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Business Idioms: Idioms about Bargaining

Value for money is important in all aspects of life but especially in the business world. As a result, in this installment of our Business Idioms series we have prepared something for all of you bargain hunters out there: a whole set of idioms about bargaining.

bang for the buck – value for the money spent.

We were able to get a lot of bang for our buck when we advertised online; we spent very little but got a lot of responses!

Note: buck is a word used for a dollar in the United States of America originating from the practice of trading deer (buck) skins for other products or services in the 1700’s.

a steal – a bargain or good deal

The new computers weren’t exactly a steal at this price, but they were still good value.

cheap at twice the price – very inexpensive, good value for money.

We paid only $2000 to have the whole security system installed! It would have been cheap at twice the price.

Note: An even stronger way to say the same thing would be to say “a steal at twice the price.”

for a song – cheaply, for next to nothing

I picked up this car for a song because of some aesthetic damage.

Note: when we use this idiom it is as if something free (the singing of a song) had been accepted as payment.

cut-rate – a price lower than usual

We went to a cut-rate furniture store to buy all of the furnishings for our new office.

Note: Price can be exchanged for rate in this idiom without affecting the meaning (e.g., we bought all of our new furnishings at a cut-price).

For more installments from the Business Idiom series as well as a whole host of other useful articles and materials please visit our homepage.

Business Idioms: Idioms about Dishonesty

We would like to think that all businesses conduct themselves in a moral and legally responsible way but, alas, we do not live in a perfect world. It is with the companies and individuals in mind that we dedicate this installment to idioms about dishonesty.

ill-gotten gains – money acquired in a dishonest or illegal manner.

His ill-gotten gains were seized by the government when he was arrested for fraud.

Note: To seize is to another way to say “to take quick and forcible possession of.” It is synonymous with confiscate.

to line your own pocket – to take advantage of a situation purely for your personal financial benefit.

He had been lining his pockets for years with company funds.

Note: Pocket is also used in another idiom related to bad business: to be in someone’s pocket. This means that someone is controlled by someone else because of bribes that they pay you (e.g., the gangster had the corrupt official in his pocket).

to cook the books – to falsify financial records.

They concealed millions of dollars in losses by cooking the books.

Note: The books here refer to accounting ledgers and so a related idiom is “to keep two sets of books”.

under the table – something done secretly (and usually illegally) in the business world.

To avoid paying taxes, they paid some of their employees under the table.

Note: If this idiom is used to qualify a noun or a noun phrase, hyphens must be used, as in “under-the-table payments.”

money laundering – to conceal the source of illegally-obtained money so that it is believed to be legitimate.

They had been using other smaller companies to launder money until they were caught.

Thank you for reading Business Idioms for more of this series as well as other articles and materials please visit our homepage.

Business Idioms: Idioms about Progress

Hoping for improvement is natural. After all, we all want to get better and the same is true in business. For this reason we are going to use this installment of Business Idioms to discuss some idioms about progress.

to gain ground – to go forward or to make progress.

We have been number two in our industry for years but we are gaining ground on the market leaders.

Note: get off the ground is a related idiom that is used to describe making a successful beginning (e.g., Without the proper marketing our new range never had a chance to get off the ground).

a step in the right direction – an positive action that is expected to result in some advancement or improvement.

Although it’s still not perfect, with the changes made to our product I feel that the relaunch is definitely a step in the right direction.

Note: another similar walking based idiom is making strides which refers to making large improvement or progress (e.g., we have been making strides in the efficiency of our systems).

to go great guns – to go fast or successfully.

We were going great guns with the new design until we realised there was a fault with the safety of the toy and had to take it back to the drawing board.

to work your way up – to make progress in a process or structure.

He worked his way up from the mail room and is now a sales manager.

Note: to the top can be added to this idiom – as in work your way to the top – meaning that you reach the pinnacle of the process or structure (e.g., He started in the mail room and worked his way to the top to become CEO).

For more installments of the Business Idioms series as well as a whole host of other useful materials please visit our homepage.

Business Idioms: Idioms about Failure

In the cutthroat world of business sometimes even the best ideas fall flat. So hope for the best but plan for the worst in this installment of our series which covers business idioms about failure.

to close up shop – to close a business.

Business had been slow for a while so they were forced to close up shop and try something else.

Note: In the UK, close in this example can be exchanged with shut without the meaning changing (e.g., shut up shop).

to go belly up – to go out of business because of financial problems.

The local bakery went belly up last year.

Note: Use this one carefully as this rather morbid idiom refers to the position of an animal when it is dead (and carries the negative connotations to match).

to cut one’s losses – to end or withdraw from something that is already failing in order to reduce the loss of money, time or effort invested in it.

The project is heading for failure. Let’s cut our losses before it’s too late.

Note: Another idiom, to get out while you are ahead, has a similar meaning.

to go up in smoke – if a plan or project ends in failure before producing a result.

After the closure of his business his dreams of being self-employed went up in smoke.

Note: a similar idiom is go up in flames can be used when something is extremely damaged or destroyed (e.g., his career went up in flames when he was jailed for theft).

to wither on the vine – to fail or cease to exist because of lack of support or encouragement.

Due to the lack of foot traffic the store is destined to wither on the vine.

Note: this refers to a plant dying (or withering) due to lack of nourishment.

For other useful resources as well as access to the rest of the Business Idioms series please visit our homepage.

Business Idioms: Idioms about Making Money

Cash is king in business and the measure of success for any enterprise so we have dedicated this installment of our Business Idioms series to idioms about making money.

in the black – descriptive of being profitable, successful, or otherwise making money.

The company is very successful; they are consistently in the black.

Note: the opposite of this expression is in the red which refers to a business operating at a loss; this is because in accounting negative numbers are generally recorded in red ink.

To make money hand over fist – to make a lot of money very quickly.

We have been making money hand over fist since our biggest competitor went out of business.

Note: this expression was first written in Seba Smith’s The Life and Writings of Major Jack Downing in 1833 “they….. clawed the money off his table hand over fist”

to turn a profit – to make a profit.

It usually takes at least a year for a new business to turn a profit.

Note: “Turn” is also used in turnover, a noun used to refer to all of the money that passes through a business.

to clean up – to make a lot of money, make a big profit.

There were so many customers at the market this weekend that we really cleaned up.

Note: This is not to be confused with the idiom to come clean which is to confess something.

to make a killing – to make a lot of money.

When we release our new product we are going to make a killing.

Note: Killing in a nonviolent sense also appears in the idiom to “kill time” which means to use up extra time.

For other installments of this series as well as many more useful materials please visit our homepage on business jargon and idioms.

Business Idioms: Idioms about Negotiation

In business as in life almost everything is negotiable. So it is no wonder that people are constantly striving to find the middle ground. With this in mind, in this installment of the Business Idioms series we will be discussing some Idioms about negotiation.

to cut a deal – to make a beneficial business arrangement with someone.

I thought we weren’t going to be able to afford the new version, but I was able to cut a deal and get it at half price.

Note: cut can also be used to describe a reduced price (e.g., cut price).

to make an offer – to deliver a financial proposal for a product or service.

We are going to make an offer they can’t refuse.

a bargaining chip – something used to make someone do what you want.

Our faster delivery times can be used as a bargaining chip.

Note: bargaining refers to negotiation and can be used in other idioms (e.g., a bargaining tool referring to something used to strengthen your negotiating position).

a hard sell – an aggressive sales technique.

They really wanted us to sign the contract so they were using the hard sell.

Note: this can also be used for when someone is difficult to convince someone something (e.g., He bought the ticket from me in the end but it was a hard sell).

to knock down the price of (something) or knock the price of (something) down – to lower the price of something.

I managed to convince them to knock down the price of my new car.

Note: Knock, as used above, means to hit (as in on a door) but it can be used if a very different way, to describe an imitation or fake product (e.g., her designer purse looks real but it is a knock-off).

For more installments from our Business Idioms series as well as many other helpful articles, please visit our homepage!

Business Idioms: Idioms about Understanding

Communication is the cornerstone of any fruitful relationship and business is no exception. So in this installment of our business idioms series we will be discussing a variety of idioms about understanding.

to see eye to eye – to have the same perspective, opinion, or otherwise agree with someone

I’m glad we see eye to eye on the new customer service policy

to get someone’s drift – to understand in a general way what someone is trying to say

I had to leave early so missed the question and answer section but I got the drift from the power point presentation

Note: we “get” a lot of things in idioms! Here are a few other examples which refer to understanding alone: get the message (e.g., When my boss pointed at his watch I got the message – it was time to finish the meeting) and get the picture (e.g., I didn’t realize how bad the financial state of the company was but after reviewing the figures I get the picture.).

penny drops – when a person has difficulty understanding something and then they finally understand

He thought his job was incredibly secure but the penny dropped when he received a written warning.

Note: this idiom alludes to coin operated machines which will not function until the penny (a coin) literally drops or goes in. This makes it similar to the idea of the lightbulb of insight.

to be on the same page – to have the same amount of knowledge or understanding

After a few weeks of negotiation we’re on the same page.

Note: Another idiom with a similar meaning is to be on the same wavelength (which is to say that two people are receiving the same signal).

Please visit our homepage for further installments of the Business Idioms series as well as a whole host of useful and interesting resources.

Business Idioms: “B” Better Prepared in the Boardroom

As is the case in all of life’s endeavors, proper planning promotes performance. Unfortunately some things – like a test – are easy to prepare for than others – like a business meeting. While you can never be sure what expressions might pop up in business meeting, you are will doubtless be better prepared for any curveballs thanks to our latest installment of Business Idioms:

To Bail Out a Company/Person – to provide financial relief to a company or person that would otherwise be “underwater” (in debt)

Many people believe that a strategic bail out would help provide much-needed stability in the faltering economy.

Note: This idiom can be used with the word “out” after either bail or company and as a noun (as above).

Baked In – included

As technology improves many automakers are baking in special features that were once considered luxuries; just try buying a car without air conditioning these days!

To Balance the Books – to audit or otherwise verify that a business’s assets are properly accounted for

It is both dull necessary to balance the books from time to time; it is the best way to keep track of a company’s performance.

Continue reading “Business Idioms: “B” Better Prepared in the Boardroom”

Business Idioms: An A For Effort

As mentioned in our overview of Business Idioms, each industry has its own patterns, its own rhythms, of speech. That means that even common words and phrases can take on entirely new meanings in a business context. Thus it is a prudent executive – or executive-in-the-making – that studies up on these distinct phrases.

Here are a few common expressions used in the boardroom. Continue reading “Business Idioms: An A For Effort”

Keep Your Eye On The Bottom Line With Business Idioms

What goes up what must come down and, accordingly, there are more than a few idioms related to exactly that – the bottom half of things:

The Bottom Falls Out Of (Something) – a sudden and dramatic fall in price or value

Even the most experienced investors were worried when the bottom fell out of the housing market; prices fell so fast that no one knew what to do.

Note: A variant of this idiom uses “drop” instead of “fall” but in either case this, the principal verb, must be modified to maintain grammatical structure.

Bottom Line – the final figure on a balance sheet or other financial document (typically this is the total)

“Don’t worry about going over the specifics, just give me the bottom line: are we are going to make a profit this quarter or not?”

Continue reading “Keep Your Eye On The Bottom Line With Business Idioms”

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