Common Expressions E

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: E - I

E
eager beaver	Someone who is very enthusiastic; a hard worker. – The new trainees are all eager beavers.
earn a living	To earn enough money to pay all your living expenses. – Some workers just barely earn a living. Also: make a living
easier said than done	(about a task) Easier to name a goal than to accomplish it. – Yes, we must become number one in the market. But that is easier said than done.
easy come, easy go	An phrase that shows an easy attitude about losing something you have recently won or found. – I won a hundred dollars playing roulette, then immediately lost it all at blackjack. Oh, well, easy come, easy go.
Easy does it.	Be calm; act carefully. – That vase you are carrying is very expensive. Easy does it.
eat up	To enjoy. – Okay, everybody, eat up! (informal for "Enjoy your meal.") – This software is great. The public will eat it up.
eleventh-hour, at the	Not long before the last possibility to act. – They decided to sign the agreement at the eleventh hour.
end up	To finish or conclude. – We started off in Maine and ended up in Texas. – We began by wanting to fix it, but we ended up building a new one.
Enough is enough.	That is enough (usually spoken when you have become impatient). – You have asked for a raise four times this month. Enough is enough!
enterprise software	Large software programs that integrate all of the software needs of an entire company (enterprise), from order processing and production planning to accounting, logistics, delivery, billing, customer service, etc. Enterprise means a company (especially a new one) or a business project.
Every cloud has a silver lining.	There is always some good that can come from a bad event. – The hurricane has given the construction industry more business. Every cloud has a silver lining.
every minute counts	Time is very important. – Please finish this as soon as possible. Every minute counts.
every now and then	Occasionally, infrequently. – Every now and then, he will give us feedback. Also: every once in a while
every time you turn around	Frequently; with annoying frequency. – Every time I turn around, he asks another silly question.
every Tom, Dick, and Harry	Everybody without exception. – Every Tom, Dick, and Harry wants to have a Website.
everything but the kitchen sink	Virtually everything possible. – The thieves stole everything but the kitchen sink.
everything from A to Z	Absolutely everything. – We discussed everything from A to Z.
exploit	A neutral expression in British English and means to use something productively or for profit. [nutzen] But in the American language, it almost always means to use something selfishly for one’s own profit, or to use it unfairly. – "The workers in this factory are being exploited by management!" shouted the union organizer. [ausbeuten] To express a neutral or positive idea, we Americans say: – "We must make use of (or take advantage of) this opportunity." In this article, Senator Hatch is talking about Microsoft’s UNFAIR use of its current monopoly. exploitation [noun] the act of exploiting exploiter [noun] someone who exploits exploitable [adjective] able to be exploited exploited [adjective] has already been exploited
F
face-to-face	In person; facing each other. – We need to have a face-to-face meeting. Also: eyeball-to-eyeball
fail to do st.	If someone fails to do something, it may simply mean he or she doesn’t do it. It doesn’t always mean that they are unable to do it. - George failed to write down the telephone number. This certainly does not mean that George tried to write down the number but was unsuccessful! It just means he didn’t write it down, for whatever reason. In this article, the sentence says, - She failed to duplicate (some pages). We really don't know why she didn't duplicate the pages. Maybe she forgot to do it. Maybe she decided not to do it. If she had tried and was unsuccessful, we would probably say: - She was unable to duplicate the pages. - She wasn’t able to duplicate the pages. - She tried to duplicate the pages but was unsuccessful. Other examples of how this expression can be used: - Do not fail to be there on time. - I fail to see the humor of your statement. - I fail to understand your point. Having said all this, it can sometimes mean that the person did try to do something but was unsuccessful. [scheitern] For example: - She failed to convince him. - He failed to finish the race.
fair and square	Completely fair(ly). – They beat us fair and square.
fall back on	To rely on as safe and familiar. – IBM thought it could always fall back on its mainframe computers.
fall behind	To lose position relative to a competitor. – We can't afford to fall behind in our domestic market.
fall down on the job	To fail to do your job adequately. – He fell down on the job when he didn’t demand the shipment be sent by courier.
fall flat	To fail completely to create interest. – The joke he told fell flat.
fall flat on your face	To fail completely. – He was a great marketing VP, but he fell flat on his face as a CEO.
fall for	To fall in love with someone. – Bill fell for Shirley on their first date.
fall for	To be deceived by (e.g., a trick, a lie). – Don't fall for his stories.
fall off	See: drop off
fall on deaf ears	(ideas and comments) To be ignored by the persons listening. – Their request for more money fell on deaf ears at the board meeting.
fall short	To fail to achieve a goal. – We wanted to sell a million units but we fell short (by 20%).
fall through	To fail to materialize (e.g., business deal, agreements). – The deal fell through when he realized he could not get enough investors.
fan the flames	To make something more intense; to make a situation worse. – The atmosphere was already bad between the union and management, but his speech fanned the flames.
far and away	Unquestionably. – Our technology is far and away the best. Also: by far
far cry from, a	Completely different from … – The result is a far cry from what we expected.
far from	[idiom] Very different from; very much not. – This is far from an ideal solution. Also: a far cry from
far from it	Absolutely not at all. – Do I want to fire you? Far from it! I want to promote you.
fat chance	Very unlikely. – He wants to be the president of the company? Fat chance.
feast or famine	Results that are alternately excellent and terrible. – The tourist industry on the island is feast or famine.
federal appeals court court	to appeal [verb] To take a lower court’s decision to a higher court for review. – We will appeal this decision! [Einspruch erheben od. einlegen] appeal [noun] – Our appeal will be heard in two months. [Berufung] In America, there are courts at the city level (for example, Miami Municipal Court), at the county level (Dade County Court), at the state level (The State Court of Florida), and at the federal level (The U.S. Federal Court System). – At each level, if you lose (as a defendant), you may appeal the case and have it heard by a higher court (an appellate court). – At the state and federal levels, there is one court that is higher than any appellate court: the supreme court. – If a case reaches the U.S. Supreme Court, the decision is final. – In this article, a federal court placed an injunction against Microsoft. Microsoft appealed that action, and the federal appellate court lifted (ended) the injunction.
feel like …ing	To want to do something. – I feel like going for a walk. – I feel like having a drink.
fifty-fifty	Two equal parts. – Let’s divide the duties fifty-fifty.
figure on	See: count on
figure out	To discover the reason for something. – I couldn't figure out why he didn't want to work with us.
fill in	To complete (e.g., questionnaires, forms, applications). – Please fill in the missing information. Also: fill out
fill in for	To take someone's place temporarily. – I am filling in for John this week.
fill one in on	To give someone the information he needs. – Since you missed the last meeting, John will fill you in on the latest developments.
fill out	To complete (e.g., questionnaires, forms, applications). – Please fill out the application for a visa. Also: fill in
find fault	To find things wrong with someone or something. – He couldn’t find fault with my work.
fire away	To begin to ask many questions or to criticize freely. – If you have any questions, fire away.
first and foremost	First and most importantly. – First and foremost, the customer is always right.
First come, first served.	The first people to come will be served first. – They don’t take reservations. It’s first come, first served.
First things first.	The most important things must be done first. – First things first. Let’s finish talking about this last agenda item before we start planning the office party.
fit in	To schedule an appointment with someone. – I can fit you in on Monday morning.
flip-flop	To change your opinion completely 180°. – He said there would be no tax increase, but later he flip-flopped.
flurry	[noun] A flurry is a sudden occurrence of many things at once; a bombardment. A flurry of questions, a flurry of insults, a flurry of blows (hits in boxing), etc. all mean a series of these things in quick succession [Folge]. A flurry is also a gust of wind [Windstoß]. A snow flurry is a brief light snowfall (one where you see individual snowflakes coming at you. – He let fly a flurry of ideas that was amazing.
fly in the ointment	One small problem that spoils everything. – There’s just one fly in the ointment; he wants us to use his son’s bank.
fly off the handle	To become very angry and lose control of your emotions. – When I told him, he flew off the handle and started yelling at me.
fly-by-night	(referring to people or companies) Untrustworthy, disreputable (based on the idea of an airline that flies only at night because it’s cheaper). – Get a good consultant, not some fly-by-night person.
follow suit	To repeat someone else’s actions. – When the first bank closed, all the others followed suit.
food for thought	Something important to think about. – His speech contained a lot of food for thought.
foot the bill	To pay the bill; to pay for losses. – The government footed the bill for the failed banks.
for all intents and purposes	Virtually; practically speaking. – He is, for all intents and purposes, the real leader of the party.
for good	Permanently. – He left for good last year.
for kicks	Just for fun; for entertainment. – I think he sometimes pretends to forget people’s names just for kicks.
for the asking	Simply by asking; on request. – That job is yours for the asking (all you have to do is ask for it).
for the record	For everyone to know officially. – For the record, I am against this new policy.
for what it’s worth	If there is any value to it (spoken humbly about one’s own opinion). – For what it’s worth, I’d like to say this is a great opportunity for us.
foul up	To make a mess of something. – Our communication was fouled up, and we missed each other. foulup [noun] – The whole project was a complete foulup.
free flow	Flow [noun] means a smooth uninterrupted movement of something (for example, water, air, information, …). Free flow means a flow that is especially uninterrupted or limited (for example, by laws or regulations).
from rags to riches	From poverty to wealth; from failure to success. – His life is a rags to riches story.
from start to finish	From the beginning to the end. – We had problems with this product from start to finish.
from the ground up	From the beginning (of the building of something). – She has been with the company from the ground up.
from the outset	From the beginning; from the first moment. – Our relationship has been great from the outset.
from the word go	From the beginning; from the first moment. – I didn’t trust him from the word go.
from this day on	Starting now. – From this day on, we will not allow such things to happen again.
from time to time	Occasionally. – Our department has a social event from time to time.
full steam ahead	Forward at the greatest speed possible. – Once we get government approval, it will be full steam ahead with our new drug.
G
gain ground	To make progress; to advance. – We are gaining ground in our search for a better manufacturing process.
gang up	To form a group to attack someone. – I thought everybody ganged up on Paul at the meeting.
gather speed	To increase speed gradually. – The wagon gathered speed as it rolled down the hill.
gear up	[intransitive verb] To get ready or to assemble all the things you need to be ready. – We need to gear up for the Christmas season. Gear [noun] is equipment needed to perform a task. For example, there is communications gear, fishing gear, camping gear, stereo gear, diving gear, and so on. – Let’s go fishing. My gear is in the car.
get a word in	To be able to speak when someone else is talking without pause. – I couldn’t get a word in during the meeting. Also: get a word in edgeways. – When Mary and Katie get together, you can’t get a word in edgeways.
get across	To succeed in communicating (e.g., an idea or a message). – We want to get our message across to the public.
get ahead	To be successful or make progress (e.g., in a business or a profession). – If you want to get ahead, you have to be willing to work hard.
get along with	(1) To be on good terms. – I get along with all of my colleagues. (2) To function at an acceptable level. – I cannot get along without my cell phone.
get around to	To finally give something your attention; to find time to deal with something. – I hope to get around to that problem next week.
get at	To make a point in an indirect way. – I could not understand what he was getting at. – What are you getting at, sir?
get away with	To escape the penalty for doing something wrong. – I can't believe he got away with that lie.
get back	(1) To return to a place. – I’m going to New York. I’ll get back next week. (2) To return to a topic. – I’ll get back to your question in a minute. (3) To contact someone later. – I will get back to you after I find out more information.
get by	To function normally (especially on a limited supply of something [such as money, resources, etc.] or without someone). – I think we can get by without John for a while. – Don’t worry, we’ll get by. Also: manage
get carried away	To be overcome with excitement or enthusiasm. – I’m sorry I dominated the conversation. I get carried away sometimes.
get cold feet	Become afraid. – I would have spoken up but I got cold feet.
get down to business	To become serious; to stop the social talk and start discussing serious topics. – Okay, everybody, let’s get down to business. We have a lot to talk about.
get going	(1) To begin to function well. – After a short time, our team got going. (2) To begin to leave. – It’s very late. I should get going.
get into an argument	To have a verbal fight with someone. – I don’t want to get into an argument with you. Let’s discuss this calmly.
get into high gear	To start moving or working very fast or efficiently. – I don’t really get into high gear until after lunch.
get it	To understand what is happening; to grasp the subtle truths in a situation. – Don’t you get it? This is a serious problem! – Oh, I get it! You want me to help you.
get nowhere fast	To make no progress at all. – I’m trying to convince them to sign the contract, but so far I’m getting nowhere fast.
get off	To leave work at the end of the day. – I'll buy you a drink when we get off.
Get off it!