Common Expressions A

Business Communication Skills || Cross-Cultural Competence || English Proficiency
High-Effect with Low-Stress

Two-Part Verbs Business Terms U.S. Sports Terms A - D E - I J - N O - S T - Z

COMMON EXPRESSIONS: A - D

A
a case in point	An example of what one is talking about. – As a case in point, let’s talk about …
a close shave	A near disaster. – We almost lost our most important customer. It was a close shave.
a done deal	[incorrect grammar] A faite accompli — an agreement that has already been made. – It’s too late to change his mind; he has already signed the contract; it’s a done deal.
a piece of cake	Very easy; no problem. – Alfred: How was the examination? Bart: It was a piece of cake.
above and beyond the call of duty	More than is expected to be done; more than is required to do. – Thanks for all your hard work; you really worked above and beyond the call of duty.
ace in the hole	Something or someone secretly available for use. – This information is our ace in the hole; we’ll only use it if we have to.
acid test	A practical test whose findings cannot be disputed or doubted. – He seems like a good CEO, but the acid test will be when he has to negotiate with the union.
across the board	The same application for all people or things involved. – There will be an across the board pay increase next quarter.
act as	to perform in someone’s place, temporarily or permanently. – Mr. Brown will act as chairman until Mr. Smith returns. – From now on, I will be acting as your supervisor.
act up	(1) to misbehave. – People who act up in public should stay at home. (2) to operate or perform badly: – My car is acting up; I should have someone look at it.
add up	to make sense. – His thinking doesn't add up, if you ask me.
after all is said and done	In the final analysis; the main thing that should be said is … – After all is said and done, George will do exactly what he says he will do.
after the fact	After something has taken place. – We already signed the agreement. You can’t make changes after the fact.
agree on	to have the same opinion about something. – We agree on the importance of quality.
agree to	to accept something (suggestions, proposals, prices, …). – We agree to your conditions.
agree to do	to promise to do something. – We agree to supply you with the parts you need.
agree with	to have the same opinion as someone. – I agree with you on this point.
ahead of time	Before the announced or agreed time. – If you want a good seat, get there ahead of time.
aim to do	To intend to do something. – I aim to speak to David about this. – We aim to please! (a common motto for stores)
alive and kicking	Well and healthy; in good condition. – A: How is Tom? B: Oh, he’s alive and kicking. (He is fine.)
alive and well	See: alive and kicking
all at once	(1) Suddenly – All at once, he sat up and spoke. (2) All at the same time – I couldn’t understand anything; everyone was talking all at once. – Time is nature’s way of preventing everything happening all at once.
all day long	For a long time; to any degree. – You can argue all day long, but it won’t change my mind.
all for	Very much in favor of something. – We’re all for buying more shares in that company. – I’m all for a new start. – I’m all for starting again.
all gone	Completely used up; no longer existing. – I’m afraid the coffee is all gone. – The days of easy profits are all gone.
all Greek to me	Completely unintelligible to me. – I heard his speech, but it was all Greek to me. – The fine points of economics is Greek to the average investor.
all in a day’s work	Part of what is expected; typical performance. – You don’t have to thank me. Good customer service is all in a day’s work here.
all in all	Considering everything (including negative factors). – Our truck division didn’t do as well as expected, but all in all we had a good year.
all over	(1) Finished. – You are too late for the speech. It’s all over. (2) Everywhere. – There are McDonalds restaurants all over in Europe.
all over but the shouting	(a result is) Decided and but not yet finished. – Our team is ahead 94 to 70 with two minutes to play. It’s all over but the shouting.
all over the place	In all parts of a location. – There were policemen all over the place when the president visited.
all set	[idiom] Completely prepared or equipped; ready to begin. – All set? Good. Let’s begin.
all talk (and no action)	Talking about doing something but never actually doing it; making promises but not keeping them. / Jack says he is going to lose weight but he is all talk (and no action).
all the same	Nevertheless. – I agree Tom would be a good person to hire. All the same, I would rather hire Maria.
all told	In total; including everything. – All told, the cost of the takeover was $1.3 billion.
all wet	Mistaken, wrong (a strong criticism). – If you think I’m going to put my money into your crazy scheme, you’re all wet!
all worked up	Excited in a negative way; overly worried or upset. – Don’t talk to Beverly about the hole in the ozone layer. She gets all worked up about it.
All’s well that ends well.	A proverb meaning that if an event has a good ending then all of the bad things that happened were worth the pain. – Yes, you lost your job, but then you got an even better one. So, all’s well that ends well, don’t you think?
all-out effort	A 100% effort. – We need an all-out effort from our sales staff if we want to meet our goals.
all-out war	Total war. – If the competition lowers its prices again, it will mean an all-out war.
along with	[idiom] In association with; together with. – We are going to let George handle this along with Marvin.
among	This word means the same as between when there are more than two things involved. - This information must remain a secret between the two of us. - This information must remain a secret among the three of us. - They built their house between two trees. - They built their house among a few trees.
amount to	To be or to become successful or valuable. – The teachers thought Johnny wouldn’t amount to much, but he proved them wrong.
and then some	And even more; more than normal. – You’ll have to play your best and then some if you want to beat Pete.
any port in a storm	A phrase that expresses the attitude that any way out of a difficulty is good, even if it isn’t the best. – It’s the only job he could find. You know, any port in a storm.
apples and oranges	A phrase used to express how two things cannot be compared. – It’s impossible to explain his image in terms of his job performance. They are apples and oranges.
application software	Software programs that are used as tools to solve specific problems. There is application software for word processing, spreadsheets, desktop publishing, database management, online banking, and so on. Also: application, application program [Anwenderprogramme]
as a last resort	As the last choice of action; if everything else fails. – If this doesn’t work, then as a last resort, we can cut jobs.
as a matter of course	Normally; as a normal procedure. – Everyone is expected to file a progress report each week as a matter of course.
as a matter of fact	Actually; to correct or add to what has already been said. Charley: I heard you got a raise. Duane: As a matter of fact, I got a raise and a promotion.
as luck would have it	By good or bad luck; as it turned out; by chance. – As luck would have it, his check crossed my angry letter in the mail. – As luck would have it, an honest person found my wallet.
as many as	A number that could go up to … but not beyond. – The team will consist of as many as fifteen people.
asleep at the wheel	Not paying attention to what one is doing; failing to do one’s duty at the right time. – Someone must have been asleep at the wheel when the thieves broke in.
at a loss (for words)	Unable to speak or to explain something. – I am at a loss (for words) concerning the tragedy.
at a premium	At a high price; difficult to purchase because of the high price. – Tickets during the World Cup in France were at a premium.
at cross-purposes	With different goals in mind. – I think we are talking at cross-purposes; we aren’t even talking about the same thing. – George and Jim are working at cross-purposes; their goals are in conflict.
at every turn	(1) Everywhere. – There were people selling goods at every turn. (2) Continually, at every moment. – Life holds surprises at every turn.
at face value	Based on what something appears to be. – I accept his explanation at face value. (I believe his words exactly.)
at odds	Constantly unable to agree with someone or work well with someone. – John and Bob are always at odds (with each other). (They always disagree.)
at once	Immediately; without delay; this minute. – Bill, get busy on this at once!
at random	Without a logical or predictable sequence or order. – We chose people at random out of the phonebook.
at the break of dawn	At the earliest light of the day. – Susan gets up at the break of dawn. Also: at the crack of dawn
at the drop of a hat	Immediately; as soon as asked. – Peter is ready to help out at the drop of a hat.
at the end of the day	When everything has been considered and done. – At the end of the day, it is the strength of the company that you should invest in. Also: the bottom line is …
at the outset	At the beginning. – We had problems with the technology at the outset, but those problems have been solved.
at this juncture	At this point. – There isn’t much we can do to change things at this juncture.
at this stage of the game	At this point (in some event); currently. – At this stage of the game, we can’t afford to appear unsure.
at will	Whenever one wants. – Michael Jordan is sometimes able to score at will. – You may take money out at will.
B
back and forth	Backwards and forwards. – He was walking back and forth the whole time.
back down	to take a weaker position (in an argument or negotiation). – Because neither side would back down, the strike continued.
back out (of)	to fail to keep something (e.g. an agreement). – They backed out of our agreement at the last minute.
back to square one	Back to the beginning. – Negotiations have broken down, so we are back to square one.
back to the drawing board	Time to start over again. – They didn’t like our advertising presentation. I guess it’s back to the drawing board.
back up	(1) To support someone or something. – We can back up our arguments with hard data. (2) To make a copy of something to be used if the original is destroyed or lost. – I back up my computer files every week.
back-to-back	Two events happening one immediately after the other. We enjoyed back-to-back successes with our first two products.
ball of fire	A very active and energetic person who is always optimistic. – You don’t have to be a ball of fire to be successful here.
ballpark, in the (A ball park is a baseball stadium.)	Close to the correct answer. – That’s not exactly right, but you’re in the ballpark.
ballpark figure	A rough estimate; an approximation. – I don’t know exactly how much, but I can give you a ballpark figure.
bark up the wrong tree	To follow the wrong course or to ask the wrong person. – If you think I’m going to help you, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
-based	In the military, one's base is where one returns after a mission. It is home, in a sense. In the same way, a company has its base or headquarters at a certain location. So you can say: – My company's headquarters are in Atlanta. Or your can say the same thing this way: – My company is based in Atlanta. Or you can say it this way: – I work for an Atlanta-based company.
been around	[idiom] (1) been in existence. – How long has this company been around? [existieren] (2) having experience. – George knows a lot. He’s been around. [viel herumgekommen]
be had	To be cheated. – The car I bought doesn’t run now. I think I’ve been had.
be that as it may	Even if that is true. – You say you won the race. Be that as it may, you didn’t give your best effort.
be up in arms (about st.)	When someone is up in arms, they are angry or rebellious. The expression originally referred to an armed (i.e. carrying weapons) rebellion. The townspeople were up in arms about the new tax. John was up in arms about the new office phone policy.
be used to	[idiom] To be accustomed to something; to be in a state where you have developed a tolerance for something that was disturbing before. – In the beginning, I hated the weather, but now I am used to it. get used to or become used to refers to the process of developing such a tolerance. – I hope I will get used to the noise here. – I got used to his style of management very quickly. – I think I am becoming used to the cold. Note: This expression refers to a thing that you are or are not used to. Therefore, the word to is followed by a noun (a person, a place, a thing, etc.) or a verb in its ing form; for example, sleeping, eating, living, etc. The word to in this idiom is never followed by the infinitive of a verb. These two sentences mean exactly the same thing: – I am used to spicey food. – I am used to eating spicey food. Compare to: used to do
bear in mind	Remember something as a factor in your actions or thinking. – Keep in mind the fact that we don’t have a lot of time. – Keep me in mind when you are ready to start your own company. Also: keep in mind
bear with	Be patient with someone. – Please bear with me; I have to finish this letter.
beat a dead horse	To continue fighting a battle that has been lost. – It’s over, George. Stop beating a dead horse.
beat around the bush	To speak around a point without addressing it directly. – Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what you want.
be careful to (do st.)	If you are careful to do something, it means you make a special effort to remember to do it. She was careful to not mention the surprise birthday party. I am always careful to check the tires before a long trip.
bed of roses	A situation or way of life that is always happy and comfortable. – Running a company isn’t always a bed of roses, you know.
beef up	To make something stronger or more powerful. – Maybe we should try to beef up our sales staff.
been around	(1) Been in existence. – How long has this company been around? [existieren] (2) Having gained in experience. – George knows a lot. He’s been around. [viel herumgekommen]
before long	Soon. – Before long, I’ll have my own house.
before you know it	Almost immediately. – I’ll be finished before you know it.
beg to differ	To disagree with someone. – You say it’s possible, but I beg to differ.
behind closed doors	In secret; away from observers. – They reached an agreement behind closed doors.
behind one’s back	Without someone’s knowledge or approval. – She always talks about people behind their backs.
behind the scenes	Privately; out of public view. – They are working behind the scenes to solve the conflict.
behind the times	Old-fashioned. – His thinking is definitely behind the times.
beside the point	Irrelevant; of no importance. – What he told you is beside the point.
between a rock and a hard place	In a very difficult position; facing two unpleasant choices. – I was between a rock and a hard place. No matter what I did would be a disaster.
beyond the shadow of a doubt	Completely without doubt. – He is, without a shadow of a doubt, the smartest man I know.
bite off more than one can chew	To take on more than you can deal with. – When we started that project, I realized we had bitten off more than we could chew.