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ビジネス英会話実例集 Idioms

Common words and phrases

Across the board - including everyone and/or everything

The company has decided to give an across the board pay rise

At a loss - to sell something and lose money instead

These computers are sold at a loss as the company is going out of business.

Ball park figure - a rough estimate / an estimation of a value

We were given a ball park figure for the cost of building a new factory.

Banker's hours - short work hours

I am able to work banker's hours as I could get my staff to finish my work for me.

Big gun - a very important person

He used to be a big gun, but after losing millions of dollars for his company, he was fired.

Bottom line - the total, the final figure on the balance sheet

When they examined the bottom line of the company, they decided to withdraw their investment.

Break even - having expenses being equal to profits

The company was able to break even after only a year of business.

Budget squeeze/crunch - a lack of funds/money in the budget

Due to rapidly decreasing profits, we will be going through a severe budget squeeze for the next few years until our finances improve.

Buy off - a bribe, a gift or money to someone

Several big companies tried to buy off a cabinet minister but failed.

Buy out - to buy an ownership or a large share of something

Small technological companies were eventually bought out by larger ones like Sony.

Carry over - to save for another time

The meeting was carried over to the following week.

Carry over (financial) - a transfer of a figure from one column to another

Due to difficult times, our losses last year was carried over to this year.

Carry through - put into action

Starbucks carried through their plan to restructure their operations.

Come on strong - to appear with very strong language or personality

The new sales manager came on too strong at the last meeting and created tensions within the team.

Company man - a person who works hard and agrees with his employees

Gary was a real company man and would always put in that extra effort for the firm.

Cut back - to reduce, to use less of

The company has been cutting back on expenses like entertainments due to decreasing profits.

Cut off - to interrupt, to stop

The President's speech was cut off when a power failure occurred.

Cut one's losses - to attempt to do something to stop losing money etc

Sony should try selling their PS3 as soon as possible and try to cut their losses.

Deliver the goods ?succeed in doing what is expected

Although it is a small company, they are able to deliver the goods.

Double-check - to re-check again to confirm

Always double-check the balance sheet to ensure that everything is balanced.

Face value ?the official value, the actual value of something

I paid 40,000 yen for a ticket on the black market, but the face value was 10,000.

Figure out - to find an answer by thinking

We have got to figure out how to sell all the products by next month.

Fill the bill - to be what is needed

The new CEO should fill the bill as to what the company needs to be successful again.

Gain ground - go forward, to make progress

Nintendo has been gaining ground against Sony and Microsoft in the gaming market.

Get off the ground - to make a successful beginning, to move on ahead

The Nintendo Wii was able to get off the ground as soon as it was introduced.

Give the green light - to give permission to start, to say OK to start

We were given the green light to start looking for new teachers for our company.

Go public - to sell shares of a privately owned company to the public, to go public with the company

Sony's stock prices rose rapidly when they went public.

Go through with - to finish, do as planned

Sony has decided to go through with their plans to introduce their new range of computers.

Hard sell - to sell something by being very aggressive/strong

The shop clerk gave us a hard sell so we decided to go to another shop.

Heads will roll - punishment for something

Heads will roll when our boss finds out about the huge loss we made recently.

Black and white - in writing, an official contract on paper

Unless you have the guarantee in black and white, we cannot refund you the money.

In charge of - be responsible for, to be in control of

CEOs have always been in charge of the operation of the company.

In stock - to have something available

We had almost 1,000 Nintendo Wii in stock, but it was sold out in just one hour.

In the long run - the final result, at the end

A new company will have little profits at first, but in the long run, their profits should increase.

In the market for - ready to buy something

I have been in the market for a new Apple computer for a long time but still have not bought one.

In the red - losing money, unprofitable

Because of the success of Microsoft Xbox and Nintendo Wii, Sony's PS3 has been in the red.

In the works - in preparation, something which is being planned

Sony has a new game console in the works, but no details have yet been released.

Jack up - to raise the price, to make the price higher

The oil-rich middle-east countries decided to jack up the price of oil, making it very expensive.

Keep books - to keep a record of financial transactions

The new assistant has no experience in keeping books and has made a lot of mistakes.

Keep track of - to keep a record, to stay informed of something

We have been keeping track of who has bought our products.

Kickback - money paid illegally for good treatment

There was a scandal about a kickback being paid to a cabinet minister from a construction company.

Lay Off - to be fired, to be sacked

About 500 employees will be laid off by the company next month because of increasing losses.

Mean business - to be serious

Our boss means business when he calls us into his office.

On hand - to be ready, to have something ready, in one's possession

We only had 10,000yen on hand and were unable to buy the Nintendo Wii.

On credit - to buy something without paying cash

We did not have enough money so we decided to buy the Nintendo Wii on credit.

Pay off - to make a profit, to be successful

The company finally paid off their debts after 10years and has now started to make a profit.

Sell like hotcakes - to sell very quickly

The Nintendo Wii has been selling like hotcakes when they were released.

Strike while the iron is hot - to take advantage of an opportunity

Nintendo decided to strike while the iron was hot and introduced the Wii before Sony or Microsoft announced their new gaming systems.

Take a nosedive - to collapse, to fail, to decrease in value

The American dollar took a nosedive when the the Euro dollar started to rise in value.

Tight spot - a difficult situation, to be in a bind

Sony has been in a tight spot ever since the Nintendo Wii was introduced.

Work out - to plan, to develop

Sony spent millions of dollars trying to work out a marketing strategy for the PS3.

Write off - to remove a business record, to remove/cancel a debt

The bank decided to write off the loan as the company had gone bankrupt and was impossible to collect back the money.