Business English Idioms
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Improve your Professional English Communication and Speaking skills
You have studied English grammar and have a wide vocabulary. The problem is that you find it difficult to communicate effectively in English at work. Native English speakers use lots of idioms which can be confusing. You might understand the individual words in each idiom, but you don’t understand what the expressions actually mean. For example, if your boss tells you that you are working in a ‘dog eat dog’ industry, what is he trying to tell you? You understand the words but the idiom surely means something else.
Understanding and using English businessidioms at work will help you express yourself more effectively in your job. Idioms are often used as a shortcut, a way to express a concept or idea in a short and memorable way. Humans use idioms to engage their listeners and emphasise their ideas and opinions. If you use idioms, you will be able to express yourself in a more colourful and natural way.
This 5-hour course will teach you over 75 English idioms used at work. You’ll be able to build rapport with your English-speaking colleagues and clients by using the language they speak.
Each video is about 3-4 minutes long and gives you a definition and an example of the idiom used in a business context. There are a couple of questions about each idiom. Think about these questions to help you remember the idioms. Finally, idioms are generally fixed expressions – you cannot change the words or the order because that will make the idiom sound strange. At the end of each lesson, you will be asked to decide if the idiom is used correctly or not in an example sentence.
As well as videos, you can also download an MP3 (audio file) from the resources section of each lesson. You can upload these to your phone and listen to them whenever you want. Aim to listen to each audio recording at least three times to ensure you really learn the idioms and store them in your long-term memory.
Finally, there is a 100-page ebook that summarises the information from the video course in the resources section of the first lesson (Introduction). It is full of images from the course so it won’t take you long to read and provides you with a quick and easy way to review the idioms.
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2
To call it a day -
3
To get your foot in the door
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4
To see eye to eye
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5
To pay under the table
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6
To talk shop
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7
To put something on the back burner
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8
To throw in the towel
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9
To go the extra mile
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10
To think outside the box
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11
To get off on the wrong foot
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12
To stand your ground
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13
To run around like a headless chicken
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14
To cut to the chase
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15
To be a blessing in disguise
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16
To cost an arm and a leg
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17
To learn the ropes
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18
Business Idioms Quiz 1This short quiz tests you on Business English idioms found in Lectures 2 to 16.
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19
To cook the books
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20
To make a cold call
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21
To get the green light
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22
To twist somebody's arm
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23
To run on a shoestring
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24
To be snowed under
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25
To be in the red / black
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26
To be a big fish in a small pond
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27
To be ahead of the curve
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28
To stay on top of things
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29
To play it by ear
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30
To pick somebody's brain
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31
Business English idioms Quiz 2
This short quiz tests you on Business English idioms found in Lectures
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32
To cut corners
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33
To take the bull by the horns
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34
To get fired
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35
To be dead wood
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36
To quit the rat race
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37
To go back to the drawing board
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38
To miss the boat
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39
To jump the gun
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40
Business English Idioms - Quiz 3
This quiz tests you on lectures 30 to 37.
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41
To be in the loop
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42
To move the goalposts
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43
To be put on the map
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44
To do the donkey work
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45
To jump on the bandwagon
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46
To hold the fort
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47
To pay dividends
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48
To hold all the aces
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49
To cash in your chips
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50
To take something on board
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51
Business English Idioms Quiz 4
This quiz tests you on idioms 38 - 48.
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52
To flex your muscles
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53
To tighten your belt
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54
To pick holes in something
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55
To eat out of your hand
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56
To skate on thin ice
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57
To take something with a pinch of salt
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58
To be in the saddle
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59
To weather the storm
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60
To get your act together
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61
To pull out all the stops
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62
To cut a long story short
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63
To be the last straw
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64
To be a wild goose chase
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65
Business English Idioms Quiz 5
Let's review business English idioms in lectures 48 to 60.
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66
To be a hot potato
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67
To have an ace up your sleeve
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68
To be a long shot
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69
To be / make a power play
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70
To be a dark horse
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71
To be a snake in the grass
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72
To be / take a shot in the dark
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73
To be in the driver's seat
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74
To be a game changer
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75
To be low-hanging fruit
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76
To be on the same page
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77
To kill two birds with one stone
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78
To be a double-edged sword
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79
To be an uphill climb
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80
To be a tough nut to crack
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81
Business Idioms Quiz 6
These questions might be a little more challenging.
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82
To make ends meet
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83
To bite the bullet
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84
To think on your feet
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85
To leave no stone unturned
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86
To keep the ball rolling
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87
To break the bank
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88
To turn the tables
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89
To break the mould
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90
To sink or swim
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91
To read between the lines
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92
To stay one step ahead
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93
To open the floodgates
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94
To put your eggs in one basket
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95
To mind your Ps and Qs
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96
To hit the nail on the head
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97
To keep your eye on the ball
