12 Essential English Business Idioms

Summary

In this video, David Harling teaches viewers 12 essential business idioms that are commonly used in professional settings. These idioms include phrases like 'across the board,' 'to get a hold of someone,' 'to cut corners,' and 'learning the ropes,' each explained with examples. From phone calls to workplace tasks, the video offers practical insights into how these idioms can improve communication in business. With engaging explanations and relatable examples, viewers gain a deeper understanding of everyday business language, helping them navigate the corporate world more effectively.

Takeaways

• 😀 'Across the board' refers to something that applies to everyone or everything, such as a manager increasing wages for all employees.
• 😀 'To get a hold of someone' means to contact or communicate with someone, often used in phone calls.
• 😀 'To play phone tag' describes the situation where two people repeatedly miss each other’s calls, leaving voicemails back and forth.
• 😀 'Back to square one' means returning to the beginning of a task after a setback, like having to redo work after a problem arises.
• 😀 'To cut corners' means to do something poorly or cheaply to save time or money, often with negative consequences.
• 😀 'To clamp down on something' means to enforce stricter controls or reduce an activity, like limiting social media usage during work hours.
• 😀 'Dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s' means paying attention to small details and ensuring everything is completed correctly.
• 😀 'To have a gut feeling' means relying on intuition or instinct, often without clear evidence or reasoning.
• 😀 'To kick something off' refers to starting something, like the beginning of a meeting or project.
• 😀 'Learning the ropes' means learning the basics of a new job or task, with origins in sailors learning the functions of ropes on a ship.
• 😀 'It’s not rocket science' means that something is simple or not difficult, often used when something is unnecessarily complicated.
• 😀 'It doesn’t have to be War and Peace' means that something doesn’t need to be overly complex or long-winded, such as writing a simple report.

Q & A

What does the idiom 'across the board' mean?

'Across the board' means something that applies to everyone or everything. For example, a company might increase wages across the board, meaning every employee gets a raise.

How is the idiom 'get a hold of someone' commonly used in business?

'Get a hold of someone' refers to contacting or reaching out to someone, often used in phone or email communication. For instance, 'I'm trying to get a hold of Mr. Smith' means attempting to contact him.

What does 'playing phone tag' mean in a business context?

'Playing phone tag' describes the situation where two people keep missing each other’s calls, and they leave messages to call back, but neither person is available at the same time.

Can you explain the idiom 'back to square one'?

'Back to square one' means having to start something over from the very beginning, usually after a setback or failure. For example, having to redo work after an unexpected event.

What is meant by 'cutting corners'?

'Cutting corners' refers to doing something in a quick or cheap way, often sacrificing quality or safety. It’s used negatively, especially when corners are cut to save money or time.

What does 'clamping down on something' mean?

'Clamping down on something' means to take strict action to stop or reduce a particular activity, such as reducing overtime or controlling social media use at work.

What does the phrase 'dotting the i's and crossing the t's' mean?

'Dotting the i's and crossing the t's' refers to paying careful attention to small details to ensure everything is correct. It suggests completing a task thoroughly and accurately.

What does it mean to have a 'gut feeling' about something?

Having a 'gut feeling' means relying on instinct or intuition to judge a situation, even without clear evidence or explanation. It’s a strong, often unexplainable sense that something is right or wrong.

What does 'kick something off' mean in a business setting?

'Kick something off' means to begin or start an event, meeting, or project. It’s often used to describe the opening moments of a meeting or the launch of a new initiative.

What does 'learning the ropes' mean, and where does it originate from?

'Learning the ropes' means getting familiar with the basic aspects of a job or task. The idiom originates from sailors, who had to learn the ropes of a ship, meaning the ropes that controlled the sails and other ship functions.

When someone says 'it’s not rocket science,' what do they mean?

'It’s not rocket science' means the task at hand is not complicated or difficult. It suggests that the job can be done easily and does not require extraordinary intelligence.

What does 'it doesn’t have to be War and Peace' refer to in business communication?

'It doesn’t have to be War and Peace' means that something doesn’t need to be overly detailed or lengthy. It’s used when asking for something simpler or more concise, such as a short report instead of a long one.