Business

idioms and expressions

 1.
FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED
people will be served or dealt with in the order in
which they arrive

e.g. - Are tickets available?

- Yes, but it’s first come, first served.
 2.
YOU CAN NEVER TELL
you can never be sure about sth because things are
not always what they appear to be

e.g. – She will get this job easily.

– Yes, but you can never tell.
 3.
ONCE BITTEN, TWICE SHY
after an unpleasant experience, you are careful to
avoid sth similar

e.g. – She is not going to apply again.

– Once bitten, twice shy. I guess.
 4.
SO FAR, SO GOOD
everything is fine at the moment but you know
things may become more difficult

e.g. – How’s the new job?

– So far, so good.
 5.
A SMALL WORLD
used to express your surprise when you meet sb you
know unexpectedly

e.g. – I met two of your colleagues today.

– Oh, it’s a small world, isn’t it?
 6.
A FOREGONE CONCLUSION
used to say that sth is a result that is certain to
happen

e.g. – Are you sure he will get a promotion?

– Yes, it’s a foregone conclusion.
 7.
YOU BET
used to emphasize that you are keen to do sth

e.g. – Are you going to the party?

– You bet.
 8.
NO SUCH LUCK
used to express your disappointment

e.g. – Have you got Saturday off?

– No such luck, I’m afraid.
 9.
A LIKELY STORY
used ironically to say you don’t believe what sb has
told you

e.g. – Sal said she’s too busy to help us.

– A likely story.
 10.
YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
used to say there are no reasons for sb not to do sth

e.g. – Shall I apply for that job?

– You’ve got nothing to lose.
 11.
IT’S NOT YOUR DAY
used when several unpleasant things happened on
the same day

e.g. – I forgot my wallet and then was late for the meeting.
– Oh, dear. It’s not your day, isn’t it?
 12.
NO WAY
used to say that sth is not at all possible or not
allowed

e.g. – Can we go in if we’re not the members?

– No way.
 13.
LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE
avoid mentioning a particular difficult subject which
may cause trouble

e.g. – Don’t say anything at the moment: let sleeping dogs

lie.
 14.
TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE
two people can achieve more than one person
working alone

e.g. – Let’s do this together: two heads are better than one.
 15
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER
THAN WORDS
what a person actually does is more important than
what they say they will do

e.g. – He can say what he likes, but actions speak louder

than words.
 16.
PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE
it is better to stop sth bad from happening than try
to deal with it after it has happened

e.g. – In my view prevention is better than cure.

 Thanks!

Any questions?

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Ivanka.tabachuk@gmail.com
www.englishplus.com.ua