Business Idioms

Business Idioms - Complete List

Accounting Idioms
Advertising Idioms
Banking Idioms
Meeting Idioms
Sales Idioms
Quizzes
Business Idioms
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 worers an across-the-board increase in their salary.
adjourn a meeting
- to end a meeting
!e ad"ourned the meeting until the ne#t 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 ban to maintain stability in the economy.
balance the books
- to chec that all the money in a business is accounted for
The accountant spent several days trying to balance the boos of his company.
ball park figure/estimate
- a rough estimate or figure
The contractor gave us a ball par figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
bang for the buck
- value for the money spent
!e were able to get much bang for the buc when we advertised on the Internet.
banker's hours
- short wor hours %similar to a ban&
'y friend owns his own company and wors baner(s hours most days.
bankroll someone
- to supply someone with money$ to finance someone
The movie actor banrolled his son while the son was producing his first movie.
bean counter
- an accountant
!e ased the bean counters to loo 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
)ome of the bigwigs of our company came to visit our factory.
blow a deal
- to ruin a business deal with someone
!e are woring 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
!hen the bottom fell out of the coffee maret many companies had to stop doing business.
bottom line
- the total$ the final figure on a balance sheet$ the results %of a business&
*fter we e#amined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.
bottom line
- the central issue of a discussion$ the main point
'y friend wants to open a restaurant. +owever$ 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 stoc has begun to bottom out and it should soon begin to increase in value.
bounce a check
- to write a chec in which you do not have enough money in your ban account
The young man bounced a chec when he tried to pay his rent.
boys in the backroom
- a group of men maing decisions behind the scenes
The boys in the bacroom told us that the factory will close ne#t year.
break even
- to have e#penses e,ual to profits
*fter three months the company was able to brea even and begin to mae a profit.
bring (something) to the table
- to have something to offer during a negotiation
!e 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 s,ueeze at our company.
buy a stake in (something)
- to buy part ownership of a company or other enterprise
The large ban is planning to buy a stae in the small stoc 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 ma"ority share of something
The large company decided to buy out the small te#tile company.
buy (something) on credit
- to buy something without paying cash
'y friend had no money so he decided to buy some furniture on credit.
buyer's market
- a situation where there are more sellers than buyers of a product or service and the buyers have an
advantage
It was a buyer(s maret and the price of fruit was very cheap.
by a long shot
- by a big difference
-ur 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 to succeed
The company too a calculated ris when they put the new computer on the maret.
call a loan
- to demand the immediate and complete payment of a debt.loan
The ban recently called the loan of the small business.
call a meeting to order
- to start a meeting
-ur supervisor called the meeting to order after everyone arrived.
call on (someone) to speak
- to as someone to spea$ to give someone permission to spea at a meeting
The chairman called on me to spea 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
- to support 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
-ur 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 maret 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
!e circulated the agenda for the meeting last wee.
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 stoc very cheap.
close the books
- to stop taing orders$ to end a booeeping period
The company will close the boos at the end of /ecember.
close up shop
- to stop doing business %for a variety of reasons - not only financial reasons&
The university boostore will close up shop ne#t month.
come down in price
- to lower the price of one(s product$ to become cheaper
!e 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 as 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 wors hard for his company and supports the company policies
'y father was a company man and he always put in an e#tra 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 maret with your product
The large company has cornered the maret 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 mae 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 itchen.
cut back
- to use fewer or less of something
The company has been cutting bac on entertainment e#penses recently.
cut corners
- to economize$ to try to spend less money
!e have been forced to economize on e#penses 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 additional money or time etc.
!e should sell the old machinery soon and try to cut our losses.
defeat a motion
- to defeat an idea or proposal in a meeting
!e easily defeated the motion to change the dates for ne#t year(s convention.
deliver the goods
- to succeed in doing a good "ob of something
The new manager is not very popular but he is able to deliver the goods.
double check (something)
- to chec something again to confirm that it is correct
!e must double chec the new product prices before the price list is printed.
draw up a contract
- to mae 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
!e dropped the price of our product during the negotiation.
face value (of something)
- the official value or worth of something
*lthough the face value of the postage stamp was very low it sold at the auction for much money.
fair play
- e,ual and correct action toward someone$ "ustice
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 thining about something
0verybody is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new e,uipment.
fill the bill
- to be "ust what is needed
The new machine should fill the bill for what we need to finish the "ob.
float (someone) a loan
- to loan someone money
I ased the ban to float me a loan so that I could buy a new car.
followup meeting
- a meeting where you discuss previous business
!e will have a follow-up meeting to discuss the new product.
gain ground
- to go forward$ to mae progress
-ur company is gaining ground in its attempt to be the best in the industry.
get a break
- to get an opportunity or good deal
!e were able to get a brea on the price of the paint and we saved much money.
get a raise
- to get an increase in one(s salary
'y sister wors hard and she recently got a raise in her new "ob.
get off the ground
- to mae a successful beginning
!e were unable to get the new product off the ground but we will try again ne#t year.
give (someone) the green light
- to give someone permission to go ahead or proceed with something
-ur boss gave us the green light to begin wor 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 chec and analyze the accounting records of a company
!e hired an outside accountant to go over our boos.
go public
- to become a public company and to sell the company stoc to the public
The stoc of the Internet company rose very ,uicly after the company went public.
go through with (something)
- to do something as planned or as agreed$ to finish something
!e 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&
'y 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 stae in the new oil e#ploration company.
have good contacts
- to now people who can help you get a "ob or do some ind 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 spea in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.
heads will roll
- someone will be punished
+eads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost.
hold a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
!e plan to hold a meeting ne#t wee 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 blac and white.
in charge of (someone or something)
- to be in control of someone or something$ to be responsible for someone or something
'y 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
0#perienced 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 in in stoc.
in the black
- to be successful$ to be maing money$ to be profitable
The new company has been in the blac 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 mae a profit.
in the loop
- part of a group of people that is ept up-to-date with information about something
I began to wor 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
!e are in the maret 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 wors but nobody nows about it.
jack up the price of (something)
- to mae a price higher
The steel company will "ac 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 "umping off the shelves.
keep books
- to eep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not now how to eep boos and he maes many mistaes.
keep track of (something)
- to eep a count or record of something$ to stay informed about something
!e are trying to eep trac 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 icbacs 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 noc down the price of the /1/ player.
land an account
- to ac,uire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of wor.
launch a product
- to introduce a new product to consumers
The company will launch their new product ne#t 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 boo 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
-ur 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 li,uid assets in order to raise cash.
make a cold call
- to visit or telephone a potential but unnown customer from a list of people
!hen he first started to wor at his company the salesman was ased to mae cold calls from the
telephone boo.
make a go of (something)
- to produce good results$ to succeed at something
*lthough the man wors very hard in his small business he cannot mae a go of it and may soon go out
of business.
make a motion
- to mae a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the ne#t morning.
make an offer
- to mae a financial proposal for a product or service
!e plan to mae an offer to buy the house on )aturday.
make money hand over fist
- to mae money fast and in large amounts
The small ice cream shop is maing money hand over fist this summer.
mean business
- to be serious
-ur boss means business when he tells everyone to wor harder.
move a product
- to sell a product
!e 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 ne#t wee so we can discuss the problem.
a number cruncher
- an accountant$ someone who wors with numbers
-ur company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.
on credit
- without paying cash
!e usually buy most of our furniture on credit.
on hand
- to be in one(s possession$ to be ready
!e did not have enough supplies on hand so we were unable to finish the "ob.
on the block
- to be for sale$ to go on sale
*fter we bought the company we put some of the e,uipment on the bloc.
on the market
- available for sale
There are many good cameras on the maret 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 speaing
The ,uestion was out of order at the meeting and the man was not able to as it.
outofpocket e!penses
- the direct e#penses that one must personally pay for something
'y out-of-pocet e#penses were very high during the business trip.
out of stock
- not available for immediate sale
The toys are out of stoc and we must wait several wees before we get them.
out of the loop
- to not be part of a group of people that is ept up-to-date with information about something
I was out of the loop during the negotiations and did not now 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 wor.
overnight (something)
- to send a document or pacage somewhere for delivery the ne#t day
!e decided to overnight the new contract to our supplier.
pay off
- to succeed$ to yield good results
I hope that our plans for the new business will pay off.
pay off a debt
- to finish paying bac the money that one has borrowed from a ban or business or person
I am woring hard to pay off my debt to the store.
pay off a loan
- to finish paying bac the money that one has borrowed from a ban 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 e,uipment that he had invented.
plug a product
- to promote a product
The soccer star maes 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 mae a product nown to the public
!e hope that our new advertising campaign will put our product on the map.
put one's nose to the grindstone
- to wor diligently or hard
I put my nose to the grindstone and finished the "ob before the weeend.
put (someone) on hold
- to disconnect someone temporarily from the telephone while you do something else
I phoned the ban but they put me on hold before somebody spoe to me.
put (something) on hold
- to postpone a pro"ect
The construction company put the pro"ect on hold while they looed for more money.
put (something) on the table
- to mae something the topic of discussion
!e 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 credit card company and they put me through to a supervisor.
red ink
- debt %the red in on a financial statement&
The automobile company has much red in because of the bad economic conditions.
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.
"obert's "ules of #rder
- the official boo of guidelines and rules about how to conduct a meeting.
!e always use 2obert(s 2ules of -rder 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 spea at the meeting.
run a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
'y 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 ta#.
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
-ur company is saddled with debt and must do something about it ,uicly.
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 ,uicly
The children(s toys were selling lie hotcaes at the end of the year.
sell out
- to sell all of a product
0very year our company is able to sell out most of our summer goods.
sell (something) at a loss
- to sell something and lose money
!e were forced to sell the computers at a loss.
seller's market
- a situation where there are more buyers of a product.service than sellers so the sellers have an
advantage
It was a seller(s maret for houses and the houses were increasing in value.
set up a meeting
- to mae 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&
3This meeting now stands ad"ourned.3
strike while the iron is hot
- to tae advantage of an opportunity
I plan to strie while the iron is hot and apply for the "ob ,uicly.
sweetheart deal
- a deal made between friends or businesses so that both may receive a benefit
!e made a sweetheart deal with our landlord to have our rent reduced.
table a discussion
- to postpone a discussion until a later time
!e tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the ne#t meeting.
take a nosedive
- to collapse$ to decrease in value
The stoc maret too a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company decreased.
take a pay cut
- to accept a decrease in one(s salary
The telephone worers were forced to tae a pay cut after the strie.
take minutes
- to write down the details of a meeting
I usually tae minutes at the monthly club meetings.
take on (an employee) or take (an employee) on
- to give a "ob to someone$ to hire someone
The company too on many new worers during the busy holiday season.
take over (something) or take (something) over
- to tae control or possession of something$ to tae charge or responsibility for something
The government decided to tae over the ban after it declared banruptcy.
take (a company) public
- to sell shares of a company to the general public
!e decided to tae our company public in order to raise money to e#pand our factory.
take (something) at face value
- to tae something that is said e#actly as it is said
I too my friend(s comment at face value.
take stock
- to count the items of merchandise or supplies in stoc at a business$ to tae inventory
The department store closes for three days every 'arch in order to tae stoc.
test market a product
- to research whether or not a product will be successful by selling it in a particular maret 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 maret 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 wee in *ugust.
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 mae a profit
The supermaret has been turning a profit since it opened.
turn over
- to do business to a certain amount of money or product
!e turn over most of our stoc every month.
The company turns over much money every wee.
turnover (of products)
- the rate at which a product is sold and replaced
The turnover of cold drins is very high in the store.
turnover (of workers)
- the rate at which employees "oin and leave a company
The turnover of worers in the new restaurant is very high.
wordofmouth 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 wor out.
work out (a problem)
- to solve a problem$ to provide the details of something
I spent the weeend trying to wor out the budget estimates for ne#t year.
work overtime
- to wor more than one(s regular hours
I wored overtime every 4riday 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 ban to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.
Accounting Idioms
balance the books
- to chec that all the money in a business is accounted for
The accountant spent several days trying to balance the boos of his company.
bean counter
- an accountant
!e ased the bean counters to loo at the figures in the new budget.
bottom line
- the total$ the final figure on a balance sheet$ the results %of a business&
*fter we e#amined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.
break even
- to have e#penses e,ual to profits
*fter three months the company was able to brea even and begin to mae a profit.
budget crunch/squeeze
- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
There is a severe budget s,ueeze at our company.
carry over figures/numbers/costs
- to transfer a figure or number or cost from one column or time to another
-ur company will carry over last year(s losses to this year.
close the books
- to stop taing orders$ to end a booeeping period
The company will close the boos at the end of /ecember.
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 thining about something
0verybody is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new e,uipment.
go over the books
- to chec and analyze the accounting records of a company
!e hired an outside accountant to go over our boos.
in the black
- to be successful$ to be maing money$ to be profitable
The new company has been in the blac 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 eep records of money that is gained or spent
The new sales manager does not now how to eep boos and he maes many mistaes.
a number cruncher
- an accountant$ someone who wors with numbers
-ur company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.
red ink
- debt %the red in on a financial statement&
The automobile company has much red in because of the bad economic conditions.
saddled with debt
- to be burdened with debt
-ur company is saddled with debt and must do something about it ,uicly.
write off (a debt/loan)
- to remove a debt.loan from a business record$ to cancel a debt
It was impossible for the ban to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.
Advertising Idioms
bang for the buck
- value for the money spent
!e were able to get much bang for the buc when we advertised on the Internet.
plug a product
- to promote a product
The soccer star maes 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 ta#.
wordofmouth 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 ban to maintain stability in the economy.
banker's hours
- short wor hours %similar to a ban&
'y friend owns his own company and wors baner(s hours most days.
bankroll someone
- to supply someone with money$ to finance someone
The movie actor banrolled his son while the son was producing his first movie.
bounce a check
- to write a chec in which you do not have enough money in your ban account
The young man bounced a chec when he tried to pay his rent.
buy a stake in (something)
- to buy part ownership of a company or other enterprise
The large ban is planning to buy a stae in the small stoc trading company.
a calculated risk
- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
The company too a calculated ris when they put the new computer screen on the maret.
call a loan
- to demand the immediate and complete payment of a debt.loan
The ban recently called the loan of the small business.
float (someone) a loan
- to loan someone money
I ased the ban 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 stae in the new undersea oil e#ploration company.
Meeting Idioms
adjourn a meeting
- to end a meeting
!e ad"ourned the meeting until the ne#t day.
call a meeting to order
- to start a meeting
-ur supervisor called the meeting to order after everyone arrived.
call on (someone) to speak
- to as someone to spea$ to give someone permission to spea at a meeting
The chairman called on me to spea at the meeting.
carry a motion
- to support 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
!e circulated the agenda for the meeting last wee.
defeat a motion
- to defeat an idea or proposal in a meeting
!e easily defeated the motion to change the dates for ne#t wee(s convention.
followup meeting
- a meeting where you discuss previous business
!e will have a follow-up meeting to discuss the new product.
have the floor
- to have permission to spea in a meeting
The president had the floor for almost an hour during the meeting.
hold a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
!e plan to hold a meeting ne#t wee 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 mae a suggestion or proposal at a meeting
The manager made a motion to finish the meeting early and continue the ne#t morning.
move to (do something)
- to propose to do something %usually at a meeting&
I will move to have another meeting ne#t wee 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 speaing
The ,uestion was out of order at the meeting and the man was not able to as it.
put (something) on the table
- to mae something the topic of discussion
!e put the issue of the new schedule on the table for discussion.
"obert's "ules of #rder
- the official boo of guidelines and rules about how to conduct a meeting.
!e always use 2obert(s 2ules of -rder 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 spea at the meeting.
run a meeting
- to conduct a meeting
'y 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 mae 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&
3This meeting now stands ad"ourned.3
table a discussion
- to postpone a discussion until a later time
!e tabled the discussion about the salary issue until the ne#t meeting.
take minutes
- to write down the details of a meeting
I usually tae minutes at the monthly club meetings.
Sales Idioms
buyer's market
- a situation where there are more sellers than buyers of a product or service and the buyers have an
advantage
It was a buyer(s maret and the price of fruit was very cheap.
come down in price
- to lower the price of one(s product$ to become cheaper
!e 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 as 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 maret with your product
The large company has cornered the maret 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 now people who can help you get a "ob or do some ind 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 noc down the price of the /1/ player.
land an account
- to ac,uire an account
The salesman landed a large account on his first day of wor.
line of products
- a group or category of products that are similar to each other
-ur company will introduce a new line of products in the autumn.
make a cold call
- to visit or telephone a potential but unnown customer from a list of people
!hen he first started to wor at his company the salesman was ased to mae cold calls from the
telephone boo.
make an offer
- to mae a financial proposal for a product or service
!e plan to mae an offer to buy the house on )aturday.
move a product
- to sell a product
!e 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 ,uicly
The children(s toys were selling lie hotcaes at the end of the year.
seller's market
- a situation where there are more buyers of a product.service than sellers so the sellers have an
advantage
It was a seller(s maret for houses and the houses were increasing in value.
Idiom $uizzes %usiness
Choose an idiom to replace the e#pression in the bracets5
6. *fter the fire the company was forced to sell most of their merchandise %although they lost
money&.
%a& by a long shot %b& at a loss %c& in blac and white %d& in the long run
7. The price of oil %reached its lowest point& in 8uly and began to rise soon after.
%a& cut corners %b& closed out %c& broe even %d& bottomed out
9. The computer company had much trouble trying to get their new business to %mae a successful
start&.
%a& be in the red %b& get off the ground %c& mean business %d& strie while the iron was hot
:. The price of computer chips %collapsed& after personal computer sales began to decrease.
%a& too a nosedive %b& turned over %c& bottomed out %d& carried the day
;. The automobile dealer had no trucs %available to sell& so we had to wait for two months to buy
one.
%a& in the wors %b& on credit %c& in stoc %d& written off
<. The large drug company %too control of& the small drugstore chain.
%a& too over %b& too stoc of %c& turned over %d& sold out
=. There is a chance to mae much money during the summer so we will %tae advantage of the
opportunity& and wor hard.
%a& throw money at it %b& strie while the iron is hot %c& sell lie hotcaes %d& mean business
>. -ur plans for mareting the new computer are still %in preparation&.
%a& coming on strong %b& in short supply %c& going public %d& in the wors
?. The ban %cancelled& the loans to the banrupt company.
%a& wrote off %b& wored out %c& too over %d& paid off
6@.The construction company %hired& hundreds of new worers last month.
%a& too over %b& turned over %c& too on %d& made a go of
66.-ur company needed to raise money to e#pand so we decided to %sell its shares on the stoc
maret&.
%a& tae a nosedive %b& sell it out %c& tae it over %d& tae it public
67.The steel company finally went banrupt after being %burdened with losses& for many years.
%a& "aced up %b& on the bloc %c& saddled with debt %d& paid off
69.!e are %ready to buy& a new car but we have not found anything that we lie.
%a& in the loop for %b& in the maret for %c& in charge of %d& cutting bac
6:.The salesman tried to sell the house by %being very aggressive& which made us uncomfortable.
%a& a hard sell %b& eeping boos %c& a icbac %d& a company man
6;.!e tried to get a %rough estimate& for the cost of new computer printers.
%a& budget crunch %b& number cruncher %c& ball par figure %d& sweetheart deal
6<.!e decided to sell the business in order to %stop losing money&.
%a& bottom out %b& mean business %c& cut our losses %d& strie while the iron is hot
6=.%)omeone will be punished& if we do not ,uicly deal with the poor sales of our product.
%a& )omeone will fill the bill %b& )omeone will get a brea %c& )omeone will deliver the goods %d&
+eads will roll
6>.Aas and oil were %in less than the amount needed& during the busy summer season.
%a& in short supply %b& in stoc %c& in the wors %d& filling the bill
6?.The %amount of sales& of computers increased dramatically last year.
%a& write-off %b& turnover %c& calculated ris %d& double chec
7@.!e closed the store early in order to %count the number of items we had&.
%a& tae stoc %b& run short %c& wor overtime %d& gain ground
2eturn to 'ain Inde#