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Business English idioms and phrases
You
have probably already noticed many of the words and idioms below used
in business meetings, emails,
and chats around the coffee machine.
These
idioms and phrases will be useful to anyone learning
English for
work. Use them sparingly: everyone loves to hate the overuse of
corporate-speak! And
keep in mind that many of these phrases incorporate terrible grammar
into the bargain!
Just
because I have to teach it does not imply that I actually agree with
its us in every case.
But unfortunately it is widely used in the world of business.
1.
Cut corners
The
new filing system won’t work if we cut corners.
“To
cut corners” is to complete a task in a fast and careless way.
To do something without paying attention to details, thereby making
mistakes or causing new problems.
2.
Back to the drawing board
The
client hated your proposal so we’ll have to go back to the
drawing board.
He’s
going back to the drawing board on this one.
To
go “back to the drawing board” means to start again from
the beginning with a completely new idea. The phrase makes you think
of a blackboard being wiped clean. It is most often used when an idea
or project is rejected.
It
sounds quite friendly when you use it to say that you’re
scrapping your own idea. Asking someone else to “go back to the
drawing board” on a project is usually a bit strong!
3.
Call it a day
Right
team, we’ve made plenty of progress, I think it’s time to
call it a day!
The
trial hasn’t worked, I’m afraid we’re going to have
to call it a day.
To
“call it a day” means that you are giving up on
something. This can refer to taking a break on a project because you
have reached a good point to stop, or to stopping something
completely. It can be negative or positive, depending on the context.
Taken
literally, it is a phrase stating that the working day is officially
over: that was a whole day, I declare that day finished!
4.
Workflow
I
am having some workflow issues and won’t be able to help you
until next week.
How
is your workflow at the moment?
This
extremely ungrammatical business phrase has become very common in
offices. “Workflow,” unsurprisingly, refers to the pace
that an employee is set tasks and expected to complete them by.
When
someone says that they have “workflow issues,” they often
mean that they are overworked. It places the blame on the “flow”
of incoming tasks — i.e., communication within the workplace —
rather than the work itself, which is quite smart, and a good way of
explaining a missed deadline! In rare cases, the term “workflow
issues” also describes not having enough work. Most companies
actually use project management software to manage their workflows
and projects to not have workflow issues.
“How
is your workflow?” is a way of asking a colleague whether they
have too much work to do, or whether they feel underused. People can
be reluctant to answer or ask a direct question about how busy they
are at their job, so this is a polite way to talk about the problem.
5.
Touch base
If
you could just touch base with Ritesh after the meeting, that would
be great.
To
“touch base” with someone is to talk to them, whether
digitally or in person, usually briefly. It usually described keeping
someone up-to-date with developments on something you are both
working on.
This
is an expression that business jargon has adapted from the world of
sport. In baseball, players touch base with their feet in order to be
“safe” or to record an out.
6.
Reach out
Don’t
hesitate to reach out to Helen if you have any questions.
To
“reach out” is to get in contact with someone, usually a
person who you do not know well. It is very common, but when you
first hear it, seems like a very strange use of the word “reach,”
which implies physical stretching!
Need
something to chat about when you are casually “reaching out”
to someone? Check out our guide to the 10 most common small talk
topics for work.
7.
Keep me in the loop
Keep
Stuart in the loop when discussing the merger, please.
Keep
me in the loop on decisions about the targets for the next quarter.
To
“keep me/her/him/them in the loop” means to keep someone
involved and updated about developments in a project. It comes from
“looping” someone into an email chain — that is,
cc’ing them into the digital conversation. Check out our guide
to writing emails in English for more on this.
You
can “keep someone in the loop” by informing them of what
happens in meetings, and alerting them when decisions are made.
8.
Drill down into
I
think we can drill down into this further when we meet with the
Product team.
To
“drill down into” something is to explore it in more
depth.
9.
As of yet
As
of yet, we have no plans to hire a Social Media Manager.
This
is very commonly seen in emails, and means “at the moment,”
This is another time when business jargon defies English grammar
rules, yet still comes across as formal!
10.
Forward planning
I
think we need a degree of forward planning on this issue.
Many
business terms make basic concepts sound complicated in order to come
across a little more impressive, and this is one of them. “Forward
planning” just means “planning,” since all planning
is for activities that will take place in the future.
11.
At the end of the day
At
the end of the day, we did the best we could in a difficult
situation.
Despite
the reference to the ending of the day, this phrase has nothing to do
with time, or with going home after work. It means “when
everything is taken into consideration,” and is used to signify
that a speaker is giving their concluding statement on a matter. It
can be exchanged for the word “ultimately,”
“At
the end of the day” is often heard in business English, but is
also quite informal.
12.
Proactive
I
would really appreciate if you could be proactive on attracting new
clients, George.
This
word is not solely used in corporate speak, but it is overused in an
office setting. To be “proactive” is to take the
initiative on something — which usually means embarking on a
new task yourself, without waiting for your colleagues or boss to
prompt you. It might also mean making the first step in contacting
someone you are going to work with.
13.
Action points
I
came out of the meeting with three action points. One – email
Facilities about the printer…
As
an action point, I will listen to some training podcasts.
“Action
points” are, as you might guess, proposals for specific actions
to be taken. This phrase is often heard towards the end of a meeting,
or written at the end of a long email.
It
is not grammatical, but it is useful since it flags up that you
intend to translate ideas from a discussion into practical results.
14.
To action/ Actionable
I
love your idea about painting the fence, but I don’t think it’s
actionable at the moment.
That’s
a good idea. I am going to action that this afternoon.
Strictly
speaking, the word “action” is a noun. However, in
business English, it is often used as a verb. To “action”
something just means to “do” it. The word “action”
makes the mundane act of getting a task completed sound more dynamic
and important!
Similarly,
to describe something as “actionable” means that it is
possible to get it done.
15.
Cut to the chase
Let’s
cut to the chase: are you going to finish the report on time, or not?
To
“cut to the chase” means to “get to the point
without wasting time.” It was first used in the movie industry
to mean “skip to the car chase” — the most
interesting and action-packed part!
It
is quite an informal and lesser-used business idiom, but a useful
term to be aware of.
16.
Get the ball rolling
Hopefully,
we can get the ball rolling on the new pitch next week.
To
“get the ball rolling” means to get started on something;
to begin making meaningful progress.
17.
Stay ahead of the curve
We
need to stay ahead of the curve otherwise our competitors will wipe
us out.
Something
— for instance a product or company — that is “ahead
of the curve” is more advanced than others of its kind. “The
curve” refers to a line on an imaginary graph that shows the
growth of a trend. For instance, Instagram was “ahead of the
curve” in anticipating how much people would enjoy sharing
pictures of their lunch.
To
“stay ahead of the curve” is to maintain any advantage
you have gained over the competition. It is also sometimes used more
generally to describe the need to work hard to avoid losing progress.
18.
Due diligence
We’ve
done our due diligence and none of the other contractors seem more
qualified.
Until
very recently, “due diligence” was a term only used in a
legal context. It used to describe the action that is considered
reasonable for people to take in order to stay safe, and on the
correct side of the law.
In
business jargon, “due diligence” refers to the necessary
research behind a good decision. If you have done your “due
diligence,” then you have given an issue the attention it
deserves and weighed alternatives to the solution you intend to take.
19.
Best practice
The
CEO decided that clear desks are best practice.
I
uploaded it following all the SEO best practices.
A
“best practice” is a method accepted to be the most
effective means of doing something. They can be industry-wide or
specific to a company. Many businesses encourage employees to follow
a set of “best practices” described in a company handbook
— that is, the rules, procedures and techniques to use in
day-to-day operations.
20.
Upskill
We
chose to upskill a junior employee rather than hire someone senior
straight away.
This
business term is another formal but ungrammatical replacement for an
existing word: to train. To some, “upskilling” sounds
more youthful than “training”.
21.
Dynamic
We
launched a dynamic new website in February.
The
word “dynamic” is not exclusive to corporate speak, but
it is over-used in professional life. It is often heard as a more
office-friendly way of saying “exciting”, “interesting”
or “new”.
22.
Streamline
We
need to streamline the archiving process, far too many files are
getting lost.
To
“streamline” something is to simplify the process,
thereby getting rid of unnecessary work. Beware if someone talks of
“streamlining” your team: the word is sometimes used to
hint that non-essential employees will soon lose their jobs.
23.
Align
I
think we need to align with the customer service department on this
issue.
Businesses
with high staff numbers often talk about “alignment”
between teams. This means ensuring that different departments are
working towards the same goals, and not accidentally working against
each other, or doing similar tasks without sharing what they have
learned.
If
your boss says you “need to align” on something, that
usually means a meeting is coming up soon.
24.
Go the extra mile
We
always go the extra mile for our customers.
To
“go the extra mile” is to put more effort into a task in
order to gain a result which is even better than necessary. If
someone says you “went the extra mile” on a project, they
are praising your work ethic!
25.
Expedite
Can
you ask Basil to expedite the payment process for this, please?
The
word “expedite” is a little old-fashioned for standard
conversation, but it is commonly heard in business English. It is a
formal way of saying “speed up.”
expedite
business english terms
26.
Down the line
They
won’t make a difference now, but we will benefit from positive
reviews down the line.
“Down
the line” is a friendly expression for “at some point in
the future,” It generally refers to an action that will occur
in a few months’ or years’ time, but this time frame is
vague. Anything that is promised “down the line” will
almost certainly happen. That said, it is a useful phrase for making
promises you can’t necessarily keep or referring to results you
are not confident in!
27
. Micromanage
Olga
is a good boss, she doesn’t micromanage her team.
This
is a negative word co-workers might use to discuss the behavior of
controlling bosses. To “micromanage” someone means,
literally, to manage them on a micro level. To watch the details of
their work too closely, instead of giving them the chance to get on
with it and take responsibility themselves. If your boss stands
behind your desk and edits your emails, you might feel that they are
“micromanaging” you.
28.
Going forward
We
need to find out if increasing the budget will be sustainable going
forward.
Going
forward, I want you to work on your time management.
The
phrase “going forward” is extremely common in Business
English, especially in emails. It is a more formal way to say “from
now onwards,”
It
refers to an action that will start now and continue in the immediate
future indefinitely.
29.
Let go
We
need to let Simon go, he has been very late almost every day this
month.
Due
to budget cuts, half of the Video Team has been let go.
“Let
go” is a gentle way of discussing employees being fired or made
redundant. It is more commonly heard than “fired” since
it is considered much more polite.
The
word “let” sounds like it could refer to someone leaving
their job willingly, but this is not the case: “let go”
is never used to talk about someone who has left a company by choice.
If there are rumors that employees might be “let go” at
your workplace, you need to prepare to find a job.
30.
Close of play
We’re
going to need the report by close of play Wednesday.
This
is one of the many English idioms which was stolen from the world of
sport. In cricket, “close of play” refers to the end of a
day’s matches. In the office, it refers to the end of the
working day.
As
you might guess, it is often heard in countries where cricket is
played such as the UK and Australia, but rarely used in the US.