phrase_idiom2
Don't hold your breath
"Don't wait." Said cynically to suggest that what has just been mentioned to is unlikely to happen soon or at all
take over
To adopt a further responsibility or duty He will take over the job permanently when the accountant retires
turn down
To refuse, decline, or deny. He turned down all our offers of help.
catch on
To understand; perceive It was a long time before the police caught on to what he was really doing
devil's advocate
a person who presents an unpopular or the opposite opinion in order to make the discussion better It's always a good idea to have one devil's advocate at a business meeting because it makes everyone think about other possible opinions
last but not least
a phrase used to introduce the last person or thing in a group, meaning that it is not less important than the other people or things already mentioned I've already shown you the living room, kitchen, and bedrooms in this new house. Last but not least, this is the garage
on behalf of someone
a phrase used to show that one is speaking for another person or group, expressing others' opinions or thoughts On behalf of all the students, Rhea presented the flowers to the dance instructor and thanked her for the classes.
with all due respect
a phrase used when one strongly disagrees with another person, but wants to say so as respectfully and nicely as possible I know that you want to work for our company, but with all due respect, you don't have enough experience yet
focus group
a small group of people who are asked to give their opinions about a product or a topic
routing slip
a small piece of paper with the names of everyone in an office that people sign to show that they have read a document, then they pass the document and routing slip to the next person on the list Please don't forget to add the new employee's name to the office routing slips
a leg up
an advantage; something that helps someone Joshua has a leg up in getting a job because his parents know almost everyone in this town
by any means
at all; in any way Juliana isn't the most beautiful woman in the world, but she isn't ugly by any means.
bells and whistles
attractive, desirable, and extra features of a product that are not needed for its basic use or operation Today many cell phones are full of bells and whistles, such as cameras, games, and music players
sought after
greatly desired, wanted by a lot of people but rare or difficult to get By the mid-1920s, she had become one of Broadway's most sought-after actresses
favorably impressed
having a positive opinion of something; feeling admiration or respect for something They were so favorably impressed by Gerry's presentation that they're going to make him vice president.
in no time
immediately, right away He finished off two bowls of chicken noodles soup in no time
ahead of one
in one's future; waiting for one Carlton has a lot of time ahead of him to make that decision.
a great deal
much; a large part; a large portion A great deal of his job requires traveling internationally
at this point in time
now; right now; at this moment; at the present time At this point in time, we still don't know how many people were killed by the storm
in terms of
regarding, related to The company has the highest sales in the country, but in terms of the number of employees, it is very small
in a minute
soon; very soon; in a little while Could you please turn on the TV? My favorite show is going to start in a minute
follow through
the continued movement of doing something He is good at initiating projects but rarely follows through with anything
current state of affairs
the way that things are today or the status of something at the moment The current state of affairs is that all of our best employees are leaving because they can make more money at other companies
open the floor
to allow anyone in the room to speak; to invite comments from other people When the president opened the floor for discussion during the meeting last week, all of the employees began talking at the same time
hold steady
to be constant; to not change; to remain the same During most of the year our sales hold steady, but they increase before Christmas when many people buy gifts for their family and friends
work for someone
to be convenient for someone; to not create problems for someone I'm really tired. Will it work for you if we go to the movies next week instead of tonight as we had planned?
draw to a close
to be ending; to be finishing After three days of presentations and discussions, the workshop is finally drawing to a close
hit the nail on the head
to be exactly right; to do exactly what something was supposed to do Mindy's essay hit the nail on the head and the professor gave her an A plus
keep up with something
to be familiar with all the latest changes in something; to keep up to date with something Have you been keeping up with the news about the storms in Florida
take a beating
to be hurt; to be damaged; to be defeated; to lose a lot of money Their house took a beating during last week's storm
run the show
to be in charge of something; to lead a meeting or project I've asked Karen to run the show for today's conference, and to make sure we stay on schedule
pale in comparison
to be less important than something else; to not be as important as something else that it's being compared to Some people think that problems of drinking and smoking pale in comparison to the problems of serious drug use
take something the wrong way
to be offended or insulted by something that someone says I hope you won't take this the wrong way, but I don't think that dress looks very good on you.
be beyond somebody
to be too difficult for someone to understand The whole problem was quite beyond him
have a lot on one's plate
to be very busy; to have a lot of work to do; to have many responsibilities Donna is a wife, mother, business owner, and part-time student, so she has a lot on her plate
be knee-deep in something
to be very involved in something; to be surrounded by something Our accountant is knee-deep in tax forms every March because her clients' taxes must be paid by April 15.
to move ahead with something
to begin doing the next step or stage of something Our family bought the land many years ago, but we haven't moved head with our plan to turn it into a public garden
dive into something
to begin something right away I don't like cleaning the house, but let's dive into it and finish it as quickly as possible
get one's creative juices flowing
to begin thinking creatively Some people like to get their creative juices flowing by listening to music while they work
open a dialogue
to begin to talk about something; to start a discussion Martin Luther King Jr. opened a dialogue in the United States about the relationship between the different races in this country
get down to business
to begin working very seriously on something; to get serious about something Loch spent most of the morning making phone calls and talking to her colleagues, but now she needs to get down to business and finish the project
be of the opinion that
to believe that; to think that; to have the opinion that We are of the opinion that families should be together during the holidays, so my brothers and sisters always travel home for Christmas
stack up against
to compare with something Before buying a new car, it's important to know how it stacks up against similar cars made by other companies
give somebody a run for their money
to compete very strongly against someone who is expected to win a competition I think only Liverpool will be able to give Manchester United a run for their money next season.
rule something out
to consider something as an option and then decide not to do it; to consider a list of things and decide not to use something We ruled out going to Alaska for vacation, because none of us like cold weather
stick to something
to continue to do or use something; to not change what one is doing Flying to Hawaii is too expensive. Let's stick to our original plan to spend our vacation closer to home this year
come up with
to create or invent; to think of something new and creative Olga came up with a way to save her department $100 each week
reckon with someone or something
to deal with someone or something or to cope with someone or something I have to reckon with the troublesome Mr. Johnson this afternoon. Mary knew just exactly how she had to reckon with the bill collector.
address something
to deal with; to manage; to handle; to answer Harvey believes that the best way to address the education problem in this country is to pay teachers more
wrap things up
to end a presentation or project; to finish something At the end of our two-week vacation, we're going to wrap things up with a trip to Disneyland
walk one through something
to explain something to someone in detail; to help someone understand something step by step Carolina walked us through the process of buying a home, and now we understand it much better
voice one's concern
to express one's worry; to say what one is worried about Kensuke wants to voice his concern about Sheila's drinking, but he's worried that she'll be mad at him
beat the rush
to get somewhere before most other people do; to get somewhere before it becomes very crowded We beat the rush at the movie theater by buying our tickets for the evening show earlier in the day
have something up one's sleeve
to have a secret or surprise plan or solution to a problem I've got something up my sleeve, and it should solve all your problems. I'll tell you what it is after I'm elected. The manager has an ace up her sleeve. She'll surprise us with it later
drive something forward
to help something progress and become better Communication technology was driven forward by the Internet in the 1990s
take the helm
to lead something; to run a meeting When Ms. Hagstrom took the helm last year, the company began making more money
get something out there
to make something more familiar to the public, to increase something's public presence We need to get our message out there so that people know what great work our organization is doing
straighten up
to make something tidy I do have to straighten up fairly often
miss the mark
to not be effective; to do the wrong thing for a specific purpose; to fail to reach a certain point or level The company missed the mark when it tried to sell rap music CDs to people over 80 years old
expand on something
to provide more detail about something; to describe something in more detail or to provide more information Can you please expand on your reasons for believing that we need a bigger office?
turn something over to someone
to put someone in control of something When my co-worker left the company, all of his work was turned over to me for a few weeks.
bring up something
to raise a topic; to introduce something into a discussion or conversation I like working with Tabitha because she always brings up ideas that no one else is thinking about
clear one's plate
to remove one's plate from the table and take it to the kitchen after one has finished eating The children have to clear the plates from the table before they can go outside to play
report back
to return to a larger group of people and provide information about what one has done since the last meeting Today, Jennifer is going to report back to the whole department about what her team learned from the financial analysts
lead the proceedings
to run or guide a meeting or discussion Dr. McPherson was asked to lead the proceedings because she is a good speaker and she understands the topic very well
call on
to say someone's name and ask him or her to speak The Senator called on the reporter from the New York Times during the press conference.
talk over someone
to speak when someone else is speaking, so that two people are speaking at the same time and it is difficult to understand My brother was talking over my sister and my mother couldn't understand anything they were saying
type up
to take the information that is written on a piece of paper and type it on a computer My boss gave me his notes to type up, but I can't read his handwriting
go over something
to talk about something in depth; to talk about a specific topic or plan Let's go over the details again, just to make sure that everyone understands the new plan
get something off one's chest
to talk about something that has been bothering or worrying one for a long time Phil asked to meet with me alone. I think he wants to get something important off his chest
put one's heads together
to work as a group to think of new ideas or better solutions When Brandon and Antonio put their heads together, they are able to think of some very creative new ideas
head down the right path
to work on the right thing in the right way; to do what one should be doing No, we haven't found the problem yet, but we're headed down the right path by looking at the engine and we should know what's wrong with your car in a few hours.
jot down
to write something down quickly Quick! I need a piece of paper to jot down that phone number before I forget it
without further ado
without any more delay; without waiting any longer You have all heard about our exciting new product. Now, without further ado, here is the item that will change the way companies do business