Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
write off: a reduction in the value of an asset or earnings; cancelling an item in an account book.
Example:
Can we write off those overdue accounts from last year?
figure out: arrive at a solution or find an answer by thinking about the situation.
Example:
Have you figured out the new software yet?
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
work out: devise, develop.
Example:
The engineers went to the client’s facility to work out a solution for the client’s unique circumstances.
cut corners: save money, trim waste.
Example:
The custodian tried to cut corners by ordering cleaning supplies from a cheaper distributer, but I don’t think the new supplies clean as well as the old ones.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
carry the day: win an argument, be successful.
Example:
Jack’s persuasive arguments for the new accounting system carried the day, and everyone is looking forward to implementing the new system.
make a go of something: succeed at something, have good results with something.
Example:
John got laid off from his job, so he’s going to try and make a go of the landscaping business he’s always been talking about.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
get off the ground: get started, successfully begin a project, etc.
Example:
Our new product line got off the ground just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
in the long run: in the long term, as a final result.
Example:
This software may be more complicated to learn, but in the long run it will save us time and money.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
in stock: inventory available for sale, on hand.
Example:
Call the office supply store and see if they have toner for our printer in stock.
out of stock: no inventory available for sale.
Example:
That particular camera model is out of stock, but we’re expecting a new shipment early next week.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
keep track of: keep count, keep record, follow the progress of something.
Example:
If you want to measure the effectiveness of your marketing, you need to keep track of how your new customers are finding out about you.
throw cold water on: criticize; stop or prevent somebody from doing something, especially by criticizing them.
Example:
The team in the tech department threw cold water on sales’ plan to offer same-day shipment on special orders.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
deliver the goods: fulfill expectations, do what you say you’re going to do.
Example:
Most salesmen have a persuasive spiel, but Tom is unique in his ability to deliver the goods.
by a long shot: by a great amount, by far.
Example:
The current ad campaign is much more successful than the old one, by a long shot.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
at a loss: sell something below cost, so the company loses money from selling it.
Example:
We’ll have to sell the excess inventory at a loss just to get rid of it.
company town: a town or a city that is dependent on a particular company or industry for its local economy.
Example:
Detroit is an example of a company town that failed to diversify its economic base.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
in the black: making a profit.
Example:
It took the struggling start-up several quarters of hard work before they were finally able to operate in the black.
red ink: operating at a loss, in debt.
Example:
Onerous regulations hurt small businesses the most, causing many to shrink their workforce even further in an effort to stem the tide of red ink.
Every Saturday I’ll give you a couple of idioms to learn. An idiom is a saying or phrase whose meaning cannot be taken from the literal meanings of the words.
bottom line: the total on a balance sheet—used to refer to the profitability of a company.
Example:
Because of this difficult economy, most businesses have to pay closer attention to their bottom line.
close out: sell all of an item, take an item out of inventory by selling it.
Example:
Hoffman Appliances is having a close out on that particular model of washing machine. You might be able to get a good deal.