117 angielskich idiomów w biznesie

Poniżej przedstawiam opracowanie wybranych idiomów biznesowych wraz z ich wytłumaczeniem po angielsku. Jest ich aż 117 – z pewnością przydadzą Ci się w pracy i pomogą zabłysnąć przed kolegami, bądź szefem 😉. Co więcej, wszystkie te idiomy znajdziesz ładnie opracowane w naszym bezpłatnym ebooku, którego możesz pobrać tu: https://happyhours.edu.pl/idioms

Idiomy angielskie to temat rzeka – zdaje się, że nie ma ani jednego zbiorczego opracowania wszystkich idiomów w tym języku (tyle ich jest!). Wydaje się to niewykonalne zwłaszcza dlatego, że język nie jest tworem statycznym; cały czas się zmienia i ewoluuje (i dzięki temu jest tak fascynujący). Co ciekawe, niektóre angielskie idiomy są podobne do polskich, np. „a drop in the ocean” to „kropla w morzu potrzeb”, a inne nie, np. „a wet blanket” to ktoś, kto psuje zabawę, czyli sztywniak.

Zdaję sobie sprawę, że trudno Ci będzie nauczyć się wszystkich tych idiomów naraz i zapamiętać je przez dłuższy czas, dlatego też mamy dla Ciebie drobną radę: wpisz do małego notesu (takiego, który zmieści się w kieszeni) idiomy typowe dla twojej pracy, noś go przy sobie i przeglądaj raz na jakiś czas (im częściej, tym lepiej). Możesz zapamiętywać frazy np. poprzez ich użycie w zdaniach. Pamiętaj, że idiomy łatwo się zapomina, dlatego ważne, abyś je sobie przypominał przynajmniej raz na miesiąc, np. w trakcie podróży do pracy. Możesz również najważniejsze idiomy wypisać na karteczkach i przypiąć lub przykleić w widocznym miejscu. np. na biurku lub tablicy korkowej – patrz na nie tak często, jak to możliwe i staraj się je zapamiętać.

24/7	24 hours a day, seven days a week.
A tough break	When something unfortunate happens, it can be called a „tough break.”
Ahead of the curve	To be more advanced than the competition.
Ahead of the pack	To be better or more successful than the competition.
ASAP	„As soon as possible.”
At stake	At risk.
Back to square one	To start something over again.
Back to the drawing board	To start something over and go back to the planning stage.
Backroom deal	An agreement or decision that is made without the public knowing about it.
Ballpark number/figure	A very inexact estimate.
Behind someone’s back	To do something without someone’s knowledge and in an unfair way.
Behind the scenes	What happens in secret or not in front of the general public is said to happen „behind the scenes.”
Big picture	Everything that is involved with a particular situation is called „the big picture.”
Blue collar	Someone who works with his hands (manufacturing, construction, maintenance, etc.). The opposite is a „white collar worker.” A white collar worker is someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.).
By the book	To do things according to company policy or the law. It means to follow the rules 100%.
Call it a day	To decide to stop working for the day.
Catch someone off guard	To surprise someone by doing something that he or she was not expecting.
Cave (or cave in)	To give in or agree to something that someone previously did not want to accept.
Change of pace	Something different from a normal routine or schedule.
Come up short	To try to achieve something but fail.
Corner a market	To dominate a particular market.
Cut corners	To take shortcuts and find an easier or cheaper way to do something.
Cut one’s losses	To stop doing something that is unproductive and won’t ever generate results.
Cut-throat	To describe something that is very intense, aggressive, and merciless.
Diamond in the rough	Something or someone that has a lot of potential but first requires a lot of work.
Easy come, easy go	Something that is gained easily is also lost easily.
Fifty-fifty	Something is divided equally – 50% for one party, 50% for the other party.
From the ground up	If you start a business, project, or something else from zero, you start it „from the ground up.”
Game plan	A strategy or plan.
Get back in/into the swing of things	To get used to doing something again after having a break from that activity.
Get down to business	To stop making small talk and start talking about serious topics related to business.
Get something off the ground	To start a project or business.
Get the ball rolling	To start something (a project, for example).
Get/be on the good side of someone	If someone likes you, you are „on the good side” of that person.
Get/have one’s foot in the door	To take a low-level position with a company with the goal of eventually getting a better position with the same company.
Give someone a pat on the back	To tell someone that they did a good job.
Give the thumbs down	To deny approval.
Give the thumbs up	To give approval.
Go broke	To go bankrupt or to lose all the money a person or business had.
Go down the drain	When someone wastes or loses something.
Go the extra mile	To do more than what people expect.
Go through the roof	Something that is rapidly increasing.
Gray area	Something that is undefined and not easily categorized.
Ground-breaking	Something that is new and innovative.
Hands are tied	Someone’s „hands are tied” if they do not have control over a situation.
Have someone’s work cut out	If you have a lot of work to do or a particularly difficult assignment, you „have your work cut out for you.”
Hit the nail on the head	To do or say something 100% correctly.
In a nutshell	To say something in a few words.
In full swing	If a project is „in full swing,” it means that it has been completely started and that it is progressing or moving as fast as it ever will.
In the black	If a company is „in the black,” it means that it is making a profit.
In the driver’s seat	To be in control.
In the red	If a company is „in the red,” it means that is not profitable and is operating at a loss.
Keep one’s eye on the ball	To give something one’s full attention and to not lose focus.
Last straw	The last annoyance, disturbance, or betrayal which causes someone to give up, lose their patience, or become angry.
Learn the ropes	To learn the basics of something.
Long shot	Something that has a very low probability of happening.
Loophole	A legal „loophole” occurs if a law is unclear or omits information. This lack of legal clarity allows people or corporations to pay less in taxes or gain some other advantage.
Lose ground	To lose some type of an advantage (market share, for example) to a competitor.
Lose-lose situation	A situation when there will be a negative outcome regardless of what decision is made.
Nine-to-five	A „nine-to-five” is a job during normal working hours. The term came into existence because many work days start at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.
No brainer	A decision, which is really obvious or really easy to make.
No strings attached	Something that is given without expecting anything in return.
No time to lose	There is a lot of pressure to finish something quickly.
Not going to fly	If a solution isn’t effective, we can say that it „isn’t going to fly.”
Off the top of one’s head	If someone says something „off the top of their head,” it means that they give a response without thinking about it much or doing any research on the subject.
On a roll	If someone is „on a roll,” it means that he or she has had several successes in a row.
On the ball	To be alert and aware of things.
On the same page	If two people are „on the same page,” they are in agreement about something.
On top of something	To be in control of a situation and aware of changes.
On your toes	To be alert.
Out in the open	Something that is public knowledge and not hidden from people.
Out of the loop	To be „out of the loop” means to not know something that a select group of people knows.
Pink slip	Someone who gets the „pink slip,” has been fired by their employer.
Play hardball	To be competitive in a cruel and merciless way. It means doing anything possible to win.
Put all one’s eggs in one basket	To rely on only one thing to bring success.
Put the cart before the horse	To do or think about things in the wrong order.
Raise the bar	To set the standards or expectations higher.
Read between the lines	To understand something that isn’t communicated directly.
Red tape	Excessive rules, procedures, and regulations that make it difficult to accomplish something. We usually use „red tape” to talk about government requirements that create difficult, time-consuming barriers for people and businesses.
Rock the boat	To cause problems or disrupt a peaceful situation.
Round-the-clock	24 hours a day.
Run/go around in circles	To do the same thing over and over again without getting any results.
Safe bet	Something that will probably happen.
Same boat	People who are in the same situation.
Second nature	When someone does something so well that it seems like they were born knowing how to do it, we say that the activity is „second nature” to that person.
See eye to eye	To „see eye to eye” with someone means to agree with that person.
See something through	To do something until it is finished.
Sever ties	To end a relationship.
Shoot something down	To reject something, such as a proposal or idea.
Sky’s the limit	If there is no limit to what can be achieved.
Small talk	A conversation about unimportant topics that do not offend people (the weather, for example).
Smooth/clear sailing	A term used to describe a situation where success is achieved without difficulties.
Snail mail	A term used for the traditional mail that goes through the post office.
Stand one’s ground	Not to change one’s opinion or position.
Start off on the right foot	To start something in a positive way.
Start off on the wrong foot	To start something in a negative way.
State of the art	Something that is modern and technologically advanced.
Take something lying down	To accept something unpleasant without fighting back.
Take the bull by the horns	To directly confront a difficult situation.
Talk someone into something	To convince someone to do something.
Talk someone out of something	To convince someone not to do something.
The elephant in the room	A term which refers to an obvious problem or controversial issue that no one wants to talk about.
Think big	To have ambitious goals and big plans for the future.
Think outside the box	To think of creative, unconventional solutions instead of common ones.
Throw in the towel	To quit.
Time’s up	It means that the time for something or someone has ended.
Touch base	To make contact with someone.
Twist someone’s arm	To persuade or convince someone to do something that he or she does not want to do.
Under the table	Something done secretly (and usually illegally) in the business world is done „under the table.”
Up in the air	Something that is undecided.
Uphill battle	Something that is difficult to achieve because of obstacles and difficulties.
Upper hand	Someone who has an advantage over someone else.
White collar	Someone who works in an office (customer service, management, sales, etc.).
Win-win situation	A situation where everyone involved gains something.
Word of mouth	If something spreads by „word of mouth,” people hear about it through informal conversation with friends, family members, acquaintances, etc.
Writing on the wall	The term refers to the evidence and clues that something (usually negative) is going to happen.
Yes man	Someone who always agrees with his or her superiors.

Mam nadzieję, że udało mi się choć trochę wzmocnić Twój angielski 😊.

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Na koniec pozwól, że się przedstawię: nazywam się Ewa Karpińska.

Od 2006 roku prowadzę szkołę języka angielskiego HappyHours. Oferujemy indywidualne kursy angielskiego szyte na miarę potrzeb oraz kursy dla firm. Obejrzyj film, w którym opowiadam o mojej szkole, kursach i nauczycielach.

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