Бизнес идиоми
Познаването на значенията на идиомите и използването им в подходящ контекст е един от
белезите на отлично владеене на английския език.
| 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 about how much the border wall to Mexico is going to cost, I’d say about 30 million dollars. |
| Big picture | Everything that is involved in 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. |
| 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. |
| Game plan | A strategy or plan for achieving success | What is our game plan for dealing with our new competitor? |
| Get something off the ground | To start something (e.g. a project or a business) | Now that we have finished the planning phase, we are eager to 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. |
| In full swing | At a stage when the level of activity is at its highest | Construction of our new production site is in full swing now. |
| In the driver’s seat | To be in charge or in control of a situation | Being offered the position of a 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 not to lose focus | We should not diversify our product by 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. |
| Long shot | Something that has a very low probability of happening | Winning the lottery is a long shot. |
| No-brainer | Something that is really obvious or easy | Making money working for an investment bank is a no-brainer. |
| 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. |
| Not going to fly | Something isn’t expected to work out | This product is definitely not going to fly. |
| Put all one’s eggs in one basket | To rely on only one thing to bring success | It’s not smart to invest in American tech stocks only and put all your eggs in one basket. |
| Put the cart before the horse | To do or think about things in the wrong order | Trying to find an investor without having a business plan is like putting the cart befor the horse. |
| Raise the bar | To set standards or expectations higher | The iPhone raised the bar for smartphone makers. |
| Red tape | Official rules and processes that seem excessive and unnecessary | The new law is going to create a lot of red tape. |
