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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:    J - N

J

jeopardy, in

In danger.
– Suddenly the whole game was in jeopardy.
to put something in jeopardy
– You may be putting your career in jeopardy if you do that.
to jeopardize s.o./s.t. [verb] means to put someone or something in danger.
– You may be jeopardizing your career if you do that.

jockey for position

To try to position yourself to your own advantage.
– Several people are jockeying for position for the day when Jack retires.
(from horse racing)

join the club

A phrase used to express sympathy for a common experience.
– He didn’t return your call? Join the club!

jump at

To take advantage of something very quickly; to respond immediately to an offer or opportunity.
– He jumped at the chance to work in New York.
– They jumped at our offer.

jump on

To scold or criticize someone.
– Mike jumped on Barry for not giving him the message.
Also: jump all over
– Mr. Barkley jumped all over the service man for not returning his call.

jump start

To provide outside energy to something that has stopped functioning.
– If you have battery cables, I can jump start your car.
– We need to jump start this project. Nothing is happening.

jump the gun

To start doing something too soon.
– Tom jumped the gun and yelled "surprise" before the lights came on.

jump to a conclusion

To form an opinion quickly.
– Let’s not jump to conclusions. Let’s wait for their report.

jury is still out, the

No decision has been made yet. We don’t know the results yet.
– It’s too early to know yet how the public likes the product. The jury is still out.

just a minute

(1) Please wait a short time.
– Just a minute while I turn off my computer.
(2) Please stop.
– Just a minute. I need to use that first.
(3) A short time.
– I will be with you in just a minute.
Also: just a moment

just about

Almost, nearly.
– It’s just about midnight.
– We are just about finished.

just as soon

To like exactly as much.
– I’d just as soon stay home as go out to a restaurant.
The speaker’s words mean literally that there is no difference for him, BUT this kind of statement is usually a polite way of saying that he prefers to stay home.

just for the record

To make one’s position clear and official.
– Just for the record, I voted for the other guy.

just in case

See: in case

just in time

See: in time

just like that

Suddenly; unexpectedly.
– He got sick and died just like that.

just one of those things

A random occurrence that cannot be explained.
– We can’t explain why the computer failed at that moment. Maybe it was just one of those things.

just the ticket

Exactly what is needed or required.
– This chair is just the ticket for my weak back.
Also: just what the doctor ordered

just what the doctor ordered

Exactly what is needed or required.
– This new software is just what the doctor ordered.
Also: just the ticket

K

keep a low profile

To stay out of public notice.
– After his election loss, he decided to keep a low profile.

keep a straight face

To avoid laughing when one really wants to.
– I had to keep a straight face when he talked about how talented he is.

keep abreast of

To remain informed of something.
– I like to keep abreast of what’s happening in the stock market.

keep after

To continually urge or remind someone to do something.
– I have to keep after her to do the expense reports.

keep cool

To remain calm and under control. Also: keep your cool
– When he starts to criticize us, just keep cool. I’ll handle it.
Also: stay cool, stay calm , keep calm

keep down

(1) To hold under control; to repress.
– Please keep your voices down. I’m trying to think.
(2) To prevent something from going up or someone from advancing.
– So far, we’ve been able to keep our costs down.
– Tony thinks his lack of an MBA is keeping him down in his career.

keep from

(1) To withhold something.
– Are you keeping some information from me?
(2) To prevent something happening.
– Please keep your children from playing in our garden.
(3) To restrain oneself or hold onself back.
– I couldn’t keep from laughing.

keep in mind

To remember; not forget.
– Keep in mind that we only have five days left.
Also: bear in mind

keep in touch

To maintain contact.
– I’ll keep in touch while I’m in Hong Kong.
See: in touch

keep it up

Continue to do what you are doing.
– I like the way you get things done. Keep it up.

keep off

To avoid or stay away from something.
– Keep off the grass.
– The doctor told me to keep off milk for a while.

keep on

To continue doing something.
– Don't worry about the time; just keep on working.
– Don’t stop here; keep on going.

Notice that keep on is always followed by a word ending with –ing.

keep one posted

To supply someone with up-to-date information.
– Keep me posted about your project.

keep one’s chin up

To maintain courage in a difficult situation.
– I try to keep my chin up and believe that things will get better.

keep one’s cool

See: keep cool

keep one’s distance

To stay away; to remain emotionally remote.
– That dog bites. Keep your distance.
– Ever since their argument at the department meeting, they have kept their distance (from each other).

keep one’s ducks in line

To maintain control over several things or people for which you are responsible.
– If you want to be successful, you have to keep your ducks in line.

keep one’s eye on the ball

To remain alert about what you are doing.
– Now keep your eye on the ball when you are compiling this information.

keep one’s eyes open

To be watchful and observant.
– We have to keep our eyes open for defects.

keep one’s fingers crossed

See: cross one’s fingers

keep one’s nose to the grindstone

To stay very hard at work without being distracted.
– I admire the way he works. He really keeps his nose to the grindstone.

keep one’s shirt on

To stay calm or patient; not become angry.
– I didn’t mean to insult you. Keep your shirt on.

keep one’s word

To do what one promises to do.
– I expect him to keep his word about our bonuses.

keep pace with

To go at the same rate or speed as another; not fall behind.
– I couldn’t keep pace with Dale, but I did finish the race.
Also: keep up with

keep someone company

To be with someone so they won’t be alone.
– I’ll keep you company until she comes.

keep to oneself

To avoid the company of other people; value one’s privacy.
– She tends to keep to herself at lunchtime.
keep something to onself — To avoid giving information.
– I want everyone to keep this information to themselves. It is confidential.

keep under one’s hat

To preserve the secrecy of something.
– I’ll tell you but you have to keep it under your hat.
[etw. für sich behalten]

keep up with

To go at the same rate or speed as another; not fall behind.
– We have to keep up with the competition.
– Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all of the new technological advances.
Also: keep pace with

keep up with the Joneses

To try to match the life style of one’s richer neighbors.
– A swimming pool! Are you trying to keep up with the Joneses?
[mit den andern gleichziehen]

kick ass

To defeat an opponent thoroughly. Also: kick someone’s ass
– With this new technology, we are going to kick ass.
– With this new technology, we are going to kick their asses.

kick-ass [adjective] Outstanding.
– We have a new, kick-ass technology that will make us the market leader.

kick off

To give (a conference or an advertising campaign) an official beginning.
– Let's kick off the meeting with a presentation of the new products.

kick off

To give (a conference or an advertising campaign) an official beginning.
– Let's kick off the meeting with a presentation of the new products.

kick out

To eject someone or something in an unceremonious way.
– They were kicked out of the club.

kick the bucket

To die. Also: pass on, pass away
– Old Mr. Smith kicked the bucket last week.

kick upstairs

To promote someone to a higher position but with less authority.
– After he made a mess of things, they kicked him upstairs. Now he is in charge of special projects.

kickback

An illegal payment given to the person who gives a work contract from the person who receives the work contract.
– We found out that our competitor was giving kickbacks to foreign governments.

kill time

To do something unimportant while waiting.
– I killed time by looking at a magazine.

kill two birds with one stone

To achieve two goals with a single effort.
– We can kill two birds with one stone if we bring this report to lunch with us.
[zwei Fliegen mit einer Klappe schlagen]

killer app

A software application that dominates a large market.
– You can make a lot of money if you know what the next killer app will be.
killer — Anything that is so good or desirable that people are willing to "die" for it. See: die for
Therefore, sexy women are called man-killers and sexy men are called lady-killers.

kind of

Somewhat; rather; to a limited degree. Also: sort of
– I am kind of tired, but we can continue if you like.
[ein bischen]

knock on wood

To hope or wish that something good will happen or that something bad will not happen by literally touching or knocking on anything made of wood. (an old superstition)
– When this airplane lands, knock on wood, I’ll buy you a drink.
Also: touch wood
[dreimal auf Holz klopfen]

knock oneself out

To make a very great effort to accomplish something.
– I knocked myself out on this project.

knock the socks off

To amaze or overwhelm someone with great quality.
– The movie is so good it will knock your socks off.

know a thing or two

To be very knowledgable or experienced.
– He started programming in 1975. He knows a thing or two about computer languages.

know better than

To understand that something is wrong or not possible.
– You should know better than to park here.

know the ropes

To know how to do something.
– You don’t have to train him. He already knows the ropes.
[sich auskennen]
Show someone the ropes – To teach someone how to do something.
– Sam, Alice is new here. Will you show her the ropes?
[jmdn. mit allem vertraut machen]

know the score

To understand the situation completely.
– The new manager has to be someone who knows the score.

know where one stands

To be clear about one’s position relative to the position of others.
– People don’t have to like me. I just want to know where I stand.

L

last but not least

The last in a sequence but not the last in importance.
– Last but not least, I’d like to thank Mrs. Walters, who typed the manuscript.
Note: Do not forget to say the word but.

last laugh, have the

To succeed in the end, especially after some problems.
– If we get the contract, we’ll have the last laugh.

last resort

The last choice for solving a problem situation.
– Taking him off the team would be our last resort.

last straw, the

The final event which, although seemingly insignificant, causes a significant negative result.
– I tolerated his coming to work late, but when he didn’t meet the deadline for his report — that was the last straw.

last word, the

(1) The final statement in a discussion.
– Thank you, John. That will be the last word, because we are out of time.
(2) The newest thing of its kind.
– This is the last word in modems.

laugh at

To find someone or something very funny or ridiculous.
– They laughed at Columbus, too.

laugh off

To dismiss something as unimportant.
– I cannot laugh off your failure to finish your work.

laugh with

To enjoy a laugh together with someone.
– I like working with John; he is someone I can laugh with.

lay it on the line

To be firm and direct about one’s position or motive.
– I’ll lay it on the line for you. If we don’t reach an agreement, we go on strike.

lay off

To terminate someone’s job.
– They are going to lay off 14,000 workers.

lay one’s cards on the table

To openly and honestly reveal one’s position or intentions.
– If we are going to negotiate an agreement, I think we should lay our cards on the table.

lead off

To start something (and others will follow).
– John will lead off our discussion with a report on the latest sales figures.
– We need someone to lead off the song.
lead the pack The word pack is used for groups of animals that either work or hunt or travel together; for example, a pack of wolves, a pack of dogs. In racing, dogs or horses that are grouped tightly together as they move around the track are called a pack.
Likewise, people or companies that are grouped tightly in a competition can be called a pack, especially when using the phrase to lead the pack or calling one company the leader of the pack. There is a clear leader but he is not alone; everyone else is close behind. 
– No matter who is leading the pack today, you can assume it will be someone else in five years.

leapfrogging

[verb] To jump ahead of someone ahead of you. This comes from the children’s game of leapfrog [Bockspringen].
– They leapfrogged from sixth place to second place in one year.

learn one’s lesson

To profit from experience, especially a negative one.
– I learned my lesson. Always make sure there is enough gas in the tank.

learn to live with

To get used to a negative situation.
– I guess I’ll have to learn to live with

leave a lot to be desired

To be imperfect or unsatisfactory.
– Their customer service department leaves a lot to be desired.

leave no stone unturned

To make every possible effort; to look for a solution in every conceivable place.
– We must find someone to fit this position. Let’s leave no stone unturned.

leave off

(1) To stop a process temporarily.
– This bookmark shows where he left off reading.
(2) See: leave out

leave open

To keep something undecided or unscheduled.
– For now, I want to leave open who to invite.
– I’m going to leave two o’clock open, in case they call.

leave out

To omit or exclude something (e.g. information) or someone.
– You left out your address in the letter.
– I believe you left me out of your plan.

leave someone holding the bag

To escape a negative situation and thereby leave someone else with sole responsibility for it.
– Two weeks before the deadline, my partner quit the company and left me holding the bag.

leave the door open

To remain open to further discussion or offers.
– I think he left the door open when he said "maybe".

leave word

To leave a message for someone.
– Could you leave word that I was here.

let down

(1) To fail to support someone.
– John let me down when he didn’t say anything at the meeting.
(2) To disappoint someone.
– You let me down when you didn’t come to my party.

let go

(1) To allow someone or something to go free.
– She let the bird go.
(2) To fire someone.
– They let 25 people go.
(3) To release one’s hold on something.
– Let go of my arm.
let it go — to allow a disagreement to stand as it is.
– We’ll never solve this. Let’s let it go, at least for now.

let in on

To tell someone about something that others don’t know (e.g., information, a secret).
– George will let you in on our plan.

let out

To cause something (information or a secret) to become known before the proper time.
– If we let out our true costs, we will lose our bargaining advantage.

let someone have it

To give someone a beating or a scolding or severe criticism.
– She waited until they got home before she let him have it.

let the cat out of the bag

To reveal a secret.
– It’s time to let the cat out of the bag. Marsha’s pregnant.

let the chips fall where they may

To disregard secondary considerations when faced with doing what is right.