Common Business Idioms

Dec 25, 2017

2 min read

• Backroom deal Meaning: An agreement or decision that is made without the public knowing about it. Sentence: I think they got the government contract in a backroom deal.

• Get down to business Meaning: Stop making small talk and start talking about serious topics related to business. Sentence: We have a lot of works to do. I think we have to get down to business.

• Start off on the right foot Meaning: Start something in a positive way Sentence: In business, we have to start off on the right foot while doing projects.

• Upper hand Meaning: Have the authority to make decisions over someone or something. Sentence: She has an upper hand in this company.

• Twist someone's arm Meaning: someone to do something that he or she does not want to do. Sentence: I twisted his arm to get him on our team.

• Touch base Meaning: To make contact with someone. Sentence: I called him every Sunday to touch base.

• State of the art

Meaning: modern and technologically advanced. Sentence: This IT Company has state-of- the-art facility.

• Stand one's ground Meaning: To maintain or stick by an opinion or position Sentence: They expect their opponents to stand their ground on the issue.

• Round-the- clock Meaning: all hours of the day Sentence: The bank provides round the clock services to the clients.

• On a roll Meaning: In the midst of a series of successes. Sentence: She has been on a roll since taking her favorite job.

• Learn the ropes Meaning: learn the basics of something. Sentence: Everyone should learn the ropes while joining a new company.

• Long shot Meaning: something that has a very low probability of happening. Sentence: I hope to double my profits, but I know that’s a long shot.

• Back to the drawing board Meaning: to start something over and go back to the planning stage. Sentence: If our project is not accepted, we’ll go back to the drawing board.

• Ahead of the pack Meaning: Having an advantage over or outperforming other competitors. Sentence: This computer is ahead of the pack in terms of cost and performance.

• Cut-throat Meaning: Relentless in competition, without considering the harm caused to others. Sentence: In many companies, the competition was cut-throat.