Are you confused by all the business idioms you hear? The business world is full of expressions and idioms, and it’s easy for a native English speaker to forget that these phrases can be difficult for their foreign colleagues or partners to understand.
So, if you’re communicating in English as a second language, you may be able to avoid confusion by familiarizing yourself with these business expressions. We have included definitions and examples to help demonstrate how they are used in the world of work.
Let’s get down to business!
21 common business idioms with examples
Get down to business
After a lot of talking about doing something, it might be time to get down to business or get down to work. This means to begin seriously working on what needs to be done.
“Ok, now everybody’s here, let’s get down to business.”
You can find some more useful idioms about talking here.
Back-of-an-envelope calculations
Back-of-an-envelope calculations (US) or back-of-a-fag-packet calculations (UK) have been worked out based on simple assumptions, not accurately calculated. They will give you a ballpark figure. You may also hear back–of-a-napkin. The idea is that you’ve just grabbed any old piece of paper to jot down your ideas.
“I’ve done some back-of-a-fag-packet calculations and I think this product could make a good profit.”
A ballpark figure
This next business idiom is related to baseball; something in the ballpark is in an approximately reasonable range (as opposed to out of the ballpark, which is not reasonable). Therefore, a ballpark figure is a rough estimate.
“We can’t give you an exact cost until everything is confirmed, but we can give you a ballpark figure.”
This phrase is thought to originate from American baseball commentators looking around the stadium or arena to guess how many spectators were present.
Boil the ocean
Have you ever been given a task that seemed pointless, futile, or impossible to complete? Well, you might say it was like trying to boil the ocean. Although this ocean idiom conjures up an amusing, it is very frustrating if it happens to you.
“Surely we’re just boiling the ocean with this report. Nobody is going to read it anyway.”
Get to the bottom of something
To get to the bottom of means to thoroughly investigate and discover the real truth about something.
“We must get to the bottom of why our sales have dropped.”
Snowed under
If you’re snowed under at work, it means you are overwhelmed, especially by paperwork.
“I’m totally snowed under at the moment; I think I’ll have to work late every night this week to get on top of things.”
Check out some more wintery snow idioms here!
Off the mark / off base
If someone is off the mark (UK) or off base (US), it means they are badly mistaken or have completely misunderstood. You may also hear wide of the mark which has a similar but less severe meaning.
“They are way off the mark with this proposal; I don’t think they’ve understood our requirements at all.”
If you’re learning English as a second language, did you know there are many free online business English courses that could help with your knowledge of topics like this?
Get the sack
You should be careful not to get or be given the sack (UK) or the ax (US). This is an informal term meaning to be dismissed from your employment or be fired.
“You should be more punctual. If you’re late again, the boss might give you the sack.”
You probably wouldn’t hear this from your employer, but it would be used colloquially between employees.
Cover a lot of ground
If you have a big project or a lot of work to catch up on, you may need to cover a lot of ground. This means to make fast progress through a lot of tasks or information.
“We need to cover a lot of ground in the next week. The project is due for review on Friday.”
“You covered a lot of ground today, well done.”
This can also apply to the process of studying or learning.
Have your work cut out
If you have your work cut out (for you), it means you have something difficult to do.
“Her new client is very demanding; she’ll have her work cut out to keep them happy.”
“I have to prepare for a very important sales pitch so I’ve really got my work cut out for me for the next few days.”
Give away the store
This may sound like a shopping idiom, but it’s actually about negotiations or business deals. If you conceded or paid too much in a negotiation or transaction, someone may comment that you gave away the store.
“I think it’s best if you let Nina handle this negotiation. Last time, you almost gave away the store.”
This business idiom is more of an American expression than British.
On the same wavelength / page
This is a really common business idiom. If you’re on the same wavelength as someone, it means you are in agreement or thinking in the same way.
“I’m glad to see we’re on the same wavelength; I’m sure we won’t have any trouble working together.”
You might also hear on the same page or singing from the same hymnsheet.
See eye to eye
Similarly, if you’re in agreement with someone you can say you see eye to eye (with someone or about something).
“The new Finance Manager doesn’t see eye to eye with the CEO so he might not last long!”
“It’s important that the team all see eye to eye when it comes to achieving our goals.”
Find some more body idioms here!
Get the ball rolling
To get the ball rolling means to begin something or get a process started.
“I’d like to arrange a meeting to get the ball rolling on our next project.”
It’s surprising how many sport idioms also relate to business settings!
Fast track
If something is very urgent or important, you might need to fast-track it. Used as a verb, it means prioritize or expedite, but you can also use it as a noun, meaning the most direct route to achieve a goal.
“We need to fast track this customer’s order because they’ve just called up to complain about our slow delivery times.”
“He’s on the fast track to a management position.”
We have a load more fast idioms for you in a separate article.
Jump through hoops
To jump through hoops means to do a lot of extra things in order to get a result, or to deal with a lot of bureaucracy.
“There are a lot of hoops to jump through before the advert will be approved.”
“I’m fed up to having to jump through so many hoops every time I want to make an application.”
A new brush sweeps clean
This is more of a proverb than an idiom, but either way, you will often hear it used in business, especially in the context of new management.
A new brush sweeps clean is said to suggest that often when a new manager comes in, they make large-scale changes in an attempt to ‘clean things up’ in the organization (that’s another cleaning idiom you might need to know).
“We’d better be ready for big changes with this new boss. After all, a new brush sweeps clean.”
Think outside the box
This is one of the most overused and clichéd business idioms, but I have included it anyway since it’s one of the most important to learn.
Thinking outside the box means thinking in a different way, putting aside the obvious approach and trying something more unconventional.
“Our marketing strategy isn’t delivering a high enough return. We need to think outside the box. Any ideas?”
There are plenty more helpful idioms about knowledge, thinking, and ideas to help you out in the workplace.
Out of line / out of order
If somebody behaves in a way that is inappropriate or improper, going beyond established rules or limits, we could say that their behavior is out of line or out of order.
“The way you spoke to Ms Lindberg in that meeting was completely out of line.”
“I’m sorry if what I said earlier was out of order.”
Find some more ways to apologize professionally at work here.
Note that ‘out of order’ can also mean ‘broken’, in terms of a piece of equipment not functioning.
“The printer has been out of order for a week now. When is it going to be fixed?”
A win-win situation
Another cliché that you may prefer to avoid, a win-win situation is one in which both parties benefit (and isn’t that, really, what business is all about?).
“I am convinced we are in a win-win situation with this new supplier.”
You could also talk about a win-win deal or a win-win partnership, to give a couple more examples.
Are there any other business idioms that you have heard that initially confused you? Perhaps you have struggled to understand phrasal verbs for telephone conversations? If so, leave a comment below.
You might also find it helpful to learn about some common abbreviations in English. Many of these are used in work situations, whether talking about finances or sending quick messages between colleagues.
