Chris Linn’s Idiom Guide
More than 240 of the most commonly used American English idioms in business today*
idiom meaning example
a a clean slate to start new or afresh She wants to start her new job with a clean slate. a
a piece of cake a very easy or simple task Speaking Chinese is a piece of cake for her.
a breeze a very easy or simple task Preparing the daily financial report is a breeze.
a slight hiccup a small problem or delay We had a slight hiccup in the rollout of the new software program.
a stretch to exaggerate His explanation was a stretch, but some people believe him.
ahead of the curve to be better prepared than others I think she is ahead of the curve and will do well compared to the others.
all in all in general or overall All in all, I had a good time last night at the party.
already on the water to already be on the way (in transit) The shipment is already on the water, so the order could not be canceled.
ants in his pants to be impatient I think he’s got ants in his pants to go home early for the dinner party.
artsy-fartsy someone who is very creative My sister is very artsy fartsy.
b back out to reverse an action or decline I’m sorry to back out of the meeting today, but I had another appointment. b
back pedal to right a wrongful comment or action After he said her dress looked ugly, he tried to back pedal by apologizing.
bark up the wrong tree to challenge the wrong person The driver was barking up the wrong tree, by arguing with the police.
be there or be square to pressure someone to attend Everyone will be at the party tonight, so be there or be square.
beat a dead horse to already be a past incident Let’s not beat a dead horse by still worrying about it.
beef up to strengthen We need to beef up our workforce before we expand our marketing efforts.
bent over backwards to exceed expectations (by a lot) He bent over backwards to help his colleagues every day this week.
benefit of the doubt to think positively of someone Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt since he started the job last week.
between a rock & hard place a no win situation Because of his lie, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
big deal significant subject or issue Let’s not make a big deal of it since it’s already a past issue.
bigger fish to fry to prioritize the important things He shouldn’t worry about the little details, since there are bigger fish to fry.
bird dog to pursue and investigate thoroughly You need to bird dog this issue until it is resolved.
bite off...than (you) can chew to over-commit; take on too much Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew with this project.
black and white to be extremely clear The vacation policy is very black and white.
blow off to ignore or disregard I’m sorry to blow off dinner tonight, and I will try to join next time.
blown out of proportion to exaggerate The issue got blown out of proportion, since nobody really cared.
bog down to slow down or burden The extra luggage will bog down our traveling time.
bread and butter to be the main source of revenue This model is our bread and butter product for the company.
bright spot a positive occurrence or event Drinking coffee was the first bright spot in my day.
bump on a log to be passive; to not participate Don’t be a bump on a log during the next meeting, we need your input!
c call it out to bring to attention If you discover a product problem, then call it out in the next meeting. c
call off to cancel Can you call off the meeting?
came along for the ride to join, but not participate He just came along for the ride and sat quietly at the meeting.
can’t make hide nor hair to not understand This report is really confusing and I can’t make hide nor hair of it.
carry the torch to carry on the responsibility Since my boss is out of the office, she will carry the torch for the team.
catch heat to be blamed He’ll probably catch heat from headquarters for not meeting the goals.
cat got (your) tongue to be silent Why don’t you say something? Does the cat got your tongue?
chit chat non-important talk or gossip He likes to chit chat in the break room.
come off it stop complaining or whining She needs to come off it and stop complaining about her job every day.
come out of one’s shell to actively participate (don’t be shy) I need everyone to come out of their shell during the next meeting.
cop out change your mind at the last minute Some runners cop out before race day, because they are nervous.
cry over spilt milk an unrecoverable incident/situation She shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, since she will have more opportunities.
cut loose to relax and enjoy Let’s cut loose after work and go out for a drink.
cut (her) loose to extend responsibility It’s time to cut her loose and give her more responsibility.
cut (him) loose to layoff/terminate Unfortunately, we had to cut him loose last week.
cut (her) losses to accept failure and move on quickly She wanted to gamble all day, but cut her losses after one hour at the casino.
d dial back to reduce or scale back I need to dial back my golf dates so I can spend more time with my family. d
did (you) get it to understand I’m still confused, did you get it?
difficult pill to swallow hard to believe or accept The presentation was a difficult pill to swallow, since he wasn’t prepared.
ding dong to act dumb or silly Whenever she is with her friends, she acts like a ding dong.
dog and pony show a standardized presentation The sales manager did the typical dog and pony show for the new client.
dose of decisiveness leader with initiative We need a dose of decisiveness from someone in management.
dot your ‘i’s & cross your ‘t’s to be very complete and detailed. Did you dot your “I’s” & cross your “T’s” before presenting the contract?
down the road in the future Fluctuating oil costs eventually impact consumers down the road.
drives (me) crazy to become frustrated It drives me crazy when drivers talk on their cell phone while driving.
*Chris Linn, author of the guide, is a materials design and sourcing professional, based in Portland, Oregon and has worked in international business for over 20 years-
with 4 of those years as an editor for an English language publishing company. Chris grew up in the U.S. and spent 7 years of his career working in Asia for a leading
multi-national brand. During this time, Chris volunteered time to help his national staff improve their English understanding and teaching them the nuances of American
idioms. What makes this guide unique is the idioms in this guide are taken from actual business emails (or conversations) between the national staff and their native English
speaking colleagues--making this a practical tool for anyone wanting to improve their business English understanding. You can contact Chris at
More than 240 of the most commonly used American English idioms in business today*
idiom meaning example
a a clean slate to start new or afresh She wants to start her new job with a clean slate. a
a piece of cake a very easy or simple task Speaking Chinese is a piece of cake for her.
a breeze a very easy or simple task Preparing the daily financial report is a breeze.
a slight hiccup a small problem or delay We had a slight hiccup in the rollout of the new software program.
a stretch to exaggerate His explanation was a stretch, but some people believe him.
ahead of the curve to be better prepared than others I think she is ahead of the curve and will do well compared to the others.
all in all in general or overall All in all, I had a good time last night at the party.
already on the water to already be on the way (in transit) The shipment is already on the water, so the order could not be canceled.
ants in his pants to be impatient I think he’s got ants in his pants to go home early for the dinner party.
artsy-fartsy someone who is very creative My sister is very artsy fartsy.
b back out to reverse an action or decline I’m sorry to back out of the meeting today, but I had another appointment. b
back pedal to right a wrongful comment or action After he said her dress looked ugly, he tried to back pedal by apologizing.
bark up the wrong tree to challenge the wrong person The driver was barking up the wrong tree, by arguing with the police.
be there or be square to pressure someone to attend Everyone will be at the party tonight, so be there or be square.
beat a dead horse to already be a past incident Let’s not beat a dead horse by still worrying about it.
beef up to strengthen We need to beef up our workforce before we expand our marketing efforts.
bent over backwards to exceed expectations (by a lot) He bent over backwards to help his colleagues every day this week.
benefit of the doubt to think positively of someone Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt since he started the job last week.
between a rock & hard place a no win situation Because of his lie, he was caught between a rock and a hard place.
big deal significant subject or issue Let’s not make a big deal of it since it’s already a past issue.
bigger fish to fry to prioritize the important things He shouldn’t worry about the little details, since there are bigger fish to fry.
bird dog to pursue and investigate thoroughly You need to bird dog this issue until it is resolved.
bite off...than (you) can chew to over-commit; take on too much Be careful not to bite off more than you can chew with this project.
black and white to be extremely clear The vacation policy is very black and white.
blow off to ignore or disregard I’m sorry to blow off dinner tonight, and I will try to join next time.
blown out of proportion to exaggerate The issue got blown out of proportion, since nobody really cared.
bog down to slow down or burden The extra luggage will bog down our traveling time.
bread and butter to be the main source of revenue This model is our bread and butter product for the company.
bright spot a positive occurrence or event Drinking coffee was the first bright spot in my day.
bump on a log to be passive; to not participate Don’t be a bump on a log during the next meeting, we need your input!
c call it out to bring to attention If you discover a product problem, then call it out in the next meeting. c
call off to cancel Can you call off the meeting?
came along for the ride to join, but not participate He just came along for the ride and sat quietly at the meeting.
can’t make hide nor hair to not understand This report is really confusing and I can’t make hide nor hair of it.
carry the torch to carry on the responsibility Since my boss is out of the office, she will carry the torch for the team.
catch heat to be blamed He’ll probably catch heat from headquarters for not meeting the goals.
cat got (your) tongue to be silent Why don’t you say something? Does the cat got your tongue?
chit chat non-important talk or gossip He likes to chit chat in the break room.
come off it stop complaining or whining She needs to come off it and stop complaining about her job every day.
come out of one’s shell to actively participate (don’t be shy) I need everyone to come out of their shell during the next meeting.
cop out change your mind at the last minute Some runners cop out before race day, because they are nervous.
cry over spilt milk an unrecoverable incident/situation She shouldn’t cry over spilt milk, since she will have more opportunities.
cut loose to relax and enjoy Let’s cut loose after work and go out for a drink.
cut (her) loose to extend responsibility It’s time to cut her loose and give her more responsibility.
cut (him) loose to layoff/terminate Unfortunately, we had to cut him loose last week.
cut (her) losses to accept failure and move on quickly She wanted to gamble all day, but cut her losses after one hour at the casino.
d dial back to reduce or scale back I need to dial back my golf dates so I can spend more time with my family. d
did (you) get it to understand I’m still confused, did you get it?
difficult pill to swallow hard to believe or accept The presentation was a difficult pill to swallow, since he wasn’t prepared.
ding dong to act dumb or silly Whenever she is with her friends, she acts like a ding dong.
dog and pony show a standardized presentation The sales manager did the typical dog and pony show for the new client.
dose of decisiveness leader with initiative We need a dose of decisiveness from someone in management.
dot your ‘i’s & cross your ‘t’s to be very complete and detailed. Did you dot your “I’s” & cross your “T’s” before presenting the contract?
down the road in the future Fluctuating oil costs eventually impact consumers down the road.
drives (me) crazy to become frustrated It drives me crazy when drivers talk on their cell phone while driving.
*Chris Linn, author of the guide, is a materials design and sourcing professional, based in Portland, Oregon and has worked in international business for over 20 years-
with 4 of those years as an editor for an English language publishing company. Chris grew up in the U.S. and spent 7 years of his career working in Asia for a leading
multi-national brand. During this time, Chris volunteered time to help his national staff improve their English understanding and teaching them the nuances of American
idioms. What makes this guide unique is the idioms in this guide are taken from actual business emails (or conversations) between the national staff and their native English
speaking colleagues--making this a practical tool for anyone wanting to improve their business English understanding. You can contact Chris at
