10 Business Idioms to Help You Speak English Like a Native

What is an Idiom?

Idioms are short phrases which do not make sense in a literal context. They have a different meaning, other than their individual words.

Let’s imagine you read a sentence in an article. You understand each word individually, but it doesn’t make any sense. Then there’s a strong chance the sentence has an idiom.

Let’s look at the idiom, “I’ve got a lot on my plate.” This literally means that your plate has a lot of food on it.

However, the phrase as a whole means: I have a lot of tasks to complete or many responsibilities.

Look at the following dialogue:

Chris: “Hey Jane, how’s the new project going?”

Jane: “It’s going well, but I’ve got a lot on my plate with this new project. There are so many things to do. I stayed at the office until 10pm last night”

You can see here that if you interpreted “I’ve got a lot on my plate” literally, it wouldn’t make any sense.

Idioms versus Slang

English learners sometimes think that idioms and slang are the same thing. But, they are in fact quite different.

Slang is informal language. Idioms are casual language (neither informal, nor formal).

Although work colleagues sometimes use slang when they are conversing with each other, you’ll rarely hear slang in a business context, because it is too informal.

Idioms, on the other hand, are commonly used in the workplace, such as in meetings and email. But for legal documents, contracts and more official business, they are not used.

When should a non-native speaker start using idioms?

It’s important to use idioms correctly, otherwise, it is better not to use them because there is little margin for error.

When non-native speakers use idioms correctly, they sound more fluent and native-like. But, if they don’t use the idiom appropriately, they will sound unnatural and strange.

So it’s necessary that you feel confident with the idiom and you are sure that you understand it’s meaning, context and it’s role in sentence structure.

Learners should start looking at idioms after reaching intermediate level.

You will find native speakers frequently using the following 10 idioms in a work and business environment:

Idiom 1: “back to square one”

Example: “We’ve spent 6 months using this sales strategy, but the results are not improving. I think we should go back to square one and rethink our approach.”

Meaning: Go back to the beginning. Start over again.

Idiom 2: “call it a day”

Example: “I think we’ve covered enough for today’s meeting. Let’s call it a day, shall we?”

Meaning: To stop work or an activity.

Idiom 3: “get something off the ground”

Example: “My goal for this year is to get my business off the ground. I’m currently in the process of raising funds, and I believe I’m on course for getting it off the ground in September.”

Meaning: To get something started. This could be a project or a new business.

Idiom 4: “go through the roof”

Example: “The real estate market is really heating up. Since last year, house prices have gone through the roof.”

Meaning: When something is rapidly increasing. Typically used to describe increasing prices or sales.

Idiom 5: “groundbreaking”

Example: “The programmable computer was a groundbreaking, post World War 11 invention.”

Meaning: When something is new and innovative.

Idiom 6: “a long shot”

Example: “I know it’s a long shot because he has a lot going on, but maybe I can convince him to partner with us for this project.”

Meaning: Something that has a small chance of succeeding.

Idiom 7: “a no brainer”

Example: “Accepting the position in New York was a no brainer. They offered me a salary increase of 50%, and will also pay for my accommodation.”

Meaning: A decision that is very obvious or easy to make.

Idiom 8: “raise the bar”

Example: “Even though we increased the turnover by 10% last year, I want to raise the bar for this year and set the target at 20%.”

Meaning: to increase standards or expectations.

Idiom 9: “touch base”

Example: “This week I intend to touch base with our top 3 clients to make sure everything’s running smoothly.”

Meaning: To make contact with someone. Often used by commercial professionals when following up with clients.

Idiom 10: “word of mouth.”

Example: “20% of our customers hear about our company through word of mouth.”

Meaning: When people hear about a product or service through informal conversation with friends or colleagues.