Idioms are essential in talking business, understanding others and expressing yourself with more character and style. If you are lacking a good understanding of English idioms you might get lost in a business conversation.
In order to help you find your way through the maze, I will provide an ongoing list of common business idioms explaining their meaning and giving you an example of how to use them starting with these first 10 essentials.
IDIOMS | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
TOUCH BASE | to make contact with someone. | We need to touch base with our consultants as soon as possible. |
CORNER THE MARKET | to dominate the market | Amazon pretty much has cornered the online market making it difficult for others to compete. |
SEE EYE TO EYE | to agree with somebody | Unfortunately I don't see eye to eye with my boss about the new budget. |
RAISE THE BAR | to increase standards or expectations | I need to raise the bar in my English! |
NO-BRAINER | a very easy or obvious choice, decision or solution | Increasing our margins by reducing our costs is a no-brainer. |
LEARN THE ROPES | to learn the basics of something like a job, task or activity | I'll have to learn the ropes in my new job. |
IN A NUTSHELL | in summary, a few words | In a nutshell if we don't act now, we'll lose the contract. |
GET DOWN TO BUSINESS | to start talking about business or serious topics | Once everybody has arrived we can get down to business. |
BIG PICTURE | the ability to see the entire perspective on a situation or issue | We need to focus on the big picture in order to see the way forward. |
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX | to explore ideas that are creative and unlimited | In order to find a solution we need to think outside the box. |
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