BUSINESS IDIOMS 1

Match the idioms to their meanings:

1. to sweep sth under the carpet 11. to be on the ball

2. red tape 12. to have a good track record
3. to pour cold water on sth 13. to have a good nose for sale
4. guinea pig 14. to begin to lose your touch
5. to draw the line at sth 15. the success went to your head
6. to be in a minefield 16. to be up to his eyes in work
7. round the clock 17. to pass the buck
8. no strings attached 18. to put ones foot in sth
9. to play the cards right 19. to give smn a piece of mind
10. to reinvent the wheel 20. to put smn in the picture

a) dangerous situation k) to have an important opinion of yourself

b) all the time l) to have too many things to do
c) do sth that has already been done m) to make a big mistake
d) no conditions n) not to be told what is going on
e) refused to o) to know what is going on, to be clever
f) hide sth p) to pass responsibility to others
g) adopt good tactics q) to have good working experience
h) bureaucracy r) to talk to smn directly
i) being discouraging s) to start to make mistakes
j) experimental subject t) to be natural salesman

BUSINESS IDIOMS 2
I Choose the appropriate given word to complete the idioms:
eye, eye, foot, water, water, fire, ice, end
1. I was thrown in at the deep ___ when my company sent me to run the German office. I was only given two days notice to prepare.
2. We dont see eye to ____ about relocating our factory. The Finance Director wants to move production to the Far East, but I want it to remain in
Spain.
3. I got into hot _____ with my boss for wearing casual clothes to the meeting with our Milanese customers.
4. Small talk is one way to break the ____ when meeting someone for the first time.
5. I really put my _____ in it when I met our Japanese partner. Because I was nervous, I said Who are you? rather than How are you?.
6. I get on like a house on _____ with our Polish agent; we like the same things and have the same sense of humour.
7. When I visited China for the first time I was like a fish out of ____. Everything was so different , and I couldnt read any of the signs!
8. My first meeting with our overseas clients was a real ____ - opener. I had not seen that style of negotiation before.

II Match the idioms to the correct meanings.

a) Given a difficult job to do without preparation __________
b) Quickly have a friendly relationship with someone _________
c) Feel uncomfortable in an unfamiliar situation __________
d) Say or do something without thinking carefully, so that you embarrass or upset someone _________
e) To disagree with someone _______
f) An experience where you learn something surprising or something you did not know before _______
g) Make someone you have just met less nervous and more willing to talk ________
h) To get into trouble ________