1) Once the team get back from their meeting in Tokyo, we will need to bring them up to speed on the

project.
(Update, give the latest information necessary)

2) A little bird told me that Martina has been promoted. (A private or secret source of information)

3) I haven’t come to bandy words. You can either accept the conditions or the deal is off. (To argue)

4) We need to stop talking about vague possibilities and get down to brass tacks.
(Reality, established facts)

5) What he is saying doesn’t make any sense. He is talking through his hat. (Speaking about illogical notions)

6) Thank you for contacting us regarding this position. We will drop you a line in a day or two to give you more details.
(Contact)

7) Talking to Steve is like talking to a brick wall. He doesn’t listen to what you are saying or he doesn’t care. It’s a
complete waste of time. (Not being paid attention to)

8) My wife gave me the low-down on what had happened. (The essential truth of something)

9) It’s very important to keep the team in the loop regarding this matter. Everybody needs to know exactly what is
going on. (Be informed of all the latest developments)

10) I haven’t seen Bill for several years but I heard through the grapevine that he got married and has a family.
(Informed through informal channels or by rumour)

11) The management and investors decided to put their workforce in the picture as soon as they received the news.
(To completely inform somebody)

12) Before he left for his new job abroad he promised his family that he would keep them posted and call them or send
emails on a regular basis. (Give updates)

13) What was her name? Don’t tell me! It’s on the tip of my tongue. (On the point of being remembered)

14) He wants to go to India on holiday with his friends but doesn’t have enough money. He’s in the process of buttering
up his parents so that they will give him the required funds (Flattery and saying nice things in order to get something)

15) We need to have a meeting with the whole team to clear the air as there is a lot of tension and stress between
them all. It would be a good idea to let them speak their minds. (Open and honest debate with no consequences)

16 Once Paul started to talk, nobody could get a word in edgeways. (Have a moment to speak)

17) I have to speak to her about this. I really need to get this off my chest.
(Complain or talk about something that is annoying or irritating in some way)

18) Everybody is very busy so I will get to the point straight away. (Talk about the principle matter)

19) Everybody is very busy so I will not beat around the bush any longer.
(Stop prevaricating and wasting time talking about irrelevant issues)

20) There are a lot of rumours in the office so the director is coming down so that everybody can get the news straight
from the horse’s mouth. (From a direct or valid source)

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1) What is the origin of the expression “to bring up to speed?”
a) This expression refers to sailing and the British Royal Navy. If a ship was in good condition, it could sail at full speed with
no problems. The officers and crew of these ships would often be compared to them. If they had all necessary information
and knowledge to do their jobs, then they were up to speed, hence the expression.
b) The phrase has been in use since the late 20th century and is related to IT. If a computer has no bugs or viruses and is
operating OK, it can do its work at “full speed.” IT teams were often compared to their computers in this way. If they were
working efficiently, they were like the processors in the computers and were operating at full speed.
c) This expression was originally about the performance of farm animals meaning that they had no physical problems and
were capable of walking or running at a decent speed. This then moved to machines with the advent of the industrial
revolution. Finally, it started to be used in reference to working teams and team members. The members of a team, or
crew, would be compared to the components of a machine. If a team member is up to speed, that person has all the
knowledge required to function as part of the team.
2) What is the origin of the expression “a little bird told me?”
a) This expression is paraphrase from a passage in The Bible. In Ecclesiastics there is a section that relates to spying and it
goes as follows, “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air
shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter."
b) This expression refers to spying and diplomacy. From the middle ages until the early 20th century, diplomats used carrier
pigeons to send messages to their masters in their home countries. Quite often, very confidential and secret information
about events was conveyed in this manner, hence the expression.
c) This is to do with the tendency of birds to sit on telephone wires. Jokes were made about how the birds seemed to
prefer telephone wires in place of trees. As such, the telephone wires of the early 20th century were often called “bird
beds.” When somebody got information by telephone, they would often say that a little bird had told them in reference to
the telephone wire.
3) What is the origin of the expression “to bandy words?”
a) This expression refers to very old, and quite aggressive, ball-game which was similar to hockey. The game was played in
the 16th century and was called bandy after a verb which meant to hit back and forth. If people bandied words, they were
hitting the words back and forth very much like the game.
b) Bandy is a very old English word that once meant ugly. Nowadays it is only used to describe bent legs but many years
ago it referred to the distorted features of an ugly face. If a person bandies words, it means that they are distorting their
words to sound aggressive and ugly.
c) This expression used to mean “to shout.” In fact, we often use words like band today in terms of communication. In the
past, the word band meant level of noise. The first radios operated on wavebands, in reference to how clear the signals
could be heard. If somebody was “bandying words,” they were shouting or raising their voices, hence the expression.
4) What is the origin of the expression “brass tacks?”
a) This expression comes from the British Royal Navy and refers to military planning. A map would be placed in the
captain’s quarters on a ship. Small brass tacks, each painted a different colour representing the participants in a battle,
would then be placed on the map to indicate the known movements of all ships. These “brass tacks” were the only sure
thing before a battle. They were the facts as everybody knew them. What happened during the battle was less certain.
b) This is an expression that comes from East London and the local dialect known as Cockney Rhyming Slang which was
originally a code for criminals operating in the East End of London so that anybody listening to their conversation would
not understand them. In this dialect, normal words are replaced by words that rhyme with the original word. Tacks rhymes
with facts, hence the expression
c) Originally this expression referred to a practice in 19th century banks of placing brass tacks on boards to indicate the
profits and losses of that establishment. In an age of scandalous speculation, bankers liked to talk about brass tacks when
discussing money and the state of the economy. In other words, established facts.
5) What is the origin of the expression “to talk through one’s hat?”
a) This expression is paraphrase from a passage in The Bible about praying with the headwear removed. In Corinthians
11.4, there is a section that goes as follows, “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonours his
head.” This means that one’s prayers have no meaning or validity if the person saying them his wearing a hat.
b) This refers to King George the Third. King George became mad in the later years of his life and believed that God would
speak to him through his crown. If he thought God was speaking to him, he would take of his headwear and speak into it. It
became fashionable to say “he’s talking through his hat,” when people spoke nonsense in reference to the mad king.
c) Originally this expression referred to an old practice in the British parliament which was known as “topping.” If
politicians wanted to delay a policy getting approval they would place a “top hat” on their heads, which according to
parliamentary procedure, would allow them to interrupt and ask questions. They could speak for as long as they had the
hat on their heads. They would often talk about things that were irrelevant or nonsensical, hence the expression.

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