1. Hand in hand 2. Same boat 3. Multi-task 4. Cut corners 5.

Between a rock and a

hard place
I have come to notice the word choices in the business articles and how these go hand in
hand (together; along with) with the goal of my company TalktoCanada. We help with online
teaching of English to a myriad of students all over the world. I’ve finally narrowed the top 50
(okay, 52) business idioms down that I continually see in the New York Times. I realize that
if you study and learn these idioms, you are well on your way to understanding business
English. In starting TalktoCanada about 7 years ago, I am reminded daily of the rewards and
challenges of owning a large and growing business. Maybe you are in the same boat (in the
same situation) as I am and you also own a business or you are thinking of starting
one. Maybe you work in a business or deal with businesses on a daily basis in the course of
your workday. Well, I’ve learned to multi-task (do many things at once) along the way as
there is seldom enough time to get everything done. One thing I promise myself is that I will
not cut corners (do something the cheapest or easiest way) or sacrifice quality in what is
provided to our students. Even at times when I’ve been between a rock and a hard place (a
dilemma; two possibilities that are not good), I will always put our students and staff first.

6. Start-up 7. Blow you away 8. Ahead of the game 9. Go for broke 10. Game plan 11.
Go down swinging 12. A long shot
Some of the start-ups (new businesses aimed at new markets) that are surfacing around the
world will just blow you away (affect intensely; overwhelm). The products and services seem
way ahead of the game (successful). Many of these entrepreneurs decided to go for broke
(wagering everything) after developing a strong game plan (the strategy of reaching an
objective). When faced with opposition, they were determined to go down swinging (keep
trying until the end) even when others said it was a long shot (something that will probably
not succeed but is worth trying).
13. Trade-off 14. Fall through the cracks 15. Burn out (rate) 16. Miss the boat 17. Land
on your feet
You see, I think the trade-off (to lose something in return of gaining something) of owning
your own business is that you have more control of your business. Sure there are a lot of
things, many almost overwhelming at times that might fall through the cracks (to be
forgotten; to fail) and the burn out rate (physical or mental exhaustion) is quite high. But, if
you’re like me, you don’t want to miss the boat (miss an opportunity) so you’ll do everything
in your power to land on your feet (to do well; to succeed).
18. Take the bull by the horns 19. On the same page 20. See eye to eye 21. Think out
of the box 22. Give and take 23. Meeting someone halfway 24. Cut to the chase 25.
Shot (shoot) from the hip 26. Bent over backwards 27. Water over the bridge 28. Win-
win situation
I’ve learned to be adaptable. There are times when I need to take the bull by the horns (to
confront a problem head on) and just do it. There are times when I must move more slowly
and make sure everyone else is on the same page (have the same understanding or
knowledge) and that we all see eye to eye (to be in agreement) as we move
together. There are other times when the same practices are important to continue and
then there are times to think out of the box (to think differently from a new perspective) for
new innovation. I have learned the gentle art of give and take (free flowing of ideas and
conversation; making a deal by trading) and the importance of meeting someone halfway
(compromise). You might have similar stories of how you had to cut to the chase (to focus
on what’s important) or how you shot from the hip (impromptu, spontaneous, spur of the
moment reaction or decision) or bent over backwards (try hard to please; go out of the way)
in your workings with others. And, when there are disagreements, you may have put these
aside and considered them water under the bridge (something that has happened and can’t
be changed) so you could have a win-win situation (a situation in which everyone
participating come out on top; everyone wins or gets what they want).
29. Ball rolling 30. On the right track 31. Screw up 32. In the office loop 33. Ahead of
the curve
Well, it’s great that you have decided to study English. Communication is one of the keys to
success in business. It helps to get the ball rolling (a situation in which everyone
participating came out on top; everyone won or got what they wanted) and to keep you on
the right track (to continue on the right path or process) so there’s less chance of a screw up
(not doing well; a mistake). When everyone is in the office loop (understands what’s
happening), the business has more of a chance to be ahead of the curve (doing better than
expected).
34. Take off 35. In the black 36. Kickback 37. On the ball 38. Shooting the breeze
39. Stay on your toes 40. Know the ropes 41. Troubleshoot 42. Get the bugs out
43. Bummed out
When your business begins to take off (move ahead and do well) and get in the black
(become profitable opposed to being “in the red”), you can kickback (rest and enjoy your
time) a little. You must always be on the ball (to be alert and aware), but some time can be
spent shooting the breeze (talking casually without purpose). You still need to stay on your
toes (pay attention and be aware) but having a little less pressure and a little more freedom
will remind you of why you got in the business in the first place. You’ll know the ropes (have
knowledge of) and be able to troubleshoot (solve problems) with confidence to get the bugs
out (find the mistakes or prevent problems) and not get so bummed out (tired out or
stressed out).
44. Raise the bar 45. Play it by ear 46. Punch to the gut 47. Hold your horses 48.
Jump the gun 49. Drop the ball 50. Keep pace 51. You can’t have your cake and eat it,
too 52. Stay on top of things
Now you might be thinking how to raise the bar (to raise standards or expectations) in your
business or in your job. Do you just play it by ear (decide to deal with something how it
happens rather than planning) or punch to the gut (give it all you’ve got)? Do you hold your
horses (slow down and wait or move slowly) or jump the gun (get a head start or move
quickly)? Do you drop the ball (fail to do your job or to do well) or keep pace (continue on)?
On second thought, if you’ve gotten this far in this article you definitely have taken some
steps to becoming better at English. So reward yourself. Who said you can’t have your
cake and eat it, too (you can’t have it both ways; you can’t have the best of both worlds)?