6/27/2008

Business Idioms

(English Idioms & Sayings)

Business Idioms


across the board

- including everyone or everything
The computer company decided to give the workers an across-the-board increase in their salary.

adjourn a meeting

- to end a meeting
We adjourned the meeting until the next day.

at a loss

- at less than the cost, at a financial loss
Everything was on sale but at a loss so the prices were very low.

bail a company out

- to help or rescue a company that has financial problems
The government bailed out the bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.

ball park figure/estimate

- a rough estimate or figure
The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.

bang for the buck

- value for the money spent
We were able to get much bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.

banker's hours

- short work hours (similar to when a bank is open)
My sister's husband owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone

- to supply someone with money, to finance someone
The movie actor bankrolled his son while the son was producing his first movie.

bean counter

- an accountant
We asked the bean counters to look at the figures in the new budget.

big cheese/gun/wheel

- an important person, a leader
The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but he is not so important now.

bigwig

- an important person, a leader
Some of the bigwigs of our company came to visit our factory.

bottom drops/falls out of (something)

- a collapse occurs and prices fall below an earlier low price
When the bottom fell out of the coffee market many companies had to stop doing business.

bottom line

- the total, the final figure on a balance sheet, the results (of a business)
After we examined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.

bottom line

- the central issue of a discussion, the main point
My friend wants to open a restaurant but the bottom line is that if we do not do more research I do not want to invest any money.

bottom out

- to reach the lowest or worst point
The value of the stock has begun to bottom out and it should soon begin to increase in value.

bounce a check

- to write a check in which you do not have enough money in your bank account
The young man bounced a check when he tried to pay his rent.

boys in the backroom

- a group of men making decisions behind the scenes
The boys in the backroom told us that the factory will close next year.

break even

- to have expenses equal to profits
After only three months the company was able to break even and begin to make a profit.

budget crunch/squeeze

- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
There is a severe budget squeeze at our company and we must stop wasting money.

buy a stake in (something)

- to buy part ownership of a company or other enterprise
The large bank is planning to buy a stake in the small stock trading company.

buy off (someone)

- to use a gift or money to divert someone from their duty or purpose (similar to a bribe and sometimes illegal)
The land developer tried to buy off the politician but he was not successful.

buy out (someone or something)

- to buy the ownership or a majority share of something
The large company decided to buy out the small textile company.

buy (something) on credit

- to buy something without paying cash
My friend had no money so he decided to buy some furniture on credit.

by a long shot

- by a big difference
The soap company beat out the bids of the other companies by a long shot.

a calculated risk

- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
The company took a calculated risk when they put the new computer screen on the market.

call a meeting to order

- to start a meeting
Our supervisor called the meeting to order when everyone arrived in the conference room.

captain of industry

- a top corporation officer
The president of our company was a captain of industry and when he retired he was appointed to many government boards.

carry a motion

- to support or win acceptance for a motion/proposal/idea in a meeting
I was able to carry a motion to cancel the activities for next week.

carry over figures/numbers/costs

- to transfer a figure/number/cost from one column or time to another
Our company has financial problems and we must carry over last year's losses to this year.

carry over (something)

- to save or postpone something for another time
The department store will carry over their sale until after the national holiday.

carry the day

- to win complete support
The manager's new idea carried the day and everyone supported him with enthusiasm.

carry through with (something)

- to put something into action, to do something
The steel company carried through with their plan to restructure operations.

circulate the agenda

- to distribute a list or other information about what will be discussed in a meeting
We circulated the agenda for the meeting one week before the meeting.

close out (something)

- to sell the whole of something, to sell all the goods
The company decided to close out the store and sell the remaining stock very cheap.

close the books

- to stop taking orders, to end a bookkeeping period
The company will close the books at the end of December.

close up shop

- to stop doing business (for a variety of reasons - not only financial reasons)
The university bookstore had to close up shop when their rent was increased.

come down in price

- to lower the price of one's product, to become cheaper
We were forced to come down in price in order to sell our target number of cars for the month.

come on strong

- to overwhelm others with very strong language or personality
The salesman came on strong at the meeting and angered the other members of the team.

company man

- a person who always works hard and agrees with his employers or company
My father was a company man and he always put in an extra effort for his company.

company town

- a town dominated by one industry or company
When the coal mine closed, the company town faced severe economic times.

crunch numbers

- to do mathematical calculations
Our accountant loves to crunch numbers and he is one of the top managers in our company.

cut a deal

- to make a business arrangement or contract
I was able to cut a deal with the contractor and we paid very little for our new kitchen.

cut back

- to use fewer or less of something
The company has been cutting back on entertainment expenses recently.

cut corners

- to economize, to try to spend less money
We have been forced to economize on expenses during these severe economic times.

cut off (someone or something)

- to interrupt or stop someone or something
The speech by our manager was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.

cut one's losses

- to do something in order to stop losing additional money or time etc.
We should sell the old machinery soon and try to cut our losses.

defeat a motion

- to defeat an idea or proposal in a meeting
Our opponents easily defeated the motion to change the hours for next year's convention.

deliver the goods

- to succeed in doing a good job of something
The new manager is not very popular but he is able to deliver the goods.

double check (something)

- to check something again to confirm that it is correct
We plan to double check the price of the new product before the price list is printed.

draw up a contract

- to make/draft a contract
The lawyer spent several hours drawing up a new contract.

face value (of something)

- the official value or worth of something
Although the face value of the postage stamp was very low it sold at the auction for much money.

fair play

- justice, equal and correct action toward someone
The company has a reputation for fair play when they are bargaining with their employees.

figure out (something)

- to find an answer by thinking about something
Everyone is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.



Learning English through Idioms and Sayings

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