Idiom/Saying Explanation

To bring home the bacon.

For example:
To earn a living for the family.

"He felt it was his responsibility to bring

home the bacon."

To balance the books.

To make certain that the amount of money

For examples:
spent is not more than the amount of money

"The accountant couldn't work out the profit received.

and loss until they had balanced the books."

A ball park figure.

For example:
A general financial figure.
"Until we had costed the project properly we
were only able to give the customer a ball
park figure."

A bean-counter.

For example:
An accountant

"The bean-counters told us we had to reduce

the budget."

Blood on the carpet .

For example: A lot of trouble in an organisation often

resulting in someone losing their job.
"After the meeting there was blood on the
carpet. "

The bottom line.

 
The total, the final figure on a balance
For example:
sheet / the most important feature of
"When he told me the bottom line I decided something.
not to go ahead with the project."
 

To break even.  
 For example: When expenses equal profits.

"The company broke even after two years."  

A cash cow.

For example: A product or service that makes a lot of

money for a company.
"The new product has proved to be a real
cash cow."

A big cheese.

For example: An important person, a leader (usually about

business).
"Anita Roddick is a big cheese in Body
Shop."

To cold call.

 
For example:
To call potential customers without an

"The sales rep cold called customers from appointment or previous contact.

the business directory.

"To crack the whip ."

For example: To make someone work harder by

threatening them.
"We finished the project on time, but only
because I really cracked the whip."

A dead end job.

For example: A job that has no chance of promotion or

advancement.
"She left the company because she was very
ambitious but in a dead end job."

A golden handshake.

For example:
To receive a large payment on leaving a

"She won't have to find a job very quickly company.

because she got a huge golden handshake

from her last job."

To be fired To be dismissed from your job.

 For example:

"He was always coming late, so eventually

they fired him."

To get the sack

For example:
To be dismissed from your job.

"He was always coming late, so eventually

they sacked him."

A close shave.

When you come extremely close to a

For example:
dangerous or unpleasant situation or only

"I nearly crashed the car this morning, it was just manage to avoid it.

a close shave."

To be snowed under

For example:
To be very busy.

"She wasn't able to finish the report as she

was snowed under with other work."

To sweat blood.

For example:
To work very hard.

"She sweated blood to finish the project on

time."

By the sweat of one's brow.

For example:
To work really hard.

"She managed to keep the company going

by the sweat of her brow. "

To work your fingers to the bone.

 

For example:
To work really hard.

"She kept the family together by working her

 
fingers to the bone."

Job What do they do? Where do they work?

 Look after the finances in an
Accountants They work in an office.
organisastion.

Bakers Bake bread. They work in a bakery.

Shave men's beards and cut men's

Barbers They work in a barbers.
hair.

They work in a bar, pub or

Barmen/women Serve drinks.
restaurant.

Butchers Prepare and sell meat. They work in a butchers.

Chambermaids Clean and tidy rooms. They work in a hotel.

Chefs Prepare and cook food. They work in a kitchen.

Dentists Look after people's teeth. They work in a dentists.

They work in a hospital or

Doctors Look after people's health.
surgery.

Fishmongers Prepare and sell fish. They work in a fishmongers.

Flight attendants Look after passengers. They work in an airplane.

Hair dressers Cut and style people's hair. They work in a hair salon.

Judges Judge and sentence people. They work in a law court.

They work in a law court and

Lawyers Defend and prosecute people.
in a lawyers office.

They work in a hospital or

Nurses Look after patients .
doctor's surgery.

Opticians Look after people's eye sight. They work in an opticians.

They work in a hotel or train

Porters Carry other people's bags and luggage.
station.

Receptionists Meet and greet visitors. They work in reception.

Sales Assistants Sell goods and look after customers. They work in a shop.

Arrange appointments, type letters and

Secretaries They work in an office.
organise meetings.

Surgeons Operate on people who are sick. They work in a hospital.

They work in a veterinary

Vets Look after people's animals.
surgery or vets.

Waiters/Waitresses Serve people food and drink. They work in a restaurant.