bad terms that you will never be rehired]
burn your bridges
normal business conditions which have resumed
business as usual
“It’s ___ after floods last week closed the entire town.”
[normal business conditions which have resumed]
business as usual
buy someone’s share of the business to gain complete control
buy out (buyout)
“News of the management ___ increased share value by almost 5%.”
buyout
a word used a lot at the moment, or in a particular industry / sector
buzzword
“The ___ this month is ‘pay it forward’.”
[a word used a lot at the moment, or in a particular industry / sector]
buzzword
end
call time on
“The company has ___ its incentives system.”
[end]
called time on
(of words, opinions etc) be influential, have authority
carry weight
“His opinion that the economy will pick up ___ some ___ with company investors.”
[(of words, opinions etc) be influential, have authority]
carries weight
concentrate on one sector or sub-sector
carve out a niche
“He’s ___ himself ___ a niche as a WordPress developer.”
[concentrate on one sector or sub-sector]
carved out
a product or service that makes a lot of money (often because the initial costs have been covered)
cash cow
“Their series of grammar books is a ___.”
[a product or service that makes a lot of money (often because the initial costs have been covered)]
cash cow
gain financial rewards
cash in on
“If we can ___ the popularity of ebooks, we could make some money.”
[gain financial rewards]
cash in on
lacking cash / money
cash-starved
“The ___ economy means fewer jobs are being created.”
[lacking cash / money]
cash_starved
not having money available
cash-strapped
“The government is helping ___ families by increasing tax benefits.”
[not having money available]
cash-strapped
speculative or risky financial activities
casino-banking
“The government is considering ring-fencing ‘___’ investment banking from the more traditional retail arms.”
[speculative or risky financial activities]
casino style
make people talk about something (because they’re surprised or angry)
cause a stir
“The news of his appointment has ___.”
[make people talk about something (because they’re surprised or angry)]
caused a stir
rate at which you win and lose customers (or employees)
churn rate
“We need to reduce our customer ___.”
[rate at which you win and lose customers (or employees)]
churn rate
enforce penalties against an illegal activity
a clampdown / a crackdown
clamp down on / crack down on
“The government is ___ on tax evasion.”
[enforce penalties against an illegal activity
(a clampdown / a crackdown)]
clamping down / cracking down
take back / recover (money already paid / market share etc)
claw back / a claw-back
“Shareholder pay and bonuses will have ___ provisions.”
[take back / recover (money already paid / market share etc)]
claw-back
pay off
clear a debt / loan
“We’ve finally ___ these debts, so now we can start investing again.”
[pay off]
cleared
do something to end an argument
clear the air
“Well, that meeting definitely ___. Now I hope everyone can stop arguing.”
[do something to end an argument]
cleared the air
get promoted into better jobs
climb the corporate / career ladder
“He spent thirty years ____, and now he’s CEO.”
[get promoted into better jobs]
climbing the corporate ladder
get a deal
clinch / cut / reach / seal a deal
“They ____ late last night after hours of negotiation.”
clinched the deal
end a (legal) practice that results in an anomaly
close a loophole
“The government has ____ that allowed millions of second-home owners to pay less tax.”
[end a (legal) practice that results in an anomaly]
closed a loophole
someone who only has a small job in a business
cog in the machine / wheel
“I can’t help you get a job here. I’m only a small ____.”
[someone who only has a small job in a business]
cog in the wheel
make a sales call to someone you’ve never met or spoken to before
cold call
“Telesales usually involves a lot of ____.”
cold-calling
someone who’s loyal to the company
company man
“John’s a real ____. He’s been with them for years.”
[someone who’s loyal to the company]
company man
alter official accounting information to mislead or cheat
cook the books
“Politicians are all the same. They ____ before election time.”
cook the books
invent a plan or scheme to do something dishonest
cook up
“They ____ a scheme to attract unwary investors.”
[invent a plan or scheme to do something dishonest]
cooked up
become market leader in a particular sector or niche
corner the market
“They’ve ____ in water filtering systems.”
[become market leader in a particular sector or niche]
cornered the market
a company man
corporate clone
“The new CFO looks like a ____, but in fact, he has an interesting background.”
[a company man]
corporate clone
cost a lot of money
cost an arm and a leg
“The Director’s new car ____.”
[cost a lot of money]
cost an arm and a leg
pay what you owe
cough up
“It’s time to ____ and pay your taxes!”
[pay what you owe]
cough up
know how to get in to a market or how to solve a problem
crack a market / problem
“This problem is a difficult one to ____, but we think we have a solution.”
[know how to get in to a market or how to solve a problem]
crack
make an attempt at solving a problem
(have a) crack at
“We’re going to have another ____ the Chinese market.”
[make an attempt at solving a problem]
crack
become stricter at enforcing regulations
crack down
“The government is preparing to ____ on tax avoidance schemes.”
[become stricter at enforcing regulations]
crack down
take action now and not delay any further
crack on with
“We have no time to waste. We need to ____ the new product lines.”
crack on with
create fair / unfair conditions for everyone
create an even / uneven playing field
“The internet has ____ for self-publishers.”
[create fair / unfair conditions for everyone]
created an even playing field
reduction in the availability of credit for businesses
or consumers
credit crunch / credit squeeze
“The ____ has made it hard for small businesses to obtain finance and funding.”
[reduction in the availability of credit for businesses
or consumers]
credit crunch
an important time when a decision has to be made / a result needs to be achieved
crunch time
“It’s ____ for the business. Do we buy new premises or extend the lease?”
[an important time when a decision has to be made / a result needs to be achieved]
crunch time
soften the effect of a decision
cushion the impact
“The company is bringing in generous severance packages to ____ of involuntary redundancy.”
[soften the effect of a decision]
cushion the impact
reduce spending
cut back (on)
“We need to ____ hiring costs. It’s costing us far too much at the moment.”
[reduce spending]
cut back on
make savings on time, quality or cost
cut corners
“If we ____ too many cor____ we risk sacrificing quality.”
[make savings on time, quality or cost]
cut corners
not criticise someone / give someone freedom to act
cut / give someone some slack
“Stop micromanaging him and _____!”
[not criticise someone / give someone freedom to act]
cut him some slack
end investment or business activity in order to stop losing money
cut your losses
“They decided to ____ and pull out of the European market.”
[end investment or business activity in order to stop losing money]
cut their losses
something which is less exciting than predicted
damp squib
“With only half the expected visitors, the official opening ceremony proved to be a ____.”
[something which is less exciting than predicted]
damp squib
excessively expensive to the point of being theft
daylight robbery (British English)
“The distributors are asking for a further 10% discount. It’s ____!”
daylight robbery (British English)
proposal or idea which never got off the ground / will never go forward
dead in the water
“Proposals to increase VAT by an extra percentage can be now considered ____.”
[proposal or idea which never got off the ground / will never go forward]
dead in the water
someone who doesn’t contribute to the organisation
dead weight
“John is a ____ in this department. Can we transfer him?”
[someone who doesn’t contribute to the organisation]
dead weight
people who don’t contribute to the company
dead wood
“There’s a lot of ____ in this department.”
[people who don’t contribute to the company]
dead wood
total amount the US government can borrow
debt ceiling
“Talks are in progress to raise the ____ to avoid a potential default.”
[total amount the US government can borrow]
debt ceiling
refuse to do something or be persuaded
dig your heels in
“We won’t be able to solve this problem as long as they continue to ____.”
[refuse to do something or be persuaded]
dig your heels in
to use some of your money (especially savings)
dip into
“If we want to buy a new car, we’ll need to ____ our savings.”
[to use some of your money (especially savings)]
dip into
