15 Business Idioms Commonly used in the Corporate World
There are many business idioms which are used in the corporate world. It is very important to learn these idioms, what they mean and how they are used in the business world. They are all part of the daily business life whether it is discussing a new venture with a business partner or discussing a new project with your boss. Learning these expressions will give confidence both for going for job interviews and being able to communicate with co-workers. Try learning a couple of new business idioms every week. Write them down including their meanings in a notebook and practice regularly.
Here are 15 business idioms commonly used in the corporate world.
Get down to business:
Example: We are here to talk about advertising campaign. Let’s get down to business
Meaning: Let’s start talking about our plans for the advertising campaign
To bring to the table
Example: The new member of the team brings (many new skills) to the table
Meaning: The new member of the team brings many new skills into the department
Get off the ground
Example: He got the advertising campaign off the ground
Meaning: After much discussion and planning, he started preparing and producing the advertising campaign
By the book
Example: They had to prepare the audit by the book
Meaning: They had to prepare the audit totally correctly
Learn the ropes
Example: The new member of the team has to learn the ropes of his new job
Meaning: The new member of the team has to learn exactly what his or her new job involves
The eleventh hour
Example: The project was completed at the eleventh hour
Meaning: The project was only just completed before it had to be shown to clients
Cut corners
Example: The team cut corners in order to reduce costs of the project
Meaning: The team needed to reduce the expenditure on the project by eliminating certain costs
Big picture
Example: We need to look at the bigger picture to win the contract
Meaning: We need to look at every single detail to ensure we win the contract
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Fifty fifty
Example: The firms shared the fee fifty fifty
Meaning: Two firms divided the fee equally as they both had worked on the deal
Back to square one
Example: We have to go back to square one to prepare the spreadsheet
Meaning: We have to start at the beginning to prepare the spreadsheet again
See eye to eye
Example: We need to see eye to eye with our new client
Meaning: We need to be in total agreement with our new client
Red tape
Example: We need to do much reading as the new laws will produce much red tape
Meaning: We need to do much reading as the new laws are very complicated
Go down the drain
Example: All our hard work regarding the sales campaign has gone down the drain so we have to start again
Meaning: All our hard work on the sales campaign was wasted so we have to start again
On the same page
Example: We need to be on the same page when we meet the Managing Director
Meaning: We all need to be in agreement of what we want to say when we meet the Managing Director
Think outside the box
Example: We need to think outside the box if we want to win the contract
Meaning: We need to think of some different ideas if we want to win the contract
There are many more (including to hold the fort which means to cover someone else’s job whilst they are away) which once learnt will be very useful in working in the business world. There are many business idioms that are used both in British English and American English. By practicing speaking them out loud, this will help build confidence and also being able to say them clearly and fluently. Have fun learning these business idioms!
