Idioms for Business

by
Barry Ward
Idioms for Business
Copyright 2012
Barry Ward
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission
from the author and Nanun-do Co., Ltd.
Welcome to Idioms for Business. The most cogent reason for using this book
in your classes is simple and straightforward; it is the amazing number of idioms
that occur in even the shortest article in any business publication - Bloomberg
BusinessWeek, Forbes, Financial Times, Fortune, etc. - or in any business-oriented
conversation. It is practically impossible for students of business, economics,
management, and so on to understand business English without an understanding of
the idioms used. I have therefore put together 140 of the most useful and frequently
occurring business idioms in a textbook which is fun and easy to use. Much of the
teachers valuable time is saved by providing Japanese equivalents for the vocabulary
in the text; the teacher can concentrate on the exercises without being sidetracked
by time-consuming explanations. As an added bonus the idioms themselves are
explained fully in Japanese in the appendix, where the Japanese equivalents are given
unit-by-unit, which saves time when checking meanings. And the business milieus
in which they are used are by no means confined to the office; different units deal
with the movie industry, car manufacturers, advertising, pharmaceuticals, metals and
commodities, overseas investment, emerging economies, etc. This will also give your
students the stimulating global perspective they need in todays world. There are also
no pointless illustrations. All of the excellent illustrations are informative and/or
amusing. I hope you will enjoy using the book as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
With best wishes,
Barry Andrew Ward
Unit 1 Brainstorming 6
Unit 2 Management and Labor 10
Unit 3 The Test Drive 14
Unit 4 The Screenplay 18
Unit 5 Where to Invest? 22
Unit 6 Office Politics 26
Unit 7 M&A Mergers and Acquisitions 30
Unit 8 Piracy 34
Unit 9 Ask Our Customers 38
Unit 10 Emerging Economies 42
Unit 11 Serendipity 46
Unit 12 Red Flags! 50
Unit 13 Sold for Scrap 54
Unit 14 Dog-Eat-Dog Competition 58
6
Brainstorming
A. Idioms and Definitions
1
.
brainstorming: to rack ones brains for new
ideas
2
.
to come up with: to produce
3
.
As you know: to assume something is already
known
4
.
a fraction of: only a small part of
5
.
stanch the red ink: stop the financial losses,
stop losing money
6
.
back on its/ones feet: fully recoveredapplies
to people and companies, est
.
7
.
input: information, data
8
.
the good news: the good point, reason for
optimism
9
.
the odds of: the chances of, the probability
10
.
take for granted: to assume maybe without
good reason that something will continue
7
B. Dialogue 2
Read and repeat the following dialogue, and mark the idioms (see
section A) in magic pen.
a: Good morni ng. Today s meeti ng i s basi cal l y a
brainstorming session to come up with solutions to
the companys problems. As you know, sales this year
are a fraction of what they were last year. We need
to stanch the red ink and get the company back on its
feet, so your input is welcome. The good news is that
the odds of the present recession continuing into next
year are low but .
b: But we cant take that for granted, right?
a: Right.
NOTES: basically solutions

C. True or False?
Check the dialogue and circle T or F, as appropriate.
1. This is a sales meeting.
2. Sales this year are down.
3. Input from employees is welcome.
4. The company is losing money.
5. There is no good news.
T F
T F
T F
T F
T F
8
D. Questions for Comprehension
Read the dialogue carefully and answer the following questions with short
answers.
a) What kind of meeting is this?
b) What are the companys problems?
c) What is the good news?
E. Using the Idioms Correctly
Put the correct idiom in the brackets.
1. Todays meeting is a ( ) to develop new ideas.
2. Thanks for your ( ). I needed that information.
3. Sales are down by 50% to only a ( ) of last years fgures.
4. OK, weve heard the bad news. Now tell us some ( ).
5. Bernies back on ( ) after his recent illness.*
6. Apple always seems to ( ) with interesting new products.
7. ( ), global weather paterns are changing rapidly.
8. Cuting the companys energy consumption should help to ( ) and
save money.
9. The ( ) an economic recovery this year? Id say about 3 to 1.
10. The world has to develop alternative energy sources. We cant ( )
that new oil reserves will always be discovered.*
NOTES: products rapidly energy consumption alternative
energy sources oil reserves discovered
a. fraction f. as you know
b. his feet g. input
c. come up h. brainstorming session
d. odds of i. take it for granted
e. good news j. stanch the red ink
9
F. Free Style
Match the idioms on the left with the appropriate situation on the right.
A) Its a brainstorming session. 1) Its common knowledge.
B) Toms back on his feet. 2) Bonuses have been increased.
C) As you know 3) They are thinking hard.
D) A fraction 4) Hes feeling fne after the fu.
E) The good news 5) 1/4, 1/2, 1/10, etc.
G. Dictation 3
Listen and write down the missing words.
1
, the management was
2
in taking it
3
that the company would be
4
this year.
So we would like to hear
5
in todays
6

session. We are
7
you can
8
with
some good
9
to help us
10
the red
11
. Who
12
like to
13
?
*5
*10
10
Management And Labor
A. Idioms and Definitions
1
.
a walk-out: a strike (also to walk out)
2
.
shuttered: closed down
3
.
pay freeze: no increase in pay
4
.
in return for: in exchange for, as part of a
bargain
5
.
a halt: to stop something
6
.
lay-offs: firings of staff (also to lay off)
7
.
overhaul: to re-examine, to check, to look at
again
8
.
worker-friendly: anything that is good for
workers, concerned with workers welfare
9
.
bright spot: good point
10
.
picking up: increasing, rising
11
B. Dialogue/ News Report 4
Read and repeat the following dialogue, and mark the idioms (see
section A) in magic pen.
The latest dispute between management and labor resulted
in a walk-out that shuttered most of the company for a week.
However, the union agreed to a pay freeze in return for a
halt to lay-offs. The company has agreed to overhaul its
negotiating procedures and institute more worker-friendly
policies. The only bright spot in the situation is that demand
for the companys products seems to be picking up.
NOTES: dispute resulted (in~) negotiating procedures
institute demand

C. True or False?
Check the dialogue and circle T or F, as appropriate.
1. The management walked out.
2. The walk-out lasted a month.
3. Lay-ofs have been stopped.
4. The company has decided to overhaul its
hiring procedures.
5. There is one bright spot in the situation.
T F
T F
T F
T F
T F
12
D. Questions for Comprehension
Read the dialogue carefully and answer the following questions with short
answers.
a) Was all of the company shutered for a week?
b) What did the union agree to?
c) What is the bright spot in the situation?
E. Using the Idioms Correctly
Put the correct idiom in the brackets.
1. The ( ) was of course unpopular with the workers.*
2. The workers downed tools and ( ) in the dispute with management.
3. They returned to work ( ) for promises of fair treatment.
4. The companys trucks were ( ) after a series of break-downs.
5. Rising employment is the ( ) in the current economic environment.
6. The plant has been ( ) for a week. Its very quiet.
7. There was a ( ) in production when the assembly line broke down.
8. ( ) policies help reduce the number of strikes.
9. Sales are ( ) as people spend more.*
10. Construction workers were ( ) as long as the freezing winter
conditions lasted.
NOTES: downed tools dispute fair treatment
break-downs current plant production policies
construction freezing
a. picking up f. overhauled
b. shuttered g. pay freeze
c. halt h. in return
d. laid of i. worker-friendly
e. walked out j. bright spot
13
F. Free Style
Which of the following are worker-friendly policies?
a) compulsory overtime
b) better food in the canteen
c) more safety training
d) bigger bonuses for managers
e) longer summer vacations
G. Dictation 5
Listen and write down the missing words.
1
workers at Eastern
2
Refners
3
today in the continuing
4
over the
companys
5
for a
6
. Te
7

says it cannot
8
to this while the company continues
9
workers.
10
are
11
to
12
next week,
13
. Te only
14

in the
15
is the
16
improvement in the
17
.
*1
*9