Business Idioms 5 Review

Man looking back in a hallway

Take a look back

Image Credit
Isengardt via Flickr

This lesson will look back on the previous four lessons. You will get a chance to remember and use idioms you have learned.

Introduction

Recall the language you learned in previous lessons. What was your favourite idiom from each lesson? Have you had a chance to use it?

Your teacher will help you to remember a few idioms from each lesson.

  • Success
  • Progress
  • Control 
  • Lack of control 

Why idioms? 

Idioms bring up a lot of pre-packaged imagery. They are emotive and they resonate with native speakers.

Don't over-use them, but on the other hand, a well-placed idiom will bring your language to life.

Introduction

You do not need to make the student produce each phrase. 

Rather, choose any two (or more) from each unit. You may consider the following.

  • Which phrase do they remember?
  • Which do you tend to use or hear?
  • Or, just go with the two recommended for review. 

Review only the most suitable phrases.

Method to review

Choose a few idioms from each lesson and read the definition: 

Teacher: What's an idiom for when there is no limit to what can be gained or achieved? 
Student: Oh! It's "Sky's the limit."
Teacher: Correct. 

Unit 1: Success 

  1. Recommended review:
    • in the black—have money in the bank and not be in debt.
  2. Recommended review:
    • keep your eye on the ball—give your attention to what you are doing at the time.
  3. gain ground—become more popular or successful.
  4. a win-win situation—a situation that is good for everyone who is involved.
  5. be on a roll—be experiencing a period of success or good luck.
  6. the sky’s the limit—there is no limit to what can be gained or achieved.

Unit 2: Progress

  1. Recommended review:
    • (it’s) back to the drawing board—back to the beginning of a process to start it again because it isn't working.
  2. Recommended review:
    • make headway—make progress.
  3. (it’s) full speed ahead—moving with the greatest speed or energy.
  4. the ball's in (the client’s) court—if the ball is in someone's court, they have to do something before any progress can be made.
  5. cut corners—do something in a hasty or careless way so as to save time or money.

Unit 3: Control

  1. Recommended review:
    • in the driver’s seat—be in control of a situation.
  2. Recommended review:
    • be on (one’s) toes—be active, alert and ready to react quickly.
  3. not take something lying down—to accept or endure something without resistance or opposition.
  4. take the bull by the horns—deal with a problem or difficult situation directly and confidently.
  5. have the upper hand—have more power than anyone else and be in control.

Unit 4: Lack of control

  1. Recommended review:
    • (something is) out of my hands—something is not in my power to do.
  2. Recommended review:
    • out of the loop—not involved in the decision-making process.
  3. throw in the towel—surrender, give up, quit.
  4. like a headless chicken—disorganised, uncontrolled, in a panic.

  5. (someone's) hands are tied—someone is powerless, unable to influence events.

Practice

A. Real-world examples

    For each short passage below, do the following: 

    • Read the passage and predict the idiom.
    • Listen to the audio, identify the idiom and compare it to your prediction.
    • Explain in your own words what it means.

    Note: don't worry about grasping the full context; just focus on the idiom being used.

    1. An online teaching service gives instructions for using the platform.

      It's good to check the Announcements section frequently, as your instructor will also use this space to notify you about any changes, updates, or new course information as soon as possible, so you're never __________. 
       

    2. A restaurateur gives advice.
      "The food, at the end of the day, is the most important thing. So you have to ___________."
       

    3. An entrepreneur speaks about career growth.
      "So I was ___________. I was an executive with a nice salary, annual bonuses, and stock options. All the perks. Everything was on track."
       

    4. An actress and comedian describes her first film.
      "I just thought it was going up from there. I was like, my first movie I was ever in won the Oscar?! The ___________!"
       

    5. A Q&A at Idea Channel, a team that helps creators.
      "Those are all for you! Make the episodes. The ___________." 
       

    6. A boat captain describes the challenges of steering a boat down a river.
      "It's not like driving a car down the freeway where you can pretty much just aim at the car in front of you. You've really got to ___________." 
       

    7. An entrepreneur speaks about the importance of having fun in your career.
      "A startup business is very challenging. It's hard, and there's a lot of late nights and a lot of early mornings. And if it feels like work, and it feels like a job, then you're more likely to ____________."
       

    8. Former President Barack Obama talks about the legacy of his colleague, Beau Biden.
      "Beau didn't ___________. He turned down an appointment to be Delaware's Attorney General so he could win it fair and square."
       

    B: Discussion 

    Now, speak naturally about the following topics. 

    1. What advice would you give to a small but growing company? 
      • What does it take to succeed in business?
    2. The same small company is now looking for advice on how to make small teams work efficiently. 
      • What's your best team experience—how did the team leader take control, and why did that team succeed? 
      • Talk about a negative team experience. Did the team leader lose control? Or, did you make slow progress?
      • What advice would you give them to make quick progress?