Lesson 12: English Idioms Related to

Work and Employment

Introductory Quiz
Guess the correct meaning of each idiom from the context. It's OK if you get a lot of
answers incorrect - the important part is to do your best in trying to figure it out!

Question 1

Just when I'd finally organized my five kids' weekday schedules, my daughter's dance
teacher threw a wrench in the works by changing her class from Wednesday to
Thursday.

To "throw a wrench in the works" means...

A be late or delayed
B complicate matters
C do something without checking

Question 2

We can debate strategy and tactics all day long, but the bottom line is that we need to
win Saturday's soccer game, otherwise we'll be disqualified from the tournament.

The "bottom line" is...

A the bad news

B the essential fact
C the point that nobody acknowledges

Question 3

My uncle has worked as a painter, a truck driver, a stonemason, and a plumber. He's a
jack of all trades.

A "jack of all trades" means a person who...

A can't keep a job

B has many skills
C works very hard

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Question 4

I'm in charge of organizing an international conference with 2,000 people. The event
starts on Friday, so I'll probably be burning the midnight oil every day this week.

If you are "burning the midnight oil," it means that you...

A are networking with a lot of important people

B are putting yourself in a dangerous situation
C are working very late into the night

Question 5

I had just put the peanut butter chocolate cake in the oven, when I remembered that our
guests' son is allergic to peanuts - so I had to go back to the drawing board.

If you go "back to the drawing board," it means you...

A forgot an important fact

B need to buy a missing ingredient
C start again from the beginning

Question 6

Laura is a good singer, but she can't hold a candle to Joanna, who sounds like she
could be a professional.

If something/someone "can't hold a candle to" someone or something else, it means

they...

A are not as good

B are jealous
C don't work in the same area

Question 7

My company isn't hiring right now, but I was able to pull some strings and get you an
interview anyway.

If you "pull some strings," it means you...

A break the rules

B pay to get access to an opportunity
C secretly use your influence

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Question 8

Two cashiers were sacked after the customers repeatedly complained about their
terrible service.

If a person was "sacked," he or she...

A was angry
B was criticized by the boss
C was fired

Question 9

All new employees need to attend a training session on the nuts and bolts of the
company's operations - no exceptions.

"The nuts and bolts" are...

A the essential basics

B the domestic and international
C the history and future

Question 10

My first assignment in my new job was to organize all the company's files from the last
decade. It was hours of grunt work.

"Grunt work" is work that...

A is complex and challenging

B is done by only one person
C is repetitive and boring

Question 11

After two decades of climbing the career ladder, Vanessa finally became president
of a billion-dollar corporation.

"Climbing the career ladder" means...

A advancing in your career

B doing jobs for rich people
C working for a famous company

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Video Explanation
#1 - throw a wrench in the works = complicate matters

A wrench is a type of tool, and if a wrench accidentally gets

caught in machinery, the machine will malfunction or stop
working. Note: The British English form of this idiom is “put
a spanner in the works.”

#2 - the bottom line = the essential fact

This idiom comes from accounting - you can do lots of calculations,

but the final most important number is on the bottom line. So the
expression "the bottom line" can be used in any situation to mean the
essential fact.

#3 - jack of all trades = a person who has many different skills

"Jack" is a common name in English, and a "trade" is an old word for a job in a specific
area of expertise. Sometimes this idiom has a positive connotation, since it describes a
person with many different abilities who is useful in various situations - however,
sometimes this idiom is used with a negative connotation. There is an expression "jack
of all trades, master of none" which means that the person can do a lot of things, but is
not really very good at any of them; his knowledge is all superficial.

#4 - burning the midnight oil = working very late into the night

In the past, before there was electrical power, you needed to use an
oil lamp to provide light if you wanted to work at night. Even though
we no longer use oil lamps, the idiom "burning the midnight oil"
continues to be used in modern English to describe working very late.

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#5 - go back to the drawing board = start again from the beginning

In architecture, the first step in a project is often making a drawing

of the building or structure that will be constructed. If there's a
problem with the implementation of the plan, the architects have to
start again from the beginning and make a new drawing.

#6 - can't hold a candle to = not as good as / inferior

In the past, master workers had an assistant holding a candle so that the master
could better see his work. The person holding the candle had a lower status than
the master worker. If there was a person who wasn't even capable of holding the
candle, then he would be considered extremely inferior.

You can use this idiom with both people and things:

Frank works fast, but he can't hold a candle to Joe.

= Joe works MUCH faster
My old computer can't hold a candle to my new one.
= the new computer is FAR superior

#7 - pull some strings = secretly use your influence

This idiom comes from an art form where a puppeteer pulls

strings to manipulate the movement of puppets or marionettes.
In everyday life, if you "pull some strings," it means you use
your influence to manipulate a situation.

Pulling some strings can be good - if you influence people in an

ethical way. However, it can also be bad - if you do it in an
unethical way or to gain a truly unfair advantage.

#8 - sacked = fired

English has a large number of idioms for losing your job.

Some of the informal idioms are:

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 He was sacked
He was fired
He was canned
He got the ax
He got a pink slip

Some of the more diplomatic idioms are:

She was laid off

She lost her job
She was dismissed

#9 - nuts and bolts = the essential basics

These are nuts and bolts. These small but essential pieces help a
machine to function correctly. If you learn the nuts and bolts of a
subject, you learn the essential, basic, and practical aspects of that
topic.

#10 - grunt work = work that is repetitive and boring

The word "grunt" refers to a sound people make when they are
struggling to lift something heavy - or doing another task that is
physically difficult. Manual labor is often considered repetitive and
boring. But the idiom "grunt work" can be used for any type of
work that is not very glamorous, and also not very highly
appreciated by other people.

#11 - climb the career ladder = advance in your career

A ladder is a piece of equipment that helps you go up to higher places - so

climbing the career ladder means advancing to higher and higher
positions in your career.

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You’ve finished Lesson 12!

Take the quiz and try the written exercises – and log in tomorrow for Lesson 13.

Practice Quiz
Question 1

No matter how much I try to get my work done ahead of time, I always end up
______________ in the last few days before my vacation.

A burning the midnight oil

B going back to the drawing board
C throwing a wrench in the works

Question 2

I suspect that Lindsey ____________ to get her son's picture on the front page of the
newspaper.

A couldn't hold a candle

B pulled some strings
C did some grunt work

Question 3

I can't believe I _____________ - I had thought that job was quite stable, but
apparently not.

A am a jack of all trades

B climbed the career ladder
C was sacked

Question 4

The roof is leaking, the garage door is broken, the walls are infested with mice...
____________ is that the house really isn't in the best condition.

A the nuts and bolts

B the bottom line
C the wrench in the works

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Question 5

Doing research for a police investigation sounds exciting, but it's nothing like what you
see on TV - it's mostly ______________.

A grunt work
B pulling strings
C midnight oil

Question 6

The new software that we bought 500 copies of isn't compatible with our computers?!
Well, that ______________.

A can't hold a candle

B goes back the drawing board
C throws a wrench in the works

Question 7

This creative writing workshop will teach you the _____________: how to construct a
story, how to develop the characters, etc.

A grunt work
B nuts and bolts
C career ladder

Question 8

This stuff they call "music" nowadays _____________ to classic rock - now THAT
was real music!

A can't hold a candle

B is a jack of all trades
C was sacked

Question 9

You can't be lazy if you want to ______________ - you need to show initiative.

A climb the career ladder

B be a jack of all trades
C burn the midnight oil

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Question 10

Let's make sure we plan carefully and do everything right the first time; I don't want to
have to __________________.

A do grunt work
B go back to the drawing board
C pull some strings

Answers
1) A

2) B

3) C

4) B

5) A

6) C

7) B

8) A

9) A

10) B

Speaking / Writing Exercises

1) Have you ever had plans, but then something threw a wrench in the works?
Describe the situation.
2) Do you think it’s better to be a “jack of all trades,” or to have specialized skills in
only one area?
3) Describe a time when you had to go back to the drawing board.
4) Have you ever had to “pull some strings” to get what you wanted in a particular
situation?
5) Every job has some parts that are “grunt work.” What are the tasks that feel like
grunt work in your job?

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If you want correction / feedback, you can either e-mail me your writing at
help@espressoenglish.net or leave me a voice mail message:
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Image sources:

aopsan, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Infrogmation
4028mdk09
Liz Lawley
Grant Cochrane, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
David Castillo Dominici, FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Ambro, FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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