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Crow Idioms​

as hoarse as a crow


- very hoarse
The professor was as hoarse as a crow during the lecture.

as the crow flies


- by the most direct way, along a straight line between two places
As the crow flies, it is about six kilometers between my house and downtown.

eat crow


- to admit that you are mistaken or defeated
Our boss was forced to eat crow when he discovered that he was totally wrong.

Duck Idioms​

as a duck takes to water


- easily and naturally
When the boy learned to swim it was just as a duck takes to water. It was very easy.

as easy as duck soup


- very easy, requiring no effort
Convincing the man to buy the car was as easy as duck soup.

dead duck


- someone in a hopeless situation or con***ion
The man is a dead duck. When the police catch him he will have to go to jail.

duck soup


- a task that does not require much effort
The exam was duck soup. I am sure that I did very well.

get one's ducks in a row


- to put one's affairs in order
When I get my ducks in a row I will be able to make a decision about a new career.

lame duck


- a politician who has only a little time left in office and therefore has little power
The politician is a lame-duck leader and he is not effective at all.

like water off a duck`s back


- without any effect, easily
Criticism falls away from my father like water off a duck`s back and he never worries about anything.

lovely weather for ducks


- rainy weather
I commented to the wet letter carrier that it was lovely weather for ducks today.

sitting duck


- an unsuspecting person who is easily fooled - as if waiting to be attacked
The soldier at the window was like a sitting duck for the enemy.

ugly duckling


- an ugly or plain child (who grows up to be pretty)
The girl was an ugly duckling when she was a child but now she is very beautiful.

Goose Idioms​

as silly as a goose


- very foolish, very silly
My aunt acted as silly as a goose last evening.

cook (someone`s) goose


- to damage someone's plans, to damage or ruin someone
The woman cooked her goose when she fought against her company and lost.

a gone goose


- someone or something that has departed or run away
The boy is a gone goose. He will not be returning today.

goose bumps


- a prickly or bumpy feeling on one's skin because of cold or fear or excitement (like the skin of a goose or a chicken)
I got goose bumps as I watched the horror movie.

one's goose is cooked


- one has been discovered to have done something wrong and he or she is now in trouble, one is finished, one's chances for something are ruined
My goose is cooked. Soon my friend will discover that I lost her bicycle.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg


- to spoil or destroy something that is beneficial or makes a lot of money
My friends sold part of their business but it is the most profitable part. I think that they have killed the goose that lays the golden egg.

what's good/sauce for the goose is good/sauce for the gander


- what is good for one person should be good for another person as well
What's good for the goose is good for the gander and if the food is good enough for me, then it is good enough for the other members of our team.

wild goose chase


- a chase that is futile or worthless
The motorcycle riders led the police on a wild goose chase.

sao dài quá vậy. Ai mà học thuộc lòng được?

Owl Idioms​

as wise as an owl


- very wise
My grandfather is as wise as an owl and he seems to know everything.

night owl


- someone who likes to stay up very late at night
My friend is a night owl and he loves to stay up late at night.

Swan Idioms​

as graceful as a swan


- very graceful
The figure skater is as graceful as a swan.

swan song


- the last work or performance by an artist before death or retirement
The actor's swan song was his magnificent performance in his recent movie.

Business​

accept an offer


- to agree to an offer or proposal
I accepted the offer to buy my car.

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
The store was selling things at a loss so the prices were very low.

bail a company out or bail out a company


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

balance the books


- to check that all the money in a business is accounted for
The accountant spent several days trying to balance the books of his company.

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 the buck when we advertised on the Internet.

banker's hours


- short work hours (similar to a bank)
My friend owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone


- *****pply 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.

bigwig


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

blow a deal


- to ruin a business deal with someone
We are working hard so that we do not blow the deal with our new customer.

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. However, the bottom line for me is that we need more research before I invest any money.

bottom out


- to reach the lowest or worst point
The value of my 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 three months the company was able to break even and begin to make a profit.

bring (something) to the table


- to have something to offer during a negotiation
We were able to bring a new offer to the table during the negotiations.

budget crunch/squeeze


- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
There is a severe budget squeeze at our company.

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) or buy (someone) off


- to use a gift or money to divert someone from their duty (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) or buy (someone or something) out


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

buy (something) on cre***


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

by a long shot


- by a big difference
Our 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 *****cceed
The company took a calculated risk when they put the new computer on the market.

call a loan


- to demand the immediate and complete payment of a debt/loan
The bank recently called the loan of the small business.

call a meeting to order


- to start a meeting
Our supervisor called the meeting to order after everyone arrived.

call on (someone) to speak


- to ask someone to speak, to give someone permission to speak at a meeting
The chairman called on me to speak at the meeting.

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


- *****pport or win acceptance for a motion or proposal or idea in a meeting
I was able to carry a motion at last night's meeting.

carry over figures/numbers/costs


- to transfer a figure or number or cost from one column or time to another
Our company will carry over last year's losses to this year.

carry over (something) or carry (something) over


- 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 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 will carry through with their plan to restructure operations.

carve out a niche (for a product)


- to create a speciality or product or market that nobody else has
The company was able to carve out a niche for their product among university students.

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 last week.

close out (something) or close (something) out


- to sell the whole or all of something
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 will close up shop next month.

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 in high


- to charge too much for your services, to ask for a price that is too high
The salesman came in high during the negotiations and could not sell his product.

come in low


- to offer a low amount of money for a product or service
The company came in low with an offer for our product.

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 for his company and supports the company policies
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
The company town faced severe economic times when the coal mine closed.

corner the market


- to dominate a particular market with your product
The large company has cornered the market for cell phones in our city.

crunch numbers


- to do mathematical calculations
The 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 with someone
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) or cut (someone or something) off


- 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 ad***ional 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
We easily defeated the motion to change the dates for next year's convention.

deliver the goods


- *****cceed 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 must double check the new product prices before the price list is printed.

draw up a contract


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

drop the price (of something)


- to lower the price of something
We dropped the price of our product during the negotiation.
(to be continued)[r2)]

BUSINESS IDIOMS (cont)
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


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

figure out (something) or figure (something) out


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

fill the bill


- to be just what is needed
The new machine should fill the bill for what we need to finish the job.

float (someone) a loan


- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

follow-up meeting


- a meeting where you discuss previous business
We will have a follow-up meeting to discuss the new product.

gain ground


- to go forward, to make progress
Our company is gaining ground in its attempt to be the best in the industry.

get a break


- to get an opportunity or good deal
We were able to get a break on the price of the paint and we saved much money.

get a raise


- to get an increase in one's salary
My sister works hard and she recently got a raise in her new job.

get off the ground


- to make a successful beginning
We were unable to get the new product off the ground but we will try again next year.

give (someone) the green light


- to give someone permission to go ahead or proceed with something
Our boss gave us the green light to begin work on the new sales campaign.

go belly up


- to go out of business because of financial problems
The small computer company went belly up several months ago.

go over the books


- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

go public


- to become a public company and to sell the company stock to the public
The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly after the company went public.

go through with (something)


- to do something as planned or as agreed, to finish something
We will go through with our plans to build the new product.

hang out one's shingle


- to open one's own business (usually as a professional in some field)
My friend decided to hang out his shingle as a dentist soon after he finished school.

a hard sell


- a way of selling something that is very aggressive and uses much pressure
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we went to another car dealer.

have a stake in (something)


- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new oil exploration company.

have good contacts


- to know people who can help you get a job or do some kind of business
The salesman has good contacts and always sells many products.

have one's finger in the pie


- to be involved in something, to receive money for something
The new manager has his finger in the pie of many small businesses.

have the floor


- to have permission to speak in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.

heads will roll


- someone will be punished
Heads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost.

hold a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.

in black and white


- in writing
The company refused to deal with the customer's complaints until they were in black and white.

in charge of (someone or something)


- to be in control of someone or something, to be responsible for someone or something
My sister has been in charge of buying supplies at her company for many years.

in short supply


- not enough of something, less than the amount or number needed
Experienced computer programmers are in short supply in our company.

in stock


- available or ready to sell or use
The store does not have any printer ink in stock.

in the black


- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years.

in the long run


- over a long period of time
The company has been losing money recently but in the long run they should make a profit.

in the loop


- part of a group of people that is kept up-to-date with information about something
I began to work in the evenings and I was no longer in the loop at our company.

in the market for (something)


- to be ready to buy something, to want to buy something
We are in the market for a new computer.

in the red


- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

in the works


- to be in preparation, to be in the process of being planned or developed
The camera company has a new camera in the works but nobody knows about it.

jack up the price of (something)


- to make a price higher
The steel company will jack up the price of steel at the beginning of the year.

jump off the shelves


- to sell very well
The new children's toy is jumping off the shelves.

keep books


- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he makes many mistakes.

keep track of (something)


- to keep a count or record of something, to stay informed about something
We are trying to keep track of the number of visitors to our store.

a kickback


- an amount of money that is paid illegally for favorable treatment
The construction company was giving kickbacks to the local politicians.

knock down the price of (something) or knock the price of (something) down


- to lower the price of something
I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the DVD player.

land an account


- to acquire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.

launch a product


- to introduce a new product to consumers
The company will launch their new product next month.

lay (something) on the table


- to present a matter for discussion
I went to the meeting and laid my concerns about the new product on the table.

lead time


- the amount of time between the placing of an order and the receipt of the goods that you have ordered, the time available to prepare for something
The lead time to get a book published is very long.
There was not much lead time to prepare for the advertising campaign.

line of products


- a group or category of products that are similar to each other
Our company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.

liquid assets


- property or belongings that can easily be converted into cash
The company sold some of its liquid assets in order to raise cash.

make a cold call


- to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

make a go of (something)


- to produce good results, *****cceed at something
Although the man works very hard in his small business he cannot make a go of it and may soon go out of business.

make a motion


- to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next morning.

make an offer


- to make a financial proposal for a product or service
We plan to make an offer to buy the house on Saturday.

make money hand over fist


- to make money fast and in large amounts
The small ice cream shop is making money hand over fist this summer.

mean business


- to be serious
Our boss means business when he tells everyone to work harder.

move a product


- to sell a product
We should have no trouble to move the new product.

move to (do something)


- to propose to do something (usually at a meeting)
I will move to have another meeting next week so we can discuss the problem.

a number cruncher


- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

on cre***


- without paying cash
We usually buy most of our furniture on cre***.

on hand


- to be in one's possession, to be ready
We did not have enough supplies on hand so we were unable to finish the job.

on the block


- to be for sale, to go on sale
After we bought the company we put some of the equipment on the block.

on the market


- available for sale
There are many good cameras on the market now.

open a meeting


- to begin a meeting
They opened the meeting by welcoming the new guests.

out of order


- against the rules - used in a meeting when someone does not obey the rules of speaking
The question was out of order at the meeting and the man was not able to ask it.

out-of-pocket expenses


- the direct expenses that one must personally pay for something
My out-of-pocket expenses were very high during the business trip.

out of stock


- not available for immediate sale
The toys are out of stock and we must wait several weeks before we get them.

out of the loop


- to not be part of a group of people that is kept up-to-date with information about something
I was out of the loop during the negotiations and did not know what was going on.

outsource (something)


- to use outside sources for something rather than those within a company or its facilities
The manufacturing company outsourced much of its work.

overnight (something)


- to send a document or package somewhere for delivery the next day
We decided to overnight the new contract to our supplier.

pay off


- *****cceed, to yield good results
I hope that our plans for the new business will pay off.

pay off a debt


- to finish paying back the money that one has borrowed from a bank or business or person
I am working hard to pay off my debt to the store.

pay off a loan


- to finish paying back the money that one has borrowed from a bank or business or person
The furniture manufacturer was unable to pay off their loan so they went out of business.

piece of the action


- a share in the activity or the profits of something
The inventor wanted a piece of the action from the new equipment that he had invented.

plug a product


- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

preferred customer


- a customer who does much business with you and who you give special discounts to
The man is a preferred customer and we always give him a good price.

push a product


- to promote a product
The soap company is now pushing their new product.

put a product on the map


- to make a product known to the public
We hope that our new advertising campaign will put our product on the map.

put one's nose to the grindstone


- to work diligently or hard
I put my nose to the grindstone and finished the job before the weekend.

put (someone) on hold


- to disconnect someone temporarily from the telephone while you do something else
I phoned the bank but they put me on hold before somebody spoke to me.

put (something) on hold


- to postpone a project
The construction company put the project on hold while they looked for more money.

put (something) on the table


- to make something the topic of discussion
We put the issue of the new schedule on the table for discussion.

put (someone) through or put through (someone)


- to transfer someone to someone else's telephone
I phoned the cre*** card company and they put me through to a supervisor.

red ink


- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic con***ions.

red tape


- rules and regulations that seem unnecessary (often from the government)
There is much red tape when you try to start up a new business.

Robert's Rules of Order


- the official book of guidelines and rules about how to conduct a meeting.
We always use Robert's Rules of Order when we have a meeting.

roll out a product


- to release a product for sale
The company will roll out their new computers soon.

rule (someone) out of order


- to rule that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the meeting.

run a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
My boss is not able to run a meeting very well.

run an ad


- to place or put an advertisement in a publication
The government will run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

run short (of something)


- to not have enough of something
They ran short of gasoline at the gas station and had to close early.

saddled with debt


- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

second a motion


- to formally agree with a proposal in a meeting
I seconded the motion to start one hour early every morning during the summer.

sell like hotcakes


- to sell very quickly
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.

sell out


- to sell all of a product
Every year our company is able to sell out most of our summer goods.

sell (something) at a loss


- to sell something and lose money
We were forced to sell the computers at a loss.

set up a meeting


- to make arrangements for a meeting
I am trying to set up a meeting with the manager of our department.

set up shop (somewhere)


- to open a business
The fire alarm company decided to set up shop in our city.

slash prices


- to reduce prices significantly
The store is slashing prices on the new computers.

slice of the action


- a share in the activity or the profits of something
The government wanted a slice of the action from the new businesses.

stand adjourned


- to be dismissed or to end (used for a meeting)
"This meeting now stands adjourned."

strike while the iron is hot


- to take advantage of an opportunity
I plan to strike while the iron is hot and apply for the job quickly.

sweetheart deal


- a deal made between friends or businesses so that both may receive a benefit
We made a sweetheart deal with our landlord to have our rent reduced.

table a discussion


- to postpone a discussion until a later time
We tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the next meeting.

take a nosedive


- to collapse, to decrease in value
The stock market took a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company decreased.

take a pay cut


- to accept a decrease in one's salary
The telephone workers were forced to take a pay cut after the strike.

take minutes


- to write down the details of a meeting
I usually take minutes at the monthly club meetings.

take on (an employee) or take (an employee) on


- to give a job to someone, to hire someone
The company took on many new workers during the busy holiday season.

take over (something) or take (something) over


- to take control or possession of something, to take charge or responsibility for something
The government decided to take over the bank after it declared bankruptcy.

take (a company) public


- to sell shares of a company to the general public
We decided to take our company public in order to raise money to expand our factory.

take (something) at face value


- to take something that is said exactly as it is said
I took my friend's comment at face value.

take stock


- to count the items of merchandise or supplies in stock at a business, to take inventory
The department store closes for three days every March in order to take stock.

test market a product


- to research whether or not a product will be successful by selling it in a particular market or by choosing people to use the product for a specified period of time and receiving comments from them
The computer company will begin to test market their new computer in several cities soon.

throw cold water on (something)


- to discourage or forbid something
The manager threw cold water on our plan to close the factory for one week in August.

throw money at (something)


- to try to solve a problem by spending money on it
The president of our company is willing to throw much money at the factory problem.

tight spot


- a difficult situation
The computer company has been in a tight spot since the shortage of computer chips appeared.

turn a profit


- to make a profit
The supermarket has been turning a profit since it opened.

turn over


- to do business to a certain amount of money or product
We turn over most of our stock every month.
The company turns over much money every week.

turnover (of products)


- the rate at which a product is sold and replaced
The turnover of cold drinks is very high in the store.

turnover (of workers)


- the rate at which employees join and leave a company
The turnover of workers in the new restaurant is very high.

word-of-mouth advertising


- orally from one person to another, a form of advertising where a satisfied customer tells friends about a particular product
The new shampoo is doing very well because of word-of-mouth advertising.

work out


- to have a specific result
I do not believe that the new plan is going to work out.

work out (a problem)


- to solve a problem, to provide the details of something
I spent the weekend trying to work out the budget estimates for next year.

work overtime


- to work more than one's regular hours
I worked overtime every Friday last month.

write off (a debt/loan)


- to remove a debt/loan from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

accounting Idioms​

balance the books


- to check that all the money in a business is accounted for
The accountant spent several days trying to balance the books of his company.

bean counter


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

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.

break even


- to have expenses equal to profits
After 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.

carry over figures/numbers/costs


- to transfer a figure or number or cost from one column or time to another
Our company will carry over last year's losses to this year.

close the books


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

crunch numbers


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

figure out (something) or figure (something) out


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

go over the books


- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

in the black


- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years.

in the red


- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

keep books


- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he makes many mistakes.

a number cruncher


- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

red ink


- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic con***ions.

saddled with debt


- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

write off (a debt/loan)


- to remove a debt/loan from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

advertising Idioms​

bang for the buck


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

plug a product


- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

run an ad


- to place or put an advertisement in a publication
The government will run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

word-of-mouth advertising


- orally from one person to another, a form of advertising where a satisfied customer tells friends about a particular product
The new shampoo is doing very well because of word-of-mouth advertising.

banking Idioms​

bail a company out or bail out a company


- to rescue a company with financial problems
The government bailed out the bank to maintain stability in the economy.

banker's hours


- short work hours (similar to a bank)
My friend owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone


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

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.

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.

a calculated risk


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

call a loan


- to demand the immediate and complete payment of a debt/loan
The bank recently called the loan of the small business.

float (someone) a loan


- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

have a stake in (something)


- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new undersea oil exploration company.

BUSINESS IDIOMS (cont)
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


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

figure out (something) or figure (something) out


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

fill the bill


- to be just what is needed
The new machine should fill the bill for what we need to finish the job.

float (someone) a loan


- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

follow-up meeting


- a meeting where you discuss previous business
We will have a follow-up meeting to discuss the new product.

gain ground


- to go forward, to make progress
Our company is gaining ground in its attempt to be the best in the industry.

get a break


- to get an opportunity or good deal
We were able to get a break on the price of the paint and we saved much money.

get a raise


- to get an increase in one's salary
My sister works hard and she recently got a raise in her new job.

get off the ground


- to make a successful beginning
We were unable to get the new product off the ground but we will try again next year.

give (someone) the green light


- to give someone permission to go ahead or proceed with something
Our boss gave us the green light to begin work on the new sales campaign.

go belly up


- to go out of business because of financial problems
The small computer company went belly up several months ago.

go over the books


- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

go public


- to become a public company and to sell the company stock to the public
The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly after the company went public.

go through with (something)


- to do something as planned or as agreed, to finish something
We will go through with our plans to build the new product.

hang out one's shingle


- to open one's own business (usually as a professional in some field)
My friend decided to hang out his shingle as a dentist soon after he finished school.

a hard sell


- a way of selling something that is very aggressive and uses much pressure
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we went to another car dealer.

have a stake in (something)


- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new oil exploration company.

have good contacts


- to know people who can help you get a job or do some kind of business
The salesman has good contacts and always sells many products.

have one's finger in the pie


- to be involved in something, to receive money for something
The new manager has his finger in the pie of many small businesses.

have the floor


- to have permission to speak in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.

heads will roll


- someone will be punished
Heads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost.

hold a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.

in black and white


- in writing
The company refused to deal with the customer's complaints until they were in black and white.

in charge of (someone or something)


- to be in control of someone or something, to be responsible for someone or something
My sister has been in charge of buying supplies at her company for many years.

in short supply


- not enough of something, less than the amount or number needed
Experienced computer programmers are in short supply in our company.

in stock


- available or ready to sell or use
The store does not have any printer ink in stock.

in the black


- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years.

in the long run


- over a long period of time
The company has been losing money recently but in the long run they should make a profit.

in the loop


- part of a group of people that is kept up-to-date with information about something
I began to work in the evenings and I was no longer in the loop at our company.

in the market for (something)


- to be ready to buy something, to want to buy something
We are in the market for a new computer.

in the red


- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

in the works


- to be in preparation, to be in the process of being planned or developed
The camera company has a new camera in the works but nobody knows about it.

jack up the price of (something)


- to make a price higher
The steel company will jack up the price of steel at the beginning of the year.

jump off the shelves


- to sell very well
The new children's toy is jumping off the shelves.

keep books


- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he makes many mistakes.

keep track of (something)


- to keep a count or record of something, to stay informed about something
We are trying to keep track of the number of visitors to our store.

a kickback


- an amount of money that is paid illegally for favorable treatment
The construction company was giving kickbacks to the local politicians.

knock down the price of (something) or knock the price of (something) down


- to lower the price of something
I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the DVD player.

land an account


- to acquire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.

launch a product


- to introduce a new product to consumers
The company will launch their new product next month.

lay (something) on the table


- to present a matter for discussion
I went to the meeting and laid my concerns about the new product on the table.

lead time


- the amount of time between the placing of an order and the receipt of the goods that you have ordered, the time available to prepare for something
The lead time to get a book published is very long.
There was not much lead time to prepare for the advertising campaign.

line of products


- a group or category of products that are similar to each other
Our company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.

liquid assets


- property or belongings that can easily be converted into cash
The company sold some of its liquid assets in order to raise cash.

make a cold call


- to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

make a go of (something)


- to produce good results, *****cceed at something
Although the man works very hard in his small business he cannot make a go of it and may soon go out of business.

make a motion


- to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next morning.

make an offer


- to make a financial proposal for a product or service
We plan to make an offer to buy the house on Saturday.

make money hand over fist


- to make money fast and in large amounts
The small ice cream shop is making money hand over fist this summer.

mean business


- to be serious
Our boss means business when he tells everyone to work harder.

move a product


- to sell a product
We should have no trouble to move the new product.

move to (do something)


- to propose to do something (usually at a meeting)
I will move to have another meeting next week so we can discuss the problem.

a number cruncher


- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

on cre***


- without paying cash
We usually buy most of our furniture on cre***.

on hand


- to be in one's possession, to be ready
We did not have enough supplies on hand so we were unable to finish the job.

on the block


- to be for sale, to go on sale
After we bought the company we put some of the equipment on the block.

on the market


- available for sale
There are many good cameras on the market now.

open a meeting


- to begin a meeting
They opened the meeting by welcoming the new guests.

out of order


- against the rules - used in a meeting when someone does not obey the rules of speaking
The question was out of order at the meeting and the man was not able to ask it.

out-of-pocket expenses


- the direct expenses that one must personally pay for something
My out-of-pocket expenses were very high during the business trip.

out of stock


- not available for immediate sale
The toys are out of stock and we must wait several weeks before we get them.

out of the loop


- to not be part of a group of people that is kept up-to-date with information about something
I was out of the loop during the negotiations and did not know what was going on.

outsource (something)


- to use outside sources for something rather than those within a company or its facilities
The manufacturing company outsourced much of its work.

overnight (something)


- to send a document or package somewhere for delivery the next day
We decided to overnight the new contract to our supplier.

pay off


- *****cceed, to yield good results
I hope that our plans for the new business will pay off.

pay off a debt


- to finish paying back the money that one has borrowed from a bank or business or person
I am working hard to pay off my debt to the store.

pay off a loan


- to finish paying back the money that one has borrowed from a bank or business or person
The furniture manufacturer was unable to pay off their loan so they went out of business.

piece of the action


- a share in the activity or the profits of something
The inventor wanted a piece of the action from the new equipment that he had invented.

plug a product


- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

preferred customer


- a customer who does much business with you and who you give special discounts to
The man is a preferred customer and we always give him a good price.

push a product


- to promote a product
The soap company is now pushing their new product.

put a product on the map


- to make a product known to the public
We hope that our new advertising campaign will put our product on the map.

put one's nose to the grindstone


- to work diligently or hard
I put my nose to the grindstone and finished the job before the weekend.

put (someone) on hold


- to disconnect someone temporarily from the telephone while you do something else
I phoned the bank but they put me on hold before somebody spoke to me.

put (something) on hold


- to postpone a project
The construction company put the project on hold while they looked for more money.

put (something) on the table


- to make something the topic of discussion
We put the issue of the new schedule on the table for discussion.

put (someone) through or put through (someone)


- to transfer someone to someone else's telephone
I phoned the cre*** card company and they put me through to a supervisor.

red ink


- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic con***ions.

red tape


- rules and regulations that seem unnecessary (often from the government)
There is much red tape when you try to start up a new business.

Robert's Rules of Order


- the official book of guidelines and rules about how to conduct a meeting.
We always use Robert's Rules of Order when we have a meeting.

roll out a product


- to release a product for sale
The company will roll out their new computers soon.

rule (someone) out of order


- to rule that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the meeting.

run a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
My boss is not able to run a meeting very well.

run an ad


- to place or put an advertisement in a publication
The government will run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

run short (of something)


- to not have enough of something
They ran short of gasoline at the gas station and had to close early.

saddled with debt


- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

second a motion


- to formally agree with a proposal in a meeting
I seconded the motion to start one hour early every morning during the summer.

sell like hotcakes


- to sell very quickly
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.

sell out


- to sell all of a product
Every year our company is able to sell out most of our summer goods.

sell (something) at a loss


- to sell something and lose money
We were forced to sell the computers at a loss.

set up a meeting


- to make arrangements for a meeting
I am trying to set up a meeting with the manager of our department.

set up shop (somewhere)


- to open a business
The fire alarm company decided to set up shop in our city.

slash prices


- to reduce prices significantly
The store is slashing prices on the new computers.

slice of the action


- a share in the activity or the profits of something
The government wanted a slice of the action from the new businesses.

stand adjourned


- to be dismissed or to end (used for a meeting)
"This meeting now stands adjourned."

strike while the iron is hot


- to take advantage of an opportunity
I plan to strike while the iron is hot and apply for the job quickly.

sweetheart deal


- a deal made between friends or businesses so that both may receive a benefit
We made a sweetheart deal with our landlord to have our rent reduced.

table a discussion


- to postpone a discussion until a later time
We tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the next meeting.

take a nosedive


- to collapse, to decrease in value
The stock market took a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company decreased.

take a pay cut


- to accept a decrease in one's salary
The telephone workers were forced to take a pay cut after the strike.

take minutes


- to write down the details of a meeting
I usually take minutes at the monthly club meetings.

take on (an employee) or take (an employee) on


- to give a job to someone, to hire someone
The company took on many new workers during the busy holiday season.

take over (something) or take (something) over


- to take control or possession of something, to take charge or responsibility for something
The government decided to take over the bank after it declared bankruptcy.

take (a company) public


- to sell shares of a company to the general public
We decided to take our company public in order to raise money to expand our factory.

take (something) at face value


- to take something that is said exactly as it is said
I took my friend's comment at face value.

take stock


- to count the items of merchandise or supplies in stock at a business, to take inventory
The department store closes for three days every March in order to take stock.

test market a product


- to research whether or not a product will be successful by selling it in a particular market or by choosing people to use the product for a specified period of time and receiving comments from them
The computer company will begin to test market their new computer in several cities soon.

throw cold water on (something)


- to discourage or forbid something
The manager threw cold water on our plan to close the factory for one week in August.

throw money at (something)


- to try to solve a problem by spending money on it
The president of our company is willing to throw much money at the factory problem.

tight spot


- a difficult situation
The computer company has been in a tight spot since the shortage of computer chips appeared.

turn a profit


- to make a profit
The supermarket has been turning a profit since it opened.

turn over


- to do business to a certain amount of money or product
We turn over most of our stock every month.
The company turns over much money every week.

turnover (of products)


- the rate at which a product is sold and replaced
The turnover of cold drinks is very high in the store.

turnover (of workers)


- the rate at which employees join and leave a company
The turnover of workers in the new restaurant is very high.

word-of-mouth advertising


- orally from one person to another, a form of advertising where a satisfied customer tells friends about a particular product
The new shampoo is doing very well because of word-of-mouth advertising.

work out


- to have a specific result
I do not believe that the new plan is going to work out.

work out (a problem)


- to solve a problem, to provide the details of something
I spent the weekend trying to work out the budget estimates for next year.

work overtime


- to work more than one's regular hours
I worked overtime every Friday last month.

write off (a debt/loan)


- to remove a debt/loan from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

accounting Idioms​

balance the books


- to check that all the money in a business is accounted for
The accountant spent several days trying to balance the books of his company.

bean counter


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

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.

break even


- to have expenses equal to profits
After 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.

carry over figures/numbers/costs


- to transfer a figure or number or cost from one column or time to another
Our company will carry over last year's losses to this year.

close the books


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

crunch numbers


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

figure out (something) or figure (something) out


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

go over the books


- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company
We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

in the black


- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable
The new company has been in the black for many years.

in the red


- to be losing money, to be unprofitable
The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

keep books


- to keep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he makes many mistakes.

a number cruncher


- an accountant, someone who works with numbers
Our company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

red ink


- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)
The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic con***ions.

saddled with debt


- to be burdened with debt
Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

write off (a debt/loan)


- to remove a debt/loan from a business record, to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

advertising Idioms​

bang for the buck


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

plug a product


- to promote a product
The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

run an ad


- to place or put an advertisement in a publication
The government will run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

word-of-mouth advertising


- orally from one person to another, a form of advertising where a satisfied customer tells friends about a particular product
The new shampoo is doing very well because of word-of-mouth advertising.

banking Idioms​

bail a company out or bail out a company


- to rescue a company with financial problems
The government bailed out the bank to maintain stability in the economy.

banker's hours


- short work hours (similar to a bank)
My friend owns his own company and works banker's hours most days.

bankroll someone


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

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.

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.

a calculated risk


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

call a loan


- to demand the immediate and complete payment of a debt/loan
The bank recently called the loan of the small business.

float (someone) a loan


- to loan someone money
I asked the bank to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.

have a stake in (something)


- to have part ownership of a company or other business
The large oil company has a stake in the new undersea oil exploration company.

meeting Idioms​

adjourn a meeting


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

call a meeting to order


- to start a meeting
Our supervisor called the meeting to order after everyone arrived.

call on (someone) to speak


- to ask someone to speak, to give someone permission to speak at a meeting
The chairman called on me to speak at the meeting.

carry a motion


- *****pport or win acceptance for a motion or proposal or idea in a meeting
I was able to carry a motion at last night's meeting.

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 last week.

defeat a motion


- to defeat an idea or proposal in a meeting
We easily defeated the motion to change the dates for next week's convention.

follow-up meeting


- a meeting where you discuss previous business
We will have a follow-up meeting to discuss the new product.

have the floor


- to have permission to speak in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.

hold a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
We plan to hold a meeting next week to discuss the problems with our new product.

lay (something) on the table


- to present a matter for discussion
I went to the meeting and laid my concerns about the new product on the table.

make a motion


- to make a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the next morning.

move to (do something)


- to propose to do something (usually at a meeting)
I will move to have another meeting next week so we can discuss the problem.

open a meeting


- to begin a meeting
They opened the meeting by welcoming the new guests.

out of order


- against the rules - used in a meeting when someone does not obey the rules of speaking
The question was out of order at the meeting and the man was not able to ask it.

put (something) on the table


- to make something the topic of discussion
We put the issue of the new schedule on the table for discussion.

Robert's Rules of Order


- the official book of guidelines and rules about how to conduct a meeting.
We always use Robert's Rules of Order when we have a meeting.

rule (someone) out of order


- to rule that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the meeting.

run a meeting


- to conduct a meeting
My boss is not able to run a meeting very well.

second a motion


- to formally agree with a proposal in a meeting
I seconded the motion to start one hour early every morning during the summer.

set up a meeting


- to make arrangements for a meeting
I am trying to set up a meeting with the manager of our department.

stand adjourned


- to be dismissed or to end (used for a meeting)
"This meeting now stands adjourned."

table a discussion


- to postpone a discussion until a later time
We tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the next meeting.

take minutes


- to write down the details of a meeting
I usually take minutes at the monthly club meetings.

sales Idioms​

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 in high


- to charge too much for your services, to ask for a price that is too high
The salesman came in high during the negotiations and could not sell his product.

come in low


- to offer a low amount of money for a product or service
The company came in low with an offer for our product.

corner the market


- to dominate a particular market with your product
The large company has cornered the market for cell phones in our city.

a hard sell


- a way of selling something that is very aggressive and uses much pressure
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we went to another car dealer.

have good contacts


- to know people who can help you get a job or do some kind of business
The salesman has good contacts and always sells many products.

knock down the price of (something) or knock the price of (something) down


- to lower the price of something
I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the DVD player.

land an account


- to acquire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of work.

line of products


- a group or category of products that are similar to each other
Our company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.

make a cold call


- to visit or telephone a potential but unknown customer from a list of people
When he first started to work at his company the salesman was asked to make cold calls from the telephone book.

make an offer


- to make a financial proposal for a product or service
We plan to make an offer to buy the house on Saturday.

move a product


- to sell a product
We should have no trouble to move the new product.

preferred customer


- a customer who does much business with you and who you give special discounts to
The man is a preferred customer and we always give him a good price.

sell like hotcakes


- to sell very quickly
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.

​

Negotiations​

accept an offer


- to agree to an offer or proposal
I accepted the offer to buy my car.

at stake


- something that can be gained or lost
There was much at stake during the negotiations between the nurses and the government.

back down


- to yield in one's position during negotiations, to not follow up on a threat
The government backed down on their threat to give less money to the school district.

back out (of something)


- to get out of an agreement, to fail to keep a promise
The property developer backed out of the plan to build the new apartment building.

ball is in (someone's) court


- it is the decision of another person or group to do something
The ball is in the union's court after the company made their final offer.

beat around the bush


- to talk about something without giving a direct answer
The manager was beating around the bush and never said anything important.

blow a deal


- to ruin a business deal with someone
We are working hard so that we do not blow the deal with our new customer.

bog down


- to slow down and make no progress (a bog is an area of land that is wet and muddy - like a swamp)
The negotiations bogged down over the issue of part-time workers.

bone of contention


- the subject or reason for a fight or dispute
The size of the project was a bone of contention between the city and the developer.

break down


- to fail, to stop
The negotiations broke down last night when both sides refused to compromise.

break off (something) or break (something) off


- to stop or end suddenly
The government decided to break off talks about extending the trade agreement.

break through


- to be successful after overcoming a difficulty
We were able to break through in our efforts to find a solution to the problem.

breakthrough


- a success that comes after overcoming a difficulty
There was a breakthrough in the talks to end the teacher's strike.

bring off (something) or bring (something) off


- to achieve something
We were unable to bring off a deal to buy the new computer system for our company.

bring (someone) to terms


- to make someone agree to something or do something
The government worked hard to bring the two sides to terms.

bring (something) to the table


- to have something to offer during a negotiation
We were able to bring a new offer to the table during the negotiations.

bring up (something) or bring ( something) up


- to begin a discussion about something, to mention something
I tried to bring up the subject of sales commissions during the meeting.

call off (something) or call (something) off


- to stop or quit or cancel something
We called off the meeting because everybody was busy.

call (someone's) bluff


- to try to make someone prove that they can actually do what they say they can
The government called the union's bluff when the union threatened to go on strike.

call the shots


- to be in charge
During the meeting the vice-president was calling the shots.

**** in to (someone or something)


- to weaken and be forced to give up
The company was forced to **** in to the demands of the workers for more money.

close a deal


- to end a negotiation successfully
We had to work hard but we were finally able to close the deal.

close ranks


- to unite and fight together
During the meeting we closed ranks and refused to compromise on any issue.

come back with an offer


- to return to negotiations with a new offer
We came back with a new offer and the negotiations continued smoothly.

come down in price


- to lower the price of one's product
We decided to come down in price and try and sell our products quickly.

come in high


- to charge too much for your services, to ask for a price that is too high
The salesman came in high during the negotiations and could not sell his product.

come in low


- to offer a low amount of money for a product or service
The company came in low with an offer for our product.

come to terms


- to reach an agreement
After negotiating all night the government and the company came to terms on an arrangement for the new water system.

come up in a discussion


- to become a subject in a discussion
Nothing related to the issue of quality came up in the discussion.

come up with (an idea or something)


- to produce or find a thought or idea or answer
My boss was happy when I came up with some good ideas during the meeting.

common ground


- shared beliefs or interests
There was no common ground between the two sides and the negotiations did not go well.

consider an offer


- to think about an offer or proposal
The man considered the offer to buy his car.

continue down to the wire


- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining
The negotiations continued down to the wire but they ended successfully.

cover ground


- to talk about the important facts and details of something
The questions were endless and we were unable to cover much ground during the meeting.

cut a deal


- to make an agreement, to make a deal or arrangement
We cut a deal and left the meeting in a positive mood.

cut (someone) off or cut off (someone)


- to stop someone from saying something, to interrupt someone
My friend cut me off when I was speaking.

down to the wire


- near a deadline, with little time remaining
They went down to the wire but the two sides finally agreed to a new contract.

drag on


- to be prolonged, to continue for a long time
The talks between the company and the lawyers dragged on for several weeks.

drag one's heels


- to act slowly or reluctantly
The government dragged their heels in talks with the union about the new contract.

draw the line


- to set a limit about what will be done or discussed
The union was flexible on the salary issue but they drew the line at talking about health benefits.

draw up (something) or draw (something) up


- to put something (a contract or a plan) in writing
The lawyers drew up a contract for the new housing development on the government land.

drive a hard bargain


- to bargain hard and try to make an agreement to one's advantage
The sales manager drives a hard bargain and it is difficult to negotiate with him.

drive at (something)


- to mean something, to want to say something
I could not understand what the other negotiators in the meeting were driving at.

drop the price (of something)


- to lower the price of something
We dropped the price of our product during the negotiation.

face down (someone) or face (someone) down


- to confront someone boldly
The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.

fall through


- to fail, to be ruined, to not happen
The deal for the new machinery fell through and we will have to look for another supplier.

fifty-fifty


- equally, evenly
We shared the profits with the other company fifty-fifty.

follow through on/with (something)


- to finish an action, to keep a promise
Our boss said that wages would improve soon but he never followed through with his promise.

force (someone's) hand


- to make someone do something that they do not want to do at that time
We decided to force our opponent's hand because we wanted to finish the negotiations quickly.

get behind (a person or idea)


- *****pport a person or idea
Although we did not agree with the manager we got behind his proposal at the meeting.

get down to brass tacks


- to begin the work or business that must be done
"Let's get down to brass tacks and begin talking about the new contract."

get down to business


- to start working or doing the business at hand
We must get down to business and finish our work quickly.

get the ball rolling


- to start an activity or action
We should get the ball rolling and begin the meeting at once.

get the message


- to understand clearly what someone means
I do not think that the opposite side got the message about where the negotiations are heading.

get the raw end of the deal


- to do badly in a negotiation or a similar situation
I got the raw end of the deal when I received my new work schedule.

get to first base


- to make a good start, *****cceed
We have not been able to get to first base regarding the terms of the new contract.

get to the bottom of (something)


- to discover or understand the real cause of something
It will be difficult to get to the bottom of the financial problems in the company.

get to the heart of (something)


- to find the most important facts or central meaning of something
We spent the morning trying to get to the heart of the problem with the computer supplier.

give a little


- to compromise during a negotiation
We know that we must give a little if we want to complete the negotiations.

give and take (give-and-take)


- to share, to give up part of what you want in order to make an agreement
After much give and take we reached an agreement regarding the property transfer.

give away the farm


- to offer too much during a negotiation
I tried not to give away the farm during the negotiation.

give ground


- to move back or retreat from one's position
We bargained hard but the other sales representative refused to give ground.

give in to (someone)


- to do what another person wants rather than to fight and argue with him or her
After eight weeks of negotiations we gave in and agreed to sell the machinery at a discount.

go back on (something)


- to not be faithful or loyal to one's word or an agreement
The company directors went back on their word to give the employees a salary increase.

go back to square one


- to go back to the beginning
The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.

go back to the drawing board


- to go back and start something from the beginning
The negotiations failed so we had to go back to the drawing board and start over.

go down to the wire


- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining
The negotiations went down to the wire last night.

go for broke


- to risk everything on one big effort, to try as hard as possible
After going for broke at the meeting we were able to reach an agreement.

go over like a lead balloon


- to fail to generate a positive response
The sales manager's proposal went over like a lead balloon at the meeting

go over well


- to be liked or successful
My idea about employee evaluations went over well with the new manager.

hammer out (an agreement or a deal)


- to negotiate a deal or agreement by discussion and debate
The negotiations lasted all night but finally we were able to hammer out an agreement.

hang in the balance


- to have two equally possible results, to be uncertain
The outcome of the election was hanging in the balance after the top candidates had an equal number of votes.

hard-nosed


- to be very strict, to be stubborn, to be uncompromising
The negotiatiors were hard-nosed during the talks for a new contract.

have a card up one's sleeve


- to hide something of value
I thought that the negotiations would not succeed but my boss had a card up his sleeve that we did not know about.

have a poker face


- to not show any reaction or emotion
Our boss had a poker face when he told us that our office would soon close.

hold all the aces/cards/trumps


- to have all of the advantages
The management group was holding all the aces during the meeting with the union.

hold out for (something)


- to keep resisting or refuse to give up until you get the desired results
The union is holding out for a better deal and they do not plan to end their strike.

hold out on (someone)


- to refuse to give information or something to someone who has a right to it
The new manager has been holding out on the company and he will not tell anyone his plans.

horse-trade


- to make a business agreement or deal after careful bargaining and compromise
After several hours of horse-trading we reached an agreement to buy the new computers.

in the bag


- to be certain
The contract for the new insurance policy is in the bag.

iron (something) out or iron out (something)


- to solve a problem
We spent several hours ironing out the final details of the contract.