A good oral command of English is not only about speaking properly and correctly. It is also about using idioms the right way. In particular, idioms are absolutely essential in talking business when it comes down to understanding others and expressing yourself. If you are lacking a good understanding of English idioms, you will easily get lost in a business conversation.
In order to help you find your way through the jungle of business idioms, we have compiled a list of the 50 very commonly used ones, explaining their meaning and giving you an example of how to use them.
idiom | meaning | example |
| Ahead of the pack | To be more successful than the competition | If we want to stay ahead of the pack, we’ll have to increase our marketing budget. |
| Back to square one | To start something over again because a previous attempt failed | To make this software finally work, we have to go back to square one. |
| Ballpark number/figure | A very inexact estimate | To give you a ballpark figure, how much the border wall to Mexico is going to cost, I’d say about 30 million dollars. |
| Big picture | Everything that is involved with a particular situation | Working on all these details, we have lost sight of the big picture. |
| By the book | To do things exactly according to the rules or the law | We told our auditors that we do everything by the book. |
| Corner the market | To dominate a particular market | Amazon more or less corners the online retailing market. |
| Cut-throat | Very intense, aggressive, and merciless competition | Competition in the food retailing business is cut-throat. |
| Easy come, easy go | Something gained easily is also lost easily | I lost 500 Euros in a poker game last night, but that’s life – easy come, easy go. |
| Game plan | A strategy or plan for achieving success | What is our game plan for dealing with our new competitor? |
| Get down to business | Stop making small talk and start talking about serious business topics | Now that everyone’s here, let’s get down to business and start with the presentation. |
| Get something off the ground | To start something (e.g. a project or a business) | Now that we have finished the planning phase, we’re eager the get the project off the ground. |
| Go down the drain | Something is wasted or lost | All our efforts in entering this new market went down the drain. |
| Go the extra mile | To do more than what people expect | To give our customers the best shopping experience, we go the extra mile. |
| Hands are tied | Not being free to behave in the way that you would like | I’d love to help you, but my hands are tied. |
| In a nutshell | Using as few words as possible | In a nutshell, we will run out of cash in three months time. |
| No strings attached | Something is given without involving special demands or limits | They will let you try the product for free with no strings attached. |
| In the driver’s seat | To be in charge or in control of a situation | Being offered the position of managing director, I’ll soon be in the driver’s seat. |
| Keep one’s eye on the ball | To give something one’s full attention and to not lose focus | We should not diversify our product offering too much, but rather keep our eyes on the ball. |
| Learn the ropes | Learn the basics of something (e.g. a job) | I’m learning the ropes in my new position. |
| On the same page | To be in agreement about something | Let’s go over the contract details once more to make sure we’re on the same page. |
