Work Idioms
Cut Corners
Do something in the easiest or least expensive way
Sentence: Cutting corners in production led to a definite loss in product quality
Go the extra mile
to make more effort than is expected of you.
Sentence: He is a hard worker, always ready to go the extra mile for his team.
Stay on your toes
To stay alert
Sentence: Jorge makes us stay on our toes by asking questions after each reading session.
Fly on the wall
To be unnoticed while watching or listening to something.
Sentence: I’d love to be a fly on the wall so I could hear what they were saying
It’s not rocket science
Something is not complicated to understand
Sentence: Just look up the answer online; it’s not rocket science.
Get the ball rolling
To begin an activity or process
Sentence: At the meeting, she tried to get the ball rolling by asking a few questions.
Get your foot in the door
To enter an organization or industry
Sentence: A coffee meeting can help you get your foot in the door with prospective clients
Play it by ear
To do something without special preparation
Sentence: We'll just have to play it by ear and hope for the best
To chicken out
Back out of it because of feeling scared or worried.
Sentence: James was going to go on the rollercoaster but he chickened out at the last minute.
Straight from the horse’s mouth
Hearing it straight from the source
Sentence: I don’t usually pay attention to gossip but I heard this straight from the horse’s mouth
Up to speed
You have all the latest information about it
Sentence: Before we start the meeting I'm going to bring you up to speed with the latest developments
Change of pace
To do something different from a normal routine
Sentence: Company outings are a nice change of pace from our regular work week.”
Weak at the knees
So nervous or powerfully affected that it is difficult to stand
Sentence: She said hello to me and I went weak in the knees.
To horse around
Act in a way that is silly and playful and sometimes noisy.
Sentence: Will you please stop horsing around? I’m trying to concentrate.
In the doghouse
To be in trouble or disgrace
Sentence: He forgot his girlfriend’s birthday so he’s in the doghouse.
On the back burner
Having low priority
Sentence: We've all had to put our plans on the back burner for a while.
Think outside the box
To go beyond a normal idea
Sentence: Stop looking at past examples and think outside the box.
The Walls have ears
Be careful what you say as people may be eavesdropping.
Sentence: Not too loud, the walls have ears.
Sitting ducks
A person or thing with no protection against an attack or other source of danger
Sentence: The tourists were sitting ducks for local thieves.
Dog eat dog
Describe an environment which is very competitive; to an extent where people are prepared to harm one another to win.
Sentence: The music industry is dog-eat-dog; one day you're on top and the next, everyone forgot you!
Back to the drawing board
To start over
Sentence: The company went back to the drawing board to make a better product.
Jump the gun
To do something early or before the right time
Sentence: Next time, do more research instead of jumping the gun.
Sweet Tooth
Craving or strong fondness for sweet foods.
Sentence: Verito has a sweet tooth for chocolate.
To take the bull by the horns
Face a problem directly
Sentence: I’m going to have to take the bull by the horns and tell her.
Fishy
Suspicious
Sentence: There’s something fishy going on in that office. Something’s not quite right with their numbers.