8478733450 business idioms

BusinessIDIOMS

Glenn Darragh

1 , 0 0 0 E V E R Y D A YIDIOMS IN BUSINESS

E D I T O R I A LS T A N L E Y

1 ,000 EVERYDAY

IDIOMS IN BUSINESS

WRITTEN BYGLENN DARRAGH

PUBLISHED BYEDITORIAL STANLEY

LAYOUTANGELA GOMEZ MARTIN

FRONT PAGE DESIGNDISENO IRUNES

© EDITORIAL STANLEYAPDO. 207 - 20302 IRUN - SPAINTELF. (943) 64 04 12 - FAX. (943) 64 38 63

ISBN: 84-7873-345-0DEP. LEG. BI-524-00

FIRST EDITION 2000

PRINTERSIMPRENTA BEREKINTZA

1,OOO Everyday idioms in business1.OOO IModismos empresariales de use diario

Contents - Contenido

Introduction • Introduction

1. Fundamentals • Fundamentos 1Exercise 4

2. Time • El tiempo 5Exercise 8

3. Money • El dinero 9Exercise 12

4. Information • La informaci6n 13Exercise 16

5. Experience • La experiencia 17Exercise 20

6. Work • El trabajo 21Exercise 24

7. Routine • La rutina 25Exercise 28

8. Trading • Las transacciones 29Exercise 32

9. Thinking • El pensamiento 33Exercise 36

10. Understanding • La comprensi6n ... 37Exercise 40

11. Discussions • Los debates 41Exercise 44

12. Meetings • Las reuniones 45Exercise 48

13. Speaking • La conversaci6n 49Exercise 52

14. Decisions • Las decisiones 53Exercise 56

15. Priorities • Las prioridades 57Exercise 60

16. Planning • La planificaci6n 61Exercise 64

17. Problems • Los problemas 65Exercise 68

18. Emergencies • Las emergencies . . . . 69Exercise 72

19. Action • La acci6n 73Exercise 76

20. Success • El exito 77Exercise 80

21. Failure • El fracaso 81Exercise 84

22. Mistakes • Los errores 85Exercise 88

23. Criticism • La crftica 89Exercise 92

24. Reactions • Las reacciones 93Exercise 96

25. Opportunities • Las oportunidades . 97Exercise 100

26. Risk • El riesgo 101Exercise 104

27. Competition • La competencia . . . . 105Exercise 108

28. Teamwork • El trabajo en equipo . . 109Exercise 112

29. Quality • La calidad 113Exercise 116

30. Negotiations • Las negociaciones . 1 1 7Exercise 120

31. Results • Los resultados 121Exercise 124

32. Responsibility • La responsabilidad 125Exercise 128

33. Ethics • La etica 129Exercise 132

34. Psychology • La psicologia 133Exercise 136

35. Colleagues • Los companeros . . . . 137Exercise 140

36. Politics • La politica 141Exercise 144

37. Careers • Las carreras 145Exercise 148

38. Contacts • Los contactos 149Exercise 152

39. Socialising • Las relaciones sociales 1 53Exercise 156

40. Miscellaneous • Varies 157Exercise 160

Answers 161Index 185

Introduction

This book has been designed for interme-diate and advanced learners of Englishwho want to increase their understand-ing of everyday spoken English, especiallyas it is used in a business context. Thebook will help you learn 1,000 commonidiomatic expressions, all of which are cur-rent, and all of which are known andused by native English speakers every-where. It is suitable for both self-studyand classroom work with a teacher.

Many people in business think that aknowledge of idiomatic English is a kindof linguistic optional extra, adding colourto the language but otherwise not strictlyessential. This view, needless to say, is er-roneous, for many idioms are as fre-quently used and as necessary as themost basic words. Indeed idioms are of-ten composed of the most basic words,although these are grouped in a meta-phorical shorthand for more complexideas: "You're pulling my leg", "He's cook-ing the books", "It's gone to the dogs","There's more to this than meets the eye",and so on. Taken separately, each word iseasily understood, but unless you under-stand the expression as a whole, you can-not hope to follow what is happening inmeetings with your American and Britishcounterparts, or in negotiations, or evenat the dinner table. In circumstances likethese, native English speakers will use idi-omatic expressions as naturally and as of-ten as you would use comparable idiomsin Spanish.

Few English idioms can be translatedword for word into Spanish, but somecan, and others have near equivalents.Most, however, express cultural conceptsthat can only be paraphrased or approxi-mated, and so must be learned by heartand in some sort of context. The purposeof this book is to provide you with appro-priate contexts. The expressions areloosely grouped in short manageableunits, each dealing with a particulartheme and consisting of 25 idioms.

Within the unit, each idiom is presentedin a specific situation, the majority of theillustrative sentences having beenadapted from authentic sources like the"Financial Times", "Fortune", "BusinessWeek", and "Forbes". (Although the exam-ples are drawn from sources worldwide,British spelling is used throughout thebook for the sake of consistency.)

The second part of each unit consists ofexercises, which not only test your com-prehension and assimilation of this mate-rial but also add to your understandingby providing literal definitions of eachidiom in English, as well as further shortexamples of how to use them. For thebenefit of students working on their own,an answer key to the exercises can befound at the end of the book. An index ofkeywords is also provided to enable youto find any particular idiom quickly.

The English language contains many,many thousands of idioms, and many ofthese exist in variant forms. Such abun-dance is daunting, so in studying idiomsit is important to have realistic goals. Ini-tially you should aim for a passive knowl-edge, being able to recognise and under-stand a limited number of the most com-mon expressions in context. Try readingthe examples in this book with the Span-ish translations hidden. When you can dothat with full understanding, you areready to start inventing examples of yourown. This is the best way (and also theonly way) to incorporate them in your ac-tive vocabulary. You will find that your lis-tening comprehension and oral Englishimprove dramatically as a result. Little bylittle you will find yourself using these idi-oms in conversation.

At that point, you will start wonderinghow you ever managed to communicatewithout them.

Introduction

Este libro ha sido disenado para personascon un nivel medio y avanzado de ingles,con objeto de aumentar su comprensiondel idioma, en particular, el que se usa enel mundo de los negocios. El libro te ayu-dara a aprender 1.000 expresionesidiomaticas de uso corriente, empleadaspor gente de habla inglesa en todo elmundo. Es apropiado tanto paraautodidactas como para su utilizacion enclase con apoyo del profesorado.

Mucha gente en el mundo empresarialpiensa que el conocimiento del inglesidiomatico es un tipo de opcion linguisticaadicional, que aporta riqueza al idiomapero que no es estrictamente esencial. Sinlugar a dudas, este punto de vista estaequivocado, ya que se usan muchosmodismos con la misma frecuencia y sontan necesarios como las palabras mas basi-cas. De hecho, los modismos estan com-puestos con frecuencia por las palabras masbasicas, aunque esten agrupadas y reduci-das metaforicamente para formar ideas mascomplejas: "You're pulling my leg" (Me estastomando el pelo.), "He's cooking the books"(Esta amanando las cuentas.), "It's gone tothe dogs", (Se ha arruinado), "There's moreto this than meets the eye". (Es mas compli-cado de lo que parece.), etc. Tomada porseparado, cada palabra se entiende facil-mente, pero salvo que se entienda la expre-sion en su totalidad, no podra entender loque esta ocurriendo en una reunion entreamericanos y britanicos, o en negociacio-nes, o incluso en la mesa. En circunstanciascomo estas, los natives de habla inglesa uti-lizaran modismos con la misma naturalidady frecuencia que uno usaria giros similaresen castellano.

Hay pocos modismos en ingles que se pue-den traducir literalmente al castellano, salvounos pocos, y otros son muy parecidos. Lamayoria, sin embargo, expresan conceptosculturales que solo pueden serparafraseados aproximados, y por lo tantohan de ser aprendidos de memoria y den-tro de un contexto determinado. El proposi-to de este libro es proporcionar al

estudiante contextos apropiados. Las expre-siones estan agrupadas informalmente enpequenos capitulos manejables, que tra-tan cada uno de un tema en particular,con un total de 25 modismos. Dentro decada capitulo, cada modismo esta presen-tado en una situacion especifica y la ma-yoria de las frases ilustrativas proceden deautenticas fuentes como el "FinancialTimes", "Fortune", "Business Week" y"Forbes". (Aunque los ejemplos vienen defuentes de todo el mundo, la ortografia bri-tanica se utiliza en todo el libro por cues-tion de coherencia).

La segunda parte de cada capitulo contie-ne ejercicios, los cuales no solo ponen aprueba la comprension y asimilacion delmaterial, sino que tambien ayudan a lacomprension al facilitar definiciones litera-les de cada modismo en ingles, al igualque otros ejemplos mas breves sobrecomo utilizarlos. Para beneficio de las per-sonas autodidactas, se puede encontrarlas respuestas a los ejercicios al final dellibro. Tambien se ha incluido un indice depalabras clave para ayudar a encontrarrapidamente cualquier modismo.

El idioma ingles contiene miles demodismos, que revisten a menudo variasformas. Tal abundancia intimida; por ello alestudiar los modismos es importante fijarsemetas razonables. Inicialmente se deberfaintentar adquirir un conocimiento pasivo yser capaz de reconocer y comprender unnumero limitado de las expresiones mascomunes dentro de un contexto. El estu-diante deberfa leer los ejemplos con las tra-ducciones al espanol ocultas. Cuandopueda hacerlos con una comprension total,estara listo para inventar sus propios ejem-plos. Esta es la mejor forma (y tambien launica) de introducirle en un vocabularioactive. Se vera que la comprension auditivay el ingles oral mejoran drasticamente.Poco a poco ira utilizando estos modismosen las conversaciones.

A esas alturas, comenzara a preguntarsecomo conseguia comunicarse sin ellos.

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1,OOO everydayidioms in business

1. Fundamentals 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

the ground rules las reglas basicas

There are a lot of similarities between rearinga family and starting a new business; in bothcases it is essential to establish the groundrules early.

time is money

Opinion polls show that more people com-plain about lack of time than about lack ofmoney. It is often said that time is money,but in fact it is much more: time is life itself.

a fool and his money are soonparted

A fool and his money are nowhere morequickly parted than on the stock exchange.

a bird in the hand is worth twoin the bush

I know their offer isn't as good as others wemight receive in the future, but I think weshould accept it nevertheless. After all, a birdin the hand is worth two in the bush.

half a loaf is better than none

I applied for two weeks' holiday, but we're soshort-handed at the moment that they al-lowed me only a week. Ah well, half a loaf'sbetter than none

he who pays the piper calls thetune

It seems to me that we have every right tostipulate the contents of the course. We'repaying the piper, aren't we?

what you lose on the swings yougain on the roundaboutsIt's a swings-and-roundabouts situationAn investment in new equipment will cost usa lot now, but it will also enable us to increaseour output significantly over the next fewyears.

easy come, easy go

Our Asian investments had practically doubledovernight. Hence, when the crash came, wecould hardly complain. It was easy come,easy go

Hay muchas similitudes entre formar una familiay crear un negocio: en ambos casos es esencialestablecer rapidamente las reglas basicas.

el tiempo es oro

Segun las encuestas, hay gente que se quejamas por falta de tiempo que por falta de dine-ro. Con frecuencia se dice que el tiempo esoro, pero de hecho, es mucho mas: el tiempoes la vida misma.

a los tontos no les durael dinero

En ningun lugar les dura a los tontos tanpoco tiempo el dinero como en la bolsa.

mas vale pajaro en mano queciento volando

Ya se que su oferta no es tan buena comootras que podamos recibir en el future, perocreo que aun asi deberiamos aceptarlo. Des-pues de todo, mas vale pajaro en mano queciento volando.

a falta de pan, buenas son tortas

He solicitado unas vacaciones de dos sema-nas, pero en este momento andamos tan cor-tos de personal que solo me han concedidouna semana. En fin, a falta de pan, buenasson tortas.

el que paga tiene derecho aescoger

Opino que tenemos todo el derecho del mundoa elegir el contenido del curso. El que paga tie-ne derecho a escoger, ^no es asi?

lo que se pierde en una cosa segana en otra

Es una situaci6n de "lo que se pierde aca, segana alia". Invertir en equipo nuevo nos cos-tara mucho ahora, pero tambien nos permitiraincrementar de forma significativa nuestro ni-vel de produccion en los proximos anos.

lo que facil viene, facil se va

Nuestras inversiones asiaticas practicarnentese habian duplicado de la noche a la manana.Por lo tanto, cuando Ileg6 la caida, realmenteno nos podiamos quejar. Lo que f^cil viene,facil se va.

Stanley 1

Fundamentals 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

forewarned is forearmed

You must plan for trouble. No business is im-mune to negative word-of-mouth, and fore-warned is forearmed.

take the rough with the smooth

You'll get the opportunity in this job to travelall over the world. Of course, that meansyou'll often be separated from your family —but you have to take the rough with thesmooth.

ups and downs

Consulting has its ups and downs. Can youfunction without knowing where your nextcheque is coming from? Are your comfortablerelying on your ingenuity? These are ques-tions you need to ask yourself.

waste not, want not

Waste not, want not. Especially don'twaste your own resources and your custom-er's time by providing extras they don't needor care about.

hombre prevenido vale por dos

Hay que tener un plan para hacer frente a losproblemas. Ningun negocio es inmune a unboca-a-boca negative, y hombre prevenidovale por dos.

estar a las duras y a las maduras

Con este empleo tendras la oportunidad deviajar por todo el mundo. Por supuesto, esosignifica que con frecuencia estaras separadode tu familia, pero hay que estar a las duras ya las maduras.

los pros y los contras

El trabajo de consultoria tiene sus pros y suscontras. ^Puedes vivir sin saber de donde vana salir tus pr6ximos ingresos? <i.No te preocupael depender s6lo de tu ingenio? Estas son laspreguntas que te has de hacer.

no malgastes y no te faltara

No malgastes y no te faltara. Sobre todo, nomalgastes ni tus propios recursos ni el tiempode tus clientes dandoles cosas extras que ninecesitan ni les importa.

that's the way the cookie crumbles asi es la vida

When the weather is bad, the tourist industry suf-fers. That's the way the cookie crumbles andthere's no point complaining about it.

the exception proves the rule

During the summer, Fridays are usually quietin the office, really quiet. I guess today wasthe exception which proves the rule

the grass is always greener onthe other side of the hill

I would advise you to think very carefully be-fore resigning your post with us to take upsimilar work in another company. The grassalways looks greener on the other sideof the hill

let sleeping dogs lie

With morale so low throughout the company,we feel this is not the right moment to intro-duce a new Personnel Appraisal procedure.For the time being, we prefer to let sleepingdogs lie

if at first you don't succeed, tryand try again

Salesmanship is 90% perseverance. The onlybasic rule is: if at first you don't succeed, tryand try again

Cuando hace mal tiempo, la industria turisticase resiente. Asi es la vida y no sirve de nadaquejarse.

la exception confirma la regla

Durante el verano, los viernes suelen ser tran-quilos en la oficina, muy tranquilos. Supongoque hoy ha sido la excepcion que confirma laregla.

la hierba siempre parece masverde en el jardin del vecino

Te aconsejaria que reflexionaras antes dedejar tu puesto en nuestra empresa paraaceptar un trabajo similar en otra. La hierbasiempre parece mas verde en el jardin delvecino.

mas vale no tocarlo

Con la moral tan baja en toda la empresa,pensamos que no es el momento de introdu-cir un nuevo procedimiento de evaluaci6n delpersonal. De momento, pensamos que masvale no tocar el tema.

el que la sigue la consigue

Las ventas son perseverancia en un 90%. Launica regla basica es que el que la sigue, laconsigue.

Stanley2

Fundamentals ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

never put off till tomorrow whatyou can do today

You know you're going to have to write thatreport sooner or later. Why continue to putoff till tomorrow what you can do to-day?

one good turn deserves another

You helped me when I was in trouble, so it'sonly natural that I should help you now. Onegood turn deserves another, and all that.

it never rains but it pours

My secretary's off sick, the computer has bro-ken down and now I've lost my agenda anddon't know what I'm supposed to be doingtoday. It never rains but it pours.

a bad workman blames his tools

He admitted that his presentation was dread-ful but said it was because he had never usedthat kind of overhead projector before. Ofcourse, that was just the bad workmanblaming his tools.

it's an ill wind that blows nobodyany good

Lawyers are generally the first to admit that it'san ill wind that blows nobody anygood.

where there's a will there's a way

Certainly there are obstacles in our path, itcan't be denied. But where there's a will,there's a way, and I don't doubt we'll suc-ceed in the end.

keep one's head above water

Our aim is to keep our heads above wa-ter for the first year. If we can manage todo that, we should start showing a profit inthe second.

take care of the pennies and thepounds will take care of them-selves

Never forget that a profit is a profit and thatthere's no such thing as a small profit. If youtake care of the pennies, the poundswill take care of themselves.

nunca dejes para manana lo quepuedas hacer hoy

Sabes que vas a tener que escribir ese informetarde o temprano. <i.Por qu£ dejar para mana-na lo que puedas hacer hoy?

favor con favor se paga

Me ayudaste cuando tenia problemas, y porello es natural que yo te ayude ahora. Favorcon favor se paga.

las desgracias nunca vienen solas

Mi secretaria est3 de baja, el ordenador se haaveriado y ademas, he perdido mi agenda yno s£ qu£ es lo que se supone que deberiahacer hoy. Las desgracias nunca vienen solas.

no hay que buscar excusas paraun trabajo mal hecho

Admiti6 que su presentaci6n fue malisimapero se excus6 diciendo que era porque nun-ca habfa usado un proyector de ese tipo. Estaclaro que buscaba excusas para un trabajomal hecho.

no hay mal que por bien novenga

Los abogados suelen ser los primeros en ad-mitir que no hay mal que por bien novenga.

querer es poder

Es cierto que hay obstaculos en nuestro cami-no, no se puede negar. Pero querer es poder,y no dudo que al final triunfaremos.

mantenerse a flote

Nuestra meta es mantenernos a flote duran-te el primer ario. Si podemos conseguirlo,deberiamos empezar a ver beneficios de in-mediato.

muchos pocos hacen un mucho

No hay que olvidar que el beneficio es el be-neficio y que no existe el pequeho beneficio.Muchos pocos hacen un mucho.

Stan ley 3

1. Exercise 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espanol, traducela al ingles.

1 (saying) A person who produces bad workwill blame the material he is using ratherthan admit his own responsibility.

2 (saying) When you know about a futuredanger, you can prepare for it, and sodeal with it more effectively.

3 To survive by avoiding debt and otherdifficulties: We had serious cash flowproblems last year, but fortunately wemanaged to until the situationimproved.

4 (saying) One should be grateful for whatone gets, even if it is very little, since itis still better than nothing at all.

5 (saying) If a necessary task can be per-formed immediately, it should be. Oth-erwise there is the risk it may never bedone at all.

6 The basic principles or rules of behaviourin a given situation: A estas alturas ya nose pueden cambiar las reglas basicas.

7 (saying) It is better to work and earnmoney than to waste your time: Eltiempo es oro.

8 (saying) No matter how many failuresyou have encountered, keep trying andeventually you will be successful.

9 (saying) An unfortunate event is gener-ally accompanied by other unfortunateevents.

10 To accept the difficult or disagreeablepart of something as well as the pleas-ant part: Hay que estar a las duras y alas maduras.

11 (saying) A foolish person cannot keepmoney long, because it is easy to take itaway from him.

12 (saying) In every misfortune, there issomething of benefit to someone.

13 (saying) One should not waste smallamounts of money since many smallamounts quickly add up to a largeamount.

14 (saying) Disadvantages and setbacks inone area are compensated by advan-tages and progress in other areas.

15 (saying) It is preferable to take a smallbut certain advantage immediately,rather than to hope for a greater ad-vantage later.

16 (saying) The person who pays forsomething has the right to decidewhat it should be like, how it shouldbe used, etc.

17 (saying, often used to express uncon-cern at losing something, e.g. money)What one gains or earns too easily isjust as easily lost.

18 (saying) Life always appears to be bet-ter somewhere else.

19 (saying) If you really want to do some-thing, no matter how difficult it ap-pears, you will find a way to do it.

20 Periods of success and happiness alter-nating with periods of unhappiness andfailure: Su negocio ha tenido susaltibajos.

21 To avoid looking for trouble, or to avoidany action which is likely to cause dis-order.

22 (saying) If you help me in some way,it is only right that I help you whenyou need it.

23 (saying, usually employed when thespeaker claims something that anotherperson has discarded) If you makeproper and careful use of the things youhave, you will never be in need.

24 (saying) Although this example is not inaccordance with the rule, it shows thatthe rule is still useful in most cases.

25 (used when something unfortunate hasjust happened) This is the situation andwe have no choice but to accept it: Asies la vida.

Stanley4

2. Time ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

at the best of times con todo a favor

It's difficult to sell to the Japanese at thebest of times, but now, with the dollar at anall-time high against the yen, I think it wouldbe quite impossible.

against the clock

Their oil reserves may last only another 20years. Consequently, they must work againstthe clock to diversify their economy beforethe oil revenues run out.

round the clock

This is one of the largest orders we haveever received. We will need three shiftsworking round the clock if we are tomeet the deadline.

till the cows come home

We can sit around analysing our productionmethods till the cows come home; butanalysis in itself is not going to increase pro-ductivity.

keep up to date with sthAn important part of my job is to keep up todate with the latest developments in thepharmaceutical industry.

be out of date

This report is utterly worthless. It analyses cur-rent economic problems using concepts thatare at least thirty years out of date

to date

To date, more than £100m has been in-vested in about 950 companies under theterms of the Enterprise Investment Scheme.

call it a day

After disappointing ventures abroad, Israel'slargest food retailer has decided to call ita day. They are returning home and con-centrating on what they do best: sellingfood to Israelis.

take one's time

There's no need to rush. Just take your timeand tell me clearly what happened.

Es dificil hacer negocios con los japoneses inclu-so con todo a favor, pero ahora, con el dolar co-tizando mas alto que nunca con respecto alyen, creo que seria casi imposible.

contrarreloj

Puede que sus reservas de petroleo solo lesduren 20 anos mas. For lo tanto, han de tra-bajar contrarreloj para diversificar su econo-mia antes de que se acaben sus ingresos delpetroleo.

dia y noche, las 24 horas

Este es uno de los mayores pedidos que he-mos recibido nunca. Necesitaremos tres tur-nos que trabajen dia y noche si hemos decumplir el plazo de entrega.

hasta el dla del juicio final

Podemos quedarnos a analizar nuestros meto-dos de produccion hasta el dia del juicio final,pero el analisis en si no va a incrementar laproductividad.

mantenerse al corriente de algo

Una parte importante de mi trabajo es mante-nerme al corriente de los ultimos avances dela industria farmaceutica.

ser anticuado, obsoleto

Este informe no sirve para nada. Analiza losactuales problemas economicos utilizandoconceptos que quedaron obsoletos hace almenos 30 anos.

hasta la fecha, hasta ahora

Hasta la fecha, se han invertido m3s deElOOm en unas 950 empresas al amparo delPlan de Inversion Empresarial.

dar algo por concluido

Tras realizar inversiones poco lucrativas en elextranjero, la mayor empresa Israeli de alimen-tacion ha decidido dar por concluidas sus in-versiones en el extranjero. Regresan a casa yse concentraran en lo que se les da mejor:vender productos alimenticios a los israelies.

No hay prisa. Tomate tu tiempo y cuentamecon claridad lo ocurrido.

Stanley

tomarse su tiempo, hacer algocon caima

5

Time 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

for donkey's years desde hace siglos

We've been doing business with them fordonkey's years and have always found themcompletely reliable.

on the dotThe meeting will begin at 3:30 on the dotand I would appreciate it if you could all makea special effort to be on time.

at the eleventh hour

A strike was averted at the eleventhhour when management announced theywould withdraw plans to close theLongbridge factory.

do sth at one's leisure

I'd like your opinion on this safety report, butthere's no great rush. Why don't you take ithome with you and read it at your leisure?

time flies

My goodness, I had no idea it was so late.Time simply flies when you're enjoyingyourself.

once and for all

The tobacco companies decided to pay onceand for all, offering the government a sumin excess of $250 billion rather than face anendless series of lawsuits.

in the long run

The single currency may — in the long run— be a good idea. However, monetary unionimposes one level of interest rates on every-one and so threatens to make the joblessproblem even worse in the short term.

for the time being

Clearly the Americans, who have no desire tooffend such an important trading partner asChina, are satisfied for the time being to letthe status quo continue.

it's high time that...

With the right exchange rate and lower taxes,Britain could be an important offshore manu-facturing centre. It is high time the govern-ment understood this reality.

Llevamos siglos trabajando con ellos ysiempre nan sido puntuales en sus compro-mises.

en puntoLa reunion comenzara a las 3:30 en punto yme gustaria que todos hicierais un esfuerzoespecial por ser puntuales.

a ultima hora

Se evit6 una huelga a ultima hora cuando ladirectiva anunci6 que retirarian los planespara cerrar la fabrica de Longbridge.

hacer algo cuando a uno le vengabien

Me gustaria tu opinion sobre este informe deseguridad,,pero no corre prisa. £Por qu£ no telo llevas a casa y le echas un vistazo cuandote venga bien?

el tiempo pasa volando

Cielos, no tenia ni idea de que fuera tan tar-de. El tiempo pasa volando cuando uno se loesta pasando bien.

de una vez por todas

Las empresas tabaqueras decidieron pagar deuna vez por todas, ofreciendo al gobiernouna cantidad superior a $250.000 millones enlugar de enfrentarse a una serie interminablede pleitos.

a la larga

La moneda unica puede ser a la larga una bue-na idea. Sin embargo, la uni6n monetaria impo-ne un solo nivel de tipos de interes para todos ypor lo tanto amenaza con empeorar a corto pla-zo el problema del paro.

de memento, por ahora

Est3 claro que los americanos, quienes no tie-nen ningun interes en enemistarse con un so-cio comercial como China, estan satisfechosde momento con la continuacibn del statuquo.

es hora de que...

Con el tipo de cambio apropiado e impuestosmas bajos, Inglaterra podria ser un importantecentre industrial. Ya va siendo hora de que elgobierno comprenda esta realidad.

6 Stanley

Time 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

a thing of the past ser cosa del pasado

In recent years, the Japanese have had to ac-cept that guaranteed employment for life is athing of the past

for old time's sakeAs we had been at school together, it wasnatural he should think I would view his offermore favourably than the others, for oldtime's sake

the sooner the betterOur association with Maxwell has cost us andis still costing us a great deal of money. Thesooner we end that association, the better

be ahead of one's timeRockefeller, who really created the modern oilindustry, was years ahead of his time. Hestandardised the product, so that when you lityour oil lamp, it didn't explode; you had ahigh-quality product.

move with the timesIn an attempt to move with the times andto reinvent itself as a modern high technologycompany, the defence and engineering groupGeneral Electric Company is to cut 1,500 jobsthrough a voluntary redundancy scheme.

it was about time

They've been discussing that project for thepast two years. It was about time they tooka decision.

in the nick of timeI arrived at the airport in the nick of time:another five minutes and I'd have missed myflight.

En los ultimos anos, los japoneses han tenidoque aceptar que un empleo garantizado depor vida es cosa del pasado.

por los viejos tiemposComo fuimos al colegio juntos, era naturalque pensara que veria su oferta con mejoresojos que los demas, por los viejos tiempos.

cuanto antes mejorNuestra asociacion con Maxwell nos ha cos-tado y nos sigue costando mucho dinero.Cuanto antes cortemos con la asociacion,mejor.

adelantarse a su epocaRockefeller, que fue quien creo la industria pe-trolifera moderna, se adelanto a su epoca.Normaliz6 el producto para que al encenderla l^mpara de petrbleo no explotara; se trata-ba de un producto de alta calidad.

ir con los tiemposEn un esfuerzo por ir con los tiempos yreconvertirse en una empresa moderna de altatecnologia, el grupo de defensa e ingenieriaGeneral Electric Company recortar^ 1.500puestos de trabajo mediante un plan de jubi-laciones voluntaries.

ya era horaHan estado discutiendo ese proyecto durantelos dos ultimos anos. Ya era hora de que to-maran una decisi6n.

en el ultimo momentoLlegue al aeropuerto en el ultimo momento:cinco minutos mas tarde y hubiese perdido elavi6n.

Stan ley 7

2. Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capftulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espafiol, traducela al ingles.

1 Ultimately, not immediately but after arelatively long period of time: This itemis selling badly now, but we ex-pect to break even and perhaps evenmake a small profit.

2 Until the present situation changes, for thepresent: Dejalo ahl por el momento.

3 For an infinitely long period of time, for-ever: You can talk to that man ,but it won't do any good: he simplyrefuses to admit he's wrong.

4 (used to indicate that an action or deci-sion must be taken immediately) It isnecessary now...: Ya va siendo hora deque alguien haga algo.

5 Exactly at the specified time: El tren salioa las dos y media en punto.

6 Because of happy times in the past, or asa reminder of such times: Asi no lo haras,ni siquiera por los viejos tiempos.

7 (saying, usually expressing surprise thatso much time has passed while one wasworking, talking, etc.) Time passes veryquickly: jQue rapido pasa el tiempo!

8 It is preferable to take action as quicklyas possible: this decision is imple-mented, .

9 To stop doing something, especially tostop working: Obviamente no estabalogrando nada, asi que abandone yme fui.

10 Finished, no longer appropriate: Lostranvias han pasado a la historia.

11 To have ideas which are so advancedor original that one's contemporariescan't understand them: Se adelant6 asu epoca.

12 Up to the present time, until today:We've sold 5,000 units .

13 Within a limited period of time: We willbe working to meet this deadine;we can't afford to waste a single minute.

14 To do something without hurrying,when one has plenty of time: Lealocuando le venga bien.

15 To stay abreast of current trends, to stayup-to-date: Any company that hasn'tgot a web site isn't .

16 To stay aware of the present situation,to be modern in one's thinking andpractice: No matter how many maga-zines you read, it's impossible towith what's happening in the compu-ter industry.

17 (used to refer to something which onefeels should have been done muchsooner) Finally, at last: they re-placed those old 286 RC.s.

18 For a very long time: Hace siglos queno la veo.

19 When conditions are most favourable:This is hard work but it is par-ticularly difficult in these poor condi-tions.

20 Just in time, before it would have beentoo late: Llegue al aeropuerto justo atiempo.

21 To be old-fashioned, not recent: Thesecustomer files are worthless, they're all

22 At the last possible moment: A strikewas narrowly avoided when manage-ment produced a better offer .

23 To do something slowly and carefully:Tomate todo el tiempo que necesites.

24 Twenty-four hours a day, without stop:We have three shifts workingevery day of the year.

25 For the very last time: I'm warning youI won't tolerate this kind of be-

haviour.

Stanley8

3. Money ,000 eve ryday id ioms in bus iness

money talks

When it comes to keeping high-performanceemployees, money talks; the best way to re-ward them is with bonuses.

make a bomb

Speculators made a bomb as the price ofrubber increased by more than 200%.

cost a bomb

An advertising campaign like that is out of thequestion for a small firm like ours. For onething, it would cost a bomb.

be in the black

Although it has made heavy losses in the pasttwo years, Mr Bernhard said that the companywas already back in the black after a restruc-turing programme.

be in the redAll five of the country's biggest steel compa-nies are in the red. Bankruptcies are atrecord levels, and the outlook is grim.

foot the bill

No one wants spending on product researchto be cut completely. On the other hand, weare not prepared to foot the bill of ever-higher R & D costs.

throw good money after bad

We have already lost huge sums on this prod-uct. In my opinion, to attempt to develop itany further will simply be throwing goodmoney after bad.

pay cash on the nail

We generally allow a 15% discount to custom-ers who pay cash on the nail.

money is no object

Our management attaches great importance tothis project. Money is no object whatsoever.

poderoso caballero es don dinero

Cuando se trata de retener a los empleados al-tamente rentables, poderoso caballero es dondinero; la mejor forma de recompensarles escon un plus.

ganar una fortuna

Los especuladores ganaron una fortuna cuan-do el precio del caucho subio mas del 200%.

costar un ojo de la cara

Una campana de publicidad como esa est3fuera del alcance de una empresa pequenacomo la nuestra. Para empezar, costaria unojo de la cara.

ser solvente

Aunque ha sufrido grandes perdidas en losdos ultimos anos, el Sr. Bernhard ha dichoque la empresa es ya solvente tras el progra-ma de restructuracion.

estar al descubiertoo en numeros rojos

Todas y cada una de las cinco grandes empre-sas del acero esta"n en numeros rojos. Hay unnumero record de quiebras y el pronostico noes favorable.

Nadie quiere que se deje de invertir totalmen-te en la investigacion de productos. Por otraparte, no estamos preparados para pagar lacuenta cada vez m3s elevada de los gastos deinvestigacion y desarrollo.

echar la soga tras el caldero

Ya hemos perdido sumas enormes en este pro-ducto. En mi opinion, intentar desarrollarlo

significaria echar la soga tras el caldero.

pagar al contado

Generalmente concedemos un descuento del1 5% a los clientes que pagan al contado.

no importan los gastosNuestros directives dan mucha importancia aeste proyecto. No importan los gastos.

be penny wise and pound foolish hacer economias de chicha y nabo

Insisting that employees should not make pri-vate telephone calls from the office is not re-ally going to reduce the firm's losses, but itwill affect morale: it's being penny wiseand pound foolish.

Insistir en que los empleados no realicen lla-madas privadas desde la oficina no va a redu-cir las perdidas de la empresa, pero afectara ala moral: es hacer economias de chicha ynabo.

Stanley

Pagar

9

Money ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

at any price

In a 1997 survey, 47% of consumers saidthey'd be much more likely to buy from a"good' company if quality, service and pricewere equal, and 70% said they would not buy- at any price - from a company that wasn'tsocially responsible.

the sixty-four thousand dollarquestion

We've discussed the salary and conditions.That only leaves the sixty-four thousanddollar question: would you be willing towork for us on those terms?

be rolling in it

Well, I wouldn't say we're exactly rolling init, but we don't have to worry about cashflow problems either.

go through the roof

If the drought in Assam and West Bengal con-tinues for some time, Indian tea productionwill be badly hit and prices will go throughthe roof.

do sth on a shoestring

Marketing, even on a shoestring, is essen-tial. Use ingenuity and persistence to make upfor what you lack in cash.

money doesn't grow on trees

We have to make employees aware that un-necessary photocopying costs us an incredibleamount annually - and that money doesn'tgrow on trees.

to the tune of ...

They are not at all financially sound. Rumourhas it that they are in debt to the tune of$500,000.

for a song

He bought the company for a song just overten years ago. Now it has an annual turnoverof more than $5,000,000.

be deep in debt

a cualquier precio, a ningun precio

En una encuesta de 1997, el 47% de los con-sumidores dijeron que estarian mucho masdispuestos a comprar a una "buena" empresasi la calidad, el servicio y el precio fueraniguales, y el 70% dijo que no compraria- aningun precio- a una empresa que no fuerasocialmente responsable.

la pregunta del milldn

Hemos comentado el sueldo y las condicio-nes. Ahora s6lo queda la pregunta del millon:^estaria dispuesto a trabajar para nosotros enesas condiciones?

nadar en oro

A merger of the two companies was notseen as the ideal solution. Neither had agood "product pipeline" and both weredeep in debt.

Pues dirfa que no estamos exactamente na-dando en oro, pero tampoco tenemos quepreocuparnos por problemas de liquidez.

subir por las nubes

Si la sequia en Assam y Bengala Occidentalcontinua durante algun tiempo, la producci6nindia de te se vera seriamente afectada y losprecios subiran por las nubes.

hacer algo con poquisimo dinero

El marketing es esencial, incluso con poquisi-mo dinero. Utiliza el ingenio y la perseveran-cia para compensar lo que te falte en efectivo.

el dinero no nace en las macetas

Tenemos que conseguir que los empleados seden cuenta de que las fotocopias innecesariasnos cuestan una cantidad increible al ano y queel dinero no nace en las macetas.

por un importe de ...

Su situaci6n financiera deja mucho que de-sear. Se rumorea que estan endeudados porun importe de $500.000.

regalado

Compr6 la empresa casi regalada hace pocomas de diez anos. Ahora factura mas de$5.000.000 anuales.

estar endeudado

La fusion de las dos empresas no fue vistacomo una solucion ideal. Ninguna de las dostenia una buena linea de productos y ambasestaban muy endeudadas.

10 Stan ley

Money ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

pay over the odds

Our regular supplier has not been able tofurnish us with these items for weeks. Wetherefore feel it's worth paying a bit overthe odds to stock up.

be hard upMore than half Britain's workers face beinghard-up in retirement, according to a newstudy published today. Some 13m people aredue to retire on £106 a week or less.

not have a penny to one's name

I doubt if he'll be able to raise a loan. It's wellknown in business circles that he doesn'thave a penny to his name.

see the colour off sb's moneyIf your credit is good, no one asks to see thecolour of your money.

you can betyour bottom dollar that ...

You can bet your bottom dollar that their newhotel on Lake Tahoe, with its combination ofgambling and ski resort, is destined to be asuccess.

a drop in the ocean

Lavery said he'd be prepared to invest£10,000. Unfortunately that's only a dropin the ocean. We need a quarter of a mil-lion at least.

pagar mas de la cuenta

Durante semanas, nuestro proveedor habitualno nos ha podido suministrar estos articulos.For lo tanto, creemos que merece la pena pa-gar un poco m3s para incrementar los stocks.

estar en una situation limite

Mas de la mitad de los trabajadores britanicosse enfrentan a una situacion limite al jubilarse,segun un nuevo estudio publicado hoy. Se diceque unos 13 millones de personas sejubilarancon £106 a la semana o incluso menos.

no tener donde caerse muerto

Dudo que pueda conseguir un prestamo. Enlos circulos empresariales se sabe que no tiened6nde caerse muerto.

adelantar el dinero

Si tu credito es bueno, nadie te pedira queadelantes el dinero.

puedes apostar que ...

Puedes apostar que ese nuevo hotel en ellago Tahoe, que combina el casino y el centrade esqui, est3 destinado a ser un exito.

una gota de agua en el marLavery dijo que estaria preparado a invertir£10.000. Desgraciadamente eso es s6lo unagota de agua en el mar. Necesitamos al me-nos un cuarto de millon.

Stan ley 1 1

3. Exercise 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espafiol, traducela al ingles.

1 The question on which everything elsedepends: And now, let me ask you

, do you want to buy it or not?

2 To be extremely rich: Estaban podridosde dinero.

3 To earn a large amount of money: Hizouna fortuna con ese negocio.

4 (prices) To increase very rapidly: El preciode la gasolina se puso por las nubes.

5 Very cheaply, on a very low budget:Operan con poquisimo dinero.

6 To pay at once, on the spot: Weto get the 10% discount.

7 (saying) Money is not easy to obtain:These days, more than ever, you haveto keep reminding young people that

8 To be the person who pays, usually forsomething involving a number of peo-ple: La empresa correra con los gastos.

9 To the sum of a stated amount ofmoney: Tiene una deuda de cinco millibras.

10 To pay more than one would usuallyexpect: We're willing to for thisequipment, provided you can guaran-tee immediate delivery.

11 (saying) Wealth can influence events tothe advantage of its owner: Poderosocaballero es don dinero.

12 To have very little money: Estabamosmal de dinero.

13 To spend more money in an attempt toregain money that has already beenlost: Many people feel that by givingmore millions to Russia, the IMF is sim-p'y •

14 Under any conditions at all: Quieren elcontrato cueste lo que cueste.

15 To have no money at all: He can't pos-sibly be a sleeping partner, he doesn't

16 To have money in the bank, not to be indebt: Su cuenta tiene un saldo positivo.

17To be in debt, having spent moremoney than one has in the bank:Siempre estoy en numeros rojos.

18 (used when one is doubtful that some-body has money to pay for something)To see somebody's money: I wasn't go-ing to give him the goods until I had

19 Very cheaply: Compraron la empresacasi regalada.

20To cost a large amount of money: Esote debe de haber costado un ojo dela cara.

21 To be careful with small sums of moneybut careless or wasteful with largesums: He tends to , spendinghours choosing the cheapest office sta-tionery, then impulsively buying thelatest electronic gadget to come on themarket.

22 To owe a great deal of money: Estanagobiados de deudas.

23 It doesn't matter how much it costs:Dijo que el dinero no era un problema.

24 Be completely certain: You canthat he'll accept the post: it's what he'swanted for years.

25 A very small amount, especially whencompared with a larger amount: Es ungrano de arena en el desierto.

12 Stanley

4. Information 1,000 everyday idioms in business

put sb in the picture

The first thing I want you to do is to put mein the picture about what's been happeningwhile I've been away.

let the cat out of the bag

Only a very limited number of people mustknow about this plan. It will spoil everything ifsomeone lets the cat out of the bag be-fore we're ready to act.

spill the beans

Why did you have to go and spill the beansabout the proposed pay increase? It wasmeant to be a surprise.

hear sth straightfrom the horse's mouth

I'm sure that Hendly has handed in his resigna-tion because I heard it straight from thehorse's mouth. He told me this morning.

keep sth under one's hat

We've decided to freeze salaries for the nexttwo years, but keep it under your hat forthe time being. There's no point in provokingthe unions before we have to.

come to light

The affair came to light in September 1998after the discovery of serious irregularities inthe management of the company.

it's news to me

Did you say that they intend to close theirManchester branch? Well, that's news tome, I must say. I had no idea they were insuch difficulty.

no news is good news

Small business entrepreneurs noted that thechancellor did not mention capital gains tax inhis speech. The general view is that in thiscase no news is good news.

keep one's ear to the ground

There are rumours that our main competitorsare thinking of moving into the home elec-tronics market. Keep your ear to theground and let me know if you hear any-thing definite.

poner a alguien al corriente

Lo primero que quiero es que me pongas alcorriente sobre lo que ha estado ocurriendomientras he estado fuera.

descubrir el pastel

Solo un numero muy limitado de personasdebe conocer este plan. Se echaria todo a per-der si se descubriese el pastel antes de que es-tuvieramos listos para actuar.

revelar sin querer el secreto

iPor que tuviste que irte de la lengua sobre lapropuesta de incremento de sueldo? Se supo-nia que era una sorpresa.

saber algo de buena tinta

Estoy seguro de que Hendley ha entregado surenuncia. Lo se de buena tinta. Me lo dijo estamariana.

guardar un secreto

Hemos decidido congelar los salaries durantelos dos proximos ahos, pero de momentoguarda el secreto. No conviene provocar a lossindicatos antes de tiempo.

salir a luz

El asunto sali6 a la luz en septiembre de 1 998tras descubrir serias irregularidades en la ge-rencia de la empresa.

ahora me entero

dicho que tienen intencion de cerrarsu sucursal de Manchester? Bueno, deboadmitir que ahora me entero. No tenia niidea de que estuvieran pasando por seme-jantes dificultades.

la falta de noticiassignifica buenas noticias

Los pequenos empresarios se dieron cuentade que el canciller no menciono el impues-to sobre las plusvalias del capital. En estecaso la falta de noticias significa buenas no-ticias.

mantenerse atento

Hay rumores de que nuestros principals com-petidores est^n pensando en adentrarse en elmercado de la electronica domestica.Mantente atento y h^zme saber si oyes algodefinitive.

Stanley 13

Information 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

sell sb a bum steerI'm afraid someone has sold you a bumsteer. We're not remotely interested in hiringa public relations officer.

take sth with a pinch of salt

Their own assessment of the value of the com-pany, $ 13 million, needs to be taken with apinch of salt, for they have known debts ofat least $7 million.

keep sb postedKeep me posted daily. If there are any newdevelopments, I expect to be the first to hearabout them.

there's no smoke without fireIt would be wiser to treat these rumours as ifthey were at least partly true. There's nosmoke without fire, you know.

spread like wildfireThe news that management had decided tocut 200 jobs in the coming year spread likewildfire throughout the company.

keep sth under wraps

Somehow the team of lawyers and advisorsmanaged to keep everything underwraps until last week, when the motor indus-try was stunned by news of the deal.

shed light on sthThe chairman thanked him for his report,which, he said, shed a great deal of lighton the complex environmental problems fac-ing the industry.

a little bird told me- How did you find out they were going tocancel that project?- Let's just say a little bird told me.

put sb out of his miseryThe three mechanics stood nervously in theboss's office, having no idea why they hadbeen summoned there. Finally, he put themout of their misery by declaring howpleased he was with their work.

dar information falsa a alguienMe temo que alguien te ha dado informaci6nfalsa. No estamos en absolute interesados encontratar un empleado de relaciones piiblicas.

aceptar algo con muchas reservasSu propia tasaci6n del valor de la empresa, 13millones de dblares, debe ser aceptada con mu-chas reservas, ya que sus deudas conocidas as-cienden al menos a 7 millones de dolares.

mantener a alguien al corriente

Mantenme al corriente a diario. Si hay algonuevo, cuento con ser el primero en cono-cerlo.

cuando el rio suena, agua lleva

Seria mejor tratar estos rumores como si fue-ran ciertos al menos en parte. Ya sabes quecuando el rio suena, agua lleva.

correr como la polvoraLa noticia de que los directives habian decidi-do recortar 200 puestos de trabajo el ario si-guiente corri6 como la polvora por toda laempresa.

mantener algo en secretoDe alguna manera el equipo de abogados yasesores consigui6 mantenerlo en secreto has-ta la pasada semana, cuando la industria delautomovil se qued6 estupefacta ante la noti-cia del contrato.

aclarar algo - arrojar luz sobre algo

El presidente le dio las gracias por su informe,el cual, dijo, aclaraba mucho los complejosproblemas medioambientales a los que se en-frenta la industria.

me lo ha dicho un pajarito-<iC6mo te enteraste de que iban a cancelar elproyecto?-Digamos que me lo ha dicho un pajarito.

sacar de su angustiaLos tres mecanicos esperaban nerviosos en laoficina del jefe, sin tener idea de por que leshabian llamado. Finalmente, les sac6 de suangustia, declarando lo muy complacido queestaba con su trabajo.

put sth down in black and white poner algo negro sobre biancoListen, vague promises are not enough. Notonly do we want you to state your positionclearly on this matter, we want you to put itdown in black and white.

Escucha, no basta con promesas ambiguas.No solo queremos que expreses claramente tuposici6n en este asunto, sino que lo pongasnegro sobre bianco.

14 Stan ley

Information ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

be none of sb's business

During the interview, they asked him anumber of deliberately "stressful' questionsabout his sexual preferences. He told themfrankly that his sexual life was none of theirbusiness.

have sth at one's fingertips

If you want to know about the legal aspects,ask Lewis in the Accounting Department. Hehas all the facts at his fingertips.

cannot believe one's ears

We've always been extremely busy in the run-up to Christmas, so when he said that he ex-pected sales to fall during the Christmas pe-riod, I simply couldn't believe my ears.

play one's cards close to one'schest

Negotiating with the Japanese is never aneasy matter. They tend to play their cards veryclose to their chest, so most of the timeyou have little idea of what they really want.

keep sth dark

They told me that I was going to get the pro-motion but they asked me to keep it darkfor the time being, so as not to cause any un-necessary bad feeling in the office.

a red herring

Every time we mentioned the poor quality ofthe goods he had supplied, he tried to shiftour attention to the dockers' strike and to theexchange rate of the dollar and other redherrings.

no ser de su incumbencia

Durante la entrevista, le hicieron una serie depreguntas deliberadamente "estresantes" so-bre sus preferencias sexuales. Les dijo sincera-mente que su vida sexual no era de suincumbencia.

saberse algo al dedillo

Si quieres saber algo sobre los aspectos legales,pregunta a Lewis en el departamento de conta-bilidad. Se sabe todos los detalles al dedillo.

no poder creer lo que uno oye

Siempre hemos tenido mucho trabajo en elperiodo pre-navideho, asi que cuando dijoque temia que las ventas cayeran durantelas navidades, no podia creer lo que estabaoyendo.

no revelar las intenciones de uno

Negociar con Japon nunca es un asunto facil.Tienden a no revelar sus intenciones, asi quela mayor parte del tiempo no tienes ni idea delo que quieren en realidad.

mantener algo en secreto

Me dijeron que me iban a conceder el ascen-so pero me pidieron que lo mantuviera de mo-mento en secreto, para no causar una tensioninnecesaria en la oficina.

un pretexto para desviar laatencion

Cada vez que mencionabamos la poca calidadde los articulos que nos suministraba, se saliapor la tangente hablando sobre la huelga delos estibadores, el cambio del dolar y cual-quier otra cosa para desviar nuestra atencion.

Stan ley 15

4. Exercise 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To keep something secret: Guardo ensecreto su ascenso durante tres meses.

2 To keep someone informed about one'sprogress, etc: We hold regular interde-partmental meetings to eachother on what's happeningthroughout the company.

3 (saying] If something is being widelytalked about, there is a good reason forit : the rumours are probably true.

4 (news, etc.) To spread very quickly fromone person to another: La noticia deque habia dimitido se extendio comoun reguero de polvora.

5 An expression used to avoid revealingthe source of ones information, usuallyin answer to a question. ^Como losabias? — Me lo dijo un pajarito.

6 (plans, ideas, etc.) To keep somethinghidden or secret: Details of exactly howsmall investors will be affected are be-ing .

7 To give someone a piece of false infor-mation or bad advice: Me han dado unpesimo dato.

8 To doubt that a statement is completelytrue or reliable: No me fiaria mucho denada de lo que el diga.

9 (secret information) To become widelyknown: If these figures ever we'llbe in deep trouble.

lOTo relieve someone's anxiety by tellinghim something he wants to know: Nome tengas mas tiempo en ascuas ycuentame lo que paso.

11 To be very familiar with a subject: Youcan ask him anything about the newmeasures, he all the facts .

12 It's a piece of information I didn't knowand it surprises me: Me pillb de nuevas.

13 To reveal something that is being keptsecret, especially at the wrong time:iQuien se ha ido de la lengua?

14 To be no concern of someone's: Lo queyo haga no es asunto tuyo.

15To put something in written form:Quiero ver su oferta por escrito.

16 To learn something directly from theperson most concerned: Lo se de buenatinta.

1 7 To be very secretive, hiding one's inten-tions: All through the negotiations he

, so we never knew how far hewas prepared to go.

18 To give someone the facts about a situ-ation: Llego tarde, pero pronto lepusimos al corriente.

19 To be alert to what is happening or isabout to happen: Estate al tanto.

20 Not to tell anyone about something, tokeep something secret: This informationis highly sensitive, so I'd appreciate it ifyou could for the time being.

21 To be unable to accept what one hasjust heard as true: I when he saidwe were bankrupt.

22 To reveal a piece of information, usu-ally involuntarily: ^Me prometes que note iras de la lengua?

23 To give new information about some-thing or make a situation clearer: A versi puedes aclararnos un poco esteasunto.

24 A piece of information introduced todivert attention from what is really im-portant: Resulto ser otro truco paradespistarnos.

25 (saying) If we hear nothing, it probablymeans that nothing bad has happened.

16 Stan ley

5. Experience 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

once bitten, twice shy

We lost a lot of money last year but thistime we are being very careful to dealthrough the approved and recognised chan-nels. Once bitten, twice shy.

find out the hard way

Why learn the hard way? Mentors have al-ready overcome the obstacles you're now fac-ing. They understand what you're goingthrough and can offer invaluable insights andadvice.

a lot of waterhas flowed under the bridgeThere was a time when I intensely disliked do-ing business with them, but a lot of waterhas gone under the bridge since then.Maybe I'm more tolerant now.

trial and error

Adding staff during the growth phase of thecompany wasn't easy, but through trial anderror, we learned to make good hiring deci-sions.

be wise after the eventIt's easy to be wise after the event and sayhe was obviously unsuitable for the job, but itwould have been much more helpful to havesaid so before we hired him.

you can't teachan old dog new tricks

Most franchising companies don't require in-dustry experience, largely because they find ithard to teach an old dog new tricks. In-stead they look for young people with theright personality.

be wet behind the earsThe other members of the team paid little at-tention to my suggestions. They probablythought that, as a new employee, I was stillwet behind the ears.

get one's fingers burntIt is feared that the large American banks,who got their fingers burnt with bad in-vestments in Russia and Asia, might now slowtheir lending dramatically.

have sth under one's beltWith 23 years as a banker under his belt,Dawson knows what bankers look for whenmaking a loan.

gato escaldado del agua frfa huyePerdimos mucho dinero el ario pasado, peroesta vez estamos teniendo mucho cuidado decomercializar solo a traves de canales autoriza-dos y reconocidos. Gato escaldado del aguafria huye.

aprender de la forma mas dificil

iPor que aprender de la forma mas dificil? Losconsejeros ya nan superado los obstaculos alos que ahora te enfrentas. Saben de sobra loque estas pasando y te pueden ofrecer suayuda y sus inestimables consejos.

ha corridomucha agua bajo el puenteHubo un tiempo en el que me disgustaba inten-samente hacer negocios con ellos, pero ha corri-do mucha agua bajo el puente desde entonces.Quizas sea mas tolerante ahora.

la experiencia

Incrementar el personal durante la fase de cre-cimiento de la empresa no fue facil, pero laexperiencia nos enseno a tomar buenas deci-siones a la hora de contratar.

hablar a toro pasado

Es facil hablar a toro pasado y decir que noera adecuado para el puesto, pero hubierasido mucho mejor haberlo dicho antes decontratarlo.

loro viejo no aprende a hablar

La mayoria de empresas de franquicias no exi-gen experiencia industrial, en gran parte por-que el loro viejo no aprende a hablar. En sulugar, buscan a gente joven con la personali-dad adecuada.

estar verde

Los otros miembros del equipo prestaron pocaatenci6n a mis sugerencias. Probablementepensaron que, al ser un empleado nuevo, aunestaba verde.

pillarse los dedos

Se teme que los grandes bancos americanos,que se pillaron los dedos con malas inversionesen Rusia y Asia, quiza reduzcan ahoradrasticamente el ritmo de sus prestamos.

tener algo en su haber

Con 23 anos como banquero en su haber,Dawson sabe lo que buscan los banqueros alrealizar un prestamo.

Stan ley 17

Experience 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

be an old hand ser perro viejoLook, I'm an old hand at this business. Thisisn't my first setback and God knows it won't bemy last. So relax. We can deal with it.

learn one's lesson

We observed him closely over the next sixmonths. We wanted to be sure that he hadlearned his lesson and could be de-pended on.

be in one's line of countryI don't really know what kind of testing proce-dure they have. Quality control is more inyour line of country than mine.

live and learn

I had no idea that it was so easy to set up anetwork. Well, well, live and learn.

go through the mill

We didn't just suddenly decide to open an on-line store. Most of us had already beenthrough the mill at traditional mail ordercompanies.

an object lesson

The Coca-Cola Company received an objectlesson in the magic of the formula in 1985,when management announced that it waschanging the product's original formula. Theresult was a storm of protest.

know one's onions

When it comes to taxation, Jackson certainlyknows his onions. He saves the companythousands every year.

learn the ropes

Obviously everything must seem very con-fusing at first. But once you've learnedthe ropes, you'll see that it's not such adifficult job.

know the scoreBefore he joined the company, I told him pre-cisely what our financial position was; so hecan't say he didn't know the score.

seeing is believing

Can money be made out of farming organi-cally? Most market observers are sceptical.Their attitude is summed up in three words:seeing is believing.

Soy un perro viejo en este negocio. Este noes mi primer contratiempo y Dios sabe queno sera el ultimo. Asi que relajate. Nos arre-glaremos.

aprender de sus errores

Le observamos de cerca durante los seis me-ses siguientes. Queriamos estar seguros deque habia aprendido de sus errores y que sepodia contar con el.

ser de su especialidad

En realidad no s£ cual es su proceso de con-trol. El control de calidad es mas tu especiali-dad que la mia.

vivir para ver

No tenia ni idea de que fuera tan facil montaruna red. jVaya! vivir para ver.

pasarlas moradas

No tomamos de repente la decisi6n de montaruna empresa a travel de la red. La mayoria denosotros ya las habiamos pasado moradas enlas empresas tradicionales de ventas por correo.

una perfecta demostracion

La compania Coca-Cola recibi6 una perfecta de-mostracion de la magia de la formula en 1985,cuando los directives anunciaron que iban acambiar la formula original del producto. El re-sultado fue una tormenta de protestas.

saber unolo que se trae entre manosEn lo que a los impuestos se refiere, Jackson,sabe, sin duda, lo que se trae entre manos. Leahorra cada aho miles de libras a la empresa.

ponerse al tanto

Obviamente todo debe de parecer muy con-fuso al principio. Pero una vez que te pon-gas al tanto, veras que no es un trabajo tandificil.

estar al tanto de todo

Antes de que se integrara en la empresa, ledije exactamente cual era nuestra posici6n fi-nanciera; asi que no puede decir que no esta-ba al tanto de todo.

vivir para creer

iEs posible ganar dinero con la agricultura sinusar productos quimicos? La mayoria de losobservadores del mercado tienen sus dudas.Su postura se resume en tres palabras: vivirpara creer.

18 Stan ley

Experience ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

give sb a rough ride

Independent ISPs face a rough ride over thenext few years as competition intensifies inthe rapidly expanding worldwide market forinternet services.

through thick and thin

Nobody knows more about the history of thiscompany than John does. He joined us in1 963 and has been with us through thickand thin ever since.

hacer pasar un mal rato

Los proveedores independientes de Serviciosde Internet van a pasarlo mal los pr6ximosanos al intensificarse la competencia en elmercado global de servicios de Internet, queva expandiendose rapidamente.

a las duras y a las maduras

Nadie sabe mas que John sobre la historia deesta empresa. Se nos unio en 1 963 y desdeentonces ha estado con nosotros a las duras ya las maduras.

have another string to one's bow tener dos cuerdas en su arco

Several of our engineering staff are followingpart-time MBA courses. With record unemploy-ment, it's vital nowadays to have an extrastring to your bow.

it's just one of those things

We did everything possible to win theSacramento contract, but in the end it wasawarded to our competitors. It's just one ofthose things.

to be second nature to sb

You'll find our office procedures a bit unusualat first, but in a month or two they'll have be-come second nature to you.

take a leaf out of sb's book

McFetridge is our best and most experiencedsalesman. If you want to do well here, youshould take a leaf out of his book andvisit your prospects regularly.

Varies miembros de nuestro equipo de ingenie-ros se han inscrito en unos cursos de Master deAdministraci6n de Empresas a Jornada parcial.Con un nivel de paro mas alto que nunca, estosdias es vital tener dos cuerdas en el arco.

son cosas que pasan

Hicimos todo lo posible por ganar el contratode Sacramento, pero al final fue adjudicado anuestros competidores. Son cosas que pasan.

acostumbrarse

Al principio encontraras que nuestra forma detrabajar en la oficina es un poco extrafia, perodentro de un mes o dos te habras acostum-brado.

seguir el ejemplo de alguien

McFetridge es nuestro mejor y m3s experi-mentado vendedor. Si quieres labrarte un por-venir, deberias seguir su ejemplo y visitar a tusclientes con regularidad.

Stan ley 19

5. Exercise 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s


1 To recognize the difficulties of a situa-tion and how to deal with them afterthe situation has happened: Es muy f^cilcriticar a posteriori.

2 An expression of surprise when onelearns something new. Todos los diasse aprende algo nuevo.

3 To go through a period of hardship ordifficult training in which one gains valu-able experience: It was one of those com-mando-style leadership courses, whereyou really to get your diploma.

4 A method of solving a problem by mak-ing repeated attempts and learning fromone's mistakes as one goes: Lo resolvimosa fuerza de probar y descartarsoluciones.

5 A very clear example of how to do some-thing: Fue la perfecta demostraci6n delo que no se debe hacer.

6 To suffer as a result of something onehas done, especially because one failedto consider the possible consequences:Bad debt rose to record levels as busi-ness after business went bankrupt, andmany lenders badly.

7 To have a thorough knowledge of all thefacts related to one's work: You can'thope to get to the top in this professionunless you really .

8 To learn something useful or necessary,especially as the result of a mistake: Well,we've certainly : we won't usethose suppliers again.

9 To learn the rules, procedures and or-ganization of a company: Necesitar^tiempo para familiarizarse con todo.

10 (saying) After an unpleasant experienceone is cautious in similar situations.

11 To know about the bad aspects of some-thing (e.g. a situation, or life in general):Le hable de mi pasado, asi que esta altanto de la situaci6n.

12 In one's experience: Tienen una serie delogros a sus espaldas.

13 (saying) You can only believe what youactually see: Ver para creer.

14 A long time has passed and many thingshave happened: Ha llovido mucho desdeentonces.

1 5 To be something that one does particu-larly well, or enjoys doing: Eso no es demi especialidad.

16 To have a bad experience or be treatedbadly: Las cosas no han marchado muybien para la empresa ultimamente.

1 7 (saying) Older people find it impossibleto adapt to new ideas, methods, proce-dures, etc: Loro viejo no aprende ahablar.

18 Through good times and bad times, re-gardless of what happens: Puedes contarcon el tanto a las duras como a lasmaduras.

19 To have another ability or plan that onecan use if one's first choice is not success-ful: Tambien es electricista, asi que tieneotra manera de ganarse la vida.

20 (A skill or practised ability) To come veryeasily to someone: No te preocupes,pronto te parecer^ una cosa muy natural.

21 To learn something, usually unpleasant,through one's own experience (and notfrom the advice of others): Aprendi6 alas malas.

22 To follow somebody's good example:Deberfas seguir el ejemplo de Manolo.

2 3 To be a person with long experience ina certain field or activity: Tiene muchaexperiencia en alpinismo.

24 It's something which has to be accepted,no matter how unpleasant or difficult tounderstand: Son cosas que pasan.

25 To be lacking in experience: El nuevodirector esta aun un poco verde.

20 Stanley

6. Work ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

not do a hand's turn

He's one of the laziest people I've ever met.He never does a hand's turn. What onearth do they keep him for?

be snowed under with sth

I'd love to play golf this afternoon, but I'mafraid it's out of the question. We have threepeople off sick and we're snowed underwith paperwork.

swing the lead

When I saw how little work had been donewhile I was away, I realised that he wasswinging the lead. All that interested himwas collecting his salary.

no dar golpe

Es una de las personas mas vagas que he co-nocido jamas. No da ni golpe. iPara que dia-blos siguen con el?

estar hasta el cuello de algo

Me encantaria jugar al golf esta tarde pero metemo que no sera posible. Tenemos a tres per-sonas de baja y estamos hasta el cuello de pa-peleo.

poner excusas para no trabajar

Cuando vi el poco trabajo que habia hechomientras estuve fuera, me di cuenta de queestaba poniendo excusas para no trabajar.Lo unico que le interesaba era cobrar susueldo.

keep one's nose to the grindstone trabajar sin levantar cabeza

The length of an individual's To Do' list shouldbe inversely proportional to his position in thecompany. When you're keeping your nose tothe grindstone, you can't possibly see thebig picture.

do the spadework

If Monsanto had done their spadeworkproperly, the public relations fiasco over intro-ducing transgenic foods into Europe couldhave been avoided.

at full stretch

Time is extremely limited. We're going to haveto work at full stretch if we want to meetthis deadline.

put one's shoulder to the wheel

If we all put our shoulders to the wheel,we can get the job finished before close ofbusiness today.

get one's teeth into sth

At first you'll only have relatively unimportantwork to do. But don't worry - once you've learntthe ropes, we'll give you something serious toget your teeth into.

down tools

Twenty thousand Mercedes-Benz workersdowned tools today in support of the Ger-man unions' fight against cuts in sick pay enti-tlement.

La longitud de la lista de "cosas que hacer" deuna persona deberia ser inversamente propor-cional a su puesto en la empresa. Cuando setrabaja sin levantar cabeza, no es posible verel conjunto.

hacer el trabajo prelintinar

Si Monsanto hubiese hecho su trabajo prelimi-nar como Dios manda, se podria haber evita-do el desastre de relaciones publicas quecauso el hecho de introducir alimentostransgenicos en Europa.

a tope, al ntaximo

El tiempo es sumamente limitado. Vamos a te-ner que trabajar al maximo si queremos cum-plir con los plazos.

arrimar el hombro

Si todos arrimamos el hombro, podremos ter-minar el trabajo hoy antes de salir.

hincarle el diente a algo

Al principio solo tendras trabajos relativamen-te sencillos. Pero no te preocupes, una vezque hayas aprendido lo basico, te daremosalgo mas serio para hincarle el diente.

hacer huelga de brazos caidos

Veinte mil trabajadores de Mercedes-Benz hi-cieron huelga de brazos caidos para apoyar lalucha de los sindicatos alemanes en contra delos recortes en las prestaciones por bajas deenfermedad.

Stan ley 21

Work 1,000 everyday idioms in business

burn the midnight oil pasar la noche en vela

Burning the midnight oil on occasion isfine, but if you consistently skimp on sleep,beware. You're racing on the fast track toburnout.

breathe down sb's neck

I can't work properly with you breathingdown my neck all the time. Leave me aloneand I'll tell you when I've finished.

keep tabs on sb

Like the Koreans, Russians, Japanese and oth-ers, we need to keep tabs on what our com-petitors are doing, scouring the world for thelatest and best technology.

keep a tight rein on sth

Wage growth has stabilised since last spring.The government has played its part by keep-ing a tight rein on public sector spendingand pay.

do the dirty work

Moffatt would never tell anybody they're fired.It's his partner who does all the dirtywork.

do the donkey work

In most companies, the young, less experi-enced employees are left to do the donkeywork while those with more experience domore interesting things.

have one's work cut out for one

The two young men launched the companyin 1998. In those critical first six months inbusiness, they had their work cut outfor them

make short work of sth

He made short work of the pile of paper thathad accumulated in his in-tray, mainly bytransferring most of it to the waste paperbasket

put one's back into sth

If you put your back into it, you should beable to finish it by tonight.

Pasar la noche en vela de vez en cuando estabien, pero si recortas el suerio a menudo, tencuidado. Al final tu cuerpo se resentira.

no dejar a alguien a sol ni asombra

No puedo trabajar a gusto si no me dejas ni asol ni a sombra. Dejame en paz y te avisar£cuando haya terminado.

vigilar a alguien

Lo mismo que hacen los coreanos, los rusos,los japoneses y otros, necesitamos vigilar loque hacen nuestros competidores, recorriendoel mundo en busca de la tecnologia masavanzada.

llevar un estricto control de algo

La subida de los sueldos se ha estabilizadodesde la primavera pasada. El gobierno hadesempenado su papel al llevar un estrictocontrol sobre los gastos y sueldos del sectorpublico.

hacer el trabajo sucio

Moffatt nunca le diria a nadie que esta despe-dido. Es su socio el que hace todo el trabajosucio.

hacer el trabajo pesado

En la mayoria de las empresas, les toca a losempleados mas j6venes y con menos expe-riencia hacer el trabajo pesado mientras queaquellos con mas experiencia hacen cosasmas interesantes.

tener que trabajar mucho

Los dos j6venes crearon la empresa en 1998.Durante los seis primeros meses, que fueroncriticos para la empresa, tuvieron que trabajarmucho.

despachar algo rapidamente

Despacho rapidamente el monton de papelesque se habia acumulado en su mesa, yendo aparar la mayor parte a la papelera.

poner empeno en algo

Si pones empeno en ello, deberias poder ter-minarlo para esta noche.

22 Stanley

Work 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

burn the candle at both ends

As we get older we sleep less and less, andeventually turn into harassed, bad-temperedadults who burn the candle at both ends.

sit on one's hands

The government has not taken any action buthas been sitting on its hands waiting forthe unions' anger to subside.

be dead beatIt was one of the toughest negotiations I evertook part in. At the end of every day I wasdead beat. All I wanted to do was to crawlinto bed for a week.

be a piece of cake

Business is simple. Take capital, invest it sothat you make more money than the capitalcosts, and return the difference to your stock-holders. It's a piece of cake. The hard partis choosing where to invest.

wear and tear

Yoga builds strength and endurance without alot of hard work or wear and tear on thebody. Its promise of serenity appeals to execu-tives and sports enthusiasts alike.

be on the doleThe problem is that nobody wants to hire aperson who has been on the dole for morethan a year. So, the longer you're unem-ployed, the more unemployable you become.

a blue-collar job

He's been with us for 25 years, most of thattime in various blue-collar positions. Lastyear, however, when he started having healthproblems, we transferred him to an office job.

hacer de la noche dia

Segun envejecemos, dormimos cada vez me-nos y terminamos convirtiendonos en adultosagobiados, malhumorados, que hacen de lanoche dia.

cruzarse de brazos

El gobierno no ha tornado medidas sino quese ha cruzado de brazos esperando a que secalme el enfado de los sindicatos.

estar hecho polvo

Ha sido una de las negociaciones mas durasen las que he participado. Al final del dia esta-ba hecho polvo. Todo lo que queria hacer eraquedarme una semana en la cama.

ser pan comido

Iniciar un negocio es sencillo. Consigue un ca-pital, inviertelo para ganar mas dinero de loque cuesta el capital y devuelve la diferencia atus accionistas. Es pan comido. La parte masdificil es escoger d6nde invertir.

desgaste de

El yoga proporciona fuerza y resistencia sinhacer un trabajo duro ni desgastar el cuerpo.Su promesa de serenidad atrae tanto a los eje-cutivos como a los deportistas.

estar en el paro

El problema es que nadie quiere contratar auna persona que ha estado en el paro duran-te mas de un ario. For lo tanto, cuanto mastiempo estes en paro, menos posibilidades tie-nes de que te contraten.

un trabajo manual

Lleva con nosotros 25 anos, la mayor parte deese tiempo en varies puestos de taller. El anopasado, sin embargo, cuando comenzb a te-ner problemas de salud, le dimos un puestode administrative.

Stanley 23

6. Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s


1 Using all one's strength and energy: Laf^brica est3 trabajando al m^ximo.

2 To do the difficult or unpleasant part of ajob or business: Estoy harto de hacerle eltrabajo sucio.

3 To keep a careful watch or gather informa-tion on somebody or something: Tenemosque vigilar quien entra y sale del edificio.

4 To deal with something quickly: She's veryefficient, she'll of typing those reports.

5 To exert great effort to do something: Heseems to into everything he under-takes.

6 To do no work, to give no help at all: All hethinks about are his holidays; I can't get him

7 To work with eagerness and great applica-tion: If you , you can meet the dead-line easily.

8 To work hard during the day and lead a busysocial life at night, with bad results: Quierehacer tantas cosas que estci agotado.

9 To do the hard, necessary work at the begin-ning of something: A lot of executives think,wrongly, that they can learn English without

of learning the basic grammatical struc-tures, the irregular verbs, etc.

10 To do nothing, to be inactive: We need theirdecision urgently but they seem to be .

11 To keep a tight control over something, al-lowing it little freedom: El gobiernomantiene un estricto control de los gastos.

12 To avoid doing one's work, especially by us-ing deceitful excuses: If that fellow puts asmuch energy into doing his job as he doesinto , he'd win prizes for productivity.

13 The hard, usually physical, part of a job: Yome lleve la peor parte del trabajo y el todala gloria.

14 Something that can be done very easily:Convencerlos para que vinieran fue pancomido.

15 To keep working hard, without resting: Voya tener que hincar los codos hasta queterminen los ex^menes.

16 Deterioration through frequent use: Tresanos de uso continue hicieron necesariauna revisibn a fondo.

17 To be faced with a lot of difficult work onehas to do: Le va a costar terminar el trabajoa tiempo.

18 To have more work than one can copewith: En este momento estoy agobiadade trabajo.

19 To be receiving unemployment benefit fromthe state: Lleva dos anos cobrando el paro.

20 To work very late, especially intellectually:Se est3 acostando a las tantas de lamadrugada para acabar el trabajo.

21 To stop work suddenly, especially as a groupand because of discontent: The announce-ment that 500 jobs would be sacrificedcaused workers to in protest.

22 A job performed by a manual or factoryworker, i.e. not by an office or white-collarworker: We'll be reducing the number ofemployees working in administration, but

won't be affected.

23 To watch someone too closely while he'sworking: Tuve al jefe detr^s de mi todoel dia.

24 To be physically and mentally exhaustedafter hard work: Tienes cara de estaragotado.

25 To become eagerly concerned with some-thing, or to do something with vigour:Ahora tienes otra tarea a la que hincar eldiente.

24 Stanley

7. Routine 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

it's all in a day's workFor emergency hotline operators, dealing withcomplaints from angry or panic-stricken cus-tomers is all in a day's work.

the order of the dayAt the centre of the scandal was the Direct In-vestment Group. Limousines, wild parties, andexpensive overseas junkets became the or-der of the day, paid for out of clients' in-vestment dollars.

do sth as a matter of courseYou don't have to do anything special about in-surance. We insure every shipment against dam-age or loss as a matter of course.

in the normal course of eventsI expect that, in the normal course ofevents, my estate will be subject to inherit-ance tax. On the other hand, any bequests Imake to charity will be exempt from tax.

get into the swing of sthIt's a rather complicated procedure but onceyou get into the swing of it, you'll haveno problems at all.

take sth in one's strideSir Peter takes even the harshest criticism inhis stride and seems to thrive on adversity.

be plain sailingThe hard part of this job is learning to use ourCAD software. But once you've mastered that,you'll find the rest is plain sailing.

backwards and forwardsIn the end I decided to change my job becausetravelling backwards and forwards everyday was simply costing me too much money.

day in, day outWhen I started this business, I had no cre-dentials, no reputation, no credibility andno experience. So I had to call a lot of peo-ple. I called over a hundred people a day,day in and day out, simply to ask for anappointment.

true to formAt the age of 43, Steve Jobs, interim C.E.O. ofApple Computers, professes to feel no differ-ent from when he was a 17-year-old. True to

todo forma parte del trabajo diarioPara los operadores de las lineas de emergen-cia, atender llamadas de clientes enfadados oasustados, forma parte del trabajo diario.

a la orden del diaEn el centre del escandalo estaba el Grupo deInversion Directa. Las limusinas, las fiestas lo-cas y los viajes caros al extranjero estaban a laorden del dia, y se pagaban con los d6laresde las inversiones de los clientes.

hacer algo automaticamente,por rutinaNo tienes que hacer nada especial con el se-guro. Cada envfo esta automaticamente ase-gurado contra dahos o perdidas.

en circunstancias normalesCuento con que, en circunstancias normales,mi propiedad este gravada con el impuesto desucesiones. Por otra parte, cualquier donativeque haga a una organizacion benefica estaraexento de impuestos.

coger el ritmo de algo, coger eltranquilloEs un proceso bastante complicado pero unavez que le cojas el tranquillo, no tendras nin-gun problema.

hacerlo sin pestanearSir Peter acepta la critica mas despiadada sinpestanear y parece crecerse ante la adversidad.

ser coser y cantarLa parte dura de este trabajo es aprender autilizar nuestro software CAD. Pero una vezque lo hayas superado, encontrar^s que lodem^s es coser y cantar.

de aca para aliaAl final he decidido cambiar de trabajo simple-mente porque el viajar de ac3 para al!3 todoslos dias me estaba costando muy caro.

dia tras diaCuando inicie este negocio, no tenia ni cre-denciales, ni reputacion, ni credibilidad, niexperiencia. Asi que tuve que llamar a mu-chas personas. Llamaba a mas de 100 per-sonas al dia, dia tras dia, tan solo parapedir una cita.

como era de esperarA la edad de 43 ahos, Steve Jobs, director provi-sional de Apple Computers, asegura no sentir-se distinto a cuando tenia 17 anos. Como era

Stanley 25

Routine 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

form, he contradicts himself a little later, con-fessing to be "an old man now."

on an even keelThat was by no means a normal day for theemergency team but things stayed on aneven keel because everyone knew his joband continued to perform efficiently.

toe the lineThe government is insisting that lenders toethe line. Henceforward they must ensurethat would-be borrowers get good-quality ad-vice and have access to a decent complaintssystem.

middle-of-the-roadEverybody is involved in brainstorming ses-sions, from the bookkeeper to the office man-ager, because they see things completely dif-ferently from us. And we need that middle-of-the-road thinking.

go through the motionsWho are the happiest people at work? Couldit be you? Not if you are middle-aged, have auniversity degree, work for a big companyand are going through the motions in ajob you have been doing for years, accordingto a new study of workers in the UK.

be par for the courseOnly 7 employees out of nearly 800 wererated as outstanding in this year's Perform-ance Appraisal exercise. That may seem like avery small number but it's about par for thecourse.

in practiceIn theory any employee can walk into theGeneral Manager's office at any time and tellhim what wrong with the company. In prac-tice, of course, that simply never happens.

as a ruleAs a rule, lower-priced products in any cat-egory have lower-quality packaging, whilehigh-priced products have high-quality pack-aging. Buyers use packaging as one criterionin selecting which products they buy.

de esperar, se contradice un poco mas tarde,confesando ser ahora "un hombre viejo".

en equilibrio, equilibradoNo fue en absolute un dia normal para el equi-po de urgencias, pero todo se mantuvo bajocontrol porque todo el mundo conocfa su traba-jo y siguio desempefiandolo con eficiacia.

acatar la disciplina, entrar enveredaEl gobierno est3 tratando de conseguir quelos prestamistas entren en vereda. De ahoraen adelante, deben asegurarse de que quie-nes vayan a recibir prestamos esten bienaconsejados y tengan acceso a un sistema dereclamaciones aceptable.

moderadoTodo el mundo esta involucrado en las sesio-nes de creatividad, desde el contable hasta elgerente de la oficina porque ellos ven las co-sas de una forma completamente distinta anosotros. Y necesitamos conocer esas formasde pensar mas moderadas.

hacer algo como es debido perosin conviccion.^Quienes son las personas mas felices en su tra-bajo? iPodrias ser tu? No, si eres de medianaedad, tienes una licenciatura, trabajas para unagran empresa y has estado haciendo tu trabajodurante anos como es debido pero sin convic-cion, segun un reciente estudio de trabajadoresdel Reino Unido.

ser lo normalS6lo 7 de casi 800 empleados fueron clasifica-dos como excelentes en el ejercicio anual deEvaluacion de Rendimiento. Puede parecer unnumero muy pequeho, pero es mas o menoslo normal.

en la practicaEn teoria cualquier empleado puede entrar enla oficina del Director General en cualquiermomento y decirle lo que no funciona bien enla empresa. En la practica, claro esta, esto nosuele ocurrir nunca.

por lo generalPor lo general, los productos de precio infe-rior en cualquier categoria tienen embalajesde inferior calidad, mientras que los produc-tos de precio superior tienen embalajes dealta calidad. Los compradores utilizan los em-balajes como criterio para seleccionar el pro-ducto que van a comprar.

26 Stanley

Routine 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

as a rule of thumb por regla generalTo keep your store fresh and interesting,change your window displays often. As arule of thumb, change them every 5 to 8weeks if people drive by your store; every 2 to4 weeks if you're on a street with plenty of pe-destrian traffic.

be in a rutI've been doing the same job for the pastseven years, so I really feel I'm in a rut. Ineed something more challenging, or at leastsomething different.

practice makes perfectMany executives fail to realise that the onlyway to perfect their English is to practise it.Only regular and disciplined practice makesperfect.

kill time

Even in a slack period, there's always some-thing useful you can do. And personally, I findit's much easier to work than to kill the timedrinking endless cups of coffee and watchingthe clock.

red tapeThe situation was desperate and the stakeswere high. I asked for the total support of theboard. Once I got it, I could cut through thered tape, abolish committees, and act deci-sively.

run-of-the-mill

Special packaging, using embossed labels orspecial shapes and decorations, will differenti-ate quality products from run-of-the-millbrands.

from day to dayYou will need a certain amount of cash onhand to operate your business from day today. This can be calculated from yourmonthly expenditures or from surveying simi-lar businesses.

out of the ordinaryHe told his secretary she could contact him atthe golf club, but only if something really outof the ordinary came up.

Para que tu tienda siga teniendo un aspectoatractivo e interesante, cambia los escaparatescon frecuencia. Por regla general, c^mbialoscada 5 a 8 semanas si la gente pasa por tutienda en coche, y cada 2 a 4 semanas si es-tas en una calle con mucho trafico peatonal.

ser esclavo de la rutina

Llevo haciendo el mismo trabajo durante lossiete ultimos anos, asi que realmente me sien-to esclavo de la rutina. Necesito un desafiomayor, o al menos algo diferente.

la practica hace al maestroMuchos ejecutivos no terminan de darsecuenta de que la unica forma de perfeccionarsu ingles es practicandolo. Solo la practica dis-ciplinada hace al maestro.

pasar el ratoIncluso en periodos de poco trabajo, siemprehay algo util que hacer. En lo que a mi respec-ta, encuentro que es mucho m3s facil trabajarque pasar el rato bebiendo un sin fin de tazasde cafe y mirando el reloj.

papeleo burocraticoLa situaci6n era desesperada y habia muchoen juego. Pedi el apoyo incondicional de lajunta. Una vez que lo recibi, pude saltarme elpapeleo burocratico, eliminar los comites y ac-tuar con decisibn.

corriente

Los embalajes especiales en los que se utili-za etiquetas grabadas en relieve o figuras ydecoraciones especiales, diferencian los pro-ductos de calidad de las marcas corrientes.

de dia en dia - diarioNecesitaras cierta cantidad de dinero en efec-tivo para los gastos diarios de la empresa. Es-tos se pueden calcular segun tus gastosmensuales o estudiando casos similares.

fuera de lo comun, excepcional

Le dijo a su secretaria que podia ponerse encontacto con el en el club de golf, pero s6lo sisurgfa algo fuera de lo corriente.

Stan ley 27

7. Exercise 1,000 everyday idioms in business


1 Steady and calm, with no suddenchanges: La economia se ha estabilizado.

2 To obey orders, to conform to a policy:Lo estan obligando a seguir la Ifnea delpartido.

3 Moderate, unlikely to cause offence: He'sa dull sort of fellow with views onpractically everything.

4 (repeated or continuous actions) Formany consecutive days, one day afteranother: Escucho las mismas quejas todoel santo dia.

5 To do what one is expected to do butwithout enthusiasm or care: Loentrevistaron por pura formalidad.

6 (used to indicate that problems can bedealt with easily/ No worse than usual:This kind of pressure may seem exces-sive to someone who's not used to it, butto us it's .

7 To be as expected, to be typical: Estarde mal humor es su estado natural.

8 (usually expressing disapproval] In ac-cordance with a person's usual behav-iour: Como era de esperar, Ileg6 tarde.

9 According to what really happens: Enteoria tendriamos que contestar a todaslas cartas, pero en la practica es imposible.

10 To deal with a problem calmly, withoutneeding to make a special effort: Se lotoma todo con calma.

11 In a dull, unexciting way of life that isdifficult to change: Tienes que salir deesa rutina sofocante.

12 To do something automatically, withouthaving to be asked: Tenemos por normaconservar una copia.

13 (saying) Only by repeatedly practising anaction or activity can you learn to performit perfectly: La practica hace al maestro.

14 Usually, generally: Por lo general es muytrabajadora.

15 To become accustomed to an activity ortask and begin to do it well: Pronto lecogeras el tranquillo.

16 As an approximate guide to use for quickcalculations: Yo diria que el viaje llevaaproximadamente tres horas.

17 To do things to prevent oneself from be-ing bored, especially when one is forcedto wait: Mice el crucigrama para matarel tiempo.

18 The usual or popular thing to do or have:El pelo corto estaba a la orden del dia.

19 Bureaucratic papers, rules and formali-ties: You have to cut your way throughtons of if you want to start a com-pany in France.

20 From one place to the other repeatedly:Me he pasado el dia yendo y viniendoentre la casa y el despacho.

21 Average, ordinary, banal: Their new soft-ware is in no way exceptional; person-ally I find it very indeed.

22 As each day comes, routinely: This formis for filling in your expenses .

23 A continuous, easy situation without dif-ficulties: De ahora en adelante todo ser2coser y cantar.

24 Unusual, strange, odd: ^Notaste algofuera de lo comun?

25 Normally, in normal circumstances:I would never buy at these prices,

but as we need the goods urgently, I'mmaking an exception.

28 Stanley

8. Trading 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

wheel and deal trapichear

After Renault's deal with Nissan, who will benext? There are increasing signs that thewheeling and dealing in Japan's automo-tive industry has only just begun.

drive a hard bargain

The truth is that we need their business agreat deal more than they need ours. In otherwords, we can expect them to drive a veryhard bargain indeed.

pay through the nose

Watch your costs. If you are selling a fragilevase by mail, you may have to pay throughthe nose to see that it arrives intact. Forgetsuch additional costs and you can end up los-ing money on a hot product.

cost an arm and a leg

In Salzburg the best seats for operas cost anarm and a leg, which is to say about £270.

break even

Circulation of the new magazine inched uponly 15%, to 175,000 last year — far short ofthe 300,000 needed to break even.

sell like hot cakes

Customers raved about the new product. Weknew it would sell like hot cakes if only wecould reach a larger audience.

get one's foot in the door

Suppliers can easily become subcontractors,and vice versa. What makes both relationshipsso valuable is that they allow you to getyour foot in the door with not only that cor-poration but also other large companies itdoes business with.

change hands

Its stock is nearly always on the NYSE most ac-tive list — in fact, only Telefonos de Mexico,Ford, and Compaq have had more shareschange hands this year than Micron.

be in the market for sthWhen people buy a house, they're often alsoin the market for a refrigerator, paintingservices, homeowner's insurance, and the like.

Tras la uni6n de Renault y Nissan, ^a quien letocara? Hay cada vez mas senates de que lostrapicheos en la industria japonesa del auto-mdvil solo acaban de empezar.

poner las cosas diffciles

La verdad es que necesitamos de ellos muchomas de lo que ellos necesitan de nosotros. Enotras palabras, nos van a poner las cosas muydificiles.

pagar un dineral

Vigila tus gastos. Si estas vendiendo una jarrafragil por correo, puede que tengas que pa-gar un dineral para asegurarte de que llegueintacta. Si te olvidas de ese tipo de gastos adi-cionales puedes terminar perdiendo dinerocon un excelente producto.

costar una fortuna

En Salzburgo las mejores entradas para laopera cuestan una fortuna, es decir unas270 libras.

cubrir gastos

La circulaci6n de la nueva revista a duras penasse incremento en un 15%, hasta alcanzar los •175.000 ejemplares el ano pasado, lejos de los300.000 que se necesitaban para cubrir gastos.

venderse como rosquillas

Los clientes estan como locos con el nuevoproducto. Sabiamos que se venderia comorosquillas si tan s6lo pudiesemos llegar a unpublico mas amplio.

abrirse una brecha

Los suministradores pueden facilmente con-vertirse en subcontratistas y al reves. Lo quehace que estas relaciones sean tan valiosas esque te permiten abrir una brecha no s6lo conesa empresa en concrete sino en las grandesempresas con quienes negocian.

cambiar de dueno

Sus acciones estan casi siempre en la lista delas mas activas de la Bolsa de Nueva York; dehecho, s6lo las acciones de Telefonos deMexico, Ford y Compaq han cambiado masveces de dueno que las de Micron este ano.

interesarse en comprar algo

Cuando la gente se compra una casa, tam-bien esta interesada en comprar un frigorifi-co,contratar los servicios de un pintor, p6lizasde seguro y cosas semejantes.

Stan ley 29

Trading 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

price oneself out of the market

It can be argued that for years Apple, whosemachines cost about twice as much as PCs ofcomparable power and performance, simplypriced themselves out of the market.

at a price

The company will still handle special requests,but at a price. If you want us to do some-thing special, we will, but you'll have to payfor it.

be worth sb's while

Most magazine articles are written to providereaders with practical information they canuse, and writers like to illustrate the pointswith real-life examples. It's worth yourwhile to get your company cited as such anexample.

run short of sth

Fundamentally Korean companies have manystrengths, but they are over-reliant on bankborrowing, which means heavy interestcharges. The problem is that now everyone'srunning short of money.

put sth on the market

.Last year's export slowdown coincided with aperiod when large amounts of unwantedproperty were being put on the market.This caused strains in the banking system ofseveral countries, especially Thailand.

corner the market in sth

Nevada had cornered the market in ca-sino gambling until 1976, when New Jerseyapproved casinos to be built in Atlantic City.

flood the market with sth

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, the king-dom's equivalent of a central bank, floodedthe market with dollars, spending close to$ 1 bn to support the riyal.

it's six of the one and half adozen of the other

It's true that you can buy computers muchcheaper in the US than in Europe, but thenyou have to pay shipping costs and import

perder clientespor poner precios muy altos

Se puede argumentar que durante anosApple, cuyos ordenadores costaban el dobleque los PCs, con una potencia y rendimientocomparables, ha perdido clientes por mante-ner los precios tan altos.

a un precio caro

La empresa aim aceptara pedidos especiales,pero costar^n m3s. Si quiere que hagamosalgo especial, lo haremos, pero tendr3 quepagarlo.

valer la pena, merecer la pena

La mayoria de los articulos de las revistas es-ta"n escritos para facilitar a los lectores infor-macion que puedan poner en pr^ctica, y a losescritores les gusta respaldar sus declaracio-nes con ejemplos de la vida misma. Merece lapena conseguir que citen a tu empresa comoejemplo.

andar escaso de algo

Las empresas, coreanas principalmente, tienenmucho a su favor, pero dependen demasiadode los prestamos bancarios, lo cual significaelevados gastos en concepto de intereses. Elproblema es que ahora todos andan escasosde dinero.

salida al mercado,sacar algo a la venta

La desaceleracion de las exportaciones el anopasado coincidi6 con un periodo de salida almercado de un gran numero de inmuebles.Esto provoco cierta tensi6n en el sistema banca-rio de varios paises, en especial en Tailandia.

acaparar el mercado de algo

Nevada habia acaparado el mercado del jue-go hasta 1976, cuando Nueva Jersey aprobola creacibn de casinos en Atlantic City.

saturar el mercado con algo

La Agencia Monetaria de Arabia Saudi, elequivalente al banco central en dicho reino,satur6 el mercado de d6lares, gastandose casi1.000 millones de dolares para apoyar el rial.

viene a ser lo mismo

Es verdad que se pueden comprar ordena-dores mucho m3s baratos en los EstadosUnidos que en Europa, pero, por otro lado.

30 Stan ley

Trading ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

duties and so on, so you don't really gainanything. It's six of the one and half adozen of the other.

the going rate

Every industry has a going rate for peopleat all levels, and you usually have to pay itto have somebody good.

go public

Analysts have recently been speculatingthat Ikea might go public, but IngvarKamprad, founder and chairman of theworld's largest furniture retailer, yesterdayruled out that possibility.

give sb first refusal

Logan told me they might decide to selltheir premises in Linenhall Street. If they do,he's promised to give us first refusal.

go window-shoppingWe may be interested in engaging a con-sultant at some future date, but for the mo-ment we're still only window-shopping.

sell oneself short

I have two basic rules: when it comes toperformance, do a good job, and when itcomes to pricing, don't sell yourselfshort.

chicken feed

Commenting on the budget, Mr Harris said,"The extra £500m for the health service ischicken feed. It needs much, much more.'

like getting blood from a stone

Getting those people to pay on time is likegetting blood from a stone. If this situa-tion continues, we shall have to stop sup-plying them.

be in short supply

The emerging markets, home to 80% of theworld's population, have extraordinary po-tential for export sales. Yet, while Britainhas an important economic interest in theirdevelopment, business managers with theinsight and experience to exploit it are inshort supply

hay que pagar los costes de envio, los aran-celes y dem^s, asi que realmente no segana nada. Viene a ser lo mismo.

lo que se suele pagarCada industria tiene unos sueldos standardpara cada nivel, y hay que pagar bien si sequiere tener a alguien bueno.

salir a bolsa

Los analistas han estado especulando re-cientemente con la posibilidad de que Ikeasaiga a cotizar en bolsa, pero IngvarKamprad, el fundador y director de la ma-yor empresa de muebles del mundo, descar-to ayer esa posibilidad.

darle a alguien la primera optionLogan me dijo que quizes decidan vendersus locales de la calle Linenhall. Si lo hacen,ha prometido darnos la primera opci6n.

tantear

Puede que nos interese contratar unanalista en el future, pero de momento soloestamos tanteando.

no hacerse valer

Tengo dos reglas basicas: cuando se tratadel rendimiento, haz un buen trabajo, ycuando se trate del precio, hazte valer.

una miseria, una calderilla

Comentando el presupuesto, Mr. Harris dijo:"los 500 millones de libras adicionales parala sanidad son una miseria. Se necesita mas,mucho mas."

como sacar agua de las piedras

Conseguir que esas personas paguen pun-tualmente es como sacar agua de las pie-dras. Si esta situaci6n continua, tendremosque dejar de suministrarles.

escasear

Los mercados emergentes, donde habita el80% de la poblacion mundial, tienen un po-tencial extraordinario para nuestras exporta-ciones. Aun asi, aunque Gran Bretana tengaun importante interns econbmico en su de-sarrollo, escasean los directives con la perspi-cacia y experiencia suficientes para explotarlo.

Stan ley 31

8. Exercise ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To have one's expenses and losses ex-actly balanced by one's gains: It's obvi-ous now that we aren't going to makea profit; let's hope we can at least _

2 (time, money, coffee, etc.) Not to haveenough of something: Se nos est3acabando el dinero.

3 To put something up for sale: Pusimosla casa por venta por £150,000.

4 To pay a very high price for something:Nos cost6 un rinon.

5 To cost a large amount of money: Esecoche me cost6 un ojo de la cara.

6 To gain a monopoly of something:Han acaparado el mercado de libroselectr6nicos.

7 (money, goods, property, etc.) To besold or given to another person: Laempresa ha cambiado de dueno.

8 The usual price to pay for particulargoods or services at a given moment:Eso es lo que se suele pagar.

9 To give somebody the chance to buysomething before offering it to others:

da la primera opci6n?

1 0To act cleverly but often unscrupulouslyto get what one wants: He eats, drinks,sleeps, _ ; making money is the onlything that interests him.

1 1 To examine goods on sale but with nointention to purchase immediately: Ayerestuvimos mirando escaparates.

1 2 To ask so much money for a product orservice that no one wants to buy: Hansubido tanto los precios que se hanquedado sin compradores.

13 The same in one case as in the other:iLo hacemos hoy o manana? — Dalo mismo.

14To undervalue oneself: Tienes quehacerte valer.

15To gain an introduction or entranceto an organization, especially whenthis is difficult: Es una manera deintroducirte en la empresa.

16A very small amount of money (espe-cially in comparison with largeramounts): Pagan una miseria a susempleados.

17To want to buy a particular thing:Estan buscando semiconductores.

18 (goods, etc.I To put a very largenumber on sale at the same time:They're with cheap Taiwaneseimitations.

19 (used when trying to get somethingfrom someone who does not want togive it] Extremely difficult or impos-sible: Sacarle dinero a ese es comopedirle peras al olmo.

20To be hard and strong-willed in mak-ing business deals: Sabe comoconseguir lo que quiere.

21 To be scarce: Habla escasez de cobre.

22At a high price: I'm willing to helpyou, but of course.

23Be profitable to someone (to dosomething): Te convendrfa hacerteamigo suyo.

24^? company) To issue shares on theStock Exchange: At our present rateof expansion, we'll probably be in aposition to within 3 or 4 years.

25 (goods) To be bought very quickly be-cause of being popular: Sus libros seest^n vendiendo como rosquillas.

32 Stan ley

9. Thinking 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

rack one's brains devanarse los sesosI've been racking my brains trying to find asolution to this problem but I just can't do it.We're going to have to take it to an expert.

not have a clue

- Do you know how much they paid for it?- No, sorry, I don't have a clue.

have sth in mind

When a customer says, "Your price is toohigh," what should I say? Well, you might tryasking, "Why do you say that?," or "Whatprice did you have in mind?"

jump to conclusions

Was your banker really being mean when herejected your loan application? Don't jumpto conclusions. Perhaps you simply misinter-preted his frankness.

food for thought

This has been a very useful discussion. Con-structive criticism is always valuable and yourshas certainly given me food for thought.

have no idea

Many entrepreneurs admit they had no ideawhat they were getting into, no matter howmuch pre-launch research they carried out.

grey matterTo make sure that managers' grey matterstays focused on company goals. Ford has in-stituted a distinctive change in the way it paystop executives.

have sth at the back of ones mind

As foremen and supervisors, you will be re-quired to make many hard, on-the-spot deci-sions. However, the risk of causing a seriouslabour dispute should always be at the backof your mind.

bear sth in mindBear in mind that recruiters tend to be spe-cialists, often working exclusively in one nar-row niche such as financial services, manufac-turing, or high tech.

cross one's mindIt suddenly crossed my mind that he wasnot telling us everything he knew about thecompany's financial status.

He estado devanandome los sesos intentandoencontrar una soluci6n a este problema perono he podido. Vamos a tener que someterloal criterio de un experto.

no tener la menor idea

- iSabes cuanto han pagado por ello?- No, lo siento, no tengo ni idea.

estar pensando en algo

Cuando un cliente dice, "Su precio es dema-siado alto," ique deberia decir? Pues, podriasintentar preguntar, "^Por que dice usted eso?"o "iEn qu£ precio estaba usted pensando?"

sacar conclusiones precipitadas

^Realmente tu banquero te resulto desagrada-ble al decir que rechazaba tu solicitud deprestamo? No saques conclusiones precipita-das. Quizas simplemente interpretaste mal sufranqueza.

algo en que pensar

Esta ha sido una conversaci6n muy util. La cri-tica constructiva es siempre valiosa y la tuya,sin duda, me ha dado algo en que pensar.

no tener ni idea

Muchos empresarios admiten que no tenian niidea de d6nde se estaban metiendo, a pesarde toda la investigacion que llevaron a caboantes de lanzarse.

materia grisPara asegurarse de que la materia gris de losdirectives se mantiene centrada en las metasde la empresa. Ford ha establecido un cambioen la forma de pagar a sus altos ejecutivos.

tener algo en cuenta

Como capataces y supervisores, tendreis quetomar sobre la marcha muchas decisiones difi-ciles. Sin embargo, siempre deberiais tener encuenta el riesgo de provocar un serio conflictolaboral.

tener algo presenteTen presente que las empresas que contratanpersonal tienden a ser especialistas y que traba-jan muchas veces exclusivamente en un campomuy restringido, como son los servicios financie-ros, la fabricacibn o la alta tecnologia.

ocurrirsele a uno

De repente se me ocurri6 que no nos estabacontando todo lo que sabia sobre la situacidnfinanciera de la empresa.

Stan ley 33

Thinking 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

great minds think alike

If I understand you correctly, you think weshould increase our prices. Well, greatminds think alike, because that's my con-clusion also.

dead from the neck up

It's pointless asking Austin anything, he'sdead from the neck up. That plant in thecorner knows more about finance than hedoes.

see reason

He insists on sending the letter, even thoughit will only cause greater problems. I've ar-gued with him for hours but I can't make himsee reason.

think twice about doing sth

We had intended to build a new plant therebut the outbreak of political troubles madeus think twice.

be on the right track

The odds are that Korea will once again be-come an economic force. Kim's reforms, if car-ried out fully and vigorously, should eventu-ally get the country back on the righttrack.

put two and two together

When a substantial number of employeescalled in to say they were sick on the day ofthe World Cup final, we put two and twotogether and concluded these events werenot unrelated.

the whys and wherefores

For the moment, you don't need to worryabout the whys and wherefores of thischange in policy. All will become clear in duecourse.

bear no relation to sth

One problem is that this report was written inthe 1950s. Its conclusions probably bear norelation at all to present-day conditions.

have a mind of one's own

Don't waste your time asking McGrath for hisopinion. He doesn't have a mind of hisown. He's an apparatchik, he just does whathe's told.

los sabios siempre piensan igual

Si te he entendido bien, piensas que deberia-mos incrementar nuestros precios. Bueno, lossabios siempre pensamos igual, ya que esa estambien mi conclusion.

inutil, bobo

No tiene sentido pedirle nada a Austin, es uninutil. Esa planta del rincon sabe m^s sobre fi-nanzas que el.

entrar en razon

Insiste en enviar la carta, aunque s6lo causar3problemas. Llevo horas discutiendo con el,pero no puedo hacerle entrar en razon.

pensar algo dos veces antes dehacerlo

Habiamos pensado construir alii una nuevaplanta pero los disturbios politicos nos hanhecho pensarlo dos veces antes de hacerlo.

ir por buen camino

Lo mas seguro es que Corea sea una vez masuna fuerza econ6mica. Las reformas de Kim, sise llevan a cabo por completo y con teson,deberian a la larga volver a llevar al pais porel buen camino.

atar cabos

Cuando un numero elevado de empleados lla-maron por telefono para decir que estabanenfermos el dia en que se jugaba la final delmundial de futbol, atamos cabos y llegamos ala conclusi6n de que ambas cosas estaban re-lacionadas.

el como y el por que

De momento, no necesitas preocuparte delcomo y del por que de este cambio en politica.Todo quedara claro a su debido tiempo.

no guardarninguna relacion con algo

El problema es que este informe fue escrito enlos anos 50. Sus conclusiones no guardanprobablemente ninguna relacion con las con-diciones actuales.

tener sus propias opiniones

No pierdas el tiempo pidiendole a McGrath suopinion. No tiene opiniones propias. Es un ro-bot, solo hace lo que le mandan.

Stan ley34

Thinking 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

wishful thinking hacerse ilusiones

It's wishful thinking to expect all your cus-tomers to pay cash on the nail and all yoursuppliers to give you six months' credit. It sim-ply isn't going to happen.

in one's heart of hearts

The more he told me that all our troubleswould soon be over, the more I wanted to be-lieve him. But, of course, in my heart ofhearts I knew he was lying.

take sth at face value

An insecure secretary will say that the compu-ter is no good, difficult to learn, etc. But itwould be a mistake to take this response atface value and deal with it by trying to im-prove the computer system. The ostensible is-sue is masking the real problem.

toy with an idea

He was toying with the idea of selling thecompany; the problem was he had no ideawho might want to buy it.

have a brainwave

It was a technical problem we'd been trying invain to solve for weeks. Then, one morning,as I was stepping out of the shower, I had abrainwave. It was simple!

come to think of it ...

- 1 wonder where McCabe is these days. Ihaven't seen him for ages.- Come to think of it, neither have I.

El esperar que todos tus clientes paguen enefectivo y que todos tus proveedores te dencredito durante seis meses es hacerse ilusio-nes. Eso sencillamente no va a ocurrir.

en lo mas Intimo de su corazon

Cuanto mas me contaba que nuestros proble-mas pronto se acabarian, mas inclinado esta-ba a creerle. Pero, claro, en el fondo sabiaque estaba mintiendo.

creer algo a pies juntillas

Una secretaria mediocre se excusaria diciendoque el ordenador no es bueno, que es dificilde manejar, etc. Pero seria un error creerseesta respuesta a pies juntillas y tratar de mejo-rar el sistema del ordenador. El tema aparenteesta ocultando el autentico problema.

barajar una idea

Estaba barajando la idea de vender la empre-sa; el problema era que no tenfa ni idea dequien querria comprarla.

tener una idea iuminosa

Era un problema tecnico que habiamos estadointentando solucionar en vano durante sema-nas. Entonces, una mafiana, al salir de la du-cha, tuve una idea Iuminosa. jEra sencillo!

ahora que lo pienso...

- Me pregunto d6nde se ha metido McCabeestos dias. No le he visto desde hace siglos.-Ahora que lo pienso, yo tampoco.

Stan ley 35

9. Exercise ,000 everyday idioms in bus iness


1 Something that causes one to thinkcarefully: Las palabras de su jefe lehicieron reflexionar.

2 Not to know something at all: No tengoni la mas minima idea de lo que estashablando.

3 (saying, used humourously to praiseoneself on finding that someone's elsethinks exactly the same thing) All veryclever people have the same opinions,judgements, etc.

4 To be stupid: No tiene dos dedos def rente.

5 To have no idea about something: Notengo la menor idea de cuanto cuesta.

6 To accept advice, admit the truth of anargument, etc: No quiere atender arazones.

7 To think carefully before doing some-thing: Lo va a pensar dos veces antesde volver a faltarme al respeto.

8 Brains, reasoning abilities: jUtiliza lamateria gris!

9 Thinking correctly, moving in theright direction to get the desired re-sult: Me parece que asi vamos por elbuen camino.

1OTo consider or intend something: Lotenia en mente para ese puesto.

11 To make a correct guess based on whatone already knows: Muy pronto at6cabos.

12 To think very hard trying to find theanswer to a difficult problem: Sedevan6 los sesos buscando una excusa.

13 To have an independent character:Sabe muy bien lo que quiere.

14 To consider something or keep it inone's mind: Ten en cuenta que tienesque volver antes de las cinco.

15 Believing something to be true orpossible because one would like it tobe so: ^Mas dinero? No te hagasilusiones.

16 To be in a hurry to form a judgementor opinion, usually a wrong one: jNote precipites en sacar conclusiones!

17 In the deepest part of one's mind orfeelings: En su fuero interno sabia queno habfa esperanza.

18 To have nothing to do with something:Su respuesta no guarda ningunarelaci6n con la pregunta.

19 (ideas, worries, intentions) To have inone's thoughts: He tenido presente lode la entrevista durante todo el dia.

20 To accept something as it appears tobe on the surface: Yo me crei lo quedijo: ipor que iba a mentir?

21 Think about an action with only avague intention of actually doing it: Lehe estado dando vueltas a la idea decomprarme un barco.

22 (used when the speaker wants to addto a previous statement something hehas just thought of) When one consid-ers the facts: Lo podria haber hechoayer, ahora que lo pienso.

23 Suddenly to have a good idea: Tuveuna idea genial (se me encendib la luz).

24 The purpose or reasons behind some-thing: Siempre quiere saber todas lasrazones.

25 To come into one's mind fleetingly: Nise le pas6 por la cabeza.

36 Stanley

1O. Understanding 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

there's more tothis than meets the eyeThe quality of a knife depends on much morethan meets the eye, but mostly on theblade and on the amount of carbon used inthe steel.

cannot make head or tail of sthI've been studying these diagrams all morningbut I can't make head or tail of them.Can you explain them to me?

it's all Greek to meHe gave me a brief explanation of how the newcomputer system worked but, to tell you thetruth, it was all Greek to me.

read between the linesHow did Michael Bloomberg become the headof a billion-dollar empire? Well, you may have toread between the lines, but some hintsawait the careful reader of Bloomberg's recentlypublished memoirs.

get the hang of sthlacocca says, "I'm still in demand as a publicspeaker because I'm good at it. When you'vetalked for 45 years, you get the hang of it.And I have 616 speeches to draw from onvarious subjects".

get the pictureMy idea was to deliver an oil change the wayother companies deliver pizzas, to people'shomes. But the banks couldn't understand theconcept. Finally bank number 12 got thepicture and lent me the capital.

make allowances for sthSuccessful teamwork depends mainly on itsmembers' willingness to work together andmake allowances for each other's faults andweaknesses.

not know the first thing about sthThere are a great many entrepreneurs thathave great ideas and a lot of talent, but don'tknow the first thing about running abusiness.

be out of one's depthMany European companies still do not realisehow important e-mail has become. This maybe because, when it comes to informationtechnology, the average European company

es mas complicadode lo que pareceLa calidad de un cuchillo es algo mas compli-cado de lo que parece, pero depende princi-palmente de la hoja y de la cantidad decarbono utilizado en el acero.

no tener ni pies ni cabezaHe estado estudiando estos diagramas toda lamanana pero no les encuentro ni pies ni cabe-za. {.Me los puedes explicar?

me suena a chinoMe dio una explicaci6n breve sobre c6mo fun-cionaba el nuevo sistema informatico pero, adecir verdad, me son6 todo a chino.

leer entre lineas£C6mo es que Michael Bloomberg se convirtioen el presidente de un imperio de mil millonesde dolares? Bueno, puede que tengas queleer entre lineas, pero se dan algunas pistas alos atentos lectores de las memorias deBloomberg, recientemente publicadas.

cogerle el tranquillo a algoSegun lacocca, "Sigo estando solicitado comoorador publico porque se me da bien. Cuandohas hablado durante 45 anos, le coges eltranquillo. Ademas tengo 616 discursos de te-mas variados de donde sacar material."

entender, enterarseMi idea era ofrecer un cambio de aceite asicomo otras empresas entregan pizzas a domi-cilio. Pero los bancos no terminaban de enten-der el concepto. Al final, el banco num.12comprendio la idea y me prest6 el capital.

tener paciencia con algoEl exito del trabajo en equipo depende princi-palmente de la buena voluntad de los sociospara trabajar juntos y tener paciencia con los fa-llos y debilidades de los demas.

no saber nadaen absolute sobre algoHay una gran cantidad de empresarios quetienen grandes ideas y mucho talento, perono saben nada en absolute sobre como llevaruna empresa.

perderse, no entender nadaMuchas empresas europeas aun no se dancuenta de la importancia del correo electr6-nico. Esto puede ser porque, en lo que atecnologia de la informaci6n se refiere, el tipico

Stanley 37

Understanding 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

director is completely out of his depth.

go right over one's head

You know what lawyers are like, full of jargonand technical terms and references to obscureprecedents. Most of what they were sayingwent straight over my head.

have a good head for sth

We always knew he would be an accountantor a banker or something like that. Even as achild, he had a good head for figures.

the mind bogglesThe mind boggles at the array of productsexecutives are buying in order to de-stress:"relaxation pillows', aromatherapy oils, herbalteas, goggles that emit relaxing light waves.

the penny droppedWe had been trying to tell him politely thatwe were not going to renew his employmentcontract, but he hadn't understood. Thensomeone asked him if he had any plans forthe future and the penny dropped.

fall into place

You mustn't overprepare. If you really want todo something, you can't wait until every littledetail is ready. Just start and you'll find thatmost things will fall into place later.

get hold ofthe wrong end of the stick

Wait a minute, Frank, you seem to have gothold of the wrong end of the stick here.My position is exactly the opposite of whatyou think it is.

know one's stuff

She answered all my questions about exportconditions without even pausing for thought.I must say, she certainly seems to know herstuff.

get one's wires crossed

Thanks to cellular phones and laptop comput-ers, the main office can communicate at anytime with sales representatives on the road.We can get things done quickly and effi-ciently, without getting our wires crossed.

director de empresa europea est3 totalmenteperdido.

ser demasiado contplicado para uno

Ya sabes c6mo son los abogados: recurren asu jerga, a terminos tecnicos y se refieren aconfuses antecedentes. Casi todo lo que de-cian era demasiado complicado para mi.

tener facilidad para algo

Siempre supimos que seria banquero, conta-ble o algo parecido. Incluso de nino, tenia fa-cilidad para los numeros.

alucinar

Uno alucina al ver el conjunto impresionantede productos que compran los ejecutivos paraeliminar el estres: almohadas de relajacion,aceites de aromaterapia, tes de hierbas, gafasque emiten ondas de luz relajante...

caer en la cuenta

Habiamos estado intentando decirle con indi-rectas que no ibamos a renovar su contratode trabajo, pero no habia entendido. Enton-ces alguieri le pregunt6 si tenia planes para elfuturo y cayo en la cuenta.

encajar, cuadrar

No deberias excederte en tu preparacion. Sirealmente quieres hacer algo, no puedes es-perar a que cada pequeno detalle est£ listo.No tienes m3s que empezar y encontraras quela mayoria de las cosas encajaran m^s tarde.

coger el rabano por las hojas

Espera un minuto, Frank, parece que has cogidoel r^hano por las hojas. Mi postura es exactamen-te lo contrario de lo que crees.

saber de lo que uno esta hablando

Ella contest6 a todas mis preguntas sobre lascondiciones de exportacion sin ni siquiera pa-rarse a pensar. Debo decir que sabe de lo queest3 hablando.

tener los cables cruzados

Gracias a los telefonos m6viles y a los ordena-dores portables, la oficina principal puede co-municarse a cualquier hora con loscomerciales que estan de viaje. Podemos ha-cer las cosas r^pida y eficazmente sin que senos crucen los cables.

38 Stan ley

Understanding ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

not see the point of doing sthI really don't see the point of equippingour secretaries with the most powerful, mostsophisticated computers on the market if theyare only going to perform simple tasks liketyping memos and letters.

lose the threadI wonder if you'd mind going over those lastfew points again, please. I think I lost thethread somewhere in the middle of your ar-gument.

you can't see'the wood for the treesWhen people are deeply involved in this kindof research, they often lose sight of the mainobjective. They become so obsessed with de-tails that they can't see the wood for thetrees.

give sb to understand that ...At my interview with the Personnel Manager,I was given to understand that the salarywould be paid on the basis of 13 months peryear, not 12.

the ins and outs of sthTopfer was completely familiar with the insand outs of purchasing and manufacturing,so he was exactly the right man to handleday-to-day operations.

let me get this straight

Let me get this straight: you're saying thatsuccess can be disastrous if the company isn'tprepared for it. Is that right?

get to the bottom of a matterWe've had four complaints this week from cus-tomers who say they've received goods theydidn't order. I want you to get to the bot-tom of this matter and put it right.

From now on, I want safety regulations to bestrictly observed. If a worker refuses to wearhearing protection when he should be wear-ing it, dismiss him. The others will soon getthe message.

no entenderla necesidad de hacer algoNo entiendo por que es necesario equipar anuestras secretarias con los ordenadores maspotentes y sofisticados del mercado si solo van allevar a cabo tareas sencillas como escribir notasy cartas.

perder el hiloMe pregunto si te importaria repasar esosultimos puntos una vez mas, por favor. Creoque he perdido el hilo en medio de tus ex-plicaciones.

los arbolesno dejan ver el bosqueCuando la gente est3 profundamente inmersaen este tipo de investigaci6n, suele perder lanocion del objetivo principal. Se obsesionande tal forma con los detalles que los arbolesno les dejan ver el bosque.

dar a entender que ...En mi entrevista con el Director de Personal,me dio a entender que el sueldo se pagariasobre una base anual de 1 3 meses, no de 1 2.

los pormenores de algoTopfer estaba completamente familiarizadocon los pormenores de las compras y de la fa-bricaci6n, asi que era exactamente el hombreindicado para llevar a cabo las operacionesdiarias.

a ver si me aclaro

A ver si me aclaro: iest^s diciendo que el exitopuede ser desastroso si la empresa no est3preparada para ello? ^Es asi?

llegar al fondo de un asuntoHemos tenido esta semana cuatro quejas declientes diciendo que han recibido materialesque no han pedido. Quiero que llegues alfondo de este asunto y lo arregles.

coger la onda, captar el mensajeDe ahora en adelante, quiero que se cumplanestrictamente las medidas de seguridad. Si unobrero se niega a ponerse proteccion de oidoscuando deberia hacerlo, despidele. Los demaspronto cogeran la onda.

Stan ley 39

get the message

1O. Exercise 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s


1 To understand the situation: Leete esto,enseguida te haras una idea.

2 To be in a situation one cannot under-stand because of lack of knowledge,experience, etc: Trate de leer a Marxpero pronto me perdf.

3 (an expression of incomprehension ordisbelief) My mind cannot accept that!:Se qued6 boquiabierto pensando enesa cantidad de dinero.

4 To be unable to make any sense ofsomething: No le veo ni pies ni cabezaa este diagrama.

5 To know a great deal about one's jobor a particular subject: Parece saber delo que esta hablando.

6 To be beyond somebody's ability tounderstand: No entendi nada de suconferencia.

7 To understand, to realise: Aqui no eresbienvenido. £Me explico?

8 To misunderstand what another personmeans or wants: Me parece que nohablamos de lo mismo.

9 The meaning of something, e.g. a re-mark or a joke, is finally understood: Alfinal se dio cuenta.

10 (idea, process, person, etc.) This is morecomplicated than it seems: Ese softwarees mas dificil de lo que parece.

11 To misunderstand something com-pletely: Como de costumbre, tomb elrabano por las hojas.

12 Not to understand the purpose or useof something: No entiendo por que esnecesario hacerlo.

13 Not to know anything at all about a sub-ject: No sabes nada en absolute de esto.

14 To fail to follow the course of an argu-ment or conversation: Perdf el hilo desu razonamiento.

15 To fail to have a clear understandingof something because of a largenumber of unimportant and distractingdetails: Los aYboles no les dejan ver elbosque.

16 To understand more than is actuallywritten or spoken: Leyendo entrellneas, yo dirfa que tienen problemaseconbmicos.

17 To cause someone to believe some-thing: Me ha dado a entender que semarcha.

18 To be clever at doing something, e.g.mathematics, figures: Tiene cabeza paralos negocios.

19The intricate details of something:Cuesta entender todos los detalles delfuncionamiento de la ley.

20 (facts, events, etc.) To be seen in itscorrect place, so that the whole thingcan be fully understood: Las cosasempiezan a cuadrar.

21 To understand how to do something:Nunca le cogi el tranquillo al golf.

22 Let me understand this correctly: A versi nos entendemos, <j.nos faltan millibras para alcanzar nuestro objetivo?

23 To take mitigating circumstances intoaccount: Tienes que ser indulgente conel, es muyjoven.

24 Find out the reason for something:Estaba dispuesta a llegar al fondo delasunto.

25 To be incomprehensible to someone:Me suena a chino.

40 Stanley

11. Discussions 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

face to face cara a cara

A sales pitch delivered over the telephone isdefinitely different from one given face toface. But it is not necessarily less effective.

pick sb's brainsTo identify areas of opportunity. BusinessWeek picked the brains of leading marketstrategists.

beg to differ

Most analysts said they believed the Budget tobe neutral for the stock market. Investors intobacco stocks might beg to differ however,following the chancellors decision to increasecigarette duty.

agree to differ

We spent two hours trying to reach an agree-ment on the best strategy to employ, but ourpositions were simply irreconcilable. In theend, we agreed to differ and moved on tothe next subject.

split hairs

Instead of addressing the first item on theagenda, they wasted nearly half an hoursplitting hairs about the wording of theminutes of the previous meeting.

be all ears

-1 think I may have found a way to increaseour profits substantially.- Tell me more, I'm all ears.

talk at cross-purposes

Wait a minute. Bill, I think we're talking atcross-purposes here. I wasn't referring tolast year's production figures but to this year's.

talk through one's hatYou're talking through your hat. It's obviousthat you don't know the first thing aboutmodern production methods.

not to mention ...

According to Intel, the computer will emergeas the central processing unit for every enter-tainment and information apparatus in thehouse — not to mention the lights andthermostat.

set the record straightJust to set the record straight, it was Iwho wrote the report you quoted from earlier,and not Mr Auger as you seem to think.

Stanley

Una presentacion comercial por telefono escompletamente distinta a una presentada cara acara. Pero no por ello es menos eficaz.

hacer una consulta a alguien

Para identificar areas de oportunidad, Busi-ness Week consulto a los principalsestrategas de mercados.

lamentar no estar de acuerdo

La mayoria de los analistas dijeron que creianque el presupuesto era neutral para la bolsa.Sin embargo los inversores en acciones de ta-baco podrian no estar de acuerdo, tras la de-cision del canciller de incrementar el impuestosobre el tabaco.

estar de acuerdo en discreparPasamos dos horas intentando llegar a unacuerdo sobre la mejor estrategia a emplear,pero nuestras posturas eran sencillamente irre-conciliables. Al final, nos pusimos de acuerdoen discrepar, y pasamos al siguiente tema.

rizar el rizo

En vez de tratar el primer punto del temario,perdieron casi media hora rizando el rizo so-bre la redaccion del resumen de la reunion an-terior.

ser todo oidos

- Creo haber encontrado una forma de incre-rnentar sustancialmente nuestros beneficios.- Cuentamelo, soy todo oidos.

hablar de cosas distintas

Espera un minuto. Bill, creo que estamos ha-blando de cosas distintas. No me referia a lascifras de produccion del ano pasado, sino alas de este ano.

decir tonterias

Estas diciendo tonterias. Es obvio que no sa-bes ni lo mas minimo sobre los metodos deproduccion modernos.

ademas de...

De acuerdo con Intel, el ordenador consti-tuira la unidad central de proceso para cadauno de los aparatos domesticos de informa-cion y ocio, ademas de la iluminacion y deltermostato.

aclarar un malentendidoSolo para aclarar un malentendido, fui yoquien escribio el informe que citaste antes, yno Mr. Auger, como crees.

41

Discussions 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

for the sake of argumentI think you're probably right and that we willmake a substantial profit next year. But let'ssay, for the sake of argument, that wemake a small profit or only break even. Whathappens then?

put words into sb's mouthNow don't start putting words into mymouth. I didn't say that we're going to closedown the Croydon plant. I said we're going tohave to find a way to stop losing moneythere. That's a different matterentirely.

get a word in edgewaysDiscussions with Goldman tend to be ratherone-sided. Once he starts talking, you can'tget a word in edgeways.

scratch the surfaceWithout detailed figures we can't hope to domore than scratch the surface of this prob-lem. I suggest we have a proper discussion assoon as the figures are available.

on the one hand ...on the other hand ...Since the 1950s, British policy has beenmarked by lack of enthusiasm for the Euro-pean project on the one hand, and fear ofexclusion on the other.

for one thingWhat does the employee get out of a profit-sharing arrangement? For one thing,money. For another, a sense of pride and be-longing.

compare notesI'd like to have your opinion of the proposedadvertising campaign. Why don't we get to-gether and compare notes?

put oneself in sb else's shoesPut yourself in the customer's shoes. Ifyou're worrying about how to make thingsright, take a look at the situation from his per-spective.

off the recordMost of our information was obtained by vari-ous unofficial means: rumours, off-the-record briefings, leaks, indiscretions, etc.Hence, it may not be entirely reliable.

pongamos por caso.Creo que seguramente tienes raz6n y que sa-caremos un beneficio sustancial el ano queviene. Pero pongamos por caso que obtenga-mos un beneficio pequefio o que s6lo salimosa la par. ^Que pasara entonces?

poner palabrasen boca de alguienNo pongas en mi boca cosas que no he di-cho. No dije que ibamos a cerrar la planta deCroydon. Dije que vamos a tener que encon-trar una forma de dejar de perder dinero alii.Es algo completamente distinto.

meter bazaLas conversaciones con Goldman tienden aser poco equilibradas. Una vez que empieza ahablar, no es posible meter baza.

tratar algo muy por encimaSin cifras detalladas, no podemos esperar ha-cer nada mas que tratar este problema muypor encima. Sugiero que tengamos una con-versacion como Dios manda en cuanto esascifras esten disponibles.

por una parte ... por otra ...Desde los anos 50, la politica britanica ha es-tado marcada por una falta de entusiasmo ha-cia el proyecto europeo por una parte, y porel miedo a ser excluidos por otra.

en primer lugar; entre otras cosasconsigue el empleado con un acuerdo

de beneficios compartidos? Para empezar, di-nero. Ademas, un sentimiento de orgullo y depertenencia.

cambiar impresionesMe gustaria conocer tu opinion sobre la pro-puesta para la campana publicitaria. ^Por queno nos reunimos y cambiamos impresiones?

ponerse en el lugar de alguienPonte en el lugar del cliente. Si te estas pre-ocupando por hacer las cosas bien, mira la si-tuaci6n desde su punto de vista.

confidencialmenteLa mayor parte de nuestra informaci6n hasido obtenida de forma extraoficial: rumores,informacion confidencial, filtraciones, indiscre-ciones, etc. Por lo tanto, puede que no seadel todo fiable.

42 Stan ley

Discussions 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

it stands to reason that ...In a world where the skills you have deter-mine how successful you are, it stands toreason that the more skills you have, the bet-ter your chances for success.

be beside the pointThe real issue is whether we need this equip-ment or not. The fact that it's being offered ata particularly low price is quite beside thepoint.

be neither here nor thereIf he's the best man for the job, he'll get thejob - and that's all there is to it. The fact thathe's the GM's son is neither here northere.

at issueThe point at issue is not how much we aregoing to invest in your company, but if we aregoing to invest in your company.

that rings a bell- Do you remember Bill Johnson?- Well, the name rings a bell, but I can'tquite think who he is.

play devil's advocateIt's possible, and even probable, that our en-thusiasm for this project has blinded us to itsweaknesses. That's why I want you to playdevil's advocate. The more objections youcan raise, the better.

es logico queEn un mundo donde las habilidades que unotiene determinan el exito que se va a conse-guir, es logico que cuantas mas habilidades setengan, mas posibilidades existen de alcanzarel exito.

no venir al casoLo que estamos debatiendo es si necesitamoseste equipo o no. El hecho de que lo ofrezcana un precio muy bajo no viene al caso.

no venir al casoSi es la persona mas indicada para el puesto,conseguira el puesto- y no hay mas que decir.El hecho de que sea el hjjo del director gene-ral no viene al caso.

en cuestion, a debatirEl tema en cuestion no es cuanto vamos a in-vertir en tu empresa, sino si vamos a invertiren ella.

esto me suena- iTe acuerdas de Bill Johnson?- Pues, creo que me suena el nombre, pero nocaigo en quien es.

hacer de abogado del diabloEs posible, e incluso probable, que nuestroentusiasmo hacia este proyecto no nos hayadejado ver sus puntos debiles. Por eso quieroque hagas de abogado del diablo. Cuantasmas pegas puedas sugerir, mejor.

Stan ley 43

11. Exercise 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espahol, traducela al ingles.

1 To argue over small or unimportant details:Quejarse de la fecha seria hilar muy fino.

2 To question somebody to find out hisknowledge and ideas about a subject: Heobviously invited me to lunch so he could_ about the Locksley Hall project; hetalked about nothing else.

3 To correct erroneous information or be-liefs: Before we go any further, I want to_ on a few important points whichyou seem to have misunderstood.

4 In the first place, to start with, one reasonis... : En primer lugar, se est2 haciendo muytarde y estoy cansado.

5 To be extremely attentive to what someone isabout to say: Soy todo oidos.

6 To exchange opinions with another per-son: You know what's happening in Ku-wait, I know what's happening in SaudiArabia, so why don't we get together and

7 To imagine oneself in somebody else'sposition: The skilled negotiator knows howto _ of his adversary.

8 In the actual presence of some other per-son: They had often spoken on the tel-ephone but they did not meet _ untila few months ago.

9 (used when the speaker does not want hiswords to be reported publicly) Unofficially:El ministro hablaba extraoficialmente.

1 0 (used to introduce another important ele-ment which hasn't been referred to so far]As well as, and also: Esta el problema deltiempo y no digamos ya el costo.

1 1 It follows logically that..., it is obviousthat... : Es evidente que no querra^ volvera comprarlo.

12 In order to consider the possibility:Pongamos por caso que fuera culpable.

13 To be irrelevant: Your observations areinteresting, but I'm afraid they're quite

14 To agree not to argue any more becauseneither side will change its opinion:Dejemoslo, ni tu me vas a convencer ami ni yo a ti.

15 Being discussed or being decided on:May I remind you that the point isnot where we are going to install thenew machines, but if we really need tobuy them.

16 To state that someone said somethinghe didn't say, or to suggest that he isabout to say something which, in fact,he has no intention of saying: Don't

into my mouth, that's not what Iwas going to say at all.

17 To say things that are incorrect or fool-ish: Esta diciendo tonterias, como decostumbre.

18 To be unimportant or irrelevant: Susobjeciones no vienen al caso.

19 To misunderstand each other's point ofview, intentions, etc: Estaban hablandode dos cosas distintas.

20 To disagree with somebody politely butfirmly: Si me permite, en ese punto noestoy de acuerdo.

21 To remind someone vaguely of some-thing: Arthur Ferguson? Yes, the name

, but I can't put a face to it.22 To deal with a subject superficially: Este

articulo no profundiza en el problema.23 To argue against an idea although one

may agree with it to test its validity: O.K.,John, I want you to and to raise asmany objections as you can to my plan.

24 (used to emphasize the difference be-tween two statements or positions) Inone case ... in the other case: it'svital that we implement these measures,

we can't possibly afford to imple-ment them.

25 To be unable to participate in a conver-sation because someone else is talkinga great deal: No me dejaron meter baza.

44 Stan ley

12. Meetings 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

get down to business entrar en materia

In Arab countries, before getting down tobusiness, you are generally expected tospend about half an hour making small talkand building a relationship.

start the ball rolling

After a few general remarks, the directorstarted the ball rolling by saying that an-nual profits were down by nearly 20% andthat he would welcome suggestions on howto reverse this trend.

take sth as read

Minutes of the last meeting have been circu-lated to you, so, if you all agree, I think wecan take them as read and move on to thefirst item on the agenda.

beat about the bushListen, why don't you stop beating aboutthe bush and simply tell us how much allthis is going to cost?

get to the pointExcuse me for interrupting you, Graham.What you're saying is most interesting but I'mafraid our time is limited. Can you please getto the point?

get one nowhere

He's a very clever man, but year after year he'sbeen passed over for promotion. His abilitieshave got him nowhere.

go over old groundWe have a very heavy agenda, Jones, so don'twaste time going over old ground. Justbring us up to date on recent developments.

put out heads togetherYour plans are interesting but much too ex-pensive. Why don't we put our heads to-gether some day next week and see if wecan't find some way to reduce the costs?

speak to the purpose

Listen, we don't have much time. If you can'tsay anything that's to the purpose, it wouldbe better if you said nothing at all.

cover a lot of ground

The early Coca-Cola advertisement, stressingthat the drink was delicious, delightful,healthy, and indispensable for the relief of

En los paises arabes, antes de entrar en mate-ria, se espera que pases media hora hablandode cosas intranscendentes, creando una rela-cion personal.

ir al grano,poner las cosas en marcha

Tras unos comentarios generales, el directorfue al grano anunciando que los beneficiosanuales habian bajado casi un 20% y que lassugerencias de como invertir esta tendenciaserian bien recibidas.

dar algo por sentado

El resumen de la ultima reunion ha sido reparti-do a todos vosotros, asi que, si estais de acuer-do, creo que podemos darlo por sentado ycontinuar con el primer punto del temario.

andarse por las ramas

Escucha, ipor que no dejas de andarte por lasramas y terminas por decirnos cuanto nos vaa costar todo esto?

ir al grano

Disculpame por interrumpirte, Graham. Loque dices es de lo mas interesante pero metemo que nos quedamos sin tiempo. Podriasir al grano, ipor favor?

no conducir a nada

Es un hombre muy listo, pero ano tras ano hanpasado por encima suyo, negandole el ascenso.Sus habilidades no le han conducido a nada.

repetir la mis ma cancion

Tenemos un temario muy apretado, Jones, asique no pierdas el tiempo repitiendo la mismacanci6n. Limitate a informarnos de los ultimosacontecimientos.

tratar los dos de resolverlo

Tus planes son interesantes pero muy caros.i?or qu6 no nos reunimos la semana que vie-ne y tratamos de encontrar alguna forma dereducir los costes?

hablar muy a proposito

Escucha, no tenemos mucho tiempo. Si nopuedes concentrarte en el tema seria mejorque no dijeras nada.

tocar muchos puntos

El anuncio antiguo de Coca-Cola, que ase-guraba que la bebida era deliciosa, agrada-ble, sana e indispensable para aliviar el

Stan ley 45

Meetings 1,000 eve ryday id ioms in bus iness

mental and physical exhaustion, covered agreat deal of ground.

cut sth short

We got an emergency call saying there hadbeen an explosion at one of the plants, sonaturally we cut the meeting short.

for the record

I wish to state for the record that I am com-pletely opposed to this decision.

when all is said and done

When all is said and done, Microsoft willprobably make a great deal of money on its$ 150 million investment in Apple.

have one's say

You can defuse angry customer encountersby remaining positive, by letting peoplehave their say, and then trying to reasonthings out.

a show of hands

It was clear that the management team wasdivided on the question. To save time, thechairman suggested the matter be resolved bya show of hands.

lose sight of sth

Hayes reminds his sales team that when theyfeel discouraged, it's probably becausethey've lost sight of their goals.

I stand corrected

I was quite unaware of the situation you havejust described. I realise now that I judged youunfairly and stand corrected. Please acceptmy apologies.

go off at a tangent

The problem with Parker is that if anyoneinterrupts him with a question, he'll go offat a tangent and waste hours of every-body's time.

hold forth

Soames is such a windbag! At the beginningof the meeting he held forth for nearly halfan hour on the need to keep our argumentsprecise and to the point.

lay it on the line

Let me lay it on the line for you, gentle-men. If there are any more accidents becausebasic safety measures are being ignored, I willhold you directly responsible.

agotamiento mental y fisico, tocaba muchospuntos.

cortar algo

Recibimos una llamada de emergencia dicien-do que se habia producido una explosion enuna de las plantas, asi que naturalmente cor-tamos la reunibn.

que conste ...

Deseo que conste que estoy totalmente encontra de esta decisibn.

al final, al fin y al cabo

Al final, Microsoft ganara seguramente unagran cantidad de dinero con su inversi6n de1 50 millones de d6lares en Apple.

dar su opinion

Se puede tranquilizar a los clientes airadossiendo positive, dejando que den su opinion,y luego intentar razonar con ellos.

una votacion a mano alzada

Estaba claro que el equipo directive estaba di-vidido sobre este tema. Para ahorrar tiempo,el presidente sugirio que se resolviese el asun-to con una votaci6n a mano alzada.

perder algo de vista

Hayes recuerda a su equipo comercial que sise sienten desanimados, es probablementeporque han perdido de vista sus metas.

reconozco mi error

No estaba en absolute al tanto de la situaci6nque acabas de describir. Ahora me doy cuentade que te habia juzgado mal y reconozco mierror. Por favor, acepta mis disculpas.

salirse por la tangente

El problema con Parker es que si alguien le in-terrumpe con una pregunta, se sale por latangente y hace perder el tiempo a todo elmundo.

hablar largo y tendido

jSoames es un charlatan! Al principio de la re-uni6n hablo largo y tendido durante casi mediahora sobre la necesidad de precisar nuestros ar-gumentos y de ir al grano.

dejar algo bien claro

Voy a dejarles algo bien claro, caballeros. Sihay algun accidente mas porque no se hanrespetado las medidas de seguridad, les har£directamente responsables de ello.

46 Stanley

Meetings 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

go round and round in circles

The G7 seems to spend much of its time go-ing round and round in circles. Onceagain, everyone was agreed that more shouldbe done to stimulate global growth. And onceagain, opinions differed as to where the re-sponsibility should lie.

play it by ear

dar vueltas sin llegar a nada

Of course it's always better to prepare formeetings properly, but often you simply don'thave time. And if you're unprepared, all youcan do is play it by ear.

tie up loose ends

We've covered everything on the agenda.However, before I bring the meeting to aclose, I'd like to tie up a few loose ends.

short and sweet

I realise you're all very busy men, so, althoughthis is a highly complicated matter, I'll keep myremarks short and sweet.

in a nutshell

We are losing customers because we are un-able to supply them quickly enough — that'sthe problem in a nutshell. The next questionis: what are we going to do about it?

El G7 parece pasar la mayor parte del tiempodando vueltas sin llegar a una conclusion.Una vez mas, todos estaban de acuerdo enque habia que hacer algo mas para estimularel crecimiento global. Una vez mas, las opinio-nes diferian sobre quien deberia asumir la res-ponsabilidad.

improvisar

Claro que siempre es mejor prepararse ade-cuadamente para una reuni6n, pero muchasveces no se tiene tiempo. Y si no se esta pre-parado, lo unico que se puede hacer es im-provisar.

atar los cabos sueltos

Hemos cubierto todo el temario. Sin embargo,antes de concluir la reunion, me gustaria atarlos cabos sueltos.

breve

Me doy cuenta de que estais todos muy ocupa-dos, asi que aunque se trate de un tema muycomplicado, sere breve.

en pocas palabras

Estamos perdiendo clientes porque no les po-demos abastecer lo suficientemente rapido;en pocas palabras, ese es el problema. La si- •guiente pregunta es: iQu£ vamos a hacer alrespecto?

Stan ley 47



1 To fail to help or be of no use to some-one: Esto no conduce a nada.

2 When everything has been considered:Al fin y al cabo, es ella la que va a sufrir.

3 To say something which is highly relevantto the present situation, to the matterbeing discussed, etc: He has a clear, inci-sive mind. When he speaks, hewith no waste of time.

4 To express one's opinion, usually withdetermination: Ahora deja que de suopinion.

5 To come to the most important thing thatone wants to say: We don't have verymuch time, so I'd appreciate it if youcould skip the introduction and .

6 A vote in which each person shows hisposition by raising his hand: El presidentepidio una votaci6n a mano alzada.

7 To speak for a long time, pompously, infront of others: Hablo largo y tendidosobre la necesidad de actuar conmoderacion.

8 To deal with subjects that are already fa-miliar to one's listeners: Estamosvolviendo sobre lo mismo.

9 I admit that I was wrong: Reconozco mierror.

10 (a purpose, a target, etc.) To forget some-thing, to fail to keep it in view: Hanperdido de vista lo mas importante.

11 To begin talking about serious matters:Vayamos directamente al grano.

12 To leave the subject of a discussion andstart talking about something completelydifferent: Se fue por las ramas y notermin6 de dar su explicacibn.

13 To have discussions together in order tosolve a problem: Nos pusimos a pensarjuntos y surgio la idea.

14 To say something directly and forcefully:Te lo voy a decir claramente, tu trabajono esta a la altura de lo que se requiere.

15 To delay talking about the most impor-tant subject or point: No te andes conrodeos y dime que paso.

16 To keep going over the same ideas with-out reaching a satisfactory decision oroutcome: Las negociaciones est^nestancadas.

17 (meetings, training courses, etc.) To dealwith many different subjects or very thor-oughly with a single subject: Tratamosmuchos puntos en nuestras conver-saciones.

18 To act according to the situation andwithout a definite plan, to improvise: Nose como van a reaccionar, tendre que verque hago sobre la marcha.

19 (meetings, discussions, etc.) To startsomething, to get it moving: £Quien vaa comenzar?

20 To complete small jobs or take care ofdetails that are still undecided: Todaviaquedan algunos cabos sueltos por atar.

21 To end something prematurely: Tuvo queacortar sus vacaciones.

22 (speech, announcement, etc.) Withoutunnecessary detail or without waste oftime: La reunion fue corta y provechosa.

23 In order to make one's position clear andpublic: Que conste que no estoy deacuerdo.

24 To assume that everyone knows some-thing even though it hasn't been directlystated, or to take something for granted:Dimos por sentado que ya tenla unpasaporte v^lido.

25 Concisely, reduced to the essential facts:En dos palabras, esa es la situacidn.

48 Stan ley

13. Speaking 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

not mince one's words

He didn't mince his words. He said that ei-ther we must increase our output or ourbudget would be drastically reduced.

speak one's mindHiroshi Okuda is six feet tall, sings karaoke,speaks his mind — frequently in English —and prefers young, creative managers to es-tablished old guys. He's begun a revolution atToyota.

call a spade a spade

He's the sort of chap who always calls aspade a spade. If he thinks you're being stu-pid, he'll tell you so.

a slip of the tongueYou referred to their Mr Brown as "Mr Brawn".It was obviously a slip of the tongue. Youprobably didn't even notice it yourself.

it goes without saying that ...

George Soros, it goes without saying, is avery smart guy. You don't become a billionairestock trader by being stupid.

off the cuff

They showed us round the factory, then in-vited us to have lunch in their canteen. Jonesmade a short speech off the cuff, thankingthem for their hospitality and looking forwardto a fruitful relationship between our twocompanies.

not in so many words

- Did he say he was going to cancel the order?- Well, not in so many words. But hehinted that he might.

to cut a long story shortI asked him if he could remind me of the dateof the meeting and, to my astonishment, hestarted screaming that I was always makingunreasonable demands. Well, to cut a longstory short, he stormed out of the office andhasn't returned.

off the top of one's head

- Can you tell me how many units we can sup-ply from stock?- Well, not off the top of my head. Let mespeak to the warehouse foreman and I'll callyou back.

tongue in cheek

Two young guys were doing the calculations,which were taking forever. Tongue in

no tener pelos en la lengua

No tuvo pelos en la lengua. Dijo que o bienaumentabamos la productividad o nuestropresupuesto se veria drasticamente recortado.

hablar sin rodeos

Hiroshi Okuda mide 1,80 m, canta en karaokey habla sin rodeos - con frecuencia en ingles -y prefiere a los j6venes directives creativosque a los tipicos empresarios. Ha iniciado unarevoluci6n en Toyota.

llamar al pan, pan y al vino, vino

Es el tipo de hombre que le llama al pan, pany al vino, vino. Si cree que estas portandotecomo un tonto te lo dira.

un lapsus (linguae)Te dirigiste a su Mr. Brown como "Mr. Brawn".Eso fue un lapsus. Seguramente ni te distecuenta.

no hace falta ni decirlo ...

No hace falta decir que George Soros es untipo muy listo. Uno no se convierte en corre-dor de bolsa multimillonario siendo tonto.

improvisando, de improvisoNos ensenaron la fabrica y luego nos invitarona comer en su comedor. Jones improviso undiscurso, d^ndoles las gracias por su hospitali-dad y augurando una relacion fructifera entrenuestras dos empresas.

no exactamente, no directamente

que iba a cancelar su pedido?- Pues, no exactamente. Pero dio a entenderque quizas lo haria.

en resumidas cuentasLe pregunte si podria recordarme la fecha dela reunion y, para mi sorpresa, empezo a gri-tar que le estaba pidiendo lo imposible. Bue-no, en resumidas cuentas, salio de la oficinahecho una furia y no ha vuelto.

sin pensarselo

puedes decir cuantas unidades de nues-tras existencias podemos suministrar?- Pues, no de buenas a primeras. Dejame ha-blar con el capataz del almacen y te llamare.

en broma, ironicamente

Dos chicos jovenes estaban haciendo unoscalculos, lo cual les estaba llevando unaeternidad. En broma, pregunte, "iQue tipo

Stanley 49

Speaking 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

cheek, I asked, "What kind of computer areyou using?" I was told, seriously, that theywere using a 286.

say sth untilone is blue in the face

I can tell you what your faults are until I'mblue in the face, but it won't make the leastdifference if you can't see them for yourself.The first step must be for you to discoverthem.

speak for itself

Some question whether Dell's direct-salesmodel can be adapted to overseas markets. "Ithink our numbers speak for themselves,"responds Topfer. "In Europe we're No. 3, andgrowing 32 times faster than the market."

pay lip service to sth

Everybody in our industry always paid lipservice to safety, but nobody ever did muchabout it. We all assumed we had no controlover whether accidents happened or not.

tie oneself up in knots

If you don't know the answer to an unex-pected question, request time to think aboutit. This is much safer than bluffing, as youavoid the risk of tying yourself up inknots in public.

waste one's breath

I spent more than an hour trying to persuadehim that our policy was self-defeating, but Iwas simply wasting my breath. His mindwas already made up.

hit the nail on the head

I think you hit the nail on the head whenyou remarked earlier that profit is essentially ameasure of growth or of contraction.

pile it on thick

He was a good accountant, certainly, but I feltthat the GM was piling it on a bit thickwhen he called him "a financial wizard and anunparalleled genius with figures".

straight from the shoulder

I told him straight from the shoulder that Ithought his behaviour was not only destructive,but also childish, silly and selfish.

de ordenador estais usando?" Me dijeron,muy en serio, que estaban usando un 286.

cansarse de repetir algo

Te puedo decir donde fallas una y otra vez,pero no significar^ nada. Lo importante esque seas tu quien descubra los fallos.

ser evidente, hablar por si solo

Algunos se preguntan si el modelo de ventadirecta de Dell puede adaptarse a los merca-dos extranjeros. "Creo que las cifras son evi-dentes," respondio Topfer. "En Europa somosel num.3, y estamos creciendo 32 veces masdeprisa que el mercado."

hablar largo y tendido

Todos en nuestra industria han hablado siem-pre largo y tendido sobre la seguridad, peronadie ha hecho nada al respecto. Todos daba-mos por sentado que no controlabamos el he-cho de que se produjeran accidentes.

liarse, quedar mal

Si no sabes la respuesta a una pregunta ines-perada, solicita tiempo para pensarlo. Esto esmucho mas seguro que farolear, ya que evitasel riesgo de quedar mal en publico.

gastar saliva en balde

Me pas£ mas de una hora intentando persua-dirle de que nuestra politica era contraprodu-cente, pero estaba gastando saliva en balde.Ya se habia decidido.

dar en el clavo

Creo que has dado en el clavo al comentarantes que los beneficios son, en esencia, unamedida de crecimiento o de contraccion.

exagerar

Era sin duda un buen contable pero penseque el director general estaba exagerandocuando le llamo "un mago de las finanzas yun genio sin igual con las cifras".

sin rodeos

Le dije sin rodeos que pensaba que su com-portamiento no solamente era negative sinotambien infantil, tonto y egoista.

50 Stanley

Speaking 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

take the wordsout of one's mouth- A budget is not a forecast, it's a commitment.- You took the words right out of mymouth. That's exactly what I was goingto say.

take sb's word for it-1 have the feeling he's really keen to sign.- Well, I'll take your word for it. Let's hopehe's just as keen when we meet next week.

have the gift of the gabIt's all very well to be naturally charming andto have the gift of the gab, and so on, butwhat really separates the good salesman fromthe mediocre one is stamina and persever-ance.

a sweeping statement- Everybody in administration is lazy, incompe-tent and uncooperative.- That's a rather sweeping statement,isn't it?

learn sth by heartNerves can cause your mind to go suddenlyblank, so if you are making an important pres-entation for the first time, it is often useful tolearn your opening remarks by heart.

have sth onthe tip of one's tongueWhat on earth is their Manager called? Giveme a second, I have her name on the tipof my tongue!

not to put too fine a point on itNot to put too fine a point on it, I thinkyour report is one of the most carelessly writ-ten and one of the most inaccurate and use-less documents I have ever had the misfortuneto read.

quitarle a unola palabra de la boca- Un presupuesto no es un pronostico, es uncompromiso.- Me has quitado las palabras de la boca. Esoes exactamente lo que iba a decir.

aceptar lo que alguien dice-Tengo la sensaci6n de que est£ deseandofirmar.-Bueno, aceptare lo que me dices. Esperemosque tenga las mismas ganas cuando nos re-unamos con el la semana que viene.

tener mucha labiaEsta muy bien tener encanto natural, labia ydem^s, pero lo que realmente marca la diferen-cia entre un buen comercial y otro mediocre esel aguante y la perseverancia.

una declarationdemasiado general, generalizar- Todos en la administracion son vagos, incom-petentes y no tienen ganas de cooperar.- Eso es generalizar, ^no crees?

aprender algo de memoriaLos nervios pueden hacer que te quedes derepente en bianco, asi que, si llevas a cabouna presentacion importante por vez prime-ra es util aprenderse las primeras lineas dememoria.

tener algo enla punta de la lenguaiC6mo diablos se llama su director de forma-ci6n? Dame un segundo, jtengo su nombreen la punta de la lengua!

hablando sin rodeosHablando sin rodeos, creo que tu informe esuno de los mas descuidados que se han escri-to y uno de los documentos mas inexactos einutiles que he tenido la desgracia de leernunca.

Stan ley 51



1 To say something repeatedly but with-out results: Me canso de repetirselo, nocambia nada.

2 To express agreement with an idea orpolicy insincerely and without takingaction in support of it: Ralph tohis firm's efforts to change but failed toalter his own behavior or to encourageemployees in his department to change.

3 Guessing, without proper preparation:Me iba sugiriendo cosas tal y como leiban viniendo a la cabeza.

4 To become more and more confused asone speaks: Instead of simply admittingthat he didn't know the answer, hestarted a long, complicated explanationand quickly .

5 To speak honestly and forcefully withouttrying to be kind: No tiene pelos en lalengua.

6 To speak without effect while trying topersuade someone of something:Pierdes el tiempo intentando con-vencerlo.

7 (facts, figures, etc.) To need no additionaldetails or explanation: Creo que loshechos hablan por si mismos.

8 To say something that exactly describesa situation: Has dado en el clavo.

9 To be understood and agreed withoutneeding to be mentioned or proved:Huelga decir que los gastos te lospagamos nosotros.

10 To greatly exaggerate matters, makingthem seem much better or worse thanthey really are: When you said moralewas so low that half of us were activelylooking for another job, you were ,weren't you?

11 Not so clearly or explicitly: No lo dijo conesas palabras, pero eso es lo que quisodecir.

12 To be on the point of rememberingsomething but still unable to do so:Tengo su nombre en la punta de lalengua.

13 To speak plainly and directly, avoidingeupheumisms: Instead of talking about "re-structuring", "rationalising", "downsizing","re-engineering" and so on, why notand simply admit you're going to make alot of people jobless.

14 Ironically, jokingly: Hizo varies comen-tarios irbnicos.

15 (used when someone says exactly whatone was going to say oneself) To saywhat one was about to say: Me quitastela palabra de la boca.

16 (making a speech) Without preparation:Habl6 improvisando.

1 7 To believe somebody when there is noproof that what he says is true: Tendrasque creerme.

18 To be a naturally fluent and persuasivespeaker: Tiene un pico de oro.

19To say what one thinks clearly andopenly: Siempre digo lo que pienso.

20An excessively general statement: £Noestas generalizando demasiado?

21 (used to indicate that one is skippingmany details to go directly to the mostimportant part of a story) Well, ,after screaming insults for half an hour,he said he would never do business withus again and hung up.

22 To learn something so that one can re-member it exactly: His technique was to

the first sentence of every para-graph .

23 Something said by mistake: Lo siento, hasido un lapsus desafortunado.

24 Speaking openly and bluntly: Hablandoen plata, es tonto.

25 With complete honesty: Dlselo sin ro-deos.

52 Stanley

14. Decisions 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

make up one's mind decidirseMy employer offered me a huge incentivepackage to stay, but I turned it down. Mymind was made up.

the pros and consLeasing seems an easy, trouble-free way to al-ways have a brand-new vehicle. However,there are pros and cons to every decision,and lease contracts vary from dealer to dealer.

take the plunge

People who have started their own companyare unanimous on one point: they all wishthey had taken the plunge sooner.

be in a quandary

Shoe buyers are in a quandary. They canpurchase mass-produced, brand-name shoesthat aren't exactly tailored to the individualwhen it comes to style and fit. Or they canpay remarkably high prices for custom-madeshoes.

be in two minds about sthI was in two minds about whether to tellyou or not. I didn't want to spoil your holi-days; on the other hand, I felt you ought tohave a much advance warning as possible.

toss a coinIf you are unable to decide between twoequally attractive or two equally disagreeablecourses of action, and if the issue is not criti-cal, save time by tossing a coin. Heads youdo one, tails you do the other.

take sth into accountWe use an elaborate formula that takes intoaccount market conditions, capacity con-straints, and how long it's likely to be beforeany investment pays off.

strike a balanceThe difficulty of striking a balance betweenstopping criminals and safeguarding privacy isnot a new one.

give sb the benefit of the doubtOperate on the premise that the customer isalways right. Never argue; instead, give thecustomer the benefit of the doubt. You'llhave a devoted customer for life.

Mi jefe me ofrecio una gran cantidad de in-centives para que me quedase pero los recha-ce. Estaba decidido.

los pros y los contrasEl leasing parece ser una forma f^cil y sincomplicaciones para tener siempre un vehicu-lo nuevo. Sin embargo, estan los pros y loscontras de cada decision, y los contratos deleasing varian de un concesionario a otro.

dar el paso decisiveLas personas que han creado su propio negocioestan de acuerdo en un punto: todos desearianhaber dado antes el paso decisive.

estar en un dilemaLos compradores de zapatos estan en un di-lema. Pueden comprar zapatos de marcaproducidos en serie que no est^n exacta-mente hechos a la medida del individuo encuanto a estilo o tamano. O bien deben pa-gar precios desorbitantes por zapatos he-chos a medida.

estar indeciso respecto a algoEstaba indeciso respecto a si decirtelo o no.No queria estropear tus vacaciones, pero, porotra parte, pense que deberias estar avisadolo antes posible.

echar a cara o cruzSi no puedes decidir entre dos lineas de ac-cion igual de atractivas o desagradables y si elasunto no es crucial, ahorra tiempo echando-lo a cara y cruz. Cara, optas por la una, cruz,por la otra.

tener en cuenta algoUsamos una formula elaborada que tiene encuenta las condiciones del mercado, la capaci-dad limite y el tiempo que puede transcurrirantes de que la inversion sea rentable.

buscar un termino medioLa dificultad de buscar un termino medio en-tre poner coto a la criminalidad y salvaguar-dar la intimidad no es nada nueva.

conceder a alguien el beneficiode la dudaDebes actuar con la idea de que el clientesiempre tiene razon. Jamas discutas; en lu-gar de ello, concede al cliente el beneficiode la duda. Tendras un cliente seguro paratoda la vida.

Stanley 53

Decisions 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

tip the scales in sb's favourBoth applicants were well qualified for thepost, but one of them spoke fluent Russian.Since we expect to do a lot of business ineastern Europe, that tipped the scales inhis favour.

take the bull by the hornsWhen the boss asked her what was on hermind, she took the bull by the horns: asshe had been responsible for improved pro-ductivity and increased sales, she felt she wasentitled to a higher salary.

sit on the fence

Continually update and add to your prospectlist. Send information to prospects sitting onthe fence that will help them jump off inyour direction.

stick to one's guns

Everybody said no one would buy vodka thatwas 50% more expensive than competingbrands. But Roux stuck to his guns. Thepayoff: Absolut Vodka is among the top 10liquor brands, selling more than 3 millioncases a year.

on the spur of the momentBefore you decide anything important, studyall the available facts. A decision made onthe spur of the moment will probably bethe wrong decision.

on the strength of sthWe chose their company on the strengthof the work they had done for 3M and forHewlett-Packard, among others.

think better of doing sthInitially we intended to send Ogilby to repre-sent us in Munich but when we saw how un-enthusiastic he was, we thought better ofit and sent Laffin instead.

have second thoughtsToday the biggest concern faced by multina-tional chiefs is cost. If rents keep on climbing,a lot of people will have second thoughtsabout setting up their next operation in HongKong.

keep one's options openWe can buy, we can sell, or we can hold ourposition and consolidate. We are keeping allour options open.

inclinar la balanzaa favor de alguien

Ambos aspirantes estaban bien cualificadospara el puesto, pero uno de ellos hablabaruso correctamente. Como esperamos hacermuchos negocios con Europa del Este, eso in-clino la balanza a su favor.

coger el toro por los cuernosCuando el jefe le pregunto lo que tenia enmente, ella cogio el toro por los cuernos:como era la responsable de haber mejorado laproductividad y del incremento en las ventas,creia que se merecia un aumento de sueldo.

no querer mojarse, estar indecisoPonte al dia constantemente y ariade nombresa tu lista de posibles clientes. Envia informa-ci6n a clientes indecisos para que decidan atu favor.

mantenerse en sus treceTodos dijeron que nadie compraria vodka quefuera 50% mas caro que las otras marcas.Pero Roux se mantuvo en sus trece. El resulta-do: Absolut Vodka esta entre las I 0 primerasmarcas de licor, con unas ventas de mas de 3millones de cajas al afio.

impulsivamente, sin reflexionarAntes de tomar una decisi6n importante, estu-dia toda la informacion disponible. Una deci-si6n tomada impulsivamente puede dar lugar auna decisi6n equivocada.

basandose en algoEscogimos su empresa bas^ndonos en el tra-bajo que habian hecho para 3M y paraHewlett-Packard, entre otros.

pensarse algo mejorInicialmente pensabamos enviar a Ogilby pararepresentarnos en Munich pero cuando vimosel poco entusiasmo que mostr6, nos lo pensa-mos mejor y enviamos a Laffin en su lugar.

cambiar de opinionLa mayor preocupaci6n a la que se enfrentanhoy las multinacionales es el coste. Si los al-quileres siguen subiendo mucha gente se lopensara dos veces antes de llevar a cabo suspr6ximas operaciones en Hong Kong.

no comprometersePodemos comprar, podemos vender o pode-mos mantener nuestra posici6n y consolidar-nos. No nos vamos a comprometer a nada.

54 Stan ley

Decisions ,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

change one's tuneFredricks was a strong advocate of modernis-ing production methods, but he soonchanged his tune when he found out howmuch it would cost.

argue the tossLook, it's pointless to stand here arguing thetoss. You'll just have to accept that the jobhas been given to someone else.

strike a happy mediumAlthough Danone's worldwide brand imagetends to give more weight to health than topleasure, it must not become an exclusively"healthy" brand: it also has to taste good. Inthe U.S., the company strikes a happy me-dium between health and pleasure.

the small print

One advantage of leasing is a clause guaran-teeing that the dealer will supply a replace-ment vehicle should the leased car or truckbreak down. Check the small print on thelease to ensure this clause is included.

be at a crossroadsLike many 50-year-old executives, I found Iwas at a crossroads in my career: should Ihold on to my secure, well-paid position, orshould I do what I had always dreamed of do-ing and launch my own company?

be up in the airBabel.com is really just another superstorethat sells books. Maybe, eventually, we'll sellother things too, like music and movies, butthat's still very much up in the air.

have mixed feelingsI have mixed feelings about expanding thecompany just now. On the one hand, wehave more business than we can cope with.On the other hand, there's always the risk thatour market will suddenly contract.

cambiar de parecerFredricks era un fuerte defensor de moderni-zar los medios de produccion, pero rapida-mente cambi6 de parecer cuando se enterode lo que costaria.

andar en dimes y diretesMira, no tiene sentido andarse en dimes ydiretes. Tendras que aceptar que le han dadoel puesto a otro.

lograr un termino medioAunque la imagen global de la marca Danonetiende a dar m3s peso a la salud que al placer,no debe convertirse en una marca exclusiva-mente "sana": tambien tiene que saber bien.En los Estados Unidos, la empresa logra untermino medio entre salud y placer.

la letra menudaUna de las ventajas del leasing es una clausu-la que garantiza que el concesionario suminis-trara un vehiculo de repuesto si el coche o elcamion arrendado se averia. Fijate en la letramenuda del leasing para asegurarte de queesta clausula este incluida.

encontrarse en una encrucijadaComo muchos ejecutivos de 50 anos, descu-bri que mi carrera estaba en una encrucijada:ideberia aferrarme a mi puesto seguro y bienpagado, o deberia hacer lo que siempre hesoriado y crear mi propia empresa?

estar en el aireEn realidad Babel.com es solo otro gran alma-cen que vende libros. Quizas terminaremostambien por vender otras cosas, como musicay peliculas, pero eso aun esta en el aire.

tenersentimientos contradictoriosTengo sentimientos contradictorios sobre laexpansion de la empresa en este momento.Por una parte, tenemos m3s negocio del quepodemos atender. Por otra, siempre existe elriesgo de que nuestro mercado se reduzca re-pentinamente.

Stan ley 55

14. Exercise 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To accept that someone is probablyright if he cannot be proved wrong: Teconcederemos el beneficio de la duda.

2 To refuse to change one's opinions, es-pecially under pressure: Se mantuvo ensus trece.

3 To influence the result of a decision ina particular direction, when several di-rections are possible: Su dominio delruso inclinb la balanza a su favor.

4 To make the decision to do somethingrisky or dangerous: No tuve valor paradar el paso decisive.

5 Suddenly, without thinking: Decidimosir a Vigo de improvise.

6 Because of the favourable impressionmade by something: Elegi esta marcabas^ndome en tu recomendaci6n.

7 To be unable to decide about some-thing, to be doubtful or uncertain: Nosabia si declrselo o no.

8 To think about something when mak-ing a decision: Deberias haberlo tenidoen cuenta.

9 To decide not to do something: Estuvoa punto de solicitar el puesto, pero selo pensb mejor.

10 To avoid or postpone making a deci-sion about something: Dejamos todaslas puertas abiertas.

11 To be in a position where it is difficultto decide whether to do something ornot: Estaba en el dilema de si ir o no.

12 After reflexion, to change one's mindabout something: He cambiado deidea, no quiero vender la empresa.

13 To change one's opinion and then actor talk in a different way: jPues si quehas cambiado de parecer!

14 To decide, to come to a decision: Dileque se decida.

15 To argue with a decision that has al-ready been taken and cannot bechanged: No vale la pena seguirdiscutiendo, estoy decidido.

16 To take the middle course between twoextremes: Logran un termino medioentre la formalidad y la excesivaconfianza.

17 To find a satisfactory arrangementwhich lies between two choices orcourses of action: Hay que conseguirun equilibrio entre calidad y precio.

18 The parts of a legal document whichare difficult to read because of the smalltype, and which often contain impor-tant exceptions, etc: Lee la letrapequena antes de firmar el contrato.

19 To be at a turning point where a deci-sion must be made: Habfa llegado auna encrucijada en su carrera.

20 The arguments for and against some-thing: Discutian los pros y los contrasde comprar un ordenador.

21 To be still undecided or not definite: Nohay nada resuelto, todo est3 todavla enel aire.

22 To deal with something difficult boldlyand without delay: Tenemos queagarrar al toro por los cuernos y tomarmedidas inmediatamente.

23 To see both the positive and negativesides of something: Tengo sentimientoscontradictories sobre el asunto.

24 To decide between two possibilities bythrowing a coin in the air: Decidieronecharlo a cara o cruz.

25 To refuse to take sides between twoopposing groups, ideas, etc: Acusaronal ministro de no querer mojarse.

56 Stanley

15. Priorities 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

first things firstCertainly we can relate salary increases to im-proved productivity, but first things first:the simple fact is that we have to increase out-put before we can afford to increase salaries.

in the first placeThe next time you buy a feature-laden gadget,bear in mind that when a complicated ma-chine breaks down, the culprit is usually afunction you never wanted in the firstplace.

first and foremostDon't choose a consultant simply because youlike his personality. Check his background. Askfor references. Consider his work first andforemost.

put the cart before the horseIntroducing the euro before establishing politi-cal union is putting the cart before thehorse. How can you have a common cur-rency without a common state?

above allAbove all, remember that the interview isabout finding out about the candidate, notpublicising your business. So, let the candi-date do the talking.

the be-all and end-allOur supervisors and managers are evaluatedon how they do in four areas. Safety — for-merly an afterthought, with no impact onpaycheques — is now one of the four andcarries the same weight as that old be-alland end-all, production.

have other fish to fryAfter work on Friday evenings, he usuallygoes to the pub with his colleagues for anhour or two, but last Friday he had otherfish to fry: a leading firm of headhuntershad invited him to dinner.

last but not leastAnd last but not least, I would like to thankour departmental secretary, Molly, who didsuch a splendid job co-ordinating the manyand varied aspects of the project.

lo primero es lo primeroSin duda podemos relacionar los aumentos desueldo con el incremento de la productividad,pero lo primero es lo primero: el hecho es quenecesitamos incrementar la productividad an-tes de que nos podamos permitir aumentarlos sueldos.

en primer lugar, en principioLa proxima vez que compres un aparato congran cantidad de funciones, ten en cuentaque cuando una maquina complicada se ave-ria, el culpable suele ser una funcion que enprincipio no deseabas.

ante todo No escojas a un consultor simplemente por-que te guste su personalidad. Investiga susantecedentes. Pide referencias. Ten en cuentaante todo su trabajo.

empezar la casa por el tejadoIntroducir el euro antes de establecer la unionpolitica es como empezar la casa por el teja-do. tComo se puede tener una moneda uni-ca sin un estado unico?

sobre todoSobre todo, recuerda que la entrevista es paraaveriguar cosas sobre el aspirante, no parahacer publicidad de tu negocio. Asi que dejaque el aspirante hable.

lo unico que importaNuestros supervisores y directives son evalua-dos en cuanto a su rendimiento en cuatroareas. La seguridad —antiguamente algo se-cundario, que no afectaba a los sueldos— esahora una de las cuatro y tiene el mismo pesoque lo unico que importaba antes, que era lafabricacibn.

tener cosasmas importantes que hacerDespues del trabajo los viernes por la tarde,suele irse al pub con sus colegas durante unahora o dos, pero el viernes pasado tenia cosasmas importantes que hacer: una empresa es-pecializada en la contratacion de ejecutivos lehabia invitado a cenar.

en ultimo lugar, perono por eso menos importanteY en ultimo lugar, pero no por eso menos im-portante, me gustaria dar las gracias a Molly,la secretaria de nuestro departamento, que hahecho un trabajo esplendido coordinando losmultiples y variados aspectos del proyecto.

Stanley 57

Priorities 1 ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

better late than neverMicrosoft failed to realise the enormous poten-tial of Internet until relatively late in the game,but better late than never. Once they en-tered the market, they worked vigorously tomake up for lost time.

put a premium on sthVision, leadership, innovation, and quality re-main vital in creating a successful business,even in the most turbulent environments. Thebewildering pace of the Internet may even puta premium on these old-fashioned virtues.

have pride of placeAmong the EU countries contributing to theeconomies of Bulgaria and Romania, Italy haspride of place.

first thingFirst thing tomorrow, I want you to callHenderson at the bank and get me an ap-pointment. Tell him it's urgent.

first come, first servedAs we are currently updating computersthroughout the company, a certain number ofolder PCs are being offered for sale to employ-ees on a first come, first served basis.

prevention is better than cureRegarding accidents in the workplace, there isone simple rule: no matter how much it costs,prevention is always better than cure.

better safe than sorry!

When I have a meeting with really importantclients, I prepare for it thoroughly. Indeed per-haps I over-prepare, but I work on the princi-ple that its better to be safe than sorry.

don't count yourchickens before they're hatchedI think we'll probably be awarded the con-tract, but let's not count our chickens be-fore they're hatched. Let's wait until thetender board has announced its decision.

we'll cross thatbridge when we come to it- If we give in to the blue-collar workers' de-mands, we're going to have similar troublewith the office workers.- We'll cross that bridge when we come toit. The main thing is not to disrupt production.

mas vale tarde que nuncaMicrosoft ha cometido un error al no darsecuenta del tremendo potencial de Internethasta hace relativamente poco, pero mas valetarde que nunca. Una vez que han entradoen el mercado, han trabajado a tope para re-cuperar el tiempo perdido.

darle mucha importancia a algoLa visi6n, el liderazgo y la calidad siguen siendovitales para crear una empresa con exito, inclu-so en los ambientes mas agitados. El ritmo fre-netico de Internet puede que inclusorecompense estas anticuadas virtudes.

ocupar el lugar de honorEntre los paises de la UE que contribuyen alas economias de Bulgaria y Rumania, Italiaocupa el lugar de honor.

lo primeroLo primero que haras manana es llamar aHenderson al banco y conseguirme una cita.Dile que es urgente.

por riguroso orden de llegadaComo actualmente estamos modernizandolos ordenadores de toda la empresa, ciertonumero de PCs viejos van a ser ofrecidos ala venta a los empleados por riguroso ordende solicitud.

mas vale prevenir que lamentarEn cuanto a los accidentes laborales, hay unaregla sencilla: no importa cuanto cuesta, masvale prevenir que lamentar.

;la prudencia ante todo!Cuando tengo una reunion con clientesmuy importantes, me prepare con minucio-sidad. Quizas incluso me prepare en exce-so, pero trabajo bajo el lema de jlaprudencia ante todo!

no hay que venderla piel de oso antes de cazarloCreo que nos adjudicaran el contrato, pero nohay que vender la piel del oso antes de cazar-lo. Esperemos hasta que la junta haya anun-ciado su decisi6n.

nos ocuparemosdel problema cuando surja- Si cedemos ante las demandas de los obreros,tendremos un problema similar con los trabaja-dores de oficina.- Nos ocuparemos de ese problema cuando surja.Lo importante es no interrumpir la producci6n.

58 Stanley

Priorities 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

throw the babyout with the bath water

tirar las frutas frescascon las podridas

The danger with downsizing any company isthat you may cancel a whole departmentwhen, in fact, some parts of that departmentare performing very well. In which case, yourisk throwing the baby out with thebath water.

have a sense of proportion

If you have a sense of humour, you don't letstress lead to distress. You have a sense ofproportion, you don't exaggerate the impor-tance of trivial incidents.

make a big thing out of sth

Listen, Debbie, I don't want to make a bigthing out of this but, when I'm in a meet-ing with clients, I think it would be better ifyou addressed me as "Mr Kernan" rather thanas "Jimbo".

the thin end of the wedge

To date we've received 9 complaints from cus-tomers about the TRX-2 malfunctioning seri-ously. I have a terrible feeling that this is onlythe thin end of the wedge. Let's hope I'mwrong.

make amountain out of a molehill

I agree that he was a bit tactless, but I'm surehe wasn't deliberately trying to insult you.There's no need to make a mountain outof a molehill.

if the worst comes to the worst

We're in the middle of a cash flow crisis at themoment. If I can convince one of our maincustomers to pay up, we'll survive. But if theworst comes to the worst, I'll have to goto the bank and ask for another loan.

the lesser of two evils

I don't like making these men redundant anymore than you do, but I consider it thelesser of two evils. If we don't do it, there'sa real possibility we'll go bankrupt.

there's only one thing for it

Over the past few years, our raw materialshave become steadily more expensive. Now,I'm afraid, there's only one thing for it:we're going to have to increase our prices byat least 10%.

El peligro de disminuir el tamario de la empre-sa es que quizas haya que suprimir un depar-tamento entero cuando, de hecho, algunaspartes de ese departamento est^n funcionan-do muy bien. En tal caso, se arriesga uno a ti-rar las frutas frescas con las podridas.

tener el sentido de la medida

Si tienes sentido del humor, no dejes que elestres te lleve a la ansiedad. Tienes el sentidode la medida, no exageres la importancia deincidentes triviales.

armar un escandalo por algo

Escucha, Debbie, no quiero armar un escan-dalo por esto, pero cuando estoy reunido conclientes, creo que seria mejor que me llamaras"Mr. Kernan" en lugar de "Jimbo".

solo el principio

Hasta la fecha hemos recibido 9 quejas declientes sobre el mal funcionamiento del TRX-2. Tengo la terrible sensaci6n de que esto essolo el principio. Esperemos que me equivo-que.

hacer una montanade un grano de arena

Estoy de acuerdo en que tuvo muy poco tac-to, pero estoy seguro de que no intentaba in-sultarte a propdsito. No hay que hacer unamontana de un grano de arena.

si pasa lo peor

Estamos en este momento en medio de unacrisis de liquidez. Si puedo convencer a unode nuestros principales clientes de que pague,sobreviviremos. Pero si ocurre lo peor, tendreque ir al banco y pedir otro prestamo.

el menor de dos males

Al igual que a ti, no me gusta tener que en-viar a estos hombres al paro, pero lo conside-ro el menor de dos males. Si no lo hacemos,existe la posibilidad real de que tengamos quedeclararnos en quiebra.

no hay mas remedio que ...

Durante los ultimos afios, nuestra materia pri-ma se ha encarecido. Ahora, me temo que nohay mas remedio que incrementar nuestrosprecios de al menos un 10%.

Stan ley 59



1 To have something more important todo: No puedo ir, tengo cosas masimportantes que hacer.

2 (saying/ It is better that somethingshould happen late than not happenat all: Mas vale tarde que nunca.

3 We'll not worry about that problem now,but deal with it when it arises: Nosocuparemos del problema cuando surja.

4 To say or do things in the wrong order,e.g. by putting the last thing first: Noempieces la casa por el tejado.

5 To lose the most important part ofsomething while trying to get rid of thebad part of it: Estas tirando las frutasfrescas con las podridas.

6 (saying) Action taken to prevent a prob-lem is preferable to action that must betaken to correct its consequences later:Mas vale prevenir que curar.

7 Something more important must bedone first, discussed first, etc: Primerolo mas importante, £qu6 tal te va conla traduccibn?

8 To see things in their correct relation toeach other: Tienes que guardar elsentido de la medida.

9 fused to introduce the last person orthing in a list) At the end, but not lessimportant than those that have pre-ceded: Y en ultimo lugar, pero no porello menos importante, mi hijita.

10To give great importance to something:Su campana hizo mucho hincapi£ enla bajada de los impuestos.

11 To make a fuss about something: iPorque tiene que armar tanto escandalo?

I2A small event which is thought to bethe first stage of something much moreimportant: Esta decisibn no es mas queel principio de lo que esta por venir.

13 Before everything else: Coventry eraante todo una ciudad industrial.

14 (saying) It is better to be careful thanto risk danger or loss: (La prudenciaante todo!

15 Early in the morning, as soon as onestarts working: Lo har£ a primera horade la mariana.

16 Whoever comes first has priority : Lohicieron por riguroso orden de llegada.

!7To become upset or excited aboutsomething trivial: Siempre hace unamontana de un grano de arena.

18 Most important of all, especially: Ournew policy is to target the youth mar-ket, children between the agesof 11 and 15.

19 If the most unfavourable thing that canhappen actually does happen: En elpeor de los casos, podriamos ponernosen contacto con £1 en su casa.

20To start with: En primer lugar, tu nodeberias haber estado alii.

21 Of two possibilities, the one which doesleast damage or harm: Me parecia serel mal menor.

22 To be in first place or have a leadingposition: El ultimo galard6n ocupa ellugar de honor de su colecci6n.

23 Only one course of action is possible:No hay mas remedio que ir a pie.

24An aim or purpose so important that itexcludes all others: Hay otras cosas enla vida que tener posesiones.

25 (saying) Don't count on success until ithas actually happened: It's still too earlyto open the champagne because theyhaven't actually signed the contract yet.And we don't want to , do we?

60 Stanley

16. Planning 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

be in the pipeline estar proyectado

Windows' market dominance is already as-sured for the next year or two by existingproducts as well as new ones in the pipe-line, such as Windows 2000 for businessusers.

look forward to doing sth

It's been a pleasure talking to you, Mr Beretta.I look forward to seeing you again whenyou get back from Miami.

do one's homeworkLots of places say that they'll refund the differ-ence between their price and someone else's,but only if you, the customer, will do thehomework: pore over everybody's ads, com-pare the prices, go to the store, deal with asurly salesclerk.... Right.

be on the cards

At a press conference, Schrempp gave an un-dertaking to his employees that big job cutsaren't on the cards.

hedge one's bets

By choosing this kind of course, students canput off committing to a specific industry. Theycan hedge their bets while gaining con-tacts and experience.

build castles in the air

Most of his great moneymaking schemes arejust castles in the air. You have to give himcredit for imagination, though.

go through sthwith a fine-tooth comb

The next step is to go through the Train-ing Needs Analysis with a fine-toothcomb, to see which courses are really neces-sary. On that basis, we can start preparing theTraining Plan itself.

count the cost of sthThe offer of the job in Brazil came so unex-pectedly that I had no time to count thecost. It was only after I'd been there for amonth that I realised what a mistake I'd made.

El dominio del merdaco por parte de Windowsya esta asegurado durante el proximo ano o los2 anos siguientes gracias a los productos ya enexistencia y a los nuevos que estan proyecta-dos, como Windows 2000 para lo usuarios deempresas.

esperar (con ilusion]

Ha sido un placer hablar con usted, Mr.Beretta. Espero tener el agrado de volverle aver cuando regrese de Miami.

prepararse, documentarse

En muchos sitios te dicen que te devolveran ladiferencia entre su precio y el de la competen-cia, pero s6lo si el cliente se documenta: exa-minar los anuncios de todos, compararprecios, ir a la tienda, tratar con un depen-diente malhumorado... Si, seguro que te de-vuelven el dinero...

estar previsto

Durante la rueda de prensa, Schrempp dio aentender a sus empleados que un recorte enel numero de los puestos de trabajo no estabaprevisto.

cubrir las apuestas

Al escoger este tipo de curso, los estudiantespueden aplazar su compromiso con una in-dustria especifica. Pueden cubrir sus apuestasmientras consiguen contactos y experiencia.

construir castillos en el aire

La mayoria de sus grandes proyectos para ga-nar dinero s6lo son castillos en el aire. Aunquetienes que reconocer su imaginacion.

mirar algo con lupa

El siguiente paso es revisar con lupa el analisisde necesidades de formacion, para ver cualesson los cursos que son realmente necesarios.En base a ello, podemos empezar a prepararel plan de formaci6n en si.

considerar todoslos posibles riesgos de algo

La oferta del puesto en Brasil Ileg6 tan inespe-radamente que no tuve tiempo de considerartodos los posibles riesgos. S6lo fue tras haberestado alii un mes que rne di cuenta del errorque habia cometido.

Stanley 61

Planning 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

save sth for a rainy day

Obtaining quick access to your funds is espe-cially important with money-market fundssince they're most often used as liquid assetsor put aside for a rainy day. All money-fund accounts should be set up with tel-ephone redemption privileges.

in any event

If you can't deal with the insecurity of beingunemployed, you probably can't deal with theinsecurity of starting a business. In anyevent, you should look hard at the financialrisks involved.

put out feelersAdgers isn't very popular with his colleagues,you know. So before you go organising hisfarewell party, maybe you should put outfeelers to see how many people will want tocome.

cannot see beyondthe end of one's nose

Most twenty-year-olds have no idea wheretheir careers will be ten years from now. Theylive for immediate gratification. They can'tsee beyond the end of their noses.

the nuts and boltsWhat will each of you be doing in the partner-ship? Who will handle bookkeeping? Who's incharge of customer service? Will one of youdo long-term planning while the other takescare of the nuts and bolts?

as a last resort

"As a last resort, the government couldconsider devaluation," said a senior official,"but only as a last resort."

to be on the safe side

You must make at least two backup copies ofessential files, and preferably three. And tobe on the safe side, store them in differentlocations.

set the stage for sthThe monthly employment report, which wasmuch better than expected, set the stagefor a rally in bonds and stocks.

guardar algopara los tiempos dificiles

El conseguir un acceso rapido a tus fondos esespecialmente importante con los fondos delmercado monetario ya que suelen ser utiliza-dos como active liquido o guardados para lostiempos dificiles. Todas las cuentas de fondosmonetarios deberian abrirse con la condici6nde poder ser liquidadas por telefono.

en cualquier caso

Si no puedes aguantar la inseguridad de estarsin empleo, no podras tampoco aguantar la in-seguridad de poner en marcha un negocio. Encualquier caso, deberias considerar atentamentelos riesgos financieros que implica.

tantear el terrenoAdgers no es muy popular entre sus compane-ros, sabes. Asi que, antes de que te pongas aorganizar su fiesta de despedida, quizas debe-rias tantear el terreno para ver cuanta gentepodria acudir.

no ver mas alia de sus narices

La mayoria de los jovenes de 20 anos no tie-nen ni idea de donde estaran dentro de diezanos. Viven al dia. No pueden ver m3s al(3 desus narices.

lo basico

iQue es lo que hareis cada uno de vosotrosen la sociedad? ^Quien Ilevar3 la contabili-dad? iQuien se encargar^ de la atenci6n alcliente? ^Hara uno de vosotros la planificaci6na largo plazo mientras el otro se hace cargodel dia a dia?

como ultimo recurso"Como ultimo recurso, el gobierno podria con-siderar una devaluacion," dijo un alto funcio-nario, "pero s6lo como ultimo recurso."

para mayor seguridad,

Tienes que hacer al menos dos copias de se-guridad de los ficheros esenciales, y a ser po-sible tres. Y para mayor seguridad, guardalosen distintos lugares.

crear el marco para algo.El informe mensual de empleo, que era muchomejor de lo esperado, cre6 el marco para unarecuperacion de los bonos y de las acciones.

62 Stan ley

Planning ,000 everyday idioms in business

step by step

Analysis should always support action. Itshould lead you step by step to a decisionand to action.

take sth for granted

The 1990s will go down in history as the dec-ade in which the Internet started to betaken for granted.

have sth in view

paso a paso

Los analisis deberian apoyar siempre la ac-cion. Deberian llevarte paso a paso a tomaruna decisi6n y a emprender una accion.

dar algo por sentado

Los anos 90 pasaran a la historia como la de-cada en la cual Internet comenzo a darse porsentado.

- Do you have anything in view for nextweek?- Yes, I have to start preparing the departmen-tal budget.

take the long view of sth

tener pensado algo

- iTienes algo pensado para la semana queviene?- Si, tengo que empezar a preparar el presu-puesto del departamento.

planear algo a largo plazo

Pocas personas dedicadas a la inversion hacenplanes a largo plazo. La mayoria de la bolsa deWall Street se concentra en el rendimiento tri-mestral, a corto plazo. Nosotros no.

go a long way towards doing sth contribuir en gran medida a algo

Few people in investing take the longview. Much of Wall Street concentrates onshort-term, quarterly performance. We don't.

If these machines are as successful as our mar-ket research says they will be, they should goa long way towards establishing us as theleading manufacturer in our field.

you can't have it both ways

You want to cut the R&D budget, but at thesame time you're asking us to find more inno-vative solutions. You can't have it bothways, you know.

it's a whole new ball game

If we can get the DX-01 into the shopsquickly, we can expect sales of £ 100,000 bythe end of the year. But if the competitiongets their model on to the market first, it's awhole new ball game.

not hold water

I've rarely seen such an implausible sales plan.It's full of inconsistencies and unlikely assump-tions. I'm sorry, but it just doesn't hold water.

take shape

Si estas maquinas tienen tanto exito como noslo indica nuestro estudio de mercado, debe-rian contribuir en gran medida a asentarnoscomo el principal fabricante de nuestro sector.

tienes que optarpor lo uno o lo otro

Quereis recortar el presupuesto de I+D, pero ala vez nos estais pidiendo que encontremossoluciones mas innovadoras. Teneis que optarpor lo uno o por lo otro.

ha cambiadototalmente el panorama

Si conseguimos introducir el DX-01 en las tien-das rapidamente, podemos esperar ventas de100.000 libras para final de ano. Pero si lacompetencia saca antes su modelo al merca-do, cambiaria totalmente el panorama.

no tenerse en pie, no ser logico

Rara vez he visto un plan de ventas tan pocoplausible. Est3 lleno de contradicciones y desuposiciones poco probables. Lo siento, perono es I6gico.

tomar forma

We decided not to focus on revenues but onpurpose, mission, and values. We had a busi-ness plan, of course, but things really beganto take shape when we agreed that thiscompany would exist to build great things.

Hemos decidido no centrarnos en los ingre-sos, sino en los objetivos, en las tareas y enlos valores. Teniamos un plan de empresa, cla-ro, pero las cosas empezaron a tomar formacuando nos pusimos de acuerdo en que estaempresa estaba destinada a llevar a cabograndes cosas.

Stanley 63



1 The basic practical details of a plan,system, etc: El folleto explica loselementos b^sicos de contabilidad.

2 To keep something in reserve, especiallymoney, for a time of misfortune: Est^nahorrando por si llega la epoca de lasvacas flacas.

3 To be possible, to be likely to happen:Se vela venir que iba a pasar algo asf.

4 Having no other hope of help or suc-cess: Como ultimo recurso pusimos unanuncio en el peri6dico.

5 Gradually, bit by bit: Compro un libropara aprender ingles paso a paso.

6 In preparation, being developed: Wehave several important new products

7 To assume that something is true with-out checking: Da por sentado que leapoyar^n

8 To consider the risks of something be-fore doing it: Hay que considerar todoslos posibles riesgos antes de lanzar esteproducto en este momento.

9 To have a plan for the future or to in-tend to do something: Veamos quetenemos en perspectiva para la semanaque viene.

10 Dreams and desires that can never be-come reality: Siempre esta construyendocastillos en el aire.

11 To think of possible results in the dis-tant future when considering some-thing: El jefe adopta una perspectivamas amplia.

12 To examine something meticulously:Convinced that there had been fraud,the tax inspectors the books

13 To be a great help in doing something:Esto contribuira en gran medida a re-solver el problema.

14 To try to protect oneself against loss byinvesting in several ventures simultane-ously: Va a ir a las dos entrevistas paracubrirse las espaldas.

15 To wait eagerly for some future actionor experience: We to seeing youin person when you next visit London.

16 You can't have the advantages of twoopposing things at the same time:Tienes que optar por lo uno o por lootro.

17 To be unable to withstand critical in-vestigation: Esa teorfa hace agua portodos lados.

18 To find out what other people think ofsomething by making discreet enquir-ies: Dice que va a tantear el terrenopara ver lo que puede hacer.

19 It's a completely different situation: Estoes otra historia distinta.

20 (an idea, a plan, etc.) To materialize, tobecome real: Mi informe esta comen-zando a cobrar forma.

21 Whatever happens, whatever hap-pened: En cualquier caso hazmelosaber.

22 In order to be completely sure of doingsomething: Mejor salgamos a las dospor si acaso.

23 To make conditions right for a moreimportant development: I believe thisagreement for even closer tiesbetween our two companies.

24 To learn the details of a subject beforetalking to someone about it: Se notabaque no se habia documentado bien.

25 To be too unintelligent to foresee theconsequences of one's actions: A sales-man who lies to a customer to make asale is one who because at besthe will never sell to that customeragain.

64 Stan ley

17. Problems 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

be one of those daysI arrived early this morning for my first inter-view with a new client, only to discover thatmy appointment was yesterday. On the wayback, my car broke down, so I took a taxi. Andleft my briefcase in it. All things considered, it'sbeen one of those days.

be out of orderYou'll have to use the photocopier on the sec-ond floor, this one's out of order.

go on the blinkYour fax machine seems to have gone on theblink again. I've been trying to send you mymonthly report all morning.

be up the creekWe were awarded the contract because wesaid we could do the work quickly. Please notethat there are penalty clauses. If we are de-layed for any reason at all, we'll be up thecreek.

be heavy goingThe laptop itself is very nice, but frankly the in-struction manual is very heavy going. I onlyunderstand one word in five.

go haywireSuddenly the printer went haywire. I onlywanted three copies but it started turning outhundreds of them, and I didn't know how tostop it.

the tip of the icebergMany companies have created web sites to pro-mote their products but promotion is only thetip of the iceberg. The web is about cus-tomer service, selling products directly, estab-lishing a dialogue with consumers, and ex-panding the geographic base of a business.

have sth on one's mind- Jim, could I have a word with you in private?- Of course, what's on your mind?

be a tough nut to crackTechnically it was a very tough nut to crack,but with hard work and persistence we man-aged in the end.

not be out of the woodsAlthough IBM has clearly been turned around,the company is not completely out of the

ser un dia de aquellos,un dia para olvidarLlegue temprano esta manana para mi prime-ra entrevista con un cliente nuevo, hasta queme di cuenta de que mi cita era ayer. De re-greso, mi coche se averio y tuve que coger untaxi. Para colmo, me deje el maletin dentro.Teniendo todo esto en cuenta, fue un diapara olvidar.

no funcionarTendras que usar la fotocopiadora del segun-do piso, esta no funciona.

descomponerse, estropearseTu fax parece haberse estropeado otra vez. Heestado intentando enviarte mi informe men-sual toda la manana.

estar en un apuroNos adjudicaron el contrato porque dijimosque podriamos hacer el trabajo rapidamente.Toma nota de que hay clausulas penales. Sinos retrasamos por cualquier motivo, estare-mos en un apuro.

ser pesadoEl ordenador portatil en si esta muy bien perofrancamente el manual de instrucciones esmuy pesado. Solo entiendo una de cada cincopalabras.

estropearseDe repente, la impresora se estroped. Soloqueria tres copias pero empezo a imprimircientos, y no sabia como pararla.

la punta del icebergMuchas empresas nan creado paginas webpara promocionar sus productos pero la pro-mocion es s6lo la punta del iceberg. La webes para la atencion al cliente, la venta directade productos, la expansion del territorio deuna empresa y para establecer un dialogo conlos consumidores.

estar preocupado por algo- Jim, ipodria hablar contigo en privado?- Claro, ique te preocupa?

ser un hueso duro de roerTecnicamente, va a ser un hueso duro de roer,pero trabajando duro y machacando al finalnos las apanaremos.

no estar fuera de peligroAunque IBM ha dado ya un giro de 180 gra-dos, la empresa aun no esta completamente

Stanley 65

Problems 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

woods. Sales of mainframes depend uponthe business cycle in the economically devel-oped world, and economic growth is slowing.

come up against a brick wall

In Brazil, the governments economic recoveryplan has come up against a brick wallwith its parliament rejecting key measures inthe austerity budget.

go through a bad patch

Apart from the giants like Schlumberger, thereare many small companies that provide spe-cialised services to the oil industry. However,with oil projects drying up, these smaller firmshave been going through a bad patch.

go from bad to worse

The Stock Exchange lost 10% of its value inthe first three months of the year. Then, inApril, the situation suddenly went from badto worse with the loss of a further 7%.

be hard hit

Burberry has been hard hit by the Asian re-cession. With 75% of sales in the Far East,profits at Burberry tumbled to £2m from£19.9m last year.

be hard pressed to do sth

All companies involved in mergers should beanticipating where clashes may arise andtraining employees. But they're not. We'd behard pressed to name more than a handfulof companies that are tackling these issues.

make ends meet

In many Chinese cities, the government isnow encouraging the swelling ranks of theunemployed to make ends meet by run-ning street stalls, free of taxes.

it can't be helped

The Japanese have a phrase by which theylearned long ago to live with their disappoint-ments: "Shiyo ga nai,' they say, it can't behelped. It expresses one of their most basicemotions: desire without hope.

be the last straw

It was bad enough that he was unpunctual,insolent and no good at his job, but when hestarted returning from lunch half drunk, that

fuera de peligro. La venta de ordenadores de-pende del cicio empresarial en el mundo desa-rrollado y el crecimiento economico se estaralentizando.

tener por delante una barrerainfranqueable

En Brasil, el plan gubernamental de recupera-cion econ6mica tiene por delante una barrerainfranqueable al rechazar su parlamento medi-das clave del presupuesto de austeridad.

pasar por una mala racha

Aparte de gigantes como Schlumberger, haymuchas empresas pequefias que ofrecen servi-cios especializados a la industria del petr6leo.Sin embargo, con la escasez de proyectos pe-troliferos, estas pequenas empresas han esta-do pasando una mala racha.

ir de mal en peor

La bolsa perdio el 1 0% de su valor en los tresprimeros meses del ano. Luego, en abril, la si-tuacion fue de mal en peor con una perdidaadicional del 7%.

verse muy afectado

Burberry se ha visto muy afectado por la rece-sion asiatica. Con el 75% de sus ventas enAsia, los beneficios de Burberry cayeron elano pasado de 19,9 millones de libras a 2 mi-llones de libras.

resultar diffcil a uno hacer algo

Todas las empresas involucradas en fusionesdeberian prever donde surgiran conflictos ypreparar a sus empleados para ello. Pero no lohacen. Resultaria dificil encontrar mas de unpunado de empresas que esten preparandosepara esta eventualidad.

(poder) llegar a fin de mes

En muchas ciudades chinas, el gobierno estaanimando a la creciente masa de parados amontar puestos callejeros, fibres de impuestos,para poder llegar a fin de mes.

no hay mas remedio, que levamos a hacer

Los japoneses tienen una expresi6n gracias ala cual aprendieron a vivir hace mucho consus desilusiones: "Shiyo ga nai," dicen, jque levamos a hacer! Expresa una de sus emocionesmcis basicas: el deseo sin esperanza.

ser la gota que colma el vaso

Bastante malo era que no fuese puntual ni efi-ciente en su trabajo, adem^s de insolente, perocuando comenzo a llegar a la oficina medio

66 Stan ley

Problems 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

was the last straw: he had to go!

a vicious circle

borracho despues de comer, fue la gota deagua que colmo el vaso: jhabia que despedirlo!

circulo vicioso

Service providers in particular often getcaught up in their work and neglect to mar-ket. It's a vicious circle: because they don'tmarket systematically, they get erratic results,so they don't market systematically.

be behind schedule

Be sure you accurately estimate how muchtime a task will take. If meetings which aresupposed to last an hour end up taking thewhole afternoon, you'll constantly feel frus-trated and behind schedule.

jump out of thefrying pan into the fire

He left his last job because the pressure of workwas too much for him, but it seems his newjob's even more hectic. It's a case of jumping outof the frying pan into the fire.

be up in arms about sth

Poland's conservative parliament has passed alaw banning all television and radio advertsaimed specifically at under-eighteens and thecountry's advertisers are up in arms, accus-ing the parliament of limiting consumerchoice.

one's Achilles' heel

The economy was booming but there was anAchilles' Heel. If the stock market ever fell— or even stopped rising — the boom wouldend. Japan's companies would be forced to re-pay all their loans in real money, not papershares. They would be burdened with amountain of debt.

by the skin of one's teeth

We worked feverishly to get our tender pre-pared and I delivered it to their head officepersonally. We made it by the skin of ourteeth, just half an hour before the deadlinefor submissions.

take the easy way out

I was accused of taking the easy way outby declaring bankruptcy. But let's be clearabout this point: there isn't anything remotelyeasy about bankruptcy.

Los proveedores de servicios se suelen ver taninvolucrados en su trabajo que se olvidan delmercado. Es un circulo vicioso: como no reali-zan una comercializaci6n sistem^tica, obtienenresultados irregulares, por lo que no realizanuna comercializaci6n sistematica.

llevar retraso, ir atrasado

Asegurate de calcular con precision el tiempoque tardaras en llevar a cabo una tarea. Si lasreuniones que deberian durar una hora termi-nan durando toda la tarde, te sentiras cons-tantemente frustrado y con la sensacion de irretrasado.

salir del fuegoy meterse en las brasas

Dejo su ultimo empleo porque tenia demasia-da presi6n, pero ahora parece que su nuevopuesto es incluso m^s ajetreado. Es un casode salirse del fuego y meterse en las brasas.

poner el grito enel cielo a causa de algo

El parlamento conservador de Polonia haaprobado una ley que prohibe todos los anun-cios de radio y television especificamente crea-dos para los menores de 18 anos. Losanunciantes del pais han puesto el grito en elcielo, acusando al parlamento de limitar lasopciones del consumidor.

el talon de Aquiles

La economia estaba en auge pero habia un ta-I6n de Aquiles. Si la bolsa bajaba, o inclusodejaba de subir, el auge finalizaria. Las empre-sas japonesas estarian obligadas a reembolsarsus prestamos en efectivo, no con acciones.Estarian agobiados con una inmensa deuda.

por los pelos, por un pelo

Trabajamos febrilmente para preparar nuestraoferta y la entregue personalmente en su ofi-cina principal. Llegamos por los pelos, s6lomedia hora antes de la hora limite para la en-trega de las ofertas.

optar por la solucion mas facil

Fui acusado de optar por la solucidn mas facilal declararme en quiebra. Pero aclaremos estepunto: no hay nada tan dificil como declarar-se en quiebra.

Stan ley 67



1 In trouble, in a difficult situation: If hedoesn't pay us before the end of themonth, we'll really be .

2 To have great difficulty doing some-thing: Nos va a costar muchoreemplazarlo.

3 To be not yet out of difficulties, troubleor danger: Todavia no estamos a salvo.

4 It's unfortunate but nobody can changeit: No tiene arreglo, tendremos quecomprar uno nuevo.

5 (of a machine) Networking: El telefonono funciona.

6 To be the ultimate provocation or oneadditional problem which makes thesituation intolerable: Que dijera que elprecio habia subido fue la gota quecolmo el vaso.

7 To manage to survive with what oneearns: No podia llegar a fin de mes.

8 To go out of control, to malfunction se-riously: De repente el ordenador sevolvi6 loco.

9 A situation in which the effects of aproblem lead back to and increase thecauses of the problem: Era un clrculovicioso.

lOTo meet an insuperable obstacle:They intended to sell their technol-ogy to the Chinese but theywhen the government refused togrant them permission.

11 To deteriorate still further: Su situacionecon6mica fue de mal en peor.

12 To be a day when everything goeswrong: Ha sido un dia para olvidar.

13 To do something later than the timeplanned or agreed: Nos estamosatrasando con respecto al programa.

14 To have a period of difficulty and un-happiness: El equipo pasa por una malaracha.

15 To escape from a bad situation into onethat is even worse: Salio de Guatemalapara meterse en Guatepeor.

16 (of a machine) Not operating correctly:La fotocopiadora esta averiada.

17 A fatal weakness in a person, organiza-tion, system, etc: What we must do isfind our competitors' , and attackthem there.

18 Only just, by a very narrow margin,with little time to spare: No perdi'6 elavion por los pelos.

19 (book, report, etc.) To be dense anddifficult to assimilate: Su presentacionde las cifras de ventas fue pesada.

20 (used disapprovingly) To choose theeasiest solution to a problem becauseof laziness, cowardice, etc: He didn'thave the guts to tell me to my face, sohe and left a note on my desk.

21 To have something worrying in one'sthoughts: No puedo relajarme contodos estos problemas dandomevueltas en la cabeza.

22To protest angrily about something:Estaban furiosos por el retraso.

23 To be severely affected by somethingbad: La empresa sufrid mucho debidoa la recesidn.

24 A small part of a much larger question:Estos casos representan tan s6lo unapequena parte del problema.

25 A difficult problem: All our best peoplehave worked on this problem but wehaven't found a solution yet. It's an ex-tremely .

68 Stan ley

18. Emergencies ,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

come to a headThe conflict at Micron came to a head inSeptember 1994, a week before the companywas set to release yearly results.

come to the boilA bitter row between the miners' union andthe government over their latest pay offercame to the boil yesterday.

have one's back to the wallHe explained to the demoralised Chryslerworkforce that now they had their backsto the wall. If the company was to sur-vive, drastic measures were necessary;among others, widespread layoffs and paycuts at all levels.

tighten one's beltBelgium's finance minister is not loved athome. For years Belgians have been forced totighten their belts to get public financesinto shape.

get out of handThe notion that people need to communicatemore is widely accepted, but Farson arguesthat it has got out of hand — meetings,conferences, memos. E-mail and phone callsoverwhelm us with too much information.

keep one's headKrongard has several high-energy hobbies,such as parachuting out of airplanes: "Theseactivities give me stamina and endurance, andhelp me keep my head when things startgoing badly wrong'.

see the light atthe end of the tunnelAfter a meeting of foreign ministers, MrFischer said there was finally "light at theend of the tunnel" in negotiations on farmprices and regional aid.

feel the pinchConsumer confidence it at a low ebb. EvenMarks and Spencer has been feeling thepinch. The UK's largest retailer announced a23% first half profits slump.

when the chips are downThe great strength of American industry hasalways been its resilience. Americans feel that

alcanzar un punto algidoEl conflicto de Micron Ileg6 a su punto algi-do en septiembre de 1994, una semana an-tes de que la empresa publicara susresultados anuales.

estallarUna disputa estallb ayer entre el sindicato delos mineros y el gobierno sobre su ultima ofer-ta de salaries.

estar entre la espada y la paredExplic6 a los empleados desmoralizados deChrysler que estaban entre la espada y la pa-red. Si la empresa queria sobrevivir, seria nece-sario aplicar medidas drasticas, entre otras,despidos generalizados y recortes salariales atodos los niveles.

apretarse el cinturonEl ministro belga de economia no es aprecia-do en su pals. Durante anos los belgas se hanvisto obligados a apretarse el cinturon paraponer al dia sus finanzas publicas.

descontrolarse, desmadrarseLa idea de que la gente necesita comunicarsemas es un concepto arnpliamente aceptado,pero Farson insiste en que se hadescontrolado - reuniones, conferencias, no-tas, correo electronico y llamadas telefonicasnos abruman con demasiada informacion.

no perder la cabezaKrongard tiene varias aficiones en las que gastamucha energia, como por ejemplo lanzarse enparacaidas desde aviones: "Estas actividades meproporcionan aguante y resistencia, y me ayu-dan a no perder la cabeza cuando las cosas em-piezan a ir mal".

ver la luz al final del tunelTras una reunion con los ministros de asuntosexteriores, Mr Fischer dijo que finalmente vela"una luz al final del tunel" en las negociacio-nes sobre los precios de la agricultura y lasayudas regionales.

pasar apuros, pasar estrechecesLa confianza de los consumidores esta en unmomento bajo. Incluso Marks and Spencer haestado pasando apuros. El principal minoristadel Reino Unido ha anunciado una caida del23% en sus beneficios.

en horas bajasLa gran fuerza de la industria americana hasido siempre su poder de recuperacion. Los

Stan ley 69

Emergencies ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

when the chips are really down, there'snothing they can't do.

fiddle while Rome burnsThe Bank of Japan continued to fiddlewhile the economy burned yesterday. Al-though data showed the Japanese economyshrank by 0.8 per cent in the fourth quarter of1998 — the fifth successive quarter of fallinggrowth — the BoJ left monetary policy un-changed.

weather the stormManagement has made it clear that the firmcannot hope to weather this storm unlessat least 50 employees are laid off.

the calm before the stormInflation in Russia now seems to be undercontrol. Many economists believe, however,that this is only the calm before the stormand that new inflationary pressures are una-voidable.

all hell breaks looseSome managers do just fine as long as thegrowth curve's heading up, but when all hellbreaks loose, you see their personalitychange. They panic and lose control.

be taken shortI was taken short right in the middle ofmy sales presentation, it was terribly embar-rassing.

be on one's last legsKing Hussein of Jordan was rare among Arableaders in admitting his health problem. Infact, a whole generation of ageing and ailingArab leaders is on its last legs.

at short noticePatterson used to walk into his departmentsand order the managers to take two-weekvacations. His motive: to see whether ateam member had been adequately trainedto take over the supervisor's job at suchshort notice.

thick and fastIt started this morning at 9 o'clock when themain computer crashed. Since then, problemshave been flooding in thick and fast.

americanos creen que en horas bajas, no haynada que no puedan hacer.

tocar la flauta(mientras algo grave sucede)Ayer, el Banco de Japon sigui6 tocando laflauta mientras la economia ardia. Aunque losdatos demostraron que la economia japonesase habia reducido un 0,8% en el ultimo tri-mestre de 1998 - el quinto trimestre sucesivode retroceso- el Banco de Jap6n no altero supolitica monetaria.

capear el temporalLos directives dejaron claro que la empresa nopuede esperar capear el temporal sin despediral menos a 50 empleados.

la calma antes de la tormenta

La inflacion en Rusia parece estar ahora bajocontrol. Sin embargo, muchos economistascreen que esto es solo la calma antes de latormenta y que no se podran evitar nuevaspresiones inflacionistas.

se arma la gordaAlgunos gerentes van muy bien mientras lacurva de crecimiento va hacia arriba, perocuando se arma la gorda, se ve c6mo cam-bian sus personalidades. Cunde el panico ypierden el control.

entrarle ganasa alguien de ir al lavaboMe entraron ganas de ir al lavabo justo enmedio de mi presentacion comercial, fue ho-rriblemente embarazoso.

estar en las ultimasEl rey Hussein de Jordania fue el unico lider ara-be en admitir sus problemas de salud. De he-cho, una generacion entera de lideres arabesancianos y enfermos est3 en las ultimas.

con poca antelacionPatterson solia entrar en sus departamentos yordenar a sus directives que se fueran devacaciones durante dos semanas. Su moti-vo: comprobar si un miembro del equipohabia sido adecuadamente formado paracubrir el puesto del supervisor con tan pocaantelacibn.

uno detras de otro, en cantidadTodo empezo esta manana a las 9, cuando elordenador central se averio. Desde entonces,los problemas nos han estado inundando unodetras de otro.

70 Stan ley

Emergencies 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

be up to one's ears in sth estar hasta el cuello de algo

Believe me, I'd really like to help you. Butwe're short-staffed at the moment and up toour ears in work.

pull the rugout from under sb's feetThe major problem with using celebrities toadvertise your product is that they are people,and people are unpredictable. Any scandal,for example, immediately pulls the rug outfrom under your feet.

be in dire straitsReed calculated that if the recession deep-ened to a negative 3% growth. Citibankwould be in dire straits. If that happened,he would be forced to consider selling hiscrown jewels — the credit-card business.

be at one's wits' endThe airport's closed because of fog, the roadsare blocked because of the truck-drivers'strike, there are only two trains a week — I'mat my wits' end trying to find a way to getto Bonn in time for the conference.

on the brink of sthRumours were rampant: reengineering wasmerely a euphemism for massive layoffs; thecompany was on the brink of bank-ruptcy; workloads would be dramatically in-creased.

hang by a threadClothes manufacturers love female consumersfor their willingness to update their wardrobesso regularly, but the market is so competitivethat profit margins hang by a thread.

have one's hands fullFollowing the passage of Hurricane Andrew inAugust 1992, the nation's insurance compa-nies had their hands full. It proved to bethe costliest disaster in American history.

when it comes to the crunchSooner or later every ambitious man has tochoose between his family and his career. Andwhen it comes to the crunch, most choosetheir career.

Creeme, me gustaria realmente ayudarte. Peronos falta personal en este momento y estamoshasta el cuello de trabajo.

fastidiarle los planes a alguienCuando se recurre a personas famosas parapromocionar un producto el problema princi-pal es que son personas, y las personas sonimprevisibles. Cualquier escandalo, por ejem-plo, podria dar al traste con los planes.

estar en unasituacion desesperadaReed calcu!6 que si la recesion empeoraba hastaalcanzar un 3% de crecimiento negative,Citibank estaria en una situacion desesperada. Sieso ocurriese, se veria obligado a considerar laposibilidad de vender su empresa estrella: el ne-gocio de las tarjetas de credito.

no saber que hacerEl aeropuerto esta cerrado por la niebla, lascarreteras estan bloqueadas por la huelga detransportistas, solo hay dos trenes por sema-na: no s6 que hacer para llegar a Bonn atiempo para la conferencia.

al borde de algoLos rumores se habian disparado: la restruc-turaci6n era sblo un eufemismo para los des-pidos masivos; la empresa estaba al borde dela quiebra; la carga de trabajo se veria radical-mente incrementada.

pender de un hiloA los fabricantes de ropa les encantan las con-sumidoras por su predisposicion a renovar suvestuario con regularidad, pero el mercado estan competitivo que los beneficios penden deun hilo.

estar desbordado de trabajoTras el paso del huracan Andres en agosto de1 992, las companias de seguros del pais sevieron desbordadas. Resulto ser el desastremas caro en la historia de los Estados Unidos.

a la hora de la verdadTarde o temprano todo hombre ambicioso tie-ne que escoger entre su familia y su carrera. Ya la hora de la verdad, la mayoria escoge sucarrera.

Stan ley 71


Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espahol, traducela al ingles.

1 To remain calm, to not panic: Remem-ber that the important thing in any crisis

2 A period of peacefulness precedingone of turmoil and crisis: I wouldn't betoo optimistic if I were you, this mayonly be .

3 To see the possibility of emerging froma long period of hardship or unhappi-ness: Vislumbramos el fin de nuestrosproblemas.

4 Suddenly a major crisis occurs and thereis confusion on every side: Cuando sesupo la noticia, se arm6 un gran revuelo.

5 To suffer because of lack of money:Cuando sus ahorros se acabaron,empez6 a pasar estrecheces.

6 (eupheumism) Suddenly to feel the needto go to the toilet when this is most in-convenient: Unfortunately, right in themiddle of the interview, I and hadto ask the recruiting panel to excuse mefor a few minutes.

7 When a situation has reached the stagewhere vital decisions or action must betaken: A la hora de la verdad, lo quecuenta son los contactos.

8 If the most difficult situation arises, andespecially if a vital decision must betaken: I wouldn't give them the satisfac-tion of firing me. If I'll resign.

9 (person) To be extremely tired or ill orabout to die, (organisation) to be closeto ruin: A las siete, estaba que no metenla.

10 To be obliged to defend oneself or tofight for survival: No habia otro remedio,estaba entre la espada y la pared. Tuveque hacerlo.

11 With little warning: Es imposible hacerloa tan corto plazo.

12 To endure a difficult situation and to es-cape unharmed: We have built up im-portant cash reserves, and hopefullythese will enable us .

13 In large numbers and quickly: Llovian lasrespuestas.

14 (events, etc.) To reach a crisis: Lasituacibn ya pasa de castano oscuro.

15 To be in very serious trouble, usuallybecause of lack of money: La companiaesta en series apuros y va camino de laruina.

16 To consume less, especially during a pe-riod of hardship or scarcity: Tuvo queapretarse el cinturbn cuando perdib eltrabajo.

17 To be so exhausted by problems that onedoesn't know what to do next: Estabadesesperado, no sabia que hacer.

18 To do nothing, or to do trivial things,while something important is being de-stroyed: The company is losing millionsof dollars but these press releases provethat its management is still .

19 To embarrass someone by unexpectedlywithdrawing one's support: We hadhoped to show that the board wasunited but Murphy's sudden resignation

20 To reach the point of greatest violence:With the publication of the latest unem-ployment figures, relations between thetwo sides have again .

21 About to experience something, usuallybad: Est^bamos al borde del desastre.

22 (work, problems, etc.) To be completelyimmersed in or overwhelmed by some-thing: Estoy de trabajo hasta el cuello.

2 3 To be extremely busy; to have more todo than one can properly cope with:Ahora mismo esta ocupadfsima.

24 To become uncontrollable: La situaci6nse nos va de las manos

25 To be in a very delicate position, unlikelyto survive or succeed: Su ascenso pendede un hilo.

72 Stanley

19. Action 1,000 everyday idioms in business

actions speak louder than words

It's not enough to promise to deliver top-qual-ity service. When it comes to customer serv-ice, actions speak louder than words.

get the show on the road

We've been discussing these plans fornearly two years - if we don't get theshow on the road soon, they'll be out ofdate and worthless.

no sooner said than done

- Can you let me have your monthly expensesheet as soon as possible?- No sooner said than done. I have it here.

a step in the right direction

In a large company good communications arevital. Every measure that promotes cheap anduniversal connection (e-mail, for example) is astep in the right direction.

a stitch in time (saves nine)

The chancellor portrayed this week's decisionto raise interest rates as an economic stitchin time: it was, he said, clear evidence of hisdetermination to resist inflation.

pull out all the stops

The Chinese government has warned that ahard battle lies ahead to meet this year's 7%growth target and that state enterprises mustpull out all the stops to boost efficiency.

there's no time like the present

-1 ought to start answering all these enquiries.- Yes, you should. And there's no time likethe present.

a means to an endIn high-technology industries, IBM's experi-ence demonstrates that technology comesthird, behind marketing and motivation. Inbusiness, technology is only a means to anend - not the end itself.

follow suit

In 1987, Nike boosted its image with a highlysuccessful TV ad campaign using the Beatles'song "Revolution/ Reebok and Adidas immedi-

dicho sin hecho no trae provecho

No es suficiente con prometer un servicio deprimera calidad. En lo referente a la atencional cliente, dicho sin hecho no trae provecho.

ponerse manos a la obra

Hemos estado discutiendo estos planes du-rante casi dos anos - si no los ponemospronto en practica, se desfasaran y no val-dran para nada.

dicho y hecho

podrias pasar tu hoja de gastos mensua-les lo antes posible?- Dicho y hecho. La tengo aqui.

un paso hacia adelante

En una gran empresa una buena comunica-cion resulta vital. Toda medida que fomenteuna conexion barata y universal (correoelectr6nico, por ejemplo] es un paso haciaadelante.

un remiendo atiempo ahorra ciento

El canciller present6 esta semana su decisionde subir los tipos de interes: un remiendo eco-nomico a tiempo ahorra ciento. Era evidenciaclara, dijo, de su determinacion a resistirse ala inflacidn.

tocar todos los registros

El gobierno chino ha advertido que les esperauna batalla dificil para llegar a la meta que sehan fijado este aho de crecer un 7% y que lasempresas estatales han de tocar todas las te-clas para incrementar la productividad.

no dejes para mananalo que puedas hacer hoy- Deberia empezar a contestar a todas estassolicitudes de informacion.- Si, claro. No dejes para manana lo que pue-das hacer hoy.

un medio para conseguir un fin

En las industrias de alta tecnologia, la expe-riencia de IBM demuestra que la tecnologiaesta en tercera posicion, despues de lacomercializacion y la motivacion. En los nego-cios, la tecnologia es unicamente un mediode conseguir un fin, no el fin en si.

seguir su ejemplo

En 1987, Nike impulse su imagen con unacampana de publicidad televisiva de muchoexito utilizando la cancion de los Beatles

Stanley 73

Action 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

ately followed suit with their own TVcampaigns.

cut cornersInsurance isn't a good place to cut corners:doing without it could cost you a lot more inthe long run.

make a point of doing sthIn Hong Kong we are more aggressive in giv-ing people incentives than even the Ameri-cans. We make a point of saying we wantto attract people whose alternative would beto run their own business.

take stepsThis strike has been long and disruptive. How-ever, we intend to take all the necessarysteps to get back to full production as soonas possible.

take the bit between one's teethBernard often stays late at the office whenthere's a lot of work to be done. Once hetakes the bit between his teeth, not evenhis wife can persuade him to come home.

nip sth in the budLow morale disrupts production and costsmoney. You should therefore stay alert to po-tential problems and take steps to nip themin the bud.

throw caution to the windsThrowing caution to the winds, he hiredher on the spot — without even checking herreferences.

meet a deadlineProduction workers who worked the Fourthof July weekend to meet a Monday deliv-ery deadline for an important customergot a neat reward: a weekend cruise to theBahamas.

get to first baseWhy do people fall short of their goals? Mostpeople stop before they ever get to firstbase — they never commit themselves fully.

out of actionIraq resumed pumping crude oil to Turkeythree days after the pipeline from north Iraqwas put out of action by US warplanes.

"Revolution". Reebok y Adidas siguieron inme-diatamente su ejemplo con otras campanas entelevisi6n.

reducir gastos como seaUn seguro no es algo en lo que se deba redu-cir gastos: hacerlo podria salirte a la largamuy caro.

insistir en hacer algoEn Hong Kong somos mas agresivos que losamericanos cuando se trata de dar incentivesa la gente. Insistimos en que queremos atraera personas cuya alternativa sea la de montarsu propio negocio.

tomar medidasEsta huelga ha sido larga y perjudicial. Sinembargo, tenemos la intencion de tomar to-das las medidas necesarias para volver cuantoantes a la plena produccion.

desbocarse, liarseBernard se suele quedar hasta muy tarde en laoficina cuando hay mucho trabajo que hacer.Una vez que se lia, ni siquiera su esposa lepuede convencer de que vuelva a casa.

cortar algo de raizLa moral baja perturba la produccion y cuestadinero. Por lo tanto, deberias mantenerte altanto de los problemas potenciales y tomarmedidas para cortarlos de raiz.

abandonar la prudenciaHaciendo caso omiso de la prudencia, la con-trat6 alii mismo sin comprobar siquiera sus re-ferencias.

cumplir con un plazoLos obreros que trabajaron el fin de semanadel 4 de Julio para cumplir con una entregade un cliente importante para el lunes, reci-bieron una fantastica recompensa: un crucerode fin de semana a las Bahamas.

superar el primer retol?or que la gente no alcanza sus objetivos? Lamayoria se detiene antes de haber superadoel primer reto; nunca se comprometen porcompleto.

fuera de servicioIrak reanudo su envio de petr6leo crudo a Tur-quia tres dias despues de que el oleoducto delnorte de Irak se quedara fuera de servicio porla intervenci6n de los aviones estadouniden-ses.

74 Stan ley

Action 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

it's easier said than done

Indonesia needs to let unhealthy companiesgo bankrupt, reduce capacity, and cancel bigprojects that are unnecessary. That, however,is easier said than done.

in fits and starts

In most plants, workers try to overproduce be-cause once they fill their quotas, they cantake it easy. As a result, the flow of work pro-ceeds in fits and starts.

come to grips with sth

A key problem that the Japanese face - andwhich I don't think they've come to gripswith yet - is that, in order to clean up theirproblems, a lot of their very large banking or-ganisations have to disappear.

not do things by halves

Barcelona has never done things byhalves in the past and the Sagrera-SantAndreu plan for the high-speed train is no ex-ception.

in the heat of the moment

There was havoc in Wall Street trading roomsas fund managers began to unload anythingthat smelled of technology. It didn't matteranymore whether the stock was Cascade orMicrosoft — all such distinctions were lost inthe heat of the moment.

practise what one preaches

Managers must practise what theypreach, for if employees see that the com-pany deals with customers and suppliersunethically or is concerned only with short-term profitability, they too will adopt that atti-tude.

start from scratch

Going into business for yourself doesn't neces-sarily require building a company fromscratch. You can take the plunge a differentway: buy an existing business.

mas facil es decirlo que hacerloIndonesia debe dejar que las empresas pocosaneadas se declaren en quiebra, reduzcan sucapacidad y cancelen los grandes proyectosque son innecesarios. Sin embargo, es mas fa-cil decirlo que hacerlo.

a trompicones

En la mayoria de las plantas, los obreros inten-tan producir de m3s porque una vez que nancumplido con su cuota, se lo pueden tomarcon calma. Como resultado, el ritmo de traba-jo avanza a trompicones.

abordar algo, atacar algo

Un problema clave con el que se enfrentan losjaponeses - y que segun creo aun no nanabordado - es que, para solucionar sus proble-mas, muchas de sus principales entidadesbancarias tienen que desaparecer.

no hacer las cosas a medias

Barcelona nunca ha hecho las cosas a mediasy el proyecto del tren de alta velocidadSagrera-Sant Andreu no es una excepcion.

en el calor del momento

Reinaba el caos en el parquet de Wall Streetcuando los gestores de fondos empezaron aquitarse de encima cualquier cosa que oliera atecnologia. Ya no importaba si la accibn eraCascade o Microsoft - todas las diferencias seevaporaron en el calor del momento.

predicar con el ejemplo

Los directives han de predicar con el ejemplo,ya que si los empleados ven que la empresatrata de forma poco etica a los clientes y a losproveedores, o si solo les preocupa el benefi-cio a corto plazo, ellos tambien adoptar^n esaactitud.

empezar de cero

Poner en marcha tu propio negocio no requie-re necesariamente crear una empresa desdecero. Puedes lanzarte al ruedo de otra forma:comprando una empresa ya existente.

Stan ley 75

19. Exercise 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To act as one advises others to act: Nohace lo que predica.

2 An action which helps to accomplishthe desired objective: Fue un pasohacia adelante.

3 To do a particular job by or before aspecified time: Trabajamos contra relojpara cumplir con el plazo fijado.

4 (saying) Repairing a fault as soon as itis noticed will save time, money andenergy: Un remiendo a tiempo ahorraciento.

5 (saying) A person is better judged bywhat he does than by what he says hewill do: Dicho sin hecho no traeprovecho.

6 To start from the beginning, usuallywith nothing: Tuvimos que volver aempezar desde cero.

7 To do something thoroughly, with enthu-siasm: Nunca hace las cosas a medias.

8 To use all one's energy or to do every-thing possible to achieve one's aim: Noescatimamos esfuerzos para que la fi-esta fuera un £xito.

9 To take action: El gobierno estatomando medidas para poner fin alconflicto.

10 (plan, idea, task, etc.) To put somethinginto operation: jManos a la obra!

11 While influenced by the excitement ofthe event or by one's emotions: I real-ize that you said it but it wasinexcusable nevertheless.

12 To reach the first important stage of aprocess: They're talking about settingup an on-line store but they're so inef-ficient they'll probably not even .

13 (saying) If something must be done, itis better to do it now rather than later:No dejes para manana lo que puedashacer hoy.

14 To be so keen or determined to dosomething that one cannot be re-strained: Esta que no la para nadie.

15 Something you do only because it ena-bles you to reach an objective, not be-cause you are interested in doing thething itself: Su aparente generosidadera un recurso para conseguir suobjetivo.

16 (used in answer to someone who is giv-ing advice) It is easier to say how to dosomething than to actually do it: Deldicho al hecho hay mucho trecho.

17 (used to express willingness to complywith a request) What you want to bedone will be done as soon as you ask:Dicho y hecho.

18 To do the same thing that someone elsehas just done: Vendib todas susacciones y los dem^s siguieron suejemplo.

19 To put a stop to an action or situationbefore it has properly started: Hay quecortar de raiz ese tipo de compor-tamiento.

20 To begin to deal seriously with a prob-lem: Tenemos que afrontar el problema.

21 To do something the easiest or quick-est way, often disregarding rules, safety,etc: Siempre hace las cosas deprisa ycorriendo.

22 Temporarily unable to work because ofdamage or illness: I called the technicianbecause the computer is again.

23 To make sure one does something be-cause one thinks it is important:Siempre se preocupaba por conversarcon todo el mundo.

24 To act thoughtlessly, without takingbasic precautions: Ech6 la precaucibnpor la borda.

25 Stopping and starting, not continu-ously: Esta m^quina solo funciona atrompicones.

76 Stan ley

2O. Success 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

nothing succeeds like successConfidence in oneself generates success, andsuccess increases confidence in oneself.Hence the saying: nothing succeeds likesuccess.

come out on topThat's Rupert Murdoch for you: breaking therules, defying convention, waging war by anymeans necessary — and usually coming outon top.

do the trickKorean officials tried to downplay their needs,saying they thought that only 20 billion fromthe IMF would do the trick.

make a go of sthWorth believed in his concept and was com-mitted to making a go of it. He did count-less interviews, appeared on talk shows andwasn't shy about attacking the food industryfor its lack of creativity.

rise from the ashesIn 1997, Apple lost $ 1 billion and no one be-lieved it could survive. In its first fiscal yearsince Steve Jobs took over as interim C.E.O.,the company rose from the ashes, makinga profit of $309 million.

get on top of sthWhen you're faced with some large, intimidat-ing job, you have to learn to break it intosmall, specific tasks. If you don't get on topof it, you'll get buried underneath.

that's half the battleFinding out where your problems are is halfthe battle. Once you know that, you canstart to deal with them.

a flash in the panAt first it seemed the craze for health foodswould be just another flash in the pan. Butapparently not. Sales of natural products areclimbing steadily, say industry experts.

hit the jackpotIt is difficult to understand how this Koreancompany, producing a wide range of authen-tic oriental dishes, managed to hit thejackpot in the U.S., for Americans are notori-ously wary when it comes to foreign food.

el exito llama al exitoLa confianza en uno mismo genera exito, y elexito genera la confianza en uno mismo. Deahi el dicho: el exito llama al exito.

salir ganandoAsi es Rupert Murdoch: rompe las normas, de-safi'a los convencionalismos, lucha con cual-quier medio y normalmente sale ganando.

funcionar, ser la solucionLos delegados coreanos intentaron quitar im-portancia a sus necesidades, diciendo quecreian que con s6lo 20 mil millones del FMI sesolucionarian sus problemas.

tener exito en algoWorth creia en su idea y estaba decidido a te-ner exito. Concedio infinidad de entrevistas,aparecio en programas de debate y ataco sinpiedad a la industria de la alimentaci6n por sufalta de creatividad.

renacer de las cenizasEn 1997, Apple perdio mil millones de dblaresy nadie creyo que podria sobrevivir. En el pri-mer ejercicio fiscal desde que Steve Jobs sehizo con la presidencia temporal, la empresarenaci6 de sus cenizas, consiguiendo un bene-'ficio de 309 millones de d6lares.

poder con algoCuando te enfrentas a un trabajo importanteque te asusta, tienes que aprender a dividirloen tareas pequenas y especificas. Si no puedescon el, te aplastara.

ya hay medio camino andadoAl descubrir donde estan tus problemas, ya hasrecorrido medio camino. Una vez que sabesesto, puedes empezar a enfrentarte a ellos.

un triunfo fugaz,un exito pasajeroAl principle, parecia que la locura por la comi-da sana seria tan s6lo un exito pasajero. Pero,por lo visto, no es asi. La venta de productosnaturales se est3 incrementando de forma re-gular, segun los expertos.

tocarle a alguien el gordoEs dificil entender c6mo esta empresa coreana,que ofrece una gran variedad de autenticosplatos orientates, consigui6 que le tocara elgordo en los Estados Unidos, ya que los ameri-canos tienen fama de ser desconfiados en loque se refiere a la comida extranjera.

Stan ley 77

Success 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

make a killing ganar una fortunaUntil Bill Gates and his fellow shareholdersmade a killing at Microsoft, increasing re-turns were thought to exist only in textbooks.Now their existence in high-tech markets (likesoftware and multimedia) is widely acknowl-edged.

go from strength to strengthWhile new media companies such as AmericaOnline go from strength to strength, theold ones look on enviously.

by leaps and boundsThe market for our products is growing byleaps and bounds in Europe. Revenues areexpected to rise from $4 million last year to$18 million by 2004.

make or break sbKnowing what's happening in your industryand what's likely to happen tomorrow, whatconsumers want and what they need — thesethings can make or break your business.

have it madeDon Simpson, co-producer of hit movies likeFlashdance, Beverly Hills Cop. and Top Gun,had it made — by everyone's standards ex-cept his own. Simpson died of a drug over-dose a few months ago.

get off to a flying startWe have advance orders of approximately10,000 units, so we're sure of getting off toa flying start when the machine is officiallyput on the market.

make a splashDonatella Versace made a splash with herfourth collection since the death of herbrother Gianni, shown yesterday in Milan.

make one's markA simple and memorable electronic address isessential for any company or organisation try-ing to make its mark on the Internet.

all's well that ends wellAn unusually sunny October has more thancompensated for the dismal weather at thestart of the season. The hotels and restaurantsare doing great business, so all's well thatends well, I suppose.

Hasta que Bill Gates y sus socios accionistasganaron una fortuna con Microsoft, se pensa-ba que los rendimientos crecientes solo exis-tian en los libros academicos. Ahora suexistencia en los mercados de alta tecnologia(como los de software y multimedia) est3 am-pliamente reconocida.

ir cobrando fuerzasMientras que las nuevas empresas de comunica-ci6n, como America Online, van cobrando fuer-za, las antiguas las contemplan con envidia.

a pasos agigantadosEl mercado para nuestros productos est3 cre-ciendo a pasos agigantados en Europa. Se es-pera que los ingresos se incrementen de los 4millones de dolares del ano pasado a los 18millones de d6lares en el ano 2004.

significar la consagraciono la ruina de alguienSaber lo que esta ocurriendo en tu industria ylo que puede ocurrir mafiana, lo que quierenlos consumidores y lo que necesitan, estasson cosas que pueden marcar la diferencia en-tre la consagraci6n o la ruina de tu negocio.

tener el exito aseguradoDon Simpson, el co-productor de peliculas deexito como Flashdance, Beverly Hills Cop yTop Gun, tenia el exito asegurado, de acuerdocon el criterio de todo el mundo menos elsuyo. Simpson murio hace unos meses de unasobredosis de drogas.

empezar con buen pieTenemos pedidos anticipados de unas 10.000unidades, asi que estamos seguros de empe-zar con buen pie cuando la maquina saiga ofi-cialmente al mercado.

causar sensationDonatella Versace caus6 sensacibn con su co-leccion presentada ayer en Milan, la cuartadesde la muerte de su hermano Gianni.

dejar su huella en algoUna direcci6n electr6nica sencilla y facil de re-cordar es esencial para una empresa u organi-zacibn que quiera dejar su huella en Internet.

bien esta lo que bien acabaUn octubre mas soleado de lo normal ha com-pensado de sobra el mal tiempo del inicio dela temporada. A los hoteles y a los restauran-tes les va muy bien, asi que bien esta lo quebien acaba.

78 Stan ley

Success 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

a short cut

Banking is not a glamorous profession andthere are few short cuts to success, just hon-esty, attention to detail, hard work and perse-verance.

one thing leads to another

Word-of-mouth, direct mailings and aggressivenetworking brought us our first customers. Af-ter that one thing led to another. Nowwe're one of the largest stationery retailers inthe country.

a sure-fire method

I have no illusions about myself as a coach. Ilearned long ago that coaches can be suc-cessful using many different philosophiesand that there is no sure-fire method tosucceed.

be home and dry

I've been informed unofficially that we'vebeen awarded the contract. The meeting to-morrow is merely a formality, so you can allrelax. We're already home and dry.

get sth off the ground

I started the company entirely on my own, butit was tiny for the first couple of years. I couldnever have got it off the ground withouta good sales manager.

land on one's feet

When he unexpectedly lost his first job, hedidn't just land on his feet: he found an-other position with a salary which was 25%higher.

a self-made man

Sir Clive Sinclair is a self-made multimillion-aire inventor and businessman. Among hisbetter know inventions are a personal compu-ter, a flat screen television and an electric car.

un metodo facil,una formula magica

La banca no es una profesion elegante y haypocos atajos para alcanzar el exito, unicamen-te la honradez, el cuidado por los detalles, eltrabajo duro y la perseverancia.

una cosa lleva a otra

Gracias al boca a boca, a los envios por correo ya la creacion agresiva de una red de contactosconseguimos nuestros primeros clientes. Des-pues de eso, una cosa Ilev6 a la otra. Ahora so-mos uno de los mas importantes minoristas depapeleria del pais.

un metodo de exito seguro

No me hago muchas ilusiones como entrena-dor. Aprendi hace mucho que los entrenado-res pueden tener exito utilizando filosoffasdiferentes y que no hay un metodo de exitoseguro.

llegar a buen puerto

He sido informado de forma extraoficial deque nos han concedido el contrato. La proxi-ma reunion es una mera formalidad, asi queos podeis relajar. Ya hemos llegado a buenpuerto.

hacer funcionar algo

Inicie el negocio completamente solo, peroera muy poca cosa durante los primeros arios.Nunca hubiese podido hacerlo funcionar sinun buen director de ventas.

salir adelante, tener suerte

Cuando inesperadamente perdi6 su primerempleo, no solo sali6 adelante, sino que en-contro otro puesto con un sueldo 25% maselevado que el anterior.

un hombre que ha triunfadopor su propio esfuerzo,hecho a si mismo

Sir Clive Sinclair es un multimillonario que hatriunfado por su propio esfuerzo como inventory empresario. Entre sus inventos mas conocidosestan el ordenador personal, una pantalla de te-Ievisi6n plana y un coche electrico.

Stanley 79

2O. Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 That's a large part of doing somethingdifficult: Si has convencido al jefe, yatienes medio camino andado.

2 To have a great success, especially towin or earn a lot of money: Le toco laloteria.

3 To have the desired effect: Gracias porlas pastillas, me fueron muy bien.

4 To make a large profit: Gano unafortuna.

5 A success that lasts only a very shorttime and is unlikely to happen again:Es muy probable que sea s6lo un ixitopasajero.

6 To increase one's success by rapidstages: Nuestra campana marcha vientoen popa.

7 (saying} Success in one area invariablyleads to success in other areas: El exitollama al exito.

8 Very quickly: Est3 progresando a pasosagigantados.

9 To be no longer in danger of failing,but sure of success: Una vez que hayanaceptado las condiciones, el trato espracticamente un hecho.

10To cause a sensation by showing onesabilities or qualities: The new range ofmulticoloured Macs at the SanFrancisco Apple Expo.

11 fa project, a company, etc.] To makesomething start successfully: Pasaraalgun tiempo hasta que el sistema esteen funcionamiento.

12 To be able to deal with something, e.g.work or difficulties, successfully: Al fi-nal consiguieron controlar la situacion.

13 To get out of a difficult or unpleasantsituation because of luck: Siempre lesale todo redondo.

14 To cause either success or ruin: We'veinvested a great deal just to get this con-tract, and it can us or us.

15 One small event started a sequence ofevents: I accepted his offer to join thecompany as a trainee and andnow I'm the General Manager.

16 To develop out of ruin into new life andimportance: Quebro tres veces y tresveces renacio de sus cenizas.

1 7 To succeed or achieve recognition: Dejosu impronta en el mundo de losnegocios.

18 (saying) When something difficult orunpleasant ends satisfactorily, there isno point in complaining about any trou-ble it may have caused: Bien esta loque bien acaba.

19 To make a success of something, e.g. ajob, a company, etc: Est2 sacandoadelante el negocio.

20A method which is absolutely reliable:Apparently they're working on ato transfer data on the Internet tentimes more quickly than at present.

21 To have succeeded or to be totally cer-tain of success: Si vas a cursar estudiosen Harvard Business School, tienes elfuture asegurado.

22To be successful or victorious:Terminamos ganando nosotros.

23 A person who has succeeded withoutany help or advantages, entirely by hisown skill and efforts: He came from aworking-class background and leftschool when he was 12. Nevertheless,he's now a multimillionaire and ain every respect.

24 A quicker way of going somewhere ordoing something: Tome un atajo porel parque.

25 To make a fast and successful beginningto something: Empez6 con muy buenpie en su nuevo trabajo.

80 Stan ley

21. Failure ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

you can't win them allno se puede pretenderganarlas todas

The difficult part of salesmanship is handlingso much rejection, so you must simply acceptfrom the outset that you can't win themall. It's enough to win the big ones.

go back to the drawing boardIn one year, 30% of our revenues were usedto pay back lock owners whose bikes hadbeen stolen. So, we went back to thedrawing board to find ways to improvethe lock.

go back to square one

The deal was almost finalised when the cus-tomer announced that he wanted to makesome important structural changes. We hadno choice but to go back to square oneand start all over again.

hit rock bottom

After years of contraction, zero growth countsas an achievement for Russian officials, who arehoping that the economy has hit rock bottomand will now begin to climb upwards.

go bustAiwa, half-owned by Sony, almost went bustin the late 1980s when the yen rose sharplyfollowing the Plaza Accord of 1 985.

go to the wallWhen Philip Morris knocked 40c off a packetof Marlboro, $47 billion was instantly wipedoff the market value of Americas top twentycigarette manufacturers. Lesser brands wentto the wall.

come a cropperIn the next 1 5 years we are bound to have aradical change in automotive technology,most likely in the engine. When that happens,most of the worlds automakers will come acropper.

make a dent in sth

In the business of hooking people up to theinternet, Microsoft is already trailing badly -unable to make a dent in the progress ofAmerica Online.

go to the dogsIt used to be one of the most efficient firms inthe city, but since Old Weston died and his

La parte dificil de un comercial es acostum-brarse a los rechazos, asi que debes aceptardesde el principio que no se puede pretenderganarlas todas. Basta con ganar las mas im-portantes.

volver a empezarEn un ano, el 30% de nuestros ingresos fue-ron destinados a pagar a los duerios de loscandados cuyas bicis habian sido robadas. Asique volvimos al principio para encontrar unsistema para mejorar el candado.

volver al punto de partida

El trato estaba casi finalizado cuando el clien-te anunci6 que queria llevar a cabo algunoscambios estructurales importantes. No tuvi-mos mas remedio que volver al punto de par-tida y empezar de nuevo.

tocar fondoDespues de anos de recesion, el crecimientocero se considera como una hazaria para losrusos, quienes esperan que la economia hayatocado fondo y que inicie ahora su ascenso.

quebrar

Aiwa, que pertenece en un 50% a Sony, casiquebro a finales de los anos 80 cuando el yensubio repentinamente tras el Convenio Plazade 1985.

arruinarse, quebrarCuando Philip Morris bajo el precio del paque-te de Marlboro de 40 centavos, 47 mil millo-nes de dolares fueron borrados al instante delvalor comercial de los 20 principales fabrican-tes de cigarrillos americanos. Las pequefiasmarcas se arruinaron.

fracasarEn los 1 5 proximos anos vamos a experimen-tar un cambio radical en la tecnologia del au-tom6vil, probablemente en el motor. Cuandoesto ocurra, la mayoria de los fabricantes decoches del mundo se arruinaran.

hacer estragos en algo

En el negocio de enganchar a la gente aInternet, Microsoft ya esta perdiendo terreno,incapaz de detener el avance de AmericaOnline.

ir a la ruina, hundirse

Era una de las empresas mas eficientes dela ciudad, pero desde que el viejo Weston

Stanley 81

Failure 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

son took over, it's gone to the dogs. Nowhalf the time they don't even answer thephone.

go downhillAfter peaking at $87 last December — theweek Microsoft declared war — Netscape'sshares have gone steadily downhill, re-cently trading in the mid-30s.

go down the drain

You owe it to yourself and your family to pro-vide for the future of your business. Don't letall your hard work and investment go downthe drain for lack of insurance.

reach a dead end

We spent years trying to develop a proto-type but simply couldn't resolve the techni-cal problems. Finally we realised we hadreached a dead end and abandoned theproject en tirely.

fall flat (on one's face)

Intuit fell flat on its face in early 1995 whenhundreds of customers called to tell storiesabout how bugs in its TurboTax product weremaking a mess of their income tax returns.

shoot sth down in flames

I had developed an elaborate plan to reorgan-ise the department's workload, but the man-agement shot it down in flames. They said itwas too elaborate to be feasible.

give sth up as a bad job

The fact is, I'm not very good at languages. Itried to learn Norwegian once but after a fewmonths I gave it up as a bad job. I wasn'tmaking any progress at all.

come to nothing

In the five years since filing the patents,Michaels has been turned down by more than100 companies. Negotiations with Nasa, theUS space agency, also came to nothing.

a damp squib

Tesco's rivals were dismissive of its recent pricecuts. "It is a damp squib," Asda said. "Theyare only playing catch-up and we are stillcheaper even after the new prices."

murio y su hijo se hizo cargo del negocio,se ha hundido. Ahora ni siquiera contestanel telefono.

empeorar

Tras llegar a un m^ximo de 87 dolares el pasa-do diciembre - la semana que Microsoft decla-r6 la guerra - las acciones de Netscape nanido empeorando, cotizandose ultimamente entreinta y tantos dblares.

irse al garete, venirse abajo

For ti mismo y por tu familia, debes asegurar elfuture de tu empresa. No dejes que se vaya algarete todo el trabajo y la inversion que has rea-lizado por no haber contratado una p6liza deseguro.

llegar a un punto muerto

Nos pasamos anos intentando desarrollar unprototipo pero no pudimos resolver los proble-mas tecnicos. Al final nos dimos cuenta deque habiamos llegado a un punto muerto yabandonamos totalmente el proyecto.

fracasar,no tener el exito deseado

Intuit no tuvo el exito deseado a principios de1995 cuando cientos de clientes llamaronpara contarles que los fallos en su productoTurboTax estaban ocasionando un desastre ensus declaraciones de la renta.

rebatir algo, echar abajo algo

Habia desarrollado un plan minucioso para re-organizar las tareas del departamento pero losdirectives lo echaron abajo. Dijeron que erademasiado complicado para ser factible.

dejar algo por imposible

El hecho es que no se me dan bien los idio-mas. Intente aprender noruego una vez perodespues de unos meses lo deje por imposible.No estaba progresando en absolute.

llegar a nada, quedar en nada

En los cinco anos transcurridos desde que so-licito las patentes, Michaels ha sido rechazadopor mas de 100 empresas. Las negociacionescon la Nasa, la agencia espacial de los EE UU,tambien quedaron en nada.

un fiascoLos rivales de Tesco restaban importancia asus ultimos recortes de precios. "Es un fiasco,"dijo Asda. "S6lo estan intentando alcanzarnosy somos incluso mas baratos a pesar de estosultimos recortes."

82 Stanley

Failure ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

throw in the towel arrojar la toalla

Morale in the company had hit rock bottom,so my first six months were very bleak. Attimes I got close to throwing in the towel.

see the writing on the wall

Perhaps Iranian traditionalists have seen thewriting on the wall. They know that if theycontinue to block reformist legislation, theyrisk being thrown out by voters in next year'sgeneral elections.

serve no purposeThere are a few common sense rules about us-ing visual aids in a presentation. And most arecommonly ignored. The most important isthis: if a visual aid serves no clear purpose,it should be removed.

lose one's touchHe used to be our best salesman but I thinkhe must be losing his touch; in the past sixmonths his results have been merely average.

come away empty-handed

We lowered our prices and improved on thedelivery dates we had proposed initially. Wealso offered a training package. Even so, thenegotiations were unsuccessful and we cameaway empty-handed.

fight a losing battle

In the 1950s the mighty British Motor Corpo-ration commanded 50% of the UK market - al-though even then it was fighting a losingbattle against imported cars.

a has-been

Meetings are disliked because they are usu-ally futile, boring, time-wasting, dull, andinconvenient with nothing for most peopleto do except doodle while some opinion-ated has-been goes on and on about hislast great idea.

the beginning of the end

Sometimes I think my most important job as achief executive is to listen for bad news. If youdon't act on it, your people will eventuallystop bringing bad news to your attention.And that's the beginning of the end.

La moral en la empresa toc6 fondo, asi que misprimeros seis meses fueron muy poco promete-dores. Hubo veces en las que estuve a punto dearrojar la toalla.

ver los malos presagios

Quiza los tradicionalistas iranies han visto ma-los presagios. Saben que si continuan blo-queando la Iegislaci6n reformista, se arriesgana ser rechazados por los votantes en las elec-ciones generales del ario que viene.

no servir para nada

Hay algunas reglas basicas de sentido comunsobre el uso de las ayudas visuales en unapresentaci6n. Y la mayoria no suelen ser res-petadas. La m^s importante es esta: si unaayuda visual no tiene un prop6sito claro, debeser eliminada.

perder la habilidad

Antes era nuestro mejor comercial pero creoque esta perdiendo facultades; en los seis ulti-mos meses sus resultados han sido muy me-diocres.

volver con las manos vacias

Bajamos nuestros precios y mejoramos las fe-chas de entrega que habiamos propuesto ini-cialmente. Tambien ofrecimos un paquete deformaci6n. Aim asi las negociaciones no tuvie-ron exito y nos volvimos con las manos vacias.

luchar por una causa perdida

En los anos 50 la poderosa British MotorCorporation controlaba el 50% del mercadodel Reino Unido, aunque ya entonces, estabaluchando por una causa perdida en contra delas importaciones de coches.

una persona acabada,una vieja gloria

No gustan las reuniones porque normalmenteson inutiles, aburridas, lentas y molestas yconstituyen una perdida de tiempo; en ellas lagente se entretiene haciendo garabatos mien-tras alguna vieja gloria habla sin parar sobresu ultima gran idea.

el principle del fin

A veces creo que el trabajo mas importanteque tengo como presidente, es escuchar lasmalas noticias. Si no actuas de inmediato, tugente dejara de traerte malas noticias. Y esoes el principle del fin.

Stan ley 83


Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capftulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espanol, traducela al ingles.

1 To be no longer of good quality, to bein decline or near ruin: El pais se va algarete.

2 (opinions, suggestions, etc.) To rejectsomething, usually criticizing it severly:Clearly they had no intention of com-promising. Every time I made a sugges-tion, they .

3 To stop trying to do something becauseone's efforts so far have been unproduc-tive: Lo dej6 porque era un caso perdido.

4 To go back to the starting point after afailed attempt at something: Ya estamosotra vez como al principio.

5 (plans, targets, ideas, etc.) To fail to hap-pen: He ended his life an impoverishedand bitter old man. All his great ambi-tions had .

6 To become less successful or of lowerquality: No cabe duda de que eserestaurante se ha venido abajo.

7 To suffer a sudden misfortune or failure:His luck was good for the first couple ofyears, but sooner or later he had to

, and it happened when he in-vested heavily in Russia.

8 An attempt to do something which fallsfar short of the desired effect: Their com-petitors denounced the supposedly revo-lutionary new device as a , slow,expensive and technologically out of date.

9 (said by or to a person who has failedin something) You can't be successfulall the time: No se puede pretenderganarlas todas.

10To abandon all hope in a competitionor fight and to give up: Al final, tuvieronque tirar la toalla.

11 To come to a point where no furtherprogress can be made: Las conversacionesentraron en un callejdn sin salida.

12 To see clear signs of impending dangeror misfortune: Los inversores se la vieronvenir y vendieron las acciones.

13 To go bankrupt, to be forced to stopoperating: La empresa quebro el anopasado.

14 To be superfluous: No sirve para nadaen especial, es simplemente decorative.

5S (an attempt, a joke) To fail dismally: Suschistes de secretarias no hicieron gracia.

16 (an amount of money) To reduce, (aperson's reputation, etc.) to hurt or tolessen: Se ha comido una buena partede nuestros ahorros.

17 To struggle against something with nochance of success: Llevabamos todas lasde perder en la lucha contra lainflacibn.

18To fall to the lowest possible level:Nuestra moral habia tocado fondo.

19A person whose achievements are inthe past and who is no longer re-spected: Fifteen years after his retire-ment, he had lost touch with all hisimportant contacts; the only people heknew now were other old likehimself.

20 (money, effort, etc.) To be wasted orlost: Es como tirar el dinero a la basura.

21 The initial stage of some undesirableevent: Looking back, we can now seethat Fradin's resignation was asfar as innovation was concerned.

22 (used when a plan has not worked) Tostart all over again from the beginning:jVuelta a empezar!

23 To leave with nothing, without gettingthe result one had hoped for: Ladelegaci6n volvio con las manos vacias.

24 (companies, entrepreneurs, etc.) To beruined, to be pushed aside as worth-less: Cada vez mas negocios sedeclaraban en quiebra.

25 To no longer be as skillful as was: jDeboestar perdiendo facultades!

84 Stanley

22. Mistakes 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

put one's foot in it meter la pataI've never met anyone so tactless. Every timehe says something, he puts his foot in it.

make a hash of sthHe dropped his papers, got his slides mixedup, forgot what he wanted to say — in short,he made a real hash of the presentation.

bite off more than one can chewI told the GM I'd be able to finalise details ofthe Oakland project before the end of themonth, but now I realise I've bitten offmore than I can chew. It'll be impossibleunless someone helps me.

put all one's eggs in one basketDepending on one or two big clients for allyour revenues is like putting all your eggsin one basket. Much wiser is to diversifyand develop a broad client base.

it's the blind leading the blindWhen management forgets or becomes un-sure of its mission, then a sense of indirectionsoon pervades the whole company. You havethe worst possible scenario: the blind lead-ing the blind.

get off on the wrong footListen, you and I seem to have got off onthe wrong foot. It's silly because we're bothon the same team. Let's have a quiet drinkand settle our differences.

get sb wrongIf you don't have the cash to motivate yourstaff, try some nonfinancial incentives. Don'tget me wrong: money, when used properly,is a great motivator. But it's not the only one.

go too farDid privatisation of the alcohol industry inRussia go too far, too fast? After all, the statemonopoly on vodka production used to ac-count for 23% of government revenues.

go wrongIt's vital to learn from mistakes. The key to fu-ture success is an honest assessment of whatwent wrong and a plan to make it right.

Jamas he conocido a alguien con menos tac-to. Cada vez que dice algo, mete la pata.

estropear algoSe le cayeron los papeles, desordeno susdiapositivas, olvido lo que queria decir, en re-sumen, la presentacion fue un desastre.

abarcar demasiadoLe dije al director general que podria finalizarlos detalles del proyecto de Oakland antes defin de mes, pero ahora me doy cuenta de quehe abarcado demasiado. Sera imposible sinque alguien me ayude.

jugarselo todo a una cartaEl depender de uno o dos clientes importan-tes para todos tus ingresos es como jugarselotodo a una carta. Es mucho mas sensato di-versificar y desarrollar una base amplia declientes.

estan tan ciegos uno como otroCuando la direccion se olvida de su mision o noest3 segura de ella, una sensacion de mala ges-ti6n se apodera pronto de toda la empresa, quese encuentra en la peor situacion posible: estantan ciegos los unos como los otros.

empezar con mal pieEscucha, parece que tu y yo hemos empezadocon mal pie. Es una tonteria porque ambosestamos en el mismo equipo. Vamos a tomaruna copa tranquilamente y aclaremos nuestrasdiferencias.

malinterpretar a alguienSi no tienes dinero en efectivo para motivar alpersonal, intenta usar algunos incentives no fi-nancieros. No me malinterpretes: el dinero,cuando se usa debidamente, es un excelente in-centive. Pero no es el unico.

ir demasiado lejosiLa privatizaci6n de la industria rusa del alco-hol ha ido demasiado lejos, demasiado rapi-do? Despues de todo, el monopolio estatalsobre la produccion de vodka representabaanteriormente el 23% de los ingresos delgobierno.

equivocarse, fallar, fracasarEs esencial aprender de los errores. La clavede futures exitos es evaluar sinceramente loque ha fallado y establecer un plan para re-mediarlo.

Stanley 85

Mistakes 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

dig one's own graveFinlay is notoriously dishonest. Anybody whogoes into business with him as a partner issimply digging his own grave.

cut one's own throat

I know you don't like Roberts but we can'tpossibly get rid of him: he's handling the ac-counts of half of our most important clients,and they like him. If we fire him, we'll be cut-ting our own throats.

back the wrong horseHe was sure Mitchell would become the newhead of department, so he spent severalmonths trying to impress him. But as it hap-pened, he had backed the wrong horse. Itwasn't Mitchell who was appointed, butsomeone else.

be wide of the markOne third of Singapore's stock exchange iscontrolled by the government. Those whoclaim that it is freer than Hong Kong's stockexchange are therefore wide of the mark.

live beyond one's means

We are in a state of permanent crisis becausewe are living beyond our means. The solu-tion is simple: we must cut spending.

go off the rails

If it hadn't been for Lewis, this company wouldhave gone off the rails years ago. He forcedus to remain focused and disciplined.

bark up the wrong tree

If you think I'm the one who gave the compe-tition those figures, you're barking up thewrong tree. I don't even have access to thatinformation.

bury one's head in the sand

We can't go on burying our heads in thesand and pretending the problem doesn't ex-ist. Sooner or later we have to do somethingabout it.

tread on sb's toesWhen I said that accountants were the dullestpeople on earth, I hope I didn't tread onanyone's toes. I was only joking.

cavarse su propia tumba

Finlay tiene fama de no ser honrado. Cual-quiera que se embarque en un negocio con elcomo socio esta cavando su propia tumba.

tirar piedras al tejado

Ya s6 que no te cae bien Roberts pero no hayforma de deshacerse de el: lleva la mitad denuestros clientes mas importantes, y a ellos lescae bien. Si le despedimos, estariamos tirandopiedras a nuestro propio tejado.

hacer una mala election

Estaba convencido de que Mitchell seria elnuevo jefe del departamento, asi que paso va-rios meses intentando impresionarle. Pero re-sult6 que habia elegido mal. No nombraron aMitchell, sino a otra persona.

estar equivocado,no dar en el biancoUn tercio de la bolsa de Singapur est3 contro-lada por el gobierno. For lo tanto, aquellosque aseguran que es mas libre que la bolsa deHong Kong estan muy equivocados.

vivir por encimade sus posibilidadesNos encontramos en un estado de crisis per-manente porque estamos viviendo por encimade nuestras posibilidades. La soluci6n es sen-cilia: debemos recortar gastos.

irse al garete, descarriarseSi no habria sido por Lewis, esta empresa sehubiese ido al garete hace anos. El nos obligea mantenernos concentrados y disciplinados.

tomar el rabano por las hojas

Si crees que soy yo el que facilitd estas ci-fras a la competencia, estas tomando elrabano por las hojas. Ni siquiera tengoacceso a esa informacion.

meter la cabeza debajo del alaNo podemos meter la cabeza debajo del ala yhacer como si el problema no existiera. Tardeo temprano tendremos que hacer algo al res-pecto.

ofender a alguienCuando dije que los contables eran las perso-nas mas insipidas de la tierra, espero que noofendiera a nadie. Solo estaba bromeando.

86 Stanley

Mistakes 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

a wild goose chaseHe thought he had left the plans in the fore-man's office on the building site, so he senthis secretary off to look for them there. But itwas a wild goose chase, as they were inthe back of his car all the time.

blow up in sb's face

Goizueta changed the sacred formula of Coca-Cola, a move that would have been previouslyunthinkable; New Coke blew up in his faceand became the biggest consumer productdisaster of the -80s. But he quickly reversedhis decision.

be on the wrong track

Management gurus often claim we shouldchange a persons performance by buildinghis motivation. But I say that if somebody's onthe wrong track, and then he gets moti-vated, he's just going to get to disasterquicker.

be out of tune with sthManagement is completely out of tunewith feelings on the shop floor. This strike isnot only about higher wages, it's about issueswhich go much further than that.

a half-baked ideaBrainstorming is about liberating creative en-ergy, so I want you to say whatever comesinto your mind. In this first stage, it doesn'tmatter how half-baked you think your ideasmay be.

rub sb the wrong wayAt a dinner with top executives and theirspouses, the newly appointed C.E.O. rubbedsome people the wrong way by makingseveral joking references to "the long periodof managerial incompetence" which had pre-ceded his arrival.

shoot one's mouth offThis matter is highly confidential and the trou-ble with Yates is that once he's had a drink ortwo, he starts shooting his mouth off. Ithink it's better if we don't inform him for thetime being.

una busqueda inutil,una empresa descabelladaCreia que habia dejado los pianos en la ofici-na del capataz de la obra, asi que envio a susecretaria a buscarlos alii. Pero fue una bus-queda inutil, ya que estaban en la parte deatr^s de su coche.

ser un fracasolamentable, estrellarseGoizueta cambio la f6rmula sagrada de Coca-Cola, una maniobra que antes hubiera sido im-pensable: la Coca-Cola nueva fue un fracasolamentable y se convirtio en el mayor desastrede los ahos 80 en un producto de consume.Pero rapidamente revoc6 su decision.

estar mal encaminadoLos gurus de la direccidn suelen afirmar quedebemos cambiar el rendimiento de una per-sona incrementando su motivacion. Pero yodigo que si alguien est3 mal encaminado y sele motiva, solo va a llegar antes al desastre.

no estar en sintonia con algoLos directives no est^n en absolute ensintonia con lo que sienten los obreros. Estahuelga no s6lo tiene que ver con un aumentode sueldo sino que trata de temas mucho masprofundos.

una idea mal concebidaLas sesiones de creatividad tratan de liberarla energia creativa, asi que quiero que di-g^is lo primero que se os ocurra. En estaetapa, no importa que creaks que vuestrasideas son malas.

sacar a uno de quicio

En una cena con los altos ejecutivos y sus es-posas, el presidente recientemente nombradosaco a algunas personas de quicio al hacer va-rios chistes que hacfan referenda al "largo pe-riodo de incompetencia directiva" que habiaprecedido su llegada.

irse de la lenguaEste tema es altamente confidencial y el pro-blema con Yates es que en cuanto se ha torna-do una o dos copas, empieza a irse de lalengua. Creo que serd mejor si de momentono le informamos.

Stan ley 87



1 To harm oneself by the way one acts,usually because of pride or anger: Irteahora seria suicida.

2 To make a bad start with someone orsomething: He by arriving anhour and a half late for his first day atwork.

3 To support the wrong person i.e. theeventual loser in a competition: Don'tget involved in office politics. If you

, you'll pay for it later.

4 To make a wrong assumption or blamethe wrong person: If you think I'm theone who told the boss what you did,you're .

5 To risk everything one has in a singleventure or business: No te lo jueguestodo a una carta.

6 To refuse to admit that something is aproblem in the hope that it will getbetter by itself: When are you going tostop and recognise that this is amajor problem, and that it's not justgoing to go away?

7 To do or say something that goes be-yond accepted limits: Esta situacibn haido demasiado lejos.

8 To offend someone by doing or sayingsomething that is against his interestsor beliefs: Cuando hicimos aquelloscambios, tuvimos cuidado de noofender a nadie.

9 (figures, calculations, guesses, etc.) Tobe incorrect, far from the truth or cor-rect amount: Err6 por mucho en suc^lculo.

I OTo say something unintentionally whichoffends or upsets another person: Meti6la pata.

I1 To misunderstand somebody: No meinterpretes mal, no estamos en contradel plan.

12 A search for something that has no hopeof success: No pienso ir otra vez alaeropuerto a perder el tiempo para nada.

13 To spend more than one earns: Viviapor encima de sus posibilidades.

14 To start doing something that is muchtoo difficult: Ha querido abarcardemasiado.

15 (scheme, arrangement, etc.) To fail dis-astrously because of an unexpectedevent, so causing embarrassment to theperson responsible: Their plans to floodthe market with cheaper modelswhen the machines proved to havemajor defects.

16 (business, etc.) To become disorgan-ised, confused, (person) to becomemad: Empez6 a actuar de forma extranacuando se quedd sin trabajo.

17 To make a mistake, to take the wrongdirection: Siga las instrucciones y no seequivocal.

18 To be going in the wrong direction: Meparece que asl vamos por mal camino.

19 To not be in agreement or harmonywith something: El edificio no esta enarmonia con su entorno.

20 To spoil a job or a piece of work: Hizouna verdadera chapuza al escribir elinforme.

21 An idea which has not been fullythought out, and so is foolish or im-practical: I wish you would stop wast-ing our time with your .

22 To cause one's own misfortunes: Est^scavando tu propia tumba.

23 To talk carelessly about confidentialmatters, to boast or exaggerate:Siempre esta presumiendo de lo quehizo en el ejercito.

24A situation in which a leader knows aslittle as someone else who is being led:Est^n tan ciegos uno como otro.

25 To make somebody angry or hostile bybehaving in a way that annoys them: Idon't know why he dislikes me somuch, I suppose I just .

88 Stanley

23. Criticism ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

tear sth to pieces poner por los suelos

I made one or two suggestions at the begin-ning of the meeting but the others torethem to pieces, so I didn't contribute muchafter that.

a bone of contention

The ownership of Gibraltar has long been abone of contention between Britain andSpain.

have a bone to pick with sb

I have a bone to pick with Clive. The fig-ures he gave me were completely false. Be-cause of him, I made a fool of myself in frontof the client.

drive a coachand horses through sth

I want to emphasise that the plan is still in avery early stage. I'm perfectly aware that atthe moment you could drive a coach andhorses through it. The only reason I'm pre-senting it today is to give you an idea ofwhere we're heading.

put a damper on sth

The bank's refusal to lend us the money put adamper on our plans to expand.

lay the blame for sth on sb

Sooner or later someone is going to lay theblame for the company's continued poor per-formance on the current management.

pick holes in sth

You've been sitting there picking holes inour plan all morning. But do you have any-thing better to propose?

tell sb a few home truths

We recruit them directly from university, sothey sometimes arrive here thinking they'repretty smart. In that case, you have to takethem aside and tell them a few hometruths, in particular that they don't know asmuch as they think they do.

put one's own house in order

The Americans are accusing us of dumpingcheap steel on the Asian market. Let themput their own house in order before theystart criticising us.

Mice una sugerencia o dos al principio de lareunion pero los demas las rechazaron, asique no pude hacer muchas aportaciones des-pues de eso.

la manzana de la discordia

La posesi6n de Gibraltar es desde hace muchola manzana de la discordia entre Inglaterra yEspana.

tener queajustarle las cuentas a alguien

Tengo que ajustarle las cuentas a Clive. Las ci-fras que me dio eran completamente falsas.Por su culpa, quede como un idiota delantedel cliente.

tener agujeros, arrasar con algo

Quiero dejar claro que el plan aun esta enuna fase inicial. Me doy perfectamente cuentade que en este momento tiene mas agujerosque un colador. La unica razon por la cual loestoy presentando hoy es para que tengaisuna idea de la direccion en la que vamos.

amargar algo

El rechazo del banco para prestarnos dineroha amargado nuestros planes de expansion.

echar la culpa de algo a alguien

Tarde o temprano alguien echara la culpa delbajo rendimiento de la empresa a los actualesdirectives.

encontrar defectos en algo

Has estado encontrando defectos en nuestroplan durante toda la manana. <n~ienes algomejor que proponernos?

decirle a alguien cuatro verdades

Les reclutamos directamente de la universi-dad, asi que a veces llegan aqui pensandoque son bastante listos. En ese caso, les tienesque llamar la atencion y decirles cuatro verda-des, sobre todo si no saben tanto como creen.

cuidarse de sus asuntos propios

Los americanos nos estan acusando de inun-dar el mercado asiatico con acero barato. Quearreglen sus asuntos antes de criticarnos.

Stanley 89

Criticism 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

to add insult to injury por si fuera poco

The much-heralded measures to boost corpo-rate investment turn out to be relatively unim-portant. To add insult to injury, they areonly temporary.

lay oneself wide open to sth

Taking established customers for granted is aneasy way to lose business. Why? Because youlay yourself wide open to competitors whoare looking at the customer the way you didwhen you were starting out.

be in the firing line

I enjoy the excitement of working in a crisisatmosphere. In this job, you have nothing butproblems. You're always in the firing line.You're juggling a dozen balls, and you can'tafford to let any of them drop. Everybody iscounting on you.

it's no use crying over spilt milk

We missed the deadline because you didn'tstart preparing our proposal early enough.Well, there's no point crying over spiltmilk, but let me make it clear: I won't toleratethis kind of slackness in future.

pour cold water over sth

Mr Greenspan poured cold water on Euro-pean proposals to harmonise the exchangerates of the world's main currencies.

a slap in the face

The union for white-collar employees rejectedan employers' offer, under which their mem-bers would have received a one-off paymentof £300 each, describing it as "a slap in theface for the bank workers."

give sth short shrift

They give short shrift to our recent effortsto reduce costs and improve efficiency, men-tioning them only in the final paragraph oftheir report.

clear the air

The last thing I need is undue conversationconcerning my health. I just want to clearthe air and not let there be a lot of untruerumours floating around.

Las medidas tan pregonadas para aumentar lainversi6n corporativa nan resultado ser depoca importancia. Por si fuera poco, solo sontemporales.

exponerse a algo

Considerar a antiguos clientes como seguroses una forma f^cil de perder contratos. iPorque? Porque estas expuesto a la competenciaque busca clientes del mismo modo que losbuscabas tu cuando empezaste.

estar en la linea de fuego

Disfruto con la emocion de trabajar en un am-biente de crisis. En este trabajo, no tienes m^sque problemas. Siempre est^s en la linea defuego. Est3s haciendo juegos malabares convarias pelotas y no te puedes permitir el lujode que se caiga ninguna. Todo el mundocuenta contigo.

a lo hecho, pecho

No conseguimos cumplir los plazos porque noempezaste a preparar nuestra propuesta atiempo. Bueno, a lo hecho, pecho, pero dejaque aclare una cosa: no tolerare este tipo denegligencia en el futuro.

echar un jarro de agua fria,poner trabas a algo

Mr Greenspan ech6 un jarro de agua fria alas propuestas europeas para fijar los tiposde cambio entre las principales divisas delmundo.

un desaire, una bofetada

El sindicato de trabajadores de oficina rechazola oferta de una empresa segun la cual susmiembros hubiesen recibido una bonificaci6nde 300 libras cada uno, describiendola como"una bofetada para los empleados de la banca".

desestimar de piano algo

Desestimaron de piano nuestros ultimos es-fuerzos por reducir costes y mejorar la efica-cia, mencionandolos s6lo en el ultimo pa>rafode su informe.

aclarar las cosas

Lo ultimo que necesito es que se hable sin tonni son sobre mi salud. Solo quiero aclarar lascosas y no dejar que circulen un monton defalsos rumores.

90 Stan ley

Criticism 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

tell sb where to get off

These files are strictly confidential. The nexttime Wainwright starts poking through them,come and tell me immediately. I'll tell himwhere to get off.

make amends for sth

Wall Street rallied, with strong gains amongtelecommunication and bank stocks morethan making amends for yesterday's losses.

have no hard feelings

Frazer had some hard things to say about ourworking methods, but I have no hard feel-ings. In fact, after the meeting, I thanked himfor being so frank and direct.

let bygones be bygones

We've often disagreed on professional mat-ters, but I have nothing against you person-ally. Now we're working together, I suggestwe concentrate on the present and let by-gones be bygones.

be in sb's bad books

The blonde you kept contradicting at lunch isSandra, the boss's personal assistant. This isyour first day here, so let me give you someadvice: you don't want to be in her badbooks if you can help it.

make no bones about sthI'll make no bones about it, Malone — Ihave no intention of recommending you forpromotion. Because quite frankly I don't thinkyou deserve it.

take sth to heart

Okuda had heard that in the tiny Suzuki Mo-tor Corporation it took just five minutes toconvey a top executive's decision to the wholecompany, while it took weeks for Toyota. Tak-ing this complaint to heart, he startedmaking changes.

vote with one's feet

There's only one way we'll convince the man-agement of this company that salaries are toolow, and that's by voting with our feet.When enough of us start leaving, they'll startlistening.

cantarle las cuarenta a alguien

Estos ficheros son estrictamente confidencia-les. La proxima vez que Wainwright se pongaa fisgar en ellos, ven y dimelo de inmediato.Ya le cantare yo las cuarenta.

compensar por algo

La bolsa se animo, con fuertes ganancias enlas acciones de telecomunicaciones y bancos,compensando de sobra las perdidas de ayer.

no guardar rencor

Frazer hizo unos comentarios muy duros sobrenuestros metodos de trabajo, pero no le guardorencor. De hecho, despues de la reuni6n, le dilas gracias por ser tan franco y directo.

olvidar el pasado

Con frecuencia hemos estado en desacuerdosobre temas profesionales pero personalmenteno tengo nada contra ti. Ahora que estamostrabajando juntos, sugiero que nos concentre-mos en el presente y olvidemos el pasado.

estar en la lista negra de alguien

La rubia a la que estabas llevando la contra-ria durante el almuerzo es Sandra, la ayu-dante personal del jefe. Este es tu primerdia aqui, asi que deja que te de un consejo:trata de no estar en su lista negra si lo pue-des evitar.

no vacilar en hacer algo

Te lo dire muy claro, Malone: no tengo ningu-na intencibn de recomendarte para un ascen-so. Porque, francamente, no creo que te lomerezcas.

tomarse algo a pecho

Okuda habia oido decir que en la pequenaSuzuki Motor Corporation solo se tardaba cin-co minutos en transmitir una decisi6n de losaltos ejecutivos a toda la empresa, mientrasque en Toyota se tardaba semanas. Tomando-se esta queja a pecho, comenzo a realizarcambios.

expresar su opinionabandonando la organizacion

Solo hay una manera de convencer a los di-rectives de esta empresa de que los sueldosson demasiado bajos: marcharnos de la em-presa. Cuando bastantes de nosotros comen-cemos a irnos, deberan escucharnos.

Stan ley 91



1 In a position where one is likely to beattacked: Nuestro departamento va a serel que va a recibir todas las criticas.

2 To tell someone things about himselfwhich are unpleasant but true, oftenwith the intention of helping him: Le dijecuatro verdades.

3 (saying) What is done is done and it ispointless complaining about it: A lohecho, pecho.

4 To claim that a person or organisation isresponsible for something bad: Le echola culpa de todo a su socio.

5 (a plan, an idea, etc.) To discouragesomething by raising objections: Wesuggested that a number of changesbe made, but the division headsover our proposals.

6 An insult or rebuff: Union representativessaid they considered management's of-fer to be a for mine workersthroughout the country.

7 To have something to complain aboutor reason for displeasure with someone:Dile a Marcus que tengo cuentas queajustar con el.

8 To treat something quickly and unsympa-thetically: La idea fue rechazada de piano.

9 To cause offence to someone after al-ready having harmed him in some otherway: Y por si fuera poco tuve que pagarlela comida.

10 (criticism, disappointment, etc.) To begreatly upset or influenced by something:Se tomaron las crfticas muy a pecho.

11 To depress, discourage or prevent some-thing: La mala noticia estropeo las fiestas.

12 To show that you do not support a com-pany's policies by leaving the company:Knowing it was pointless to protestagainst the pay cut, he decided to .

13 To ensure, before accusing others, thatone is not guilty of the same faults: Be-fore he starts criticizing us, let him .

14 To do or say something without restraintor deception: No oculta sus preferencias.

ISA subject that causes disagreementwhenever it is discussed: Es la manzanade la discordia entre ellos.

16 To be out of favour with somebody: Eneste momento, esta de malas connosotros.

17 To forget past quarrels: Lo pasado,pasado esta\

18 To find faults or mistakes in something:No cesaban de encontrar defectos a miargumento.

19 To have no feelings of bitterness afterbeing beaten in a fight or argument: Noles guardo ningun rencor por como metrataron.

20 To expose oneself to attack, blame, etc:Esto nos expondria a las criticas.

21 (an argument, a plan, a case, etc) Todestroy something completely by high-lighting its weak points: I've rarely seensuch a poorly conceived advertising cam-paign. My God, you could .

22 To compensate for some injury or insult:Deberia compensarnos por su negligencia.

23 To tell someone that his behaviour is nolonger tolerable: He may be the boss ifhe tries any sexual harassment with me,I'll soon .

24 To criticize every detail of something se-verely: He had not expected them toaccept his project unreservedly, but nei-ther had he expected them to .

25 To dispel tensions or worries, especiallyby discussing them: A furious argumentof that kind is always disagreeable, butat least it for a while.

92 Stanley

24. Reactions 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

not bat an eyelid

He listened to the chairman's criticism withoutbatting an eyelid.

take a dim view of sth

While the parents and kids took a dim viewof liberal arts, business leaders called the hu-manities essential to developing critical think-ing and problem-solving skills.

take sth lying down

P&G's market share fell from 31.6% to 25.3%.Nobody expects P&G to take this lyingdown, but the company has not yet com-mented on how it will respond.

not lose any sleep over sth

I'm not losing any sleep over one bad periodof earnings. I'm losing sleep over meetingour future challenges.

be thankful for small mercies

It is true that our profits have fallen sharply,but in a period of recession, when many smallcompanies like ours are being driven intobankruptcy, we must be thankful forsmall mercies.

look on the bright side

Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi opened parlia-ment on Tuesday pleading for people to snapout of their recession-fuelled gloom and lookon the bright side.

stretch a point

According to company policy, you aren't enti-tled to follow a training course of this kinduntil you've been employed with us for atleast a year. But in your case, for operationalreasons, we've decided to stretch a point.

be sick and tired of sthWe are sick and tired of the very high levelof taxation on German companies. If we areto be competitive, the government must cuttaxes.

take sides with sb

There are not many issues on which I wouldtake sides with Walker rather than withClark, but this is one of them. My figures sup-port everything Walker said.

no pestanear, no inmutarse

Escuch6 la critica del presidente sinpestanear.

ver algo con malos ojos

Mientras que los padres y los hijos no veiancon buenos ojos las humanidades, los lideresempresariales insistian en que eran esencialespara desarrollar la capacidad critica para resol-ver los problemas.

aceptar algo sin rechistar

La cuota de mercado de P&G cayo del 31,6%al 25,3%. Nadie espera que P&G acepte estosin rechistar, pero la empresa aun no ha co-mentado nada sobre las soluciones que va aadoptar.

no perder el sueno por algo

No pierdo el sueno por pasar por un periodode pocos ingresos. Pero si que lo pierdo porcumplir con nuestros futures compromises.

dar las gracias por ir tirando

Es verdad que nuestros beneficios han caidomucho, pero en un periodo de recesion,cuando muchas empresas pequenas como lanuestra est^n quebrando, debemos dar lasgracias por ir tirando.

mirar el lado positive de las cosas

El primer ministro Keizo Obuchi abrio el mar-tes el parlamento pidiendo que la gente deja-ra de ver a traves de la bruma de la recesion ymirara el lado positive de las cosas.

hacer una excepcion

De acuerdo con la politica de la empresa, nopuedes seguir un curso de formacion deeste tipo hasta que hayas estado con noso-tros al menos un ano. Pero en tu caso, pormotives operatives, hemos decidido haceruna excepci6n.

estar harto de algo

Estamos hartos del alto nivel impositivo quegrava las empresas alemanas. Si hemos de sercompetitivos, el gobierno debe recortar los im-puestos.

ponerse de parte de alguien

No hay muchos temas sobre los cuales puedoponerme de parte de Walker en lugar deClark, pero este es uno de ellos. Mis cifras res-paldan todo lo que dijo Walker.

Stan ley 93

Reactions 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

cut one's losses reducir las perdidas

Hiring people is an art, not a science. Whenyou realise you've made a mistake, you needto cut your losses and start over again.

clutch at straws

There's absolutely no chance that the GM willreverse his decision, and Fulton knows it. It'strue he's asked for a meeting to re-examinethe matter, but he's clutching at straws. It'sbeen decided, and that's that.

put a brave face on sth

Mr Marcus puts a brave face on the pastfew years of falling profits. "The companyhas not lost any of its big customers, nor hasit seen staff turnover accelerate,' he says.

it's sour grapes

When they took away his company car, hesaid he had never liked driving a Mercedesanyway - but of course, that was just sourgrapes.

get a grip on oneself

When they rejected our revised proposals af-ter only a few seconds' deliberation, I thoughtJohn was going to lose his temper. But he im-mediately got a grip on himself and evenmanaged to thank them for their time and at-tention.

dig one's heels in

The problem with Angela is that the more youtry to convince her she's wrong, the moreshe digs her heels in and refuses to listen.

whet sb's appetite for sth

With the privatisation of Deutsche Telekom,millions of individual investors have beenbrought into German stocks for the first time.DT's success should only whet the averageGerman's appetite for equities.

be glad to see the back of sb

The financial markets were in no doubtabout how to react to the resignation of the

Contratar a la gente es un arte, no una cien-cia. Cuando te das cuenta de que has cometi-do un error, tienes que reducir las perdidas yvolver a empezar.

aferrarse a una esperanza vana

No hay la minima posibilidad de que el direc-tor general cambie de parecer, y Fulton losabe. Es verdad que ha pedido una reunionpara volver a examinar el asunto, pero se est3aferrando a una esperanza vana. La decisi6nha sido ya tomada y no hay vuelta de hoja.

poner al mal tiempo buena cara

Mr Marcus pone al mal tiempo buena cara so-bre los cada vez mas reducidos beneficios delos ultimos arios. "La empresa no ha perdidoninguno de sus grandes clientes, ni ha vistoen ningun momento incrementarse la renova-cion de la plantilla", dijo.

las uvas estan verdes

Cuando le quitaron su automovil de empresa,dijo que nunca le habia gustado conducir unMercedes - pero claro, es que las uvas estabanverdes.

controlarse

Cuando rechazaron nuestras propuestas trasalgunos segundos de deliberacidn, pens£ queJohn iba a explotar. Pero enseguida Iogr6 con-trolarse e incluso consigui6 darles las graciaspor su tiempo y atencion.

ser tozudo,mantenerse en sus trece

El problema con Angela es que cuanto mas seintenta convencerla de que esta equivocada,mas se mantiene en sus trece, y se niega a es-cuchar.

hacer que uno tomeel gusto por algo

Con la privatizaci6n de Deutsche Telekom, mi-llones de inversores individuales se han vistoatraidos por primera vez por las acciones ale-manas. El exito de DT deberia hacer que elalem^n medio tome gusto por los valores delcapital.

estar contento de habersequitado a alguien de encima.

Los mercados financieros no dudaron de c6moreaccionar ante la renuncia del controvertido

94 Stan ley

Reactions 1,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

controversial German finance minister — theywere glad to see the back of him.

take a hard line on sth

The Clinton administration had taken ahard line on Chinas membership of the WTOuntil this year. It now argues that disputesover trade with Beijing can be settled moreeasily in a multilateral framework.

grin and bear it

There has not been any sustained period ofeconomic growth since the Soviet Union col-lapsed in 1 991. And the only thing the gov-ernment can tell the people is to grin andbear it, growth is just around the corner.

at the drop of a hat

If finding an attractive and appropriate loca-tion is important, many agencies can pro-vide a short-list of suitable sites at thedrop of a hat.

to make a virtue of necessity

More than one middle-aged corporate em-ployee, on losing his job, has learned tomake a virtue of necessity and recycledhimself as a consultant.

pick up the pieces

Why do many so-called failures find successthe second time around? How are so manyentrepreneurs able to pick up the piecesand start all over again? You might say thatthey fail to succeed.

lose heart

He's already shown his invention to dozens ofcompanies, but they've all turned it down. Af-ter so many rejections, he's beginning to loseheart.

turn a blind eye

I consider myself a reasonably tolerant andbroad-minded person, but I cannot turn ablind eye to an office romance which is dis-rupting the day-to-day operation of this de-partment.

turn a deaf ear

Turning a deaf ear to government advice,rice farmers in Thailand have increased theircultivation areas by 45% above the state-rec-ommended limit.

ministro de finanzas aleman; se alegraron dehaberselo quitado de encima.

adoptar una posturafirme con respecto a algo

Hasta este ano la administraci6n Clinton habiaadoptado una postura firme con respecto a lainclusion de China en la OMC. Ahora insistenen que las disputas comerciales con Beijing sepueden resolver mas facilmente con una es-tructura multilateral.

aguantarse

Desde que la Union Sovietica se hundio en1991, no ha conocido ningun periodo de cre-cimiento econdmico. Y lo Qnico que el gobiernopuede decir a la gente es que aguante, que elcrecimiento est3 a la vuelta de la esquina.

en cualquier momento

Si resulta importante encontrar una ubicaci6natractiva y apropiada, muchas agencias pue-den proporcionar en cualquier momento unalista reducida de lugares adecuados.

hacer de la necesidad virtud

Al perder su empleo, mas de un empleadocorporative de mediana edad ha aprendido ahacer de la necesidad virtud y se ha recicladocomo consultor.

volver a empezar, rehacer su vida

^Por que tantos supuestos fracasados tienenexito la segunda vez que lo intentan? iComoes que tantos empresarios son capaces de vol-ver a empezar? Se podria decir que han fraca-sado para tener exito.

descorazonarse, desanimarse

Ya ha mostrado su invento a docenas de em-presas, pero todas lo han rechazado. Tras tan-tos rechazos, esta empezando a desanimarse.

hacer la vista gorda

Me considero una persona razonablemente to-lerante y de mente abierta, pero no puedo ha-cer la vista gorda a un romance de oficinaque esta perturbando la rutina del departa-mento.

hacer oidos sordos

Haciendo oldos sordos a los consejos del go-bierno, los cultivadores de arroz de Tailandiahan incrementado sus zonas de cultivo de un45% por encima del limite recomendado porel estado.

Stan ley 95



1 To limit one's losses by putting an endto their cause: Deberiamos cortar porlo sano y abandonar el negocio.

2 (used when a person fails to get whathe wants and then claims that he didn'twant it anyway} It's because of envy orbitterness: Dijo que en cualquier casoel trabajo habria resultado aburrido,pero era s6lo por envidia.

3 To refuse to do something, e.g. changeone's opinions, especially when one isunder pressure to do so: Se mantuvoen sus trece y no hubo quien laconvenciera.

4 To be willing to try anything to escapefrom a difficult or dangerous situation:Se ha aferrado a una esperanza vana.

5 To make someone eager to obtain(learn, hear, see, etc.) more of some-thing: La experiencia habia hecho quele tomara el gusto a viajar por elextranjero.

6 To take firm control of oneself: Este tipode comportamiento no conduce anada. jContrblate!

7 To try to appear happy or unworried inspite of difficulty or misfortune: Estabamuy desilusionada pero puso buena cara.

8 To pretend not to notice something: Lacompania hace la vista gorda a lasllamadas telefbnicas particulares.

9 To refuse to listen to something, e.g. arequest: Hicieron oldos sordos anuestras advertencias.

10 To be happy to get rid of somebody:Me alegr£ mucho cuando se fueron.

11 (in a bad situation} To be grateful thatsome things are not as bad as the rest:Bueno, debemos dar las gracias por lospequenos favores.

12 To be uncompromising, to not give in:Whatever the situation, whatever the

issue, Mrs Thatcher prided herself onher ability .

13 To accept something done to harm onewithout opposition: Cuando se lo digas,no se va a quedar de brazos cruzados.

14To make an exception: I'm prepared tofrom time to time, if it's neces-

sary, but I have no intention of makinga habit of it.

15 To manage with something althoughit may not be what one wanted:Tendremos que arregl^rnoslas con loque tenemos.

16 To not worry excessively or be anxiousabout something: No voy a perder elsueno por ello.

17 To restore order to something after afight or other unexpected event: Estatratando de rehacer su vida.

18 Not to show any signs of emotion:Cuando el anuncio su dimision, ella nise inmuto.

19To become discouraged: Han perdidola ilusi6n por el proyecto.

20 To concentrate on the advantages ratherthan the disadvantages of a situation:Siempre le ve el lado bueno a todo.

21 To disapprove of something: Ven este tipode comportamiento con muy malos ojos.

22At any moment, without warning:Podrfan despedirnos a todos sin mas nim^s.

23 To support one person in an argumentrather than another: Me niego a tomarpartido por nadie cuando empiezan adiscutir.

24 To suffer pain or disappointment with-out complaining: No tendr^s m^sremedio que poner al mal tiempobuena cara.

25To be very annoyed at something:Estamos hartos de tus quejas.

96 Stanley

25. Opportunities 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

take advantage of sth aprovechar algoNo European country has been more aggres-sive than Germany about taking advantageof new opportunities in Eastern Europe andthe former Soviet Union.

make the most of sthBecause the cost of travel can also be meas-ured in lost work time, it's important to makesure you make the most of your travel time,by using modern devices like cellular phones,pagers and laptop computers.

kill two birds with one stoneGo ahead and take your cellular phone andmodem to the beach. On a working vacationyou kill two birds with one stone: youget a relaxing change of scene and you getsome work done.

it's a blessing in disguiseLast year's crises in the emerging marketswere a blessing in disguise for the US, asthe economy benefited from cheaper importsand lower commodity prices.

have the best of both worldsThe guidelines which the IRS uses to decide aworker's status, i.e. whether he's an employeeor an independent contractor, say essentiallythat he can't have the best of bothworlds. He's either one or the other.

play one's cards rightIf he plays his cards right, he'll be run-ning this company when old Pierrie retires.

have a crack at sthHousehold goods, furniture, consumer elec-tronics, drugs, toys, home mortgages, auto-mobiles, insurance, health care: all are areasin which one or more companies are havinga crack at being the next Amazon.com.

let sth slip through one's fingersThrough a mixture of ignorance and compla-cency, they let the chance of a major contractslip through their fingers.

while the going is goodBusiness is rather slack at the moment. Whydon't you take a couple of weeks' holidaywhile the goings good? Who can saywhen you'll get the chance again?

Ningun pals europeo ha sido tan agresivocomo Alemania a la hora de aprovechar lasnuevas oportunidades en Europa del Este yen la antigua Unibn Sovietica.

aprovechar algo al maximoComo el coste de los viajes tambien se puedemedir en tiempo de trabajo perdido, es impor-tante asegurarse de que aprovechas al maxi-mo tu tiempo durante el viaje, usandoaparatos modernos como el m6vil, el busca yel ordenador port^til.

matar dos pajaros de un tiAnimate y llevate el m6vil y el modem a la pla-ya. Durante unas vacaciones de trabajo, pue-des matar dos pajaros de un tiro: cambias unpoco de ambiente y haces algo de trabajo.

no hay malque por bien no vengComo no hay mal que por bien no venga,para los Estados Unidos la crisis del ano pasa-do en los mercados emergentes resulto benefi-ciosa, ya que la economia se beneficio deimportaciones mas baratas y mercancias a pre-cios mas bajos.

tener todas las ventajasLas pautas que usa Hacienda para determinarla situacion de un trabajador, es decir, si esempleado o aut6nomo, establecen que unono puede tenerlo todo. Es una cosa u otra.

jugar bien las cartasSi juega bien sus cartas, estara al mando deesta empresa cuando el viejo Pierrie se retire.

intentar algoLos articulos para el hogar, los muebles, laelectronica, las medicinas, losjuguetes, las hi-potecas, los autom6viles, los seguros, los ser-vicios sanitarios:estas son las areas en lascuales una o mas empresas estan intentandoconvertirse en el pr6ximoAmazon.com.

dejar escapar una oportunidadPor una mezcla de ignorancia y autocompla-cencia, dejaron que se les escapara la oportu-nidad de conseguir un contrato importante.

mientras podamosEl negocio esta algo flojo de momento ¿Por.que no te tomas unas vacaciones de un parde semanas mientras puedas? ^Quien sabecuando volveras a tener esta oportunidad?

Stanley 97

Opportunities 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

break new ground abrir nuevos caminosWhen the Hubco project was negotiated inthe mid-1980s, it broke new groundthrough the innovative use of World Bankguarantees and rapidly became a model forsuch projects.

make hay while the sun shinesLow interest rates, a bull market for stocks,massive profits - in short, this is as good as itgets on Wall Street. Smart investors are mak-ing hay while the sun shines.

strike while the irons hotThe boss is in a really good mood this morn-ing because of all the new orders we've re-ceived. If you still want to ask for a raise, Isuggest you strike while the iron is hot.not look a gift horsein the mouthSeeing that I had so much work to do, he of-fered to help me. Well, I wasn't going to looka gift horse in the mouth, was I? I ac-cepted immediately.hand sth to sb on a plateYou have to make a lot of calls, you have todo a lot of travelling. It's damned hard work.But then you don't expect people to handyou their business on a plate, do you?

out of the blueEven in today's world of giant mergers, yester-day's takeover of Rothmans International byBritish American Tobacco came out of theblue: a nice surprise or a nasty shock, de-pending on your viewpoint.

miss the boatAs any budding entrepreneur knows, growthis a tricky thing. Grow too slowly, and youmiss the boat; expand too quickly, and youmay harm the business.

rise to the occasionDuring the three months the department headwas in hospital, Henry had to run everythingby himself. It can't have been easy for him,but he rose to the occasion splendidly.few and far betweenDuring the 1950s, a sort of golden age forthe construction industry, builders and clientsgot along pretty well. Construction firms oper-ated on margins of about 10%, and lawsuitswere few and far between.

Cuando se negocio el proyecto Hubco a me-diados de los anos 80, abrio nuevos caminoscon el uso innovador de las garantias del Ban-co Mundial y se convirtib rapidamente en elmodelo a seguir en proyectos de este tipo.

a la ocasion la pintan calvaBajos tipos de interes, un mercado bursatil enauge, beneficios masivos - en resumen, la me-jor situacibn posible en la bolsa. Losinversores inteligentes estan al tanto, ya que ala ocasi6n la pintan calva.aprovechar la ocasionEl jefe esta de muy buen humor esta mananapor todos los nuevos pedidos que hemos reci-bido. Si aun quieres un aumento de sueldo,sugiero que no desaproveches la ocasi6n.

a caballo regaladono le mires el dienteAl ver que tenia tanto trabajo que hacer, seofrecio para ayudarme. Bueno, a caballo rega-lado no le mires el diente, £no? Asi que acep-t£ de inmediato.poner algo a alguien en bandejaHay que hacer muchas llamadas, hay que via-jar mucho. El trabajo es muy dificil. Pero, porotra parte, uno no espera que la gente leponga sus contratos en bandeja, ^verdad?

como llovido del cieloIncluso en el mundo actual de las grandes fu-siones, la adquisici6n de RothmansInternational por British American Tobaccovino como llovida del cielo: una sorpresaagradable o un disgusto horroroso, dependede c6mo se mire.perder el trenComo lo sabe cualquier empresario novato, el cre-cimiento es una cosa complicada. Si se crece de-masiado despacio, se pierde el tren; si se crecedemasiado rapido se puede perjudicar el negocio.

estar a la alturade las circunstanciasDurante los tres meses en los que el jefe deldepartamento estuvo en el hospital, Henrytuvo que llevarlo todo solo. No debi6 ser facil,pero estuvo a la altura de las circunstancias.poqufsimos, muy escasosDurante los anos 50, una especie de epocadorada para la industria de la construcci6n,los constructores y los clientes se llevaban bas-tante bien. Las empresas de construccion ope-raban con un margen de beneficio del 10% ylas demandas judiciales eran muy escasas.

98 Stan ley

Opportunities ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

gain a foothold lograr establecerse

P&G saw the need for a pleasant-smelling de-tergent in Eastern Europe (local detergentssmelted of chemicals), so it introduced a low-priced version of its well-known Europeanbrand, Ariel. Its aim was to gain a footholdin the market.

get in on the ground floor of sth

"We hired Jeff in 1981,' says Gates, "becausehe was a very energetic, sharp guy whowanted to get in on the ground floor ofthe software industry.'

be up for grabsAs you all know, Dick Wallace will be retiringat the end of the year. That means, of course,that his job will be up for grabs. Any ofyou who are interested can get a standard ap-plication form from administration.

you can lead a horse to water butyou can't make it drinkIt's always sad when an apprentice refuses tomake the most of the opportunities we offerhim here. But there you are: you can lead ahorse to water but you can't make itdrink.

every cloud has a silver liningSometimes dismissal provides the push youneed to break out of a rut. Don't be afraid tolook for work in a new industry or consider anew type of job. Look for the silver lining.

have a finger in every pieAs well as being a member of the town coun-cil, he's on the board of four different compa-nies, and he belongs to at least half a dozenclubs and societies. He has a finger inevery pie.

the sky's the limitIn the past we sold exclusively to smaller busi-nesses. The trend for the future will be to at-tract larger companies, including huge corpo-rations, as clients. In terms of potential sales,the sky's the limit.

P&G vio la necesidad que tenia Europa delEste de un detergente de olor agradable (losdetergentes locales olian a quimica), asi queintrodujeron una versi6n barata de Ariel, suconocida marca europea. Su meta era lograrestablecerse en el mercado.

meterse en algodesde el principio"Contratamos a Jeff en 1981," dice Gates,"porque era un tipo listo con mucha energiaque queria introducirse desde el principio enla industria del software."

estar iibre, estar disponibleComo todos sabeis, Dick Wallace se jubilara afinales de afio. Eso significa naturalmente quesu puesto quedar^ vacante. Todos aquellosque esteis interesados, podeis conseguir la so-licitud standard en administracidn.

puedes darle un consejo aalguien, pero no puedes obligarloa que lo sigaSiempre es triste cuando un aprendiz se niegaa sacarle el maximo provecho a las oportuni-dades que le ofrecemos. Pero, asi es la vida:se le puede dar un consejo a alguien, pero nose le puede obligar a que lo siga.

no hay malque por bien no vengaA veces un despido le ofrece a uno el empujeque necesita para salir de su rutina. No hayque tener miedo de buscar trabajo en una in-dustria nueva o de tener en mente un nuevotipo de trabajo. Hay que ser optimista.

estar metido en todoAdemas de ser miembro del consejo munici-pal, est3 en la junta de cuatro empresas distin-tas y pertenece al menos a media docena declubs y sociedades. Esta metido en todo.

todo es posible, no hay limiteEn el pasado vendiamos exclusivamente aempresas pequenas. La tendencia en el fu-turo es la de atraer como clientes a empre-sas mas grandes, incluyendo lasmultinacionales. En terminos de ventas po-tenciales, todo es posible.

Stan ley 99



1 To allow someone to obtain somethingeasily, without having to work for it: Ifwe want to increase our market share,we're going to have to take businessfrom our competitors; they aren't go-ing to .

2 Completely unexpectedly: La carta Ileg6cuando menos me lo esperaba.

3 To fulfil two purposes with one ac-tion: Asi podriamos matar dos pajarosde un tiro.

4 Very infrequent, rare or uncommon: Losbuenos profesores son contadlsimos

5 To handle an unexpected situation well:Estuvieron a la altura de las circuns-tancias.

6 To act correctly or intelligently to gainan advantage in a particular situation:If you he may appoint you ashis successor.

7 To be involved in many activities, oftenfor personal gain: Esta metido en todo.

8 To not find fault with a gift or offer ofhelp: A caballo regalado no le mires eldentado.

9 To be too late to profit from an oppor-tunity: Se me pas6 el plazo de solicitud.

lOTo make good use of something:Aprovech6 al maximo la oportunidad.

11 To get a good position from which fur-ther progress can be made: Es difkilintroducirse en el mercado japon£s.

12 (opportunities, money, etc.) To lose some-thing, usually through negligence or in-activity: Dej6 escapar la oportunidad.

13 To participate in the early stages ofsomething, with the promise of futurerewards: He said the business wouldmake thousands and offered me thechance .

14 To have the advantages of two differ-ent situations: Tienes todas las ventajas.

15 To pioneer something, to make a dis-covery: Estan haciendo trabajo depioneros en el tratamiento de estaenfermedad.

16 While conditions are favourable: Yo quetu lo compraria ahora, aprovechandoel buen momento.

17 (saying) No matter how bad a situationis, something good will always comefrom it: No hay mal que por bien novenga.

18 To be obtainable by anybody: El puestoesta vacante.

19 To profit from something while one hasthe chance, especially to have a goodtime while one can: A la ocasion lapintan calva.

20 Something that is disagreeable at firstbut later proves to be an advantage:No te preocupes, puede que todo seapara bien.

21 There are no limits, e.g. to the amountof money that can be earned: China'san inconceivably large market. If wecan sell there, .

22 To make an attempt at something diffi-cult: Dejame probar a ver si puedoarreglarlo.

23 (saying) You can advise and help a per-son, but you cannot make him do some-thing he does not want to do: Puedesdarle un consejo a alguien, pero nopuedes obligarlo a que lo siga.

24To act now, when one is ready andlikely to succeed: Mejor que se lo digasahora, en caliente.

25 To put something to the best possibleuse: Tenemos que aprovechar al

este buen tiempo.

100 Stan ley

maximo

26. Risk 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

keep one's fingers crossed

Our main competitor is in a better positionthan us to win this contract. But until they an-nounce the result officially, we're keepingour fingers crossed.

be touch and go

In the end we managed to get an agreement,but it was touch and go all the way. Thenegotiations could have broken down at anymoment.

a shot in the dark

They asked me how much I thought the com-pany was worth and, without thinking, Inamed a figure. It was a complete shot inthe dark, but it turned out to be pretty closeto the truth.

a long shot

We just called the magazine and asked them ifthey'd be interested in doing an article aboutour service. It was a long shot, of course,but it worked. They sent down a reporter andwe got lots of free publicity.

on the off-chance

I don't really know why I keep such detailedfiles on all my customers. I suppose I do iton the off-chance they'll come in usefulsome day.

not have a dog's chance

At the beginning of the year they were pre-dicting revenues of $ 100 million. However,unless something remarkable happens in thelast quarter, they don't stand a dog'schance of reaching their target.

play with fire

Charlene Barshefsky, US trade representative,yesterday pledged to stand firm against do-mestic pressures to erect trade barriers. "Itwould be playing with fire," she said, "forAmericans to limit imports artificially."

it's anybody's guess

A new world of telecommunications is justopening up, and what will happen in the nextfive years is anybody's guess.

esperar que todo saiga bien

Nuestro principal competidor esta en mejorposicion para ganar este contrato. Pero hastaque anuncien el resultado oficial, esperemosque todo saiga bien.

no estar nada seguro

Al final conseguimos llegar a un acuerdo,pero, por un instante todo estuvo en el aire.Las negociaciones se podian haber roto encualquier momento.

un palo de ciego

Me preguntaron cuanto pensaba que valia laempresa y sin pensarmelo, les di una cifra.Fue un palo de ciego, pero resulto estar bas-tante cerca de la verdad.

una posibilidad remota

Llamamos a la revista y les preguntamos si es-tarian interesados en publicar un articulo so-bre nuestro servicio. Era una posibilidadremota, claro esta, pero funcion6. Enviaronun reportero y conseguimos mucha publici-dad gratuita.

por si acaso

No se por que mantengo unos ficheros tandetallados de todos mis clientes. Supongoque lo hago por si acaso algun dia me resul-tan utiles.

no tenerni la mas remota posibilidad

A principios de ano pensaban conseguir ingre-sos de 100 millones de ddlares. Sin embargo,a no ser que ocurra algo extraordinario, notienen ni la mas remota posibilidad de alcan-zar su meta.

jugar con fuego

Charlene Barshefsky, la representante comer-cial de los EE UU, prometi6 ayer mantenersefirme contra las presiones nacionales para le-vantar las barreras comerciales. "Seria jugarcon fuego," dijo, "que los americanos limita-ran artificialmente las importaciones."

vete tu a saber

Se esta abriendo un nuevo mundo en el am-bito de las telecomunicaciones, y vete tu asaber lo que ocurrira en los cinco pr6ximosanos.

Stanley 101

Risk 1,000 everyday idioms in business

skate on thin iceI realise you wanted to make the sale, but youwere skating on very thin ice when yousaid we could deliver the order in full by Sep-tember. We have no idea what the productionschedule at the plant is going to be.

push one's luckThey agreed to waive the penalty clauseswhen our last consignment was deliveredlate, but we'd be pushing our luck to ex-pect them to do it again.

be at the mercy of sthOnce companies could go quietly about theirbusiness of manufacturing quality products,innovating, and making a profit without wor-rying much about the external world. Nolonger. Today's firms are at the mercy of aglobal economy.

stick one's neck outHe'd never risk making a suggestion like thathimself. He prefers to let somebody else sticktheir neck out while he waits to see whatthe reaction is.

put one's moneywhere one's mouth isHe talked so much about starting his ownbusiness, he had little choice but to put hismoney where his mouth was. "There werepeople I'd promised jobs to; vendors werecoming to me," he said. "I was so far into it, Ireally couldn't turn back."

against the oddsLaunching a product without first carefully de-fining your target market is like shooting withyour eyes closed: you may score a hit if you'relucky, but it'll be against all the odds.

leave sb to sink or swimIn many large corporations, new employeesare given a copy of the company handbookand more or less left to sink or swim. It's aterrible waste, and one which could so easilybe avoided.

have a close shaveMy God, that was a close shave! I almostspilled my coffee all over the keyboard.

pisar un terreno resbaladizoMe doy cuenta de que querias hacer la venta,pero estabas pisando un terreno resbaladizocuando dijiste que podriamos entregar todo elpedido para septiembre. No tenemos ni ideade cual va a ser el plan de produccion de laplanta.

tentar la suerteEstuvieron de acuerdo en renunciar a las clau-sulas de penalizacion cuando nuestro ultimoenvio fue entregado fuera de plazo, pero esta-riamos tentando la suerte al esperar que lovuelvan a hacer.

estar a merced de algoHubo un tiempo en que las empresas podianllevar a cabo tranquilamente sus negocios fa-bricando productos de calidad, innovando yconsiguiendo beneficios sin preocuparse mu-cho por el mundo exterior. Ya no. Las empre-sas de hoy en dia estan a merced de laeconomia global.

arriesgarse, aventurarseNunca se arriesgaria a hacer una sugerenciasemejante por su cuenta. Prefiere dejar queotro se arriesgue mientras el espera a ver cuales la reacci6n.

obrar de acuerdocon lo que uno diceHablo tanto sobre poner en marcha su propionegocio que no tuvo mas remedio que obrarde acuerdo con lo que habia dicho. "Habiaprometido puestos de trabajo a la gente; losvendedores acudian a mi", dijo. "Me habiametido hasta tal punto, que ya no podia vol-verme atras."

contra todo pronosticoLanzar un producto sin haber definido antescon precision tus objetivos de mercado escomo disparar con los ojos cerrados: puedeque des en el bianco si tienes suerte, pero iriacontra todo pron6stico.

abandonar a alguien a su suerteEn muchas empresas grandes, a los nuevosempleados se les entrega una copia del ma-nual de la empresa y se les abandona a susuerte. Es una pena y es algo que se podriaevitar facilmente.

salvarse por los pelosjDios mio, nos salvamos por los pelos!. Casi seme cae el cafe encima del teclado.

102 Stanley

Risk 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

time will tell el tiempo lo dira

We've set ourselves an ambitious target.Whether we'll be able to meet it or not, onlytime will tell.

cut it fine

Are you sure you'll have enough time to at-tend the meeting at 1 1 and then get out toHeathrow for check-in at 12:30? That's cut-ting it rather fine, isn't it?

play it safe

Grubco's offer is tempting, but they're a newcompany, and we don't know much aboutthem. I prefer to play it safe and give thiscontract to a well-established firm, someonewe've already had dealings with.

carry out a spot check

If a storekeeper complains a product' s notselling, it may be because it is badly dis-played. Hence, the best sales reps carry outspot checks to see exactly where and howtheir products are shelved in the store.

an unknown quantity

We know how six of the members of the com-mittee will vote, but Hedley, Forsythe andPatterson are unknown quantities. Theycould vote either way.

hit and miss

Their delivery service is very hit and miss;sometimes you get the goods within 24 hoursand sometimes you have to wait for weeks.

at random

The survey involved 500 small and medium-sized companies selected by the computer atrandom .

hang in the balance

The sunflower seed crop is still hanging inthe balance. Argentina's bees, which polli-nate the flowers, have been busy, but in someareas the crop has been hit by rain and fungalinfection.

be out on a limb

You can't achieve anything without goodbackup. It may be an economic crisis whichcauses you to fail, because you find you're outon a limb and can't do everything yourself.You have to have good people behind you.

Nos hemos fijado una meta ambiciosa. Si lapodemos alcanzar o no, solo el tiempo lo dira.

dejar poco margen

<<.Estas seguro de que tendras tiempo suficien-te para llegar a la reuni6n a las M y despuesir hasta Heathrow para coger el vuelo de las12:30? Es dejar poco margen, ^no crees?

ir a lo seguro

La oferta de Grubco es tentadora, pero es unaempresa nueva y no sabemos mucho acercade ellos. Prefiero ir a lo seguro y dar este con-trato a una empresa bien establecida, alguiencon quien ya hayamos tratado.

hacer una inspeccion al azar

Si el dueno de una tienda se queja de que unproducto no se est3 vendiendo, puede quesea porque est3 mal presentado. Por lo tanto,los buenos comerciales llevan a cabo inspec-ciones rutinarias para ver exactamente d6ndey como estan expuestos sus productos en latienda.

una incognita

Sabemos c6mo votaran seis de los miembrosdel comite, pero Hendley, Forsythe yPatterson son una incognita. Podrian votar afavor de cualquiera.

deja mucho al azar

Su servicio de entrega deja mucho al azar;unas veces se recibe la mercancia en 24 horasy otras hay que esperar semanas.

al azar

La encuesta involucraba a 500 pequehas ymedianas empresas seleccionadas al azar porordenador.

estar en juego

La cosecha de semillas de girasol aun esta enel aire. Las abejas argentinas, que polinizanlas flores, han estado muy ocupadas, pero enalgunas zonas la cosecha se ha visto afectadapor la lluvia y por una infeccion de hongos.

estar en situacion peligrosa

No se puede conseguir nada sin un buen res-paldo. Puede que una crisis econ6mica te hagafracasar, porque te encuentras en una situacionpeligrosa y no puedes hacerlo todo tu solo. Tie-nes que tener a gente buena detras tuyo.

Stan ley 103



1 To perform a random test: We can't checkevery article that leaves the workshop,but we do to ensure that the high-est level of quality is maintained.

2 In the hope (that something will hap-pen): No pensaba encontrarlo en laoficina, pero fui por si acaso.

3 A factor which cannot be calculated orpredicted: Todavla esta por ver c6mo esel nuevo director de ventas.

4 To rely too much on continuing good luck:Ten cuidado, estas tentando la suerte.

5 Inexact, random, sometimes good andsometimes bad: Todo es un poco a labuena de Dios.

6 To be defenceless against something:The world's stock markets are largely inthe hands of people under 25 years ofage, and, whether we like it or not, weare of their hunches and impulses.

7 To wish for good luck by crossing twofingers of the same hand: -iVendramanana? -Toca madera.

8 Without a deliberate intention or accord-ing to any specific criteria: Fueronseleccionados al azar.

9 (an event, a person's future, etc.) To beundecided and at a critical point: Sucarrera estaba en juego.

10 To not have even a very small chance ofsuccess: No tenlamos la mas minimaposibilidad de ganar.

11 To take a personal risk, e.g. by doing orsaying something that might get oneinto trouble: Me arriesgu£ y le ofreci eltrabajo.

12 To be alone in a risky position: Se quedosolo defendiendo el proyecto deinvestigacibn.

13 To be a highly uncertain situation, closeto both success and failure: Durantealgun tiempo no estuvo nada seguro deque fuera a estar listo a tiempo.

14 To take no risks: It would have beencheaper to use a small agency, but wedecided and use one of the bigones, where quality was guaranteed.

1 5 To leave someone to succeed or to failby his own efforts: After a three-day ori-entation course, new recruits are .Whether they survive depends entirelyon them.

f 6 To be engaged in a risky activity: Estanpisando un terreno resbaladizo.

17 To put one's declared intentions or prom-ises into action: jA ver si obras enconsecuencia con lo que dices!

18 To leave oneself with very little time todo something: <»Aun no se ha ido? jTienemuy poco margen de tiempo!

19A random guess which is unlikely to beright: I had no idea where the goods hadcome from but I made a wild guess any-way. It was , but it proved to becorrect.

20 (a danger, an injury, a failure, etc.) Some-thing that was only just avoided, at thelast moment: Al final ganamos, pero porlos pelos.

21 (an event, a result, etc.) It's extremelyuncertain: Vete tu a saber que va a pasar.

22 In spite of the difficulties that wouldnormally make something impossible:Obtuvieron el contrato contra todopronostico.

23 To take foolish and unnecessary risks:If you're borrowing money from thecompany account to cover your per-sonal overdraft, all I can say is thatyou're .

24 (saying) Only the future can provide theanswer: El tiempo lo dira.

25A remote possibility: No es seguro nimucho menos pero en una de £sasfunciona.

104 Stanley

27. Competition 1,000 everyday idioms in business

give sb an edgeAt one stage it was thought that the Americancar industry was doomed to disappear. Newcomputer technologies, however, have onceagain given it an edge over the Japanese.

gain groundMany of the expensive assets large retailershave built up may become obsolete — espe-cially as cheaper distribution channels, suchas the Internet, gain ground.

play into sb's handsWhy are they treating you so badly? It's be-cause they can't dismiss you, so they wantyou to be so fed-up you'll leave by yourself. Ifyou resign, you'll be playing right intotheir hands.

stay one jump ahead of sbMicrosoft believes in staying at least onejump ahead of everybody. When you jointhe company's product planning division, youget a card saying: "Your job is to make ourown products obsolete.'

meet one's matchBill Bradley is one of the toughest negotiatorsI've ever known, but I have to admit that hemet his match today. They forced him tomake concessions on practically every issue.

a nail in sb's coffinMarks & Spencer, announcing that it intendsto buy more goods from abroad, may be ham-mering the final nail into the coffin oflarge parts of the UK clothing industry, al-ready weakened by the strong pound and aslowdown in demand.

be neck and neckSome studies suggest Chinese consumerswould be willing to spend a year's salary on aPC, says Daniel Wong, China manager for AST,which is running neck and neck withCompaq for market leadership.

beat sb to the punchWaiting until your product is absolutely per-fect is risky, since someone else could beatyou to the punch by patenting a similarproduct while you're still working on it.

dar a alguien una clara ventajaEn una epoca se penso que la industria ameri-cana del automovil estaba condenada a des-aparecer. Sin embargo, las nuevas tecnologiaspor ordenador le han dado de nuevo una cla-ra ventaja sobre los japoneses.

ganar terrenoMuchos de los productos caros que los gran-des minoristas han ido almacenando puedenhacerse obsoletos, especialmente si los cana-les de distribucion mas baratos como el deInternet ganan terreno.

hacerle el juego a alguieniPor que te tratan tan mal? Es porque no tepueden despedir, asi que quieren que te har-tes hasta que te marches. Si renuncias, estarashaciendoles el juego.

ir un paso por delante de alguienMicrosoft espera ir al menos un paso por de-lante de los demas. Cuando te unes a la divi-sion de planificacion de la empresa, te danuna tarjeta que pone: "Tu trabajo es conse-guir que nuestros productos se queden pron-to obsoletos."

encontrar la horma de su zapatoBill Bradley es uno de los negociadores masduros que he conocido jamas, pero tengo queadmitir que hoy ha encontrado la horma desu zapato. Le obligaron a hacer concesionesen casi todos los puntos.

un clavo en el ataud de alguienAl anunciar que piensa comprar mas mercan-cia en el extranjero, Marks & Spencer puedeque este metiendo el ultimo clavo en el ataudde gran parte de la industria textil del ReinoUnido, ya debilitada por una libra fuerte yuna desaceleracion de la demanda.

ir parejosAlgunos estudios sugieren que los consumido-res chinos estarian dispuestos a gastarse el suel-do de un ano en un PC, segun Daniel Wong, elgerente chino de AST, que va emparejada conCompaq en el liderazgo del mercado.

llegar antes que unoEsperar a que tu producto sea absolutamenteperfecto es un riesgo, ya que otro podria lle-gar antes que tu a patentar un producto simi-lar mientras estas trabajando aim en ello.

Stanley 105

Competition 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

keep pace with sbAs regards productivity, we must either keeppace with our main competitors or acceptthat we are going to lose our present marketshare.

hold one's ownWith a new line of digital copiers, and a newfocus on the bottom line, Xerox is showingthat it can hold its own against the likes ofHewlett-Packard and Kodak.

have a head start over sbEven if Compaq, Gateway and the othersmove into direct selling, Dell has a hugehead start.

give sb a run for his moneyAs a large international firm, they're favouritesto win this contract. On the other hand, as alocal firm we're certainly in a position to givethem a run for their money.

be in the runningDisney is now in the running to buildtheme parks in Hong Kong and possiblyChina.

the rat raceWhen I retired I felt like a burden had beentaken off my shoulders. I never slept better inmy life. I was out of the rat race.

jump on the bandwagonThanks to Honda, Sony, Seiko, Toyota andNissan, Japanese industry is well known allover the world. All other brands subsequentlyjumped on the bandwagon. Aiwa andSanyo, for example, managed to take advan-tage of the image created by the leaders.

get in on the actThis will almost certainly be the last time that60 out of the World Cup's 64 games arebroadcast live on terrestrial television. By2002, subscription channels will have got inon the act.

be streets ahead of sbFrom an engineering point of view, theJapanese are designing car engines whichare streets ahead of ours in terms ofperformance and fuel consumption. All wecan hope to do is offer something cheaper.

llevar el mismo ritmo que alguienEn cuanto a la productividad, debemos man-tener el ritmo de nuestros principales competi-dores o bien aceptar que perdamos nuestracuota actual de mercado.

defenderse, saber defenderseCon una linea novedosa de copiadorasdigitales y un nuevo enfoque con respecto alprecio, Xerox esta mostrando que puede de-fenderse contra los productos similares deHewlett-Packard y Kodak.

empezar con gran ventaja conrespecto a alguienIncluso si Compaq, Gateway y demas se lan-zan a la venta directa. Dell ya tiene una granventaja con respecto a ellos.

hacer sudar alguienAl ser una gran empresa internacional, ellosson los favorites para conseguir este contrato.Por otra parte, al ser una empresa local, nosencontramos sin duda en una buena posicionpara hacerles sudar.

tener posibilidades de ganarAhora Disney tiene la posibilidad de ganar loscontratos para la creaci6n de parques temati-cos en Hong Kong y posiblemente en China.

la competitividad despiadadaCuando me jubile, sent! como si me hubiesenquitado un gran peso de encima. Nunca ha-bia dormido mejor en mi vida. Me habia libra-do de la competitividad despiadada.

subirse al trenGracias a Honda, Sony, Seiko, Toyota yNissan, la industria japonesa es muy conocidaen todo el mundo. Todas las demas marcas sehan subido al tren. Aiwa y Sanyo, por ejem-plo, consiguieron aprovecharse de la imagencreada por los lideres.

subirse al carroEsta sera,sin duda, la ultima vez que 60 de los64 partidos del Mundial scan transmitidos portelevision terrestre. Para el 2002, los canalesde pago se habran subido al carro.

estar muy por encima de alguienDesde el punto de vista de la ingenieria, losjaponeses estan disenando motores de cochesque estan muy por encima de los nuestros encuanto a rendimiento y consumo. Lo unico quepodemos hacer es ofrecer algo mas barato.

106 Stan ley

Competition 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

knock spots off sb

Fujitsu is still predicting profits. On this scorealone, it knocks spots off its rivals amongJapan's big-five electronics groups, all ofwhom are predicting substantial losses.

come off second best

She's one of the most aggressive and competi-tive people I've ever met. She hates comingoff second best — in business, in sports, inarguments, in anything.

be out of the runningOf the 15 candidates we interviewed, 11 hadno experience of Computer Aided Design atall, so they were automatically out of therunning. That left us with a shortlist of 4.

set the pace

Today, hundreds of new bioengineering firmsare setting the pace for the biotechnicalrevolution. These pioneers are blazing a trailfor what many regard as the second greattechnological revolution in world history.

stand the pace

Actually working in the Stock Exchange, buy-ing and selling, is one of the most stressfuljobs you can imagine. Only young people cando it because once you reach a certain age,you just can't stand the pace any more.

in the teeth of sth

It is a highly prestigious contract and we cancongratulate ourselves on having won it inthe teeth of fierce competition.

no holds barred

In the modern era of tough customers, no-holds-barred competition, and relentlesschange, it is vital that every single employeeunderstands the economic structure and strat-egy of the company.

be on the cutting edge of sth

Separated from the centre of information andcreative exchanges, film companies outsideHollywood generally have more trouble re-maining on the cutting edge of businesspractices and technical virtuosity.

veneer facilmente a alguienFujitsu sigue pronosticando beneficios. Aun-que solo sea por eso, vencera facilmente a susrivales, que estan entre los cinco grandes gru-pos electr6nicos de Jap6n, quienes prevengrandes perdidas.

salir derrotadoElla es una de las personas mas agresivas ycompetitivas que conozco. Le sabe muy malque le derroten en los negocios, en los depor-tes, en las discusiones, en todo.

no tener posibilidades de ganar

De los 15 aspirantes que entrevistamos, 11 notenian experiencia alguna con el Diseho Asisti-do por Ordenador (CAD), asi que no tenianninguna posibilidad de ganar. Eso nos dejocon una corta lista de 4.

marcar la pauta

Actualmente, cientos de nuevas empresas debio-ingenieria estan marcando la pauta de larevoluci6n bio-tecnica. Estos pioneros estanabriendo el camino hacia lo que muchos con-sideran la segunda gran revolucion tecnologi-ca de la historia mundial.

soportar el ritmo

Trabajar en la bolsa comprando y vendiendoes uno de los trabajos mas estresantes quepuede uno imaginarse. S6lo lo pueden hacerlos jovenes porque una vez que se llega acierta edad, ya no se puede soportar el ritmo.

a pesar de algo

Es un contrato muy prestigioso y podemos fe-licitarnos por haberlo conseguido a pesar dela competencia feroz.

sin restriction, sin cuartel

En esta era moderna de los clientes duros, dela competencia sin cuartel y de los cambios in-cesantes, es vital que cada uno de los emplea-dos entienda la estructura economica y laestrategia de la empresa.

estar en la vanguardia de algo

Alejadas del centra de informacion y de los in-tercambios creativos, las productoras cinema-tograficas establecidas fuera de Hollywoodsuelen tener mas problemas para mantenerseen la vanguardia de las tendencias empresa-riales y de la tecnologia.

Stan ley 107

27.Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To have an advantage over others, es-pecially at the beginning of a race: Nosllevan ventaja, asi que es probable queganen.

2 To be far better than someone: Lacompafiia est3 muy por encima de lacompetencia.

3 To defeat someone very easily: Accord-ing to Apple, their latest machines

all comparable PCs.

4 To do exactly what somebody, e.g. anopponent, wants one to do, usually in-voluntarily: No le hagas el juego, dileque no.

5 To be beaten in a fight or competition:No tengo intenci6n de quedar en unsegundo puesto.

6 To establish the speed or rate whichothers will try to follow: Europa hamarcado la pauta para la reforma.

7 To provide someone with strong com-petition: No importa, le hicimos sudar.

8 To be able to work or perform at thesame level of achievement as others:Las cosas se desarrollan demasiador^pido para el.

9 To have a chance of winning: Todaviatenemos posibilidades de conseguir elcontrato.

10 To no longer have a chance of winning:Han quedado eliminados.

11 No longer following any rules in one'sefforts to win: Tiene que ser unadiscusi6n franca, sin ningun tipo derestricciones.

12 To give someone an advantage: Noscolocaria en una posici6n de ventajacon respecto a nuestros competidores.

13 To be in the forefront of something,especially to be in advance of one'scompetitors: Estamos en la vanguardiadel desarrollo tecnolbgico.

14 In spite of something, especially oppo-sition or competition: Los cambios sellevaron a cabo a pesar de la fuerteoposicion.

15 To anticipate someone's next action andbe prepared for it: Nos lleva siempre ladelantera.

16 To continue to defend oneself in a dif-ficult situation: Se defiende bien con lossocios principales.

17 To progress at the same speed as some-one else: No le puedo seguir el ritmo.

18 To begin to do something that othersare doing because it seems to be prof-itable or advantageous: Se nos acusode subirnos al carro.

19 To do something started by others, inorder to enjoy the same success: Trat6de meterse en el asunto.

20 To do or obtain something before some-one else has time to: Alguien se le hablaadelantado.

21 To be even in a race or other competi-tion: Los dos corredores van parejos.

22 To come up against an opponent whois likely to beat one: Dennis Bartley esla horma de su zapato.

23 Another contribution to someone's fail-ure or destruction: este es otro pasohacia su destruccibn.

24 To make progress, to become more im-portant: El movimiento de proteccibndel medio ambiente esta ganandoterreno.

25 The pitiless struggle for success in busi-ness: Estaba decidido a escapar de laexcesiva competitividad de la vidamoderna.

108 Stan ley

28. Teamwork 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

two heads are better than oneI enjoy working with John on this kind ofproject, not only because two heads arebetter than one, but also because we havedifferent and complementary ways of lookingat things.

too many cooks spoil the brothEach team member is free to express his opin-ion, but once the team leader has made a de-cision, everybody has to accept it. That's theonly way to prevent too many cooks fromspoiling the broth.

pull ones weightIf one person's not pulling his weight in asmall company, it can affect the productivityand morale of everybody else. People think,"Why am I doing this person's work?'

be on the same wavelength

A code of ethics gives you a structure withinwhich to make decisions. That code will helpensure everyone in your company is on thesame wavelength.

have a hand in sthFundamentally, this is Weill's company. Thereis nothing of significance that goes on herethat he doesn't personally have a hand in.He's involved in every detail of the business.

play ball with sb

We tried to persuade him to forget about offi-cial company policy and treat the matter as anexceptional case, but he refused to playball. For him, company policy is a sacred text.

be in the same boatJuggling career and family obligations, thesewomen tend to empathise with employeeswho are in the same boat. Thus, firmsowned by women are more likely to offer flex-ible schedules that make life a bit easier forworking mothers.

be in good company

The corporation was founded in 1925 byWalter P. Chrysler, a mechanic working forGeneral Motors. He rose to division head, butcouldn't get along with GM founder WilliamDurant. In that, he was in good company,for Durant was a notoriously difficult man.

cuatro ojos yen mas que dos

Disfruto trabajando con John en este tipode proyecto, no s6lo porque cuatro ojosven mas que dos, sino tambien porque te-nemos formas distintas y complementariasde ver las cosas.

muchas manos en un plato hacenmucho garabatoCada miembro del equipo es libre de expresarsu opinion, pero una vez que el lider ha torna-do una decision, todos deben aceptarla. Es launica forma de evitar que el uno por el otro lacasa se quede sin barren

poner de su parteSi una persona no esta poniendo todo de suparte en una empresa pequena, ello puedeafectar a la productividad y a la moral de losdemas. La gente piensa, "iPor que estoy ha-ciendo el trabajo de esta persona?"

estar en la misma ondaUn codigo etico proporciona un marco dentrodel cual se toman las decisiones. Ese codigoayudara a que todos en la empresa esten enla misma onda.

intervenir en algo,participar en algoFundamentalmente, esta es la empresa de •Weill. No ocurre nada importante aqui sin queel intervenga personalmente. Est3 involucradoen cada detalle de la empresa.

cooperar con alguien

Intentamos persuadirle de que olvidara la politi-ca oficial de la empresa y tratara el tema comoun caso excepcional, pero se nego a cooperar.Para el, la politica de la empresa es sagrada.

estar en el mismo barcoAl compatibilizar las obligaciones laboralescon las familiares, estas mujeres tienden aidentificarse con las empleadas que estan enel mismo barco. Por lo tanto, las empresasque pertenecen a mujeres tienden a ofrecerhorarios mas flexibles que facilitan la vida delas madres que trabajan fuera de casa.

no ser el unico

La empresa fue fundada en 1925 por Walter RChrysler, un mecanico que trabajaba para laGeneral Motors. Llego a ser jefe de divisi6n,pero no se llevaba bien con el fundador deGM, William Durant. En ese sentido, no era elunico, ya que Durant tenia fama de ser unhombre dificil.

Stan ley 109

Teamwork 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

see eye to eye with sbVietnam and Japan haven't always seen eyeto eye. But Japanese prime minister KeizoObuchi, on an official visit to Vietnam, believesthe two countries have much in common.

the driving forceWhen everyone else was tired and discour-aged, Jim would always come up with newideas and find new ways to tackle the prob-lem. He was the driving force behind thewhole project.

give sb a handIf you have any problems writing the final sec-tion of the report, come and see me and I'llgive you a hand with it.

go hand in handGlobal co-operation now goes hand inhand with global competition.

be hand in gloveIraq kept up its defiant rhetoric, accusingFrance of working hand in glove with itsBritish and US enemies and demanding an im-mediate lifting of UN sanctions.

do sb a good turnIf it doesn't cost you anything to do some-body a good turn, of course you should doit. You never know whose help you mightneed someday.

jobs for the boysThe split in the EU is not just about moneyand goods. It is also about attitudes to theway the EU is run, about jobs for the boys(and girls).

let the side downAfter showing our Saudi visitors — all strictMoslems — around the works, we took themto lunch. There, I regret to say, Simpson letthe side down by ordering wine with themeal and insisting that everybody try it.

sit on the sidelinesIn the late 1980s, IBM sat on the side-lines as Toshiba and others created thelaptop computer business and even today,Toshiba is still the leader in the laptopbusiness.

estar de acuerdo con alguienVietnam y Jap6n no siempre han estado deacuerdo. Pero el primer ministro japones KeizoObuchi, en visita oficial a Vietnam, cree queambos paises tienen mucho en comun.

la fuerza motrizCuando todos los demas estaban cansados ydesanimados, a Jim siempre se le ocurrianideas nuevas y nuevas formas de enfocar elproblema. Era la fuerza motriz que estaba de-tr3s del proyecto.

echarle una mano a alguienSi tienes algun problema al escribir la seccionfinal del informe, ven a verme y te echar£ unamano.

estar estrechamente relacionadosLa cooperacion global esta ahora estrecha-mente relacionada con la competencia global.

ser una y carne,ponerse de acuerdoIrak mantuvo su retorica desafiante, acusandoa Francia de estar trabajando una y carne consus enemigos britanicos y americanos, e insis-tiendo en que levantaran de inmediato lassanciones de la ONU.

hacerle un favor a alguienSi no te cuesta nada hacerle un favor a al-guien, claro que deberias hacerlo. Nuncasabes a quien tendras que pedir ayuda al-gOn dia.

amiguismo, enchufismoLa divisi6n en la UE no s6lo tiene que ver condinero y mercancia. Tiene que ver tambiencon la manera de gestionar la UE y con losenchufes.

fallar a alguien,hacer quedar mal a alguienTras mostrar la f^brica a nuestros visitantesSaudis, todos estrictos musulmanes, les lleva-mos a comer. Siento tener que informar queSimpson nos hizo quedar mal al pedir vino enla comida e insistir en que todos bebieran.

mantenerse al margen,no intervenirA finales de los afios 80, IBM se mantuvo almargen mientras que Toshiba y otros crearonel negocio de los ordenadores portables; aunhoy, Toshiba sigue siendo el lider en el nego-cio de los ordenadores portables.

110 Stanley

Teamwork ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

be a square peg in a round hole

I don't know what Glover is doing on the salesteam, because it's evident to everyone, espe-cially clients, that he just doesn't enjoy selling.He's really a square peg in a round hole.

on equal termsEveryone agrees that women should be al-lowed to compete with men on equalterms. In theory, at least.

close ranksAs the pollution scandal deepened, the direc-tors of Sludgeco closed ranks, refusing tocommunicate with the press individually andissuing only carefully-worded joint statements.

be as thick as thievesThose two have been as thick as thievesfor years, so it's not surprising that when oneof them hears something interesting, theother knows about it as well.

many hands make light work

This is an enormous project and we have verylittle time to complete it. However, I believethat if we all make a special effort, it can bedone. After all, many hands make lightwork.

the rank and file

Branson was vacationing on his private Carib-bean island with 20 employees from variousVirgin companies: not senior executives, butthe rank and file — a switchboard operator,a reservations clerk, a housekeeper — invitedbecause of excellent performance.

be in cahoots with sbYou can have a situation where employerswho are in cahoots with each other areable to hold down wages artificially. It some-times happens in remote locations, but it's notthe way business is generally done inAmerica.

do sth in tandem with sb

In the first half of the Nineties, Grove andGates worked in tandem to create increas-ingly powerful Intel microprocessor chips andWindows software, fortifying their position asleaders of the computer industry.

no cuadrar (donde se esta),no encajar

No se qu£ esta haciendo Glover en el equipode ventas, porque es evidente para todos, es-pecialmente para los clientes, que no le gustala venta. En realidad no encaja ahi.en igualdad de condiciones,en un pie de igualdad

Todos estan de acuerdo en que las mujeresdeberian competir con los hombres en igual-dad de condiciones. Al menos en teoria.cerrar filas, estrechar filas

Segiin fue empeorando el escandalo de lacontaminaci6n, los directores de Sludgeco ce-rraron filas, negandose a dar ruedas de pren-sa a nivel individual y emitiendo unicamentedeclaraciones conjuntas cuidadosamente ela-boradas.estar a partir un pinonEstos dos han estado a partir un pinon duran-te arios, asi que no es raro que cuando unose entera de algo interesante, el otro tambienlo sabe.el trabajo compartidoes mas llevadero

Este es un proyecto enorme y tenemos muypoco tiempo para terminarlo. Sin embargo,creo que si todos hacemos un esfuerzo, se po-dra llevar a cabo. Despues de todo, el trabajocompartido es mas llevadero.las bases, la masa

Branson estaba de vacaciones en su isia priva-da del Caribe con 20 empleados de varias em-presas de Virgin: no eran ejecutivos de altorango, sino las bases - una operadora de cen-tralita, un oficinista encargado de las reservasde hoteles, una ama de (laves - todos ellos in-vitados por su excelente rendimiento.estar confabulado con alguienPuedes encontrarte con una situaci6n en laque los empresarios estan confabulados entresi para impedir que suban artificialmente lossueldos. Esto suele ocurrir en lugares remotos,pero en general las negociaciones no se lie-van a cabo de este modo en America.hacer algoconjuntamente con alguien

En la primera mitad de los anos 90, Grove yGates trabajaron conjuntamente para crearchips de microprocesadores Intel y softwarede Windows cada vez mas potentes, fortale-ciendo su posicibn como lideres de la indus-tria de la informatica.

Stanley 1 1 1



1 To work in close association or partner-ship: Se dice que se han puesto deacuerdo con la competencia para fijarlos precios.

2 (saying) It is easier to solve a problemwith the help and advice of another per-son than by oneself alone: Cuatro ojosven mas que dos.

3 To help someone in some way: Me hashecho un gran favor.

4 To be in exactly the same situation assomeone else: Todos estamos en elmismo barco.

5 To be connected or closely related: Estosasuntos estan estrechamente rela-cionados.

6 A system by which jobs are given on thebasis of friendships or personal connec-tions, rather than on the basis of merit:It's sickening to see how political partiesactually work; At every level it's nothingbut .

7 To have similar tastes or opinions to an-other person: No estaba en la mismaonda que los dem^s.

8 To disappoint one's team by doing some-thing that causes the team not to win:Siempre nos hace quedar mal.

9 To be able to console oneself with theknowledge that others are in the samebad situation as oneself: No eres elunico, nos han despedido a todos.

10To watch events without taking any ac-tive part: Hacia anos que se mantenia almargen de la vida publica.

11 To do one's fair share of the work: Cadauno tendra que poner de su parte parasacar el trabajo adelante.

12 To be someone or something that can-not fit into a particular situation: Estabatotalmente fuera de su ambiente.

13 (saying) A job is easier if many peopleshare the work: El trabajo compartidoes mas llevadero.

14 To co-operate with someone: Intentamosconvencerlo, pero no quiso saber nada.

15 To do something by working togetherwith another person: Tomamos lasdecisiones en tandem con sudepartamento.

16 The person who provides most of theenergy behind an activity: Es laimpulsora del proyecto.

17 To work in close co-operation with some-body, especially with the intention toharm somebody else: No puedes confiaren el, esta confabulado con Neyrolles.

18 (an organisation, a trade union, etc.) Theordinary or less important members, i.e.as opposed to the leaders: Union lead-ers are in favour of accepting the offerbut it is still not certain that thewill follow their recommendations.

19 (saying) The more people there are in-volved in a project, the more likely it isto fail: Muchas manos en un plato hacenmucho garabato.

20 To have a very close relationship: El anopasado no podian verse; ahora son unay carne.

21 (in a group) To support each other so asto oppose any attack: Cierran filascuando se les critica.

22 To agree with someone: Esos dos nuncahan sido de la misma opini6n.

23 Not having any advantage, not beingregarded as superior in any way: Las doscompanias no competian en igualdad decondiciones.

24 To give help to someone: Nos echaronuna mano.

25 (a plan, an activity, etc.) To play a part insomething: I'm quite pleased with thenew policy handbook, not least becauseI in its creation.

112 Stanley

29. Quality 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

not hold a candle to sbI don't know how you can mention the newoffice manager and her predecessor in thesame breath. The new one doesn't hold acandle to Ms. Lerest.

be in a class of one's ownIf you use your PC for occasional desktop pub-lishing, such as preparing promotional litera-ture or an in-house newspaper, then this isthe software for you. Inexpensive and easy tolearn and use, it's in a class of its own.

not be all it's cracked up to be"Fame," says Michael Dell, "isn't everything it'scracked up to be." He should know. ButDell also knows this: the alternative is worse.

make the gradeA person who is not among the very best willnever be able to make the grade atMicrosoft — and this disturbs people whothink that success is merely a matter of will-power.

get ones moneys worthI'm surprised that there isn't better measurementof the effectiveness of advertising on-line. Afterall, companies usually want to know that they'regetting their money's worth.

not be up to muchAn exhibition of British oilfield products hadbeen organised by the Abu Dhabi Chamber ofCommerce, but it wasn't up to much.There were only a handful of exhibits andvery little documentation.

be two a pennyIt's obvious that these two-a-penny Taiwan-ese imitations of our products are vastly infe-rior to the originals. But that doesn't meanthey aren't going to eat into our market.

be up to scratchThis is the third time I've had to speak to youabout the quality of your work. If it isn't upto scratch before the end of the year, youcan begin looking for employment elsewhere.

be second to none

Merrills CEO decided to make the firm's re-search department second to none. Hewent to all the best analysts on Wall Streetand offered them jobs at Merrill Lynch — atdouble or triple their salaries.

no llegar a alguiena la suela del zapatoNo se c6mo puedes comparar a la nueva jefade oficina con su antecesor. La nueva no lellega a Ms. Lerest ni a la suela del zapato.

ser unicoSi utilizas tu PC para publicar algo de vez encuando, por ejemplo preparar textos publicita-rios o un periodico de circulacion interna, estees el software que necesitas. Es unico: no escaro y es facil de utilizar.

no ser tan bueno como se dice"La fama," dice Michael Dell, "no es tan buenacomo se dice." El deberia saberlo. Pero Dellsabe tambien que lo contrario es peor.

alcanzar el nivel necesarioUna persona que no esta entre las mejoresjamas podr3 alcanzar el nivel necesario paraMicrosoft, y esto molesta a la gente quecree que el exito es s6lo cuestion de fuerzade voluntad.

sacarle jugo al dineroMe sorprende que no haya un metodo mejorpara medir la eficacia de la publicidad en lared. Despues de todo, las empresas quierensaber si le estan sacando jugo al dinero.

no valer gran cosaUna exhibici6n de productos petroliferos brita-nicos habia sido organizada por la camara decomercio de Abu Dhabi, pero no valia grancosa. Solo hubo unos pocos expositores ymuy poca documentacion.

del monton, baratasEs obvio que estas imitaciones taiwanesas ba-ratas de nuestros productos son realmente in-feriores a los originales. Pero eso no significaque no vayan a apoderarse de parte de nues-tro mercado.

dar la tallaEsta es la tercera vez que tengq que echarteen cara la calidad de tu trabajo. Si no das latalla para finales de ano, puedes empezar abuscar trabajo en otro lugar.

no tener igualEl presidente de Merrill decidi6 que el de-partamento de investigaci6n de la empresano tuviera igual. Se fue a ver a los mejoresanalistas de Wall Street y les ofrecio un puestoen Merrill Lynch, duplicando o triplicando sussalaries.

Stanley 113

Quality ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

be no great shakes

David Bangs is himself no great shakes as abusinessman. But as an observer and com-mentator on the business scene, there is muchin his favour — perhaps because he has madeso many mistakes himself.

put sb to shame

Sadaaki Numata is so articulate and precise inhis use of English that he puts most Britishand Americans to shame.

praise sth to the skies

It was one of the most obsequious speeches Iever heard. He mentioned everything thechairman had done over the past three yearsand praised every act to the skies.

scrape the bottom of the barrel

I know it's difficult to recruit good program-mers these days, but even so, I don't intendto scrape the bottom of the barrel. If wecan't find the right man, we'll subcontract.

fly-by-night

Cheap but improperly tested medicaments,manufactured by fly-by-night pharmaceu-tical companies based in Brazil, have al-ready turned up in several South Americancountries.

second-rate

They wanted us to be their sole distributors inthis country, but I turned them down. I felttheir products were of inferior quality anddidn't want our name to be associated withsecond-rate or third-rate products.

beggar description

In our laboratories we're testing machinesrunning on the next generation of H6 proces-sors. The performances are not comparable toanything we've seen so far, they simply beg-gar description.

you can't keep a good man down

Three times he was a multimillionaire andthree times he lost it all. Now he is well on hisway to becoming fabulously rich for thefourth time, living proof that you can't keepa good man down.

go out of one's way to do sth

When buying supplies from local vendors,O'Brien went out of his way to strike thebest deals. No savings was too small to meritattention.

no ser nada del otro mundo

David Bangs no es nada del otro mundocomo empresario. Pero como observador y co-mentarista del ambito empresarial tiene mu-cho a su favor, quizas porque el mismo hacometido muchos errores.

hacer pasar verguenza a alguien

Sadaaki Numata es tan claro y precise en suuso del ingles que hace pasar verguenza a lamayoria de los britanicos y americanos.

poner algo por las nubes

Fue uno de los discursos mas chaqueterosque habia escuchado nunca. Mencion6 todolo que el presidente habia hecho durante lostres ultimos arios y lo puso por las nubes.

rebanar las ultimas migas

S£ que hoy en dia es dificil reclutar buenos pro-gramadores, pero aun asi, no pienso rebanar lasmigas. Si no podemos encontrar al hombre indi-cado, subcontrataremos el servicio.

que no inspira confianza

En varios paises de Sudamerica han aparecidomedicamentos baratos fabricados por empre-sas farmaceuticas de poca confianza con baseen Brasil, que no han sido sometidos a laspruebas adecuadas.

de segunda categoria, inferior

Querian que fueramos su unico distribuidoren este pais, pero les dije que no. Pense quesus productos eran de mala calidad y no que-ria que nuestro nombre se viera asociado aproductos de segunda o tercera categoria.

superar toda descripcion

En nuestros laboratories estamos probandomaquinas que funcionan con la proxima ge-neracion de procesadores H6. El rendimientono es comparable a nada que hayamos vistohasta ahora, ya que supera toda descripcion.

los buenos siempre salenadelante

Tres veces fue multimillonario y tres veces loperdi'6 todo. Ahora va camino de enriquecersefabulosamente por cuarta vez, una prueba fe-haciente de que los que valen siempre salenadelante.

desvivirse por hacer algo

Al adquirir suministros en las tiendas locales,O'Brien se desvivio por conseguir las mejoresofertas. Cualquier ahorro, por pequeno quefuera, merecia su atenci6n.

1 14 Stan ley

Quality 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

be out of this world ser estupendo

Ty Inc., the Chicago company that producesthe plush animal toys, does no advertising.All the same, from 1996 to 1997, Ty's saleswere out of this world, growing morethan 2,000%. And they've climbed evenhigher since.

steal the show

We have seen the future and it is pocket-sized,battery-operated, slim and seductive. We sawit at the annual IT fair in Hanover, where thegiant consumer electronics groups stole theshow.

be the pick of the bunch

We had more than 200 applications for thispost. We interviewed 23 candidates andshort-listed 7. We've now narrowed the fielddown to 2 candidates, and believe me, they'rethe pick of the bunch.

make a clean sweep of sth

Softwire Pro has made a clean sweep of PCUniverse's best new product awards, winningin all five categories for which it was eligible.

separate the men from the boys

Each applicant is interviewed at least threetimes by our team of recruiters. It's an expen-sive and time-consuming process, but it doesseparate the men from the boys.

worth one's salt

I could never understand why any managerworth his salt would want to bring in aconsultant to set business policy. For me,that's an admission of personal failure.

be nothing to write home about

Business books are hot. Between 1 991 and1999 sales shot up 36%, to $617 million. Ofcourse, most business how-to books arenothing to write home about. But thereare exceptions.

Ty Inc, la empresa de Chicago que fabricaanimales de peluche, no hace publicidad.Aun asi, entre 1996 -1997, las ventas de Tyfueron extraordinarias, creciendo ma's del2.000%, y se han incrementado aun masdesde entonces.

ser protagonista

Hemos visto el future y es de tamano de bolsi-llo, funciona con pilas, es fino y tentador. Lovimos en la feria anual IT de Hanover, dondelos grandes grupos de electr6nica domesticafueron los protagonistas.

ser el mejor de todos

Tuvimos m3s de 200 solicitudes para estepuesto. Entrevistamos a 23 aspirantes ypreseleccionamos a 7. Ahora hemos reducidolas opciones a 2 aspirantes y creeme, son losmejores.

acaparar algo , llevarse todo

Softwire Pro ha acaparado los premios PCUniverse a los mejores productos innovadores,ganando en las cinco categorias a las queoptaban.

separar los que valen de los que no

Cada solicitante es entrevistado al menos tresveces por nuestro equipo de recursos huma-nos. Es un proceso caro que lleva muchotiempo, pero sirve para separar a los que va-len y a los que no.

que se precie de tal,digno de ese nombre

Nunca he podido entender por que un geren-te que se precie quiera traer un consultorpara determinar la politica de empresa. Parami, es reconocer su propio fracaso.

no ser nada del otro mundo

Los libros empresariales est^n de moda. Entre1991 y 1 999 las ventas subieron de un 36%,ascendiendo a 617 millones de d6lares. Claroque la mayoria de los libros empresarialespara autodidactas no son nada del otro mun-do. Pero hay excepciones.

Stanley 1 15



1 To be better than all others: Nuestroservicio es insuperable.

2 To be not very impressive: La comidano era nada del otro mundo.

3 To cause something to be consideredof inferior quality (or someone of infe-rior ability) by being much better: Hablatan bien ingles que me hace pasarverguenza.

4 To succeed or to reach the desiredstandard: Nunca alcanzara el nivelrequerido.

5 To be impossible to describe: Superatoda descripci6n.

6 To have to use people or things of thepoorest quality because nothing elseremains: Is that the best excuse you canfind? You're really , aren't you?

7 To separate those who have great abil-ity from those who have less: Elentrenamiento inicial separa a los quevalen de los que no.

8 To be not very good, of low standard:Su trabajo no valia gran cosa.

9 To be of strong character or to be wor-thy of the name (of something): Anyengineer would have seen theweaknesses in this plan immediately.

10 To be inferior in quality to somethingor someone else: No le llegas a la sueladel zapato.

11 To be up to the required standard:Simplemente no da la talla.

12 (prizes, etc.) To win everything that canbe won: Nuestro equipo se Ilev6 todoslos premios.

13 To get good value from something onehas paid money for: Le he sacadomucho jugo a este coche.

14 Of inferior quality: Who is going to paythis kind of money for an essentially

product?

15 To be the best of a certain number: Estehotel es el mejor de todos.

16 To be not as good as people say: No estan maravilloso como dicen.

17 To be cheap and easily obtained, to bevery common: Academias de idiomashay a montones.

18 To make a special effort to do some-thing, especially when it's inconvenient:Se desvivio para que me sintiera comoen casa.

19 (a business, a person) Unreliable be-cause only interested in making moneyquickly and probably illegally: I thoughtfrom the start that they were aoperation, and so wasn't at all happyabout having to do business with them.

20 To get most of the attention or admira-tion in an exhibition or other event: Weexpect the NTXX-4 to at the an-nual trade fair.

21 To be extremely good or impressive:Their after-sales service is fantastic, ab-solutely !

22 To be far better than other people orthings of the same type: No tiene igual.

23 (saying) Nothing can discourage a manwho is determined to succeed: Losbuenos siempre salen adelante.

24 To be not at all special: No es nada delotro mundo.

25 To express great admiration for some-one or something: Their new colourlaser printer has been for its de-sign, its performance and its amazinglylow price.

1 16 Stanley

3O. Negotiations 1,000 everyday idioms in business

meet sb halfwayYou've been supplying us for many years andwe want to maintain that relationship — butyou'll have to meet us halfway on pricing.

give and takeOn the surface, it looks like a joint venture,but when you get down to the details, you'redoing all the work. There's no real give andtake.

common groundI constantly try to think, "If I were the client,how would I feel about this?" That's stepNumber One if you're going to find commonground.

have an ace up one's sleeveFinanciers will stress the problems in the gov-ernment's plans to privatise the London Un-derground. But the government has an aceup its sleeve: past privatisations have deliv-ered bonanzas to investors.

the ball is in your courtWe've made our initial offer, now the ball isin their court. All we can do is wait and seeif they accept it or not.

have sb over a barrelSince you are the sole distributor of thesegoods, you have us over a barrel. Wehave no choice but to accept your prices.

beggars can't be choosersThey desperately need our business, so theywill not be dictating terms to us. On the con-trary, they will take whatever we decide togive them. Beggars can't be choosers.

a stumbling blockSpain has suggested that an EU programmeworth about E3bn a year be set up for mem-ber states that face pressure of immigrationfrom eastern and central Europe. The fundswould mainly help Germany, which wants toreduce its E11 bn net contribution to the EU,and would remove one of the main stum-bling blocks in the Agenda 2000 negotia-tions on reform of the EU's budget.

call sb's bluffNothing quite gets your boss's attention likedangling another job offer in front of him and

llegar a un acuerdo mutuo,hacer concesionesLlevais muchos arios suministrandonos y quere-mos mantener esa relaci6n, pero tendremos quellegar a un acuerdo mutuo sobre los precios.

toma y dacaEn apariencia, tiene aspecto de ser un nego-cio llevado conjuntamente, pero cuando miraslos detalles, tu haces todo el trabajo. No esun toma y daca.

puntos en comunConstantemente intento pensar, "Si fuera elcliente, ique opinaria de esto?" Ese es el Pri-mer Paso si quieres encontrar puntos encomun.

guardarse un as en la mangaLos financieros senalan los problemas que tie-ne el gobierno para privatizar el metro deLondres. Pero el gobierno se guarda un as enla manga: las anteriores privatizaciones hansido un buen negocio para los inversores.

ahora te toca a ti hacer algoHemos hecho nuestra oferta inicial, ahora lestoca a ellos. Todo lo que podemos hacer esesperar y ver si la aceptan o no.

poner a alguienentre la espada y la paredComo eres el unico distribuidor de estas mer-cancias, nos pones entre la espada y la pared.No nos queda otra alternativa que aceptarvuestros precios.

a quien se da no escoge,no estar en situacion de exigirNecesitan de nosotros desesperadamente, asique no nos dictaran sus condiciones. Todo locontrario, tomaran cualquier cosa que lesofrezcamos. No estan en situacion de exigir.

un escollo, un tropiezoEspana ha sugerido crear un programa euro-peo por valor de 3 mil millones de eurosanuales para los paises miembros que se en-frentan a la presi6n de la inmigracion del estey del centra de Europa. Los fondos ayudarianprincipalmente a Alemania, que quiere reducirsu contribuci6n neta de 1 1 mil millones deeuros a la UE, y que eliminaria uno de losprincipales escollos en las negociaciones de laAgenda 2000 para reformar el presupuesto.

aceptar el envite, el farolNo hay nada como mostrarle a tu jefe otraoferta de empleo que has recibido y decirle

Stanley 1 17

Negotiations 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

telling him you plan to accept it if he doesn'tpay you more. But be careful what you askfor, because he may just call your bluff.

lay one's cards on the tableIt is important always to hold something in re-serve. If you lay all your cards on the ta-ble at the beginning of the negotiation, andthe other side says no, you cannot regain con-trol of the situation.

play cat and mouse with sbI have the feeling they're playing cat andmouse with us. At bottom, they want toreach an agreement as much as we do, butevery time an agreement is within reach, theyraise a new objection.

split the differenceLet's settle the question of cost. We're asking$500 per unit, and you're offering $400. Tosave time, I suggest we split the difference— $450 per unit.

lose faceYou should always ensure that your opponentdoes not lose face, for this causes bitternessand resentment.

stand one's groundLuc Guyau, the chairman of the national farm-ers' union, praised the government for stand-ing its ground against "co-financing' - a Ger-man move to shift agricultural support fromthe EU budget on to national governmentbudgets.

grind to a haltWith neither side willing to compromise evenon relatively minor issues, the talks inevitablyground to a halt.

have the upper handAt Netscape's urging, the U.S. Department ofJustice began investigating whether Microsoftwas using its near monopoly in PC operatingsystems to gain the upper hand in whathas come to be known as "the browser wars."

que piensas aceptarlo si no te paga mas. Peroten cuidado con lo que pides, porque es posi-ble que acepte el envite.

poner las cartas boca arribaEs importante mantener siempre algo en reser-va. Si pones todas tus cartas boca arriba alprincipio de la negociacion y la otra partedice que no, no puedes volver a hacerte conel control de la situacion.

jugar al gatoy al raton con alguienTengo la sensaci6n de que estan jugando algato y al raton con nosotros. En el fondo, quie-ren llegar a un acuerdo tanto como nosotros,pero cada vez que estamos cerca de conseguirun acuerdo, presentan una nueva objeci6n.

repartirse la diferencia(a partes iguales)Vamos a zanjar el asunto del coste. Nosotrosestamos pidiendo 500 dolares por unidad, yvosotros nos est^is ofreciendo 400 d6lares.Para ahorrar tiempo, sugiero que nos reparta-mos la diferencia a partes iguales: 450 d6larespor unidad.

desprestigiarse, quedar malDebes siempre asegurarte de que tu adversa-rio nunca quede mal, ya que eso causa amar-gura y resentimiento.

mantenerse firme

Luc Guyau, el presidente del sindicato nacio-nal de agricultores, alabo al gobierno pormantenerse firme en su postura en contra dela "co-financiacion", una maniobra alemanapara trasladar las ayudas agricolas del presu-puesto de la UE a los presupuestos de los go-biernos nacionales.

estancarse,llegar a un punto muertoComo ninguno de los dos lados estaba dis-puesto a hacer concesiones, incluso en temasde relativamente poca importancia, las conver-saciones llegaron inevitablemente a un puntomuerto.

llevar ventajaA peticion de Netscape, el Departamento deJusticia de los EE UU comenzb a investigar siMicrosoft estaba utilizando su casi monopolioen los sistemas operatives de los PC para con-seguir ventajas en lo que se ha llegado a co-nocer como "la guerra de los buscadores".

118 Stanley

Negotiations ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

draw the line at sth decir basta a algo

If you buy a minimum of 500 units, we're will-ing to offer you a reduction of 20%, but that'sour best and final offer. We have to drawthe line somewhere.

take sb's point

- How can we possibly guarantee deliverydates in the middle of a rail strike?- Yes, I take your point, but we must havesome assurance that the goods will reach usbefore Christmas.

be poles apart

I'm afraid there's no sign of an agreement yet.The two sides are still poles apart.

behind the scenes

Coaches offer a one-on-one relationship withexecutives that is far more personal than inother consulting arrangements. They workbehind the scenes. Their primary mission isto support and develop their client.

get down to brass tacks

I think we're all in agreement on the generalframework of the deal. Now let's get downto brass tacks: how much is it going to costus and how soon will we see a return on ourinvestment?

take it or leave it

For a long time IBM refused to give discountson its machines. Its attitude to the customerwas: take it or leave it. Today there is moreflexibility.

not budge an inch

There is an absolutely predictable point in allnegotiations when it seems neither side willbudge an inch. When this moment comes,don't be surprised, and don't get frustrated.

strengthen one's hand

A deal may not be coming quite so soon as in-vestors are hoping, but the waiting periodcertainly strengthens Cable & Wireless'hand if the share price continues to rise be-cause of speculation.

turn the tables on sb

If the other side refuses to improve its offer, re-member that the single most important toolfor winning a negotiation is the ability to walkaway without a deal. If you do that and theycall you back, you'll have turned the tableson them and be in a much stronger position.

Si comprais un minimo de 500 unidades, esta-mos dispuestos a ofreceros un descuento del20%, pero esa es nuestra mejor y ultima oferta.En algun momento tenemos que decir basta.

aceptar lo que dice alguien

vamos a poder garantizar las fechas deentrega en medio de una huelga de trenes?- Si, eso lo entiendo, pero debemos tener al-gun tipo de garantia de que la mercancia nosliege antes de Navidad.

estar a anos luz,ser polos opuestos

Me temo que aun no hay ninguna serial deacuerdo. Las dos partes estan a anos luz.

entre bastidores

Los formadores ofrecen una relacibn indivi-dual que es mucho mas personal que otrosacuerdos con consultores. Trabajan entre bas-tidores. Su mision principal es apoyar y ayudara su cliente.

ir al grano _

Creo que estamos todos de acuerdo en cuan-to a la estructura general del trato. Ahora va-yamos al grano: ^Cuanto nos va a costar ycuando podremos ver los beneficios de nues-tra inversi6n?

lo tomas o lo dejas

Durante mucho tiempo IBM se nego a conce-der descuentos en sus aparatos. Su actitudhacia el cliente era: lo tomas o lo dejas. Hoyhay mucha mas flexibilidad.

no ceder un apice

Hay un punto absolutamente predecible entoda negociacion cuando parece que ningunade las partes va a ceder un apice. Cuando lle-gue este momento, no te sorprendas y no tesientas frustrada.

fortalecer su posicion

Puede que un acuerdo no llegue tan prontocomo esperan los inversores, pero el periodode espera, fortalece sin duda la posicion deCable & Wireless si el precio de la accion con-tinua subiendo debido a la especulacion.

volver las tornas a alguien

Si la otra parte se niega a mejorar su oferta,recuerda que la herramienta mas importantepara ganar en una negociacion es la capaci-dad de marcharse sin lograr un acuerdo. Sipuedes hacer eso y vuelven a llamarte, les ha-bras vuelto las tornas y estaras en una posi-cion mucho mas fuerte.

Stanley 1 19



1 It is your turn to take action: Tecorresponde a ti dar el proximo paso.

2 (in a discussion, etc.I To accept whatsomeone is saying: Acepto lo que dicespero nuestras tarifas no sonnegociables.

3 To lose speed and eventually stop: Lasnegociaciones nan llegado a un puntomuerto.

4 To be widely divided, e.g. in opinions orcharacteristics: Su hermano y el sonpolos opuestos.

5 To have someone in a position where heis obliged to do what one wants: We

him and he knows it, nowhe has to sign.

6 Out of the public eye: Lo ha estadoorganizando todo entre bastidores.

7 To agree with another person on a fig-ure halfway between two figures: Hetold me how much he wanted, I told himwhat I was willing to pay, and we .

8 Willingness to compromise in order toobtain a satisfactory agreement: Tieneque haber un toma y daca.

9 To stop generalizing and start discuss-ing essential matters: Let's , howmuch will it cost and when can you de-liver?

10 To reveal all one's plans or intentions: I'mprepared to and tell you exactlywhat I want, provided, of course, thatyou will do the same.

11 (said by someone stating a price to showthat he does not intend to change it) Youcan accept this price or refuse it: Lotomas o lo dejas.

12 To have an advantage or piece of infor-mation which one keeps secret in orderto use it at the best moment: Tenia untriunfo guardado en la manga.

13 To refuse to make the least concession:No cedio ni lo mas minimo.

14 To confuse someone intentionally: Creoque juegan al gato y al raton connosotros.

15 To improve one's position or increaseone's power: The chancellor's recent an-nouncements have considerably .In fact we are in a much better positionnow than at the beginning of the talks.

16 Opinions, experiences, etc. that areshared by two or more people: The dis-cussions lasted long into the night, witheach side struggling to find withthe other.

17 To reverse the situation so that one'sopponent loses his advantage and findshimself in the weaker position: Lograronvolverles las tornas a sus adversaries.

18 To refuse to go beyond certain limits inthe way one behaves or permits othersto behave: En algun momento hay quedecir basta.

19An impediment or obstacle: We haveovercome the most important andare now very close to an agreement.

20 To have an advantage over an oppo-nent: He thinks he , but I have afew surprises in store for him.

21 To compromise with someone: Si no ac-cede a esto, tendremos que llegar a uncompromiso.

22 To be firm, to not yield under pressure:Se mantuvo firme.

23 To make someone prove that what heclaims to be true is indeed true: Anda,ponlo en un aprieto, que demuestre quelo que dice es cierto.

24 To be humiliated publicly: Always try toarrange matters so that your adversarydoes not .

25 (saying) People who really need some-thing can't afford to be concerned aboutquality but must accept what they aregiven: A caballo regalado no le mires eldiente.

120 Stan ley

31. Results 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

the acid test la prueba decisiva

This is a valuable Budget for enterprise andemployment. It is both prudent and positive.However, the acid test will be its impact oninflation, interest rates and the strength ofsterling.

a mixed bag

The European Central Bank report is a bit of amixed bag, with something for everybody.

not by a long chalk

- We've never had such good sales figuresbefore.- No, indeed. Not by a long chalk.

be a far cry from sth

A trip abroad in 1962 opened his eyes to theway fine wines were produced in Europe. Itwas a far cry from the California mass-pro-duction practices of the time.

at the end of the dayMost of us want our lives to amount to some-thing. It's easy to be cynical, but at the endof the day, you'd like to say "I did goodwork."

come full circle

The International Olympic Committee has cho-sen Athens to be the venue for the games of2004. Thus, the event will come full circle,back to Greece, home of the original Olympicgames.

fall short of sth

Lyubov Vonyagina, 54, a veteran seam-stress, is part of a team that must produce2,000 T-shirts a day. When they fall short,they stay late.

so far, so good

His assignment has been to help a work forceof about 300,000, mostly sales clerks andblue-collar workers, learn to focus on custom-ers. So far, so good: total return to share-holders has averaged over 30% for five years.

bear fruit

What stimulates success? The most importantsingle thing is having an idea and putting itinto practice and seeing it bear fruit.

Este es un Presupuesto valioso para las empre-sas y para el empleo. Es a la vez prudente ypositive. Sin embargo, la prueba decisiva serasu impacto en la inflacion, en los tipos de in-teres y en la fuerza de la libra esterlina.

un batiburrillo, una mezcolanza

El informe del Banco Central Europeo es unbatiburrillo, con algo para todos.

ni mucho menos, ni de lejos

- Nunca hemos conseguido unas cifras deventas tan buenas.- No, desde luego. Ni de lejos.

ser muy distinto de algo

Un viaje al extranjero realizado en 1 .962 leabrio los ojos sobre la forma en que se elabo-raban los vinos finos en Europa. Era muy dis-tinta a la practica californiana de produccionen serie de aquel entonces.

al fin y al cabo, al final

La mayoria de nosotros queremos que nues-tras vidas signifiquen algo. Es facil ser cinico,pero al final, te gustaria decir, "Hice un buentrabajo."

volver al punto de partida

El Comite Olimpico Internacional ha seleccio-nado Atenas para ser la sede de los Juegosdel 2004. Por lo tanto, el evento volvera a supunto de partida, a Grecia, sede de los prime-ros juegos Olimpicos.

no alcanzar algo

Lyubov Vonyagina, de 54 anos, una expertacosturera, forma parte del equipo que debefabricar 2.000 camisetas al dia. Cuando no al-canzan esta cifra, se quedan trabajando hastamuy tarde.

hasta aqui bienSu tarea ha sido la de ayudar a un grupo deunos 300.000 trabajadores, en su mayoria de-pendientes y trabajadores manuales, a apren-der a enfocar su trabajo en los clientes. Hastaaqui, bien: los beneficios de los accionistas enlos cinco ultimos anos se nan incrementadode un 30%.

dar fruto, dar resultados

es lo que estimula el exito? Lo mas im-portante de todo es tener una idea, ponerlaen practica y ver sus resultados.

Stanley 121

Results 1,000 everyday idioms in business

make headway avanzar, progresarThe two best known management tools of the1980s were total quality management (TQM)and reengineering. Applying these tech-niques, American businesses made enormousheadway in overcoming their process prob-lems.

flog a dead horseThis is the seventh or eighth time we've vis-ited them and they've never given us even asmall order. I think we're flogging a deadhorse: they're never going to buy from us.

be a household nameIn the 1960s David Bailey became a house-hold name overnight and revolutionised thefashion industry by creating the miniskirt.

the icing on the cakeThe package they were offering was extremelyattractive: high tax-free salary, 10 weeks' an-nual vacation, free medical cover, free accom-modation, etc. The end-of-year bonus was justthe icing on the cake. I would have signedup anyway.

make inroads into sthForeign competitors like Toyota, Honda, andnow Volkswagen are continuing to make in-roads into the U.S. market.

Las dos herramientas de gestion mas conoci-das de los anos 80 fueron la Gestion de Cali-dad Total (GCT) y la re-ingenieria. Aplicandoestas tecnicas, las empresas americanas consi-guieron progresar muchisimo en la solucionde sus problemas de fabricacion.

perder el tiempoEsta es la septima u octava vez que les visita-mos y nunca nos han hecho el mimino pedi-do. Creo que estamos perdiendo el tiempo:nunca van a comprarnos nada.

ser muy conocidoEn los ahos 60, David Bailey se hizo famosode la noche a la mahana y revolucion6 la in-dustria de la moda al crear la minifalda.

la guinda encima del pastelEl paquete que ofrecian era sumamente atrac-tivo: un buen sueldo fibre de impuestos, 10semanas de vacaciones al ano, seguro medicogratuito, alojamiento gratuito, etc. El bonusde fin de ano era s6lo la guinda del pastel.Hubiese firmado igualmente.

hacer avances en algoLos competidores extranjeros como Toyota,Honda y ahora Volkswagen siguen avanzandoen el mercado de los EE UU.

one swallow doesnt make a summer una golondrina no hace veranoIt's the first time in four years that we'veshown a profit and, of course, that's a goodsign. But one swallow doesn't make asummer, so let's not get too optimistic toosoon.

serve sb rightYou shouldn't leave your laptop lying aroundlike that when you're out of the office. It'llserve you right if somebody steals it.

not have a leg to stand onIf recent sales figures had been good, youcould have used them to justify your policies.But they're as disastrous as the previous ones.So, I'm afraid you don't have a leg tostand on.

take its toll on sthThe flooding in Central America has taken avery heavy toll on coffee production, so wecan certainly expect prices to rise in the nearfuture.

Es la primera vez en cuatro anos que hemosvisto un beneficio y, claro esta\ es una buenaserial. Pero una golondrina no hace verano,asi que no seamos demasiado optimistas antesde tiempo.

tenerlo bien merecidoNo deberias dejar tu ordenador port^til porahi tirade cuando sales de la oficina. Si al-guien te lo robara lo tendrias bien merecido.

no tener en que basarseSi las ultimas cifras de ventas hubiesen sidobuenas, podrias haberlas utilizado para justifi-car tu politica. Pero son tan desastrosas comolas anteriores. Por lo tanto, me temo que notienes en qu£ basarte.

afectar algo negativamente,infligir perdidasLas inundaciones en Centroamerica han afec-tado muy negativamente a la produccibn decafe, asi que podemos esperar que suban losprecios en un futuro proximo.

122 Stan ley

Results1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

have made one's bedand have to lie in it

quien mala cama haceen ella yace

I warned you against hiring such a well-known union militant, but you wouldn't lis-ten. And now he's threatening to call a strike.Well, you've made your bed and youmust lie in it.

come up with the goodsThe French will give you their business muchmore readily than the Germans. But they willwithdraw it just as fast if you fail to come upwith the goods.

the bottom line

The shortcut always fails, whether it's theeasy way to lose weight or the instant wayto get rich. The bottom line is this: noth-ing meaningful or lasting comes withoutworking hard at it.

a can of worms

The investigation into the causes of the acci-dent opened up a real can of worms. In-deed it soon became evident that we weregoing to have to rewrite our safety proce-dures completely.

it makes no odds

You can achieve dramatically better results.Whether it's at your job or in the classroom,whether it's a sport or other activity you're in-volved in, it makes no odds. The tech-niques are the same.

a foregone conclusion

It's hard to believe now, but the acceptance ofMicrosoft's DOS as the operating system forthe IBM PC wasn't a foregone conclusionwhen the machine was introduced in 1981.IBM also offered a version of the CP/M operat-ing system.

pave the way for sth

Monitoring 5,000 families for 20 years, Jencksstudied all sorts of variables that might pavethe way to wealth and power, including pa-rental income, the neighbourhood a persongrows up in, education, and occupation.

Te avise de que no contrataras a un militan-te sindicalista tan conocido, pero no quisis-te escuchar. Y ahora amenaza con convocaruna huelga. Pues quien mala cama hace enella yace.

cumplir lo prometidoLos franceses haran negocios contigo muchoantes que los alemanes. Pero se retiraran igualde rapido si no cumples lo prometido.

lo esencial, lo primordialEl atajo siempre falla, bien sea la forma facilde perder peso o la manera instantanea dehacerse rico. Lo esencial es esto: nada quesea importante o que dure se consigue sintrabajar.

un problema complicadoLa investigaci6n sobre las causas del acci-dente dio paso a un sinfin de problemas.De hecho, pronto fue evidente que tendria-mos que revisar por completo nuestros sis-temas de seguridad.

da lo mismo, es igualSe pueden conseguir resultados muchisimomejores. Bien sea en el trabajo o en el aula,bien sea en un deporte o en otra actividad enla que se este involucrado, da lo mismo. Lastecnicas son iguales.

un resultado inevitable

Es dificil de creer ahora, pero la aceptaciondel DOS de Microsoft como sistema operativedel PC IBM no era de prever cuando el apara-to fue presentado en 1981. IBM tambien ofre-cio una versibn del sistema operative CP/M.

allanar el terreno para algoAl estudiar los habitos de 5.000 familias du-rante 20 arios, Jenkins tuvo en cuenta todotipo de factores que podian allanar el terrenohacia la riqueza y el poder, entre ellos los in-gresos de los padres, el vecindario en el quese cria uno, la educacion y la profesi6n.

Stan ley 123


EEncuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espanol, traducela al ingles.

1 A person or thing whose name isknown by everybody: En poco tiempose hizo famosisima.

2 Not by any means: Can we reach suchunrealistic targets? .

3 An extremely complicated problem orseries of interrelated problems: Larevisibn salarial destapb una serie deproblemas.

4 To begin to have an effect on some-thing by reducing it or using it up:Entrenar me quita mucho tiempo libre.

5 To make progress: For fin hemosconseguido hacer progresos.

6 To lead to something, to make every-thing ready for something: Esteproyecto de ley preparb el terreno parauna Europa unida.

7 To waste time by continuing to try todo something futile: Hablarles dereducir gastos es como machacar enhierro frio.

8An entirely predictable result: Elresultado era de prever.

9 A test which gives irrefutable proof thatsomething has or does not have value:La prueba definitiva es si le gusta alpublico o no.

10 It makes no difference, it doesn't mat-ter: We already have a large majorityin our favour, so whether youvote or not.

11A desirable addition, often unneces-sary: La bonificacibn de fin de ano noera m3s que la guinda encima de unsuculento pastel.

12 The essential result or outcome: Si noacabas a tiempo, no se te pagarci, a esose reduce.

13 When everything has happened orbeen settled: A fin de cuentas, laresponsabilidad es suya.

14To have good results or effects: Suesmerada planificacibn dio sus frutos.

15 To do what one has promised to do:No pudieron cumplir lo acordado.

16A long way from something: Esto noes ni con mucho lo que yo esperaba.

17 To have chosen a particular course ofaction and so be forced to accept theresults of it: We all told him he wouldn'tbe happy if he transferred to Financebut he did it anyway. Well, he .

18 To return to the situation from whichone started: El curso de losacontecimientos ha vuelto al punto departida.

19 To cause much harm and damage: Anosde duro trabajo habian afectado susalud.

20 Up until now there have been no prob-lems: Hasta ahora bien.

21 To have no possible justification forone's actions or opinions: No puedejustificarse.

22 A varied mixture: En esta compafiia hayde todo.

23 To be a just punishment for somebody:Lo tienes bien merecido.

24 (saying) It is unwise to generalize opti-mistically on the basis of a single fortu-nate event: Una golondrina no haceverano.

25 To be less than expected, or of a lowerstandard than expected: La calidad desus productos esta por debajo denuestras exigencias.

124 Stan ley

32. Responsibility 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

carry the can pagar el pato

As your immediate supervisor, I've acceptedresponsibility for your mistakes in the past. It'stime you understood, however, that I'm notgoing to go on carrying the can for you in-definitely.

pass the buck

He has a tendency to pass the buck which,in my opinion, makes him quite unsuitable fora position of such responsibility.

give sb a free hand

Although the business had been losing moneyfor years, for sentimental reasons the ownerwas unable to reduce staffing levels. The onlyway to make the firm profitable again was toengage a manager and to give him a com-pletely free hand.

put one's foot down

Before the IMF put its foot down, an Indo-nesian state agency, known as Bulog, set theprice of rice and handed out lucrative licensesto Suharto cronies like the Salim family.

wash one's hands of sth

Neither side in the dispute would make theleast concession. In the end the mediatorwas so fed up with their intransigence thathe decided to wash his hands of thewhole business and leave them to find theirown solution.

give sth the green lightAt its December monthly meeting, the newgroup gave the green light to a "smart car"project based in Germany.

give sb the go-aheadThe local authorities have finally given themthe go-ahead for the new factory extension.

pull rankShe can be a very persuasive person. And, infact, she almost always gets what she wantswithout having to pull rank.

rule the roost

The 78 year-old Spaniard has ruled theroost at the IOC (International Olympics Com-mittee) for the past two decades, but the cor-ruption scandal has prompted calls for him toresign before his term expires in 2001.

Como tu supervisor inmediato, he asumido laresponsabilidad de tus errores en el pasado.Sin embargo, ya es hora de que entiendasque no voy a seguir pagando el pato indefini-damente.

pasar la pelota

Tiene la costumbre de pasar la pelota lo cual,en mi opinion, le hace bastante inadecuadopara un puesto de tanta responsabilidad.

darle a alguien carta blancaAunque la empresa ha perdido dinero duranteanos, el duerio no ha sido capaz de reducir laplantilla por motives sentimentales. La unicaforma de conseguir que la empresa vuelva aser rentable es contratando a un director ydandole carta blanca.

imponerse, ponerse firme

Antes de que el FMI se impusiese, una agen-da estatal de Indonesia, conocida comoBulog, fijaba el precio del arroz y entregaba li-cencias lucrativas a los compinches deSuharto, como la familia Salim.

desentenderse de algo,lavarse las manos

Ninguna de las dos partes en litigio estabadispuesta a hacer la mas minima concesion. Alfinal el mediador estaba tan harto de su in-transigencia que decidio desentenderse detodo el lio y dejarles que se arreglaran comopudieran.

dar luz verde a algo

En su reunion mensual de diciembre, el nuevogrupo dio luz verde a un proyecto de "cocheinteligente" elaborado en Alemania.

darle el visto bueno a alguien

Las autoridades locales les han dado, por fin,elvisto bueno para la expansi6n de la fabrica.

abusar de su autoridad, hacervaler sus privilegios

Puede llegar a ser una persona muy persuasi-va. De hecho, casi siempre consigue lo quequiere sin tener que recurrir a su autoridad.

llevar la batuta

Este espahol de 78 anos ha llevado la batutadel COI (Comite Olimpico International) du-rante las dos ultimas decadas, pero el escan-dalo de corrupci6n exige que renuncie antesde que su mandato concluya en el 2001.

Stan ley 125

Responsibility 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

call the shots mandar

Basically, you start your own business so youcan call the shots, set your own hours andearn unlimited income.

have a lot to answer for

Puno, a town on the western shores of LakeTiticaca in the Peruvian Andes, has a lot toanswer for. Pollution produced by its rapidlyexpanding population has caused huge envi-ronmental damage.

take a back seat

After three disastrous years, shareholders de-manded that he relinquish the chief execu-tives role and take a back seat.

have friends in high places

The master manipulator spends years cultivat-ing a network of friends in high places.You go over this person's head at your ownperil. If you complain to his boss, the manipu-lator will use his influence to make you looklike a whiner or worse.

kick sb upstairs

After heavy losses caused by the Russian fi-nancial crisis, their chief executive paid theprice. He was kicked upstairs to the newjob of co-chairman.

a sleeping partner (US silentpartner)

In 1990, Lane finished his MBA and, with thehelp of a silent partner, he and MacHardylaunched Coed Sportswear.

be saddled with sth

In those days IBM was saddled with405,000 loyal workers and a sacrosanct no-layoffs policy. Their more nimble competitorsloved it.

the pecking order

In most companies, the public relations per-son is down at number 20 in the peckingorder, but not here. A high profile is vital forour business, so our PR man is one of themost important and highest paid employees.

Basicamente, uno crea su propia empresapara establecer mandar, fijar su propio horarioy obtener ingresos ilimitados.

tener la culpa de muchas cosas

Puno, un pueblo situado a orillas del lagoTiticaca en los Andes peruanos, tiene la culpade muchas cosas. La contaminaci6n produci-da por el rapido crecimiento de su poblaci6nha causado un dano tremendo al medio am-biente.

pasar a un segundo piano

Tras tres arios desastrosos, los accionistas insis-tieron en que renunciara al puesto de presi-dente y pasara a un segundo piano.

tener amistades en las altasesferas

Un maestro de la manipulacion se pasa anosenteros construyendo una red de amistadesen las altas esferas. El pasar por encima deesta persona supone un riesgo. Si te quejas asu jefe, el manipulador utilizara su influenciapara que parezcas un quejica o algo peor alos ojos del jefe.

deshacerse de uno ascendiendole

Tras las fuertes perdidas ocasionadas por lacrisis financiera rusa, su presidente pago elpato. Se deshicieron de el ascendiendole alnuevo puesto de presidente adjunto.

un socio comanditario

En 1990, Lane termin6 su MBAy con la ayudade un socio comanditario el y MacHardy crea-ron Coed Sportswear.

tener que cargar con algo

Por aquellos dias IBM tenia que cargar con405.000 empleados leales y la sacrosanta poli-tica de no despedirles. A sus competidoresmas habiles les encantaba.

la jerarquia

En la mayoria de las empresas, la persona en-cargada de las relaciones publicas esta en elranking numero 20, pero aqui no. Un buenperfil es vital para nuestra empresa, asi quenuestro encargado de relaciones publicas esuno de los empleados mas importantes y me-jor pagados.

126 Stan ley

Responsibility ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

know where one stands

Never start a partnership with just a vagueagreement on who does what. Put it down onpaper, in detail. That way, both parties knowexactly where they stand.

the top brass

It's a really important event. All the top brasswill be there.

have a say in sth

Involve people in decisions that affect theirjobs. Give them a say in how they performtheir work, and be sure they understand howthe business works, where the company is go-ing, and their individual role in the company'sgoals.

stand on one's own two feet

If you need advice, my door is always open.That doesn't mean I want you to come to mewith every single problem you encounter. Onthe contrary, the sooner you can stand onyour own two feet, the better.

have the final say on sth

My goal is to turn 90% of my authority over tomy management team. I still have the finalsay on some issues — major financial com-mitments, for example, or hiring new staff,but generally I'm trying to make as few deci-sions as possible.

sb's say-so

You can't start loading the containers withoutthe boss's say-so.

play second fiddle to sb

Why am I resigning? Because I'm fed upplaying second fiddle to Butley. I do allthe work and he takes all the credit, and I'msick of it.

be quits with sb

He gave us a lot of help when we were set-ting up the company, it's true. But we've putthousands of dollars' worth of business hisway since then. I consider we were quitsyears ago.

saber a que atenerse

Nunca pongas en marcha una sociedad unica-mente con un acuerdo ambiguo sobre lospuestos y las tareas. P6nlo por escrito, detalla-damente. De esa forma, ambas partes sabranexactamente a que atenerse.

el alto mando

Es un evento muy importante. Todo el altomando estara alii.

tener voz y voto en algo

Involucra a la gente en las decisiones queafectan a su trabajo. Han de tener voz y votoen el modo de realizar su trabajo, y aseguratede que entienden el funcionamiento del ne-gocio, los objetivos de la empresa y su papelindividual en estos objetivos.

valerse por si mismo

Si necesitas consejos, mi puerta esta siempreabierta. Eso no significa que quiero que ven-gas con todos los problemas a los que te en-frentes. Todo lo contrario, cuanto antespuedas valerte por ti mismo, mejor.

tener la ultima palabra en algo

Mi meta es traspasar el 90% de mi autoridadal equipo de gerencia. Aun tengo la ultimapalabra en algunos temas - importantes com-promises financieros, por ejemplo, o contratara nuevos miembros del equipo,pero, en gene-ral, estoy intentando tomar el menor numeroposible de decisiones.

el visto bueno de alguien

No puedes empezar a cargar los contenedoressin el visto bueno del jefe.

estar a la sombra

<i.Por que dimito? Porque estoy harto de es-tar a la sombra de Butley. Hago todo el tra-bajo y el se queda con todo el merito, yano puedo mas.

estar en paz con alguien

Nos ayud6 mucho cuando estabamos mon-tando la empresa, es verdad. Pero le hemoshecho ganar miles de ddlares desde entonces.Estamos en paz.

Stan ley 127

32.Exercise ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To be forced, against one's will, to takethe responsibility for something: Noscargaron con todas las facturas.

2 A hierarchical system which determineswho dominates and who is dominated:Luchaban por hacerse un lugar en lajerarqula.

3 To misuse one's position of authority inan organization to force someone oflower rank to do what one wants: Noes de las que abusan de su autoridad.

4 To know what someone else expectsfrom one, what one's position is: Megusta saber a que atenerme.

5 To take a position of less importance:Ha resuelto dejar que otros asuman lasresponsabilidades de ahora enadelante.

6 Somebody's permission or authorisa-tion: No podemos hacerlo sin que elnos de el visto bueno.

7 To be the most powerful person in agroup: Es el quien lleva la batuta.

8 To be even with someone, to be nolonger in someone's debt: Ahoraestamos en paz.

9 To know people in positions of influ-ence and power: Tiene amistades enlas altas esferas.

10To accept the responsibility for some-thing that someone else has done:Como siempre tuve que pagar el pato.

11 To have the authority to decide some-thing: Es el director quien tiene laultima palabra en estas cuestiones.

12 To be independent: Tienes que apren-der a valerte por ti mismo.

13 To give someone freedom to do whathe wants: The board assured him thatthey would to introduce any poli-cies or make any changes he consid-ered necessary.

14 To have the chance to influence a deci-sion: Yo no tengo ni voz ni voto en elasunto.

15 To give somebody permission to put aplan into action: Han dado luz verde ala construccion del nuevo bloque deoficinas.

16 To give somebody permission to dosomething: Dieron el visto bueno anuestros planes.

17 To insist on something, to be firm: Semantuvo firme y se nego a firmar.

18The important people in control ofsomething: He coaches the insuch companies as Intel, Microsoft andAT&T.

19 To be second in importance to some-one: After years of to others, hedecided to start a company of his own.

20 To be responsible for bad things thathave happened: As regards pollution,the mining industry .

21 A partner who does not play an activerole in running a business but who in-vests money in it: Unless he could finda he would be unable to startthe company.

22 To avoid a responsibility by passing iton to someone else: Le acusaron dequerer pasar la pelota.

23 To remove someone from a position ofpower by promoting him to a positionwhere his power is reduced: If theywanted to bring in a new CEO, the onlysolution was to the present one

24 To decide what should be done, how,when, etc: Cronin es quien mandaahora.

25 To refuse to accept any further respon-sibility for something: Despu£s de eso,no quiso saber nada de ellos.

128 Stan ley

33. Ethics 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

honesty is the best policyWhile honesty is usually the best policy,some managers find that subterfuge and indi-rection work even better, especially whendealing with the prima donnas in their com-pany.

be fair and squareThe last thing in the world I want is for you tofeel that we've deceived or tricked you in anyway. On the contrary, I want an agreementwhich is fair and square for both parties.

in good faithThe director of the company said that al-though his organisation was responsible forthe error, no disciplinary action would betaken. He insisted that at all times his staffhad acted in good faith.

be on the levelStarting any business has risks, and those risksaren't entirely offset by the advantages of thefranchise relationship. How can you be surethe company you are dealing with is on thelevel?

cook the booksHe was forced to resign when it was discov-ered that one of his subordinates had beencooking the books to pay off gamblinglosses.

sweep sth under the carpetThere are irregularities in these accountswhich you can't afford to simply sweep un-der the carpet. You may want to ignorethem but the external auditor won't.

have the courageof one's convictionsJeff Franklin expressed bitter opposition tothe policies the new CEO had imposed.Moreover, he had the courage of hisconvictions: immediately after the meetinghe resigned from his highly paid job on theboard of directors.

go against the grainThree million people out of work goesagainst the grain of a socialist Britainhaunted by the ravages of the 1930s.

a man of his wordDon't worry about Francis Jameson, he's aman of his word. If he says he'll help us, hewill help us.

lo mejor es ser francoAunque normalmente lo mejor es ser franco,algunos directives piensan que el subterfugioy la indirecta funcionan incluso mejor, en es-pecial al tratar con algunos de los "divos" desus empresas.

ser honrado a carta cabalLo que menos quiero del mundo es que creasque te hemos traicionado o engafiado de al-guna manera. Todo lo contrario, quiero unacuerdo que sea honrado a carta cabal paraambas partes.

de buena feEl director de la empresa dijo que aunque suorganizacion era responsable del error, no setomaria ninguna medida disciplinaria. Insistioen que en todo momento su equipo actuo debuena fe.

ser de fiar, ser honradoEl inicio de cualquier negocio tiene sus riesgos,y esos riesgos no estan completamente com-pensados por las ventajas de una relacion defranquicia. £C6mo puedes estar seguro de quela empresa con la que estas tratando es de fiar?

amanar las cuentasFue obligado a dimitir cuando se descubrioque uno de sus subordinados habia estadoamanando las cuentas para pagar sus deudasde juego.

correr un velo sobre algoHay irregularidades en estas cuentas sobre lascuales no te puedes permitir correr un velo.Puedes ignorarlas pero el auditor externo nolo hara\

tener el valorde atenerse a sus principiosJeff Franklin expres6 una oposicion frontal ha-cia la politica impuesta por el nuevo presiden-te. Es mas, tuvo el valor de atenerse a susprincipios: inmediatamente despues de la re-union, dimitio de su bien remunerado puestoen la junta directiva.

ir en contrade los principios de alguienEl hecho de que tres millones de personas es-ten sin empleo va en contra de los principiosde una Gran Bretana socialista amenazada porlos estragos de los anos 30.

un hombre de palabraNo te preocupes por Francis Jameson, es unhombre de palabra. Si dice que nos ayudara,lo hara\

Stanley 129

Ethics 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

feather one's nest barrer para casa

Shareholders are kings, and the duty of acompany's directors and officers is to makethem rich kings. Things go wrong if managersforget who owns the company and feathertheir own nests.

grease sbs palm

We hypocritically criticise countries like Ni-geria, where bribery and corruption are cer-tainly widespread, as though in Europe itwere unknown to grease the palms of gov-ernment officials and business contacts.

have an itchy palm

Forget all about his smiles and obsequiousmanner. You need to know two things aboutMagdi Hassan: he's the one who's responsiblefor contracting suppliers like us, and he hasan itchy palm. He'll help us all right, but notfor nothing.

on principle

Burma's opposition National League for De-mocracy (NLD) yesterday denied charges thatit had accepted foreign financial assistance."The NLD does not accept foreign financial as-sistance on principle," said a spokesman.

be as good as one's word

He promised to send us a cheque and he wasas good as his word - it arrived in thismorning's mail.

take sbs word for it

It's not unknown for applicants to exaggeratethe importance of their previous accomplish-ments. So if they tell you about wonderfulthings they've done in the past, don't justtake their word for it. Check.

pull the wool over sbs eyes

Hermes, the UK's biggest pension fund man-ager, says that boardroom pay policies shouldbe audited independently, so that companiesdo not use consultants to pull the woolover shareholders' eyes.

come home to roost

Their neglect of the environmental issue hasnow come home to roost: they will beobliged to spend millions bringing their facto-ries into line with strict European regulations.

Los accionistas son los reyes y el deber de losdirectores y altos cargos de una empresa esconvertirles en reyes ricos. Las cosas saldranmal si los directives se olvidan de a quien per-tenece la empresa y barren para casa.

untarle la mano a alguien

Hip6critamente criticamos a paises comoNigeria, donde el soborno y la corrupcion es-tan sin duda a la orden del dia, como si enEuropa no se untase la mano a miembros delgobierno y a contactos empresariales.

estar dispuestoa dejarse sobornar

Olvidate por complete de sus sonrisas y desus modales serviles. Necesitas saber doscosas acerca de Magdi Hassan: el es el res-ponsable de contratar a los proveedorescomo nosotros y esta dispuesto a dejarsesobornar. Nos ayudara, sin duda, pero nopor amor al arte.

por principle

La oposicion de Burma, la Liga Nacional para laDemocracia (National League for Democracy -NLDJ, nego ayer las acusaciones segun las cua-les habia aceptado ayuda financiera extranjera."La NLD no acepta ayuda financiera extranjera,por principio," dijo un portavoz.

cumplir su palabra

Prometio enviarnos un ta!6n y cumpli6 su pa-labra: Ileg6 con el correo de esta manana.

confiar en la palabra de alguien

No es extrario que los aspirantes a un puestoexageren la importancia de sus logros. Asi quesi te hablan de las cosas maravillosas que hanhecho en el pasado, no te fies de su palabra.Compruebalo.

enganar a alguien

Hermes, el mayor gestor de fondos de pensio-nes del Reino Unido, dice que la politica de pa-gos de los directives deberia ser auditada demanera independiente, para que las empresasno se escuden detras de los consultores con elfin de enganar a los accionistas.

producir su fruto amargo

Su indiferencia por los temasmedioambientales ha producido su frutoamargo: se veran obligados a gastarse millo-nes para conseguir que sus fabricas esten a laaltura de la estricta normativa europea.

130 Stan ley

Ethics 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

that's a different kettle of fishI don't mind stretching the rules a little in anemergency, but what you're suggesting is acriminal offence, and that's a different ket-tle of fish altogether.

be above boardIt is difficult for a foreigner to do business inChina. You must have a joint venture, a Chinesepartner who knows how to deal with local gov-ernment officials: both above board and un-der the table. There's bribery at every level.

have the guts to do sthLeadership is not a basket of tricks or skills. It'sstrength of character and honesty and hav-ing the guts to make hard decisions. It's amatter of ethics and moral compass, the will-ingness to remain highly vulnerable.

catch sb red-handedIn 1994, General Motors felt it had discovereda major case of industrial espionage: a top ex-ecutive had been caught red-handed de-livering GM documents to Volkswagen.

get cold feetAny money that came in we put back into thecompany. A couple of times we were ap-proached by people who wanted to buy intothe business. But to me that's like getting mar-ried to someone you don't know, and I gotcold feet.

under the tableIn most oil-producing countries, it is normalbusiness practice to pay large sums of moneyunder the table in order to obtain confiden-tial information.

be on the makeHe's one of those people you can't feel at easewith. You have the feeling that, whatever hesays or does, he's always on the make, al-ways looking for an angle to exploit.

there are no two ways about itThese figures make it perfectly clear thatO'Neill has been embezzling us for years.There are no two ways about it.

eso es harina de otro costalNo me importa ser un poco flexible con las re-glas en el caso de una emergencia, pero loque me estas sugiriendo es un delito en todaregla y eso es harina de otro costal.

ser legitimo, ser sin tapujosPara un extranjero es dificil hacer negocios en

China. Tienes que asociarte con un socio chinoque sepa c6mo tratar con los funcionarios delgobierno local: por encima y por debajo de lamesa. Hay sobornos a todos los niveles.

tener agallas de hacer algoEl liderazgo no es una cesta de trucos ni de ha-bilidades. Es personalidad y honradez y teneragallas para tomar decisiones dificiles. Es unacuesti6n de ambito etico y moral, la predisposi-cion a mantenerse vulnerable ante los demas.

coger a unocon las manos en la masaEn 1944, General Motors creyo que habiadescubierto un caso importante de espionajeindustrial: un alto ejecutivo habia sido cogidocon las manos en la masa entregando docu-mentos de GM a Volkswagen.

entrarle miedo a uno,dar marcha atrasReinvertiamos en la empresa cualquier canti-dad ingresada. Un par de veces fuimoscontactados por personas que querian com-prar el negocio. Pero para mi era como casar-se con alguien a quien no conoces y dimarcha atras.

bajo cuerda, bajo manoEn la mayoria de los paises productores de pe-tr6leo, el pagar grandes cantidades de dinerobajo mano es una practica habitual para obte-ner informaci6n confidencial.

tratar de sacar tajada

Es una de esas personas con quienes no sepuede estar a gusto. Tienes la sensaci6n deque, diga lo que diga o haga lo que haga,siempre esta intentando sacar tajada, siemprebuscando un angulo que explotar.

no tiene vuelta de hojaEstas cifras demuestran perfectamente queO'Neill ha estado malversando fondos desdehace afios. No tiene vuelta de hoja.

Stanley 131

33. Exercise ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s


1 To falsify the accounts of a company:Alguien ha estado falsificando los libros.

2 To do what one has promised to do:He said he would let us know it therewere any new developments and he

that's exactly what he did.

3 To have the courage to do what onebelieves to be right: No es consecuentecon sus principios.

4 To deceive someone: Es inutil queintentes darle gato por liebre.

5 (a mistake, a misdeed, etc.) To return,after a long time, as an unpleasant ef-fect on the person who initially madethe mistake: Ahora su politica producesu fruto amargo.

6 To conceal something shameful or un-pleasant: Intentaron correr un velosobre el asunto.

7 To accept what someone says as true,without checking the facts: Tendras quecreerme.

8 To make sure of one's own financialcomfort, especially in a dishonest wayand at someone else's expense: Se hapuesto las botas a costa delcontribuyente.

9 There is no doubt at all about it: Notiene vuelta de hoja.

0O (saying) Being honest is ultimately moreprofitable: Lo mejor es ser franco.

11 To be concerned only with making aprofit or gaining a personal advantage:The trouble with having salesmen forfriends is that you never know whenthey're being sincere and when they'resimply .

12 (payments) Secretly and usually ille-gally: Le pagaron 25.000 d6lares bajocuerda.

13 To bribe someone: You can inmore ways than one — it doesn't nec-essarily have to be with money.

14 To stop doing something or withdrawfrom something because one becomesafraid of the consequences: He hadprepared a list of grievances which heintended to read at the monthly meet-ing, but at the last moment heand said nothing.

15 (used when the resulting situation is un-satisfactory) With sincere or honest inten-tions: When we engaged Mr Hill as aconsultant, we did so , with noknowledge of the fact that he was al-ready employed by our main competitor.

16 To discover somebody doing somethingforbidden or illegal: Lo pille con lasmanos en la masa.

17A person who keeps his promises: Esun hombre de palabra.

18 To have the necessary courage to dosomething: Tuvo las agallas de decirseloa la cara.

19 (a business, a deal, etc.) To be entirelylegal and proper, (person) to be honest:Todas las operaciones fueron legales.

20 To be honest and correct, honestly:Ganaron en buena ley.

21 To be easily bribed: Esta dispuesto adejarse sobornar.

22 To be in opposition to one's principles,to a natural tendency, etc: Apoyarlosva en contra de mis principios.

23 That's something completely different:Eso es harina de otro costal.

24 Because of a fixed moral rule: No lohace por cuestibn de principios.

25 To be honest and trustworthy, to betelling the truth: No te preocupes, Sames honrado.

132 Stan ley

34. Psychology 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

what makes sb tickTo find out how something works you need totake it apart. That is a strong tradition in bothpsychology and self-help. Why do we behaveas we do? What makes us tick?

show what one is made ofIt's true that he's young and that he doesn'thave much experience, but he's been askingfor a chance to show what he's made ofand I think we should give him one.

be able to think on one's feetIn this job, people are constantly coming toyou with problems, questions, bad news andcomplaints. It's a steady flow, so you have tobe able to stay calm and to think on yourfeet.

be a bag of nervesIt was the first time he had given a presenta-tion to such a large audience and an hour be-fore it started he was a bag of nerves, pac-ing up and down the room, chain-smokingand biting his nails.

have a screw loose

When he first suggested we could sell moreperfume by raising the price, I thought hemust have a screw loose. But it turned outhe was right: normal logic doesn't apply toluxury goods.

read sb like a bookPoor George! He thinks he's so clever with allhis plotting and scheming, but I can readhim like a book. I know exactly what he'sup to.

have a chip on one's shoulderI found out that if you have a chip onyour shoulder when you go into a meetingwith the tax inspectors, it'll cost you money.You gain nothing by being defiant and con-frontational.

be on cloud nineWhen they invited him to become a partner inthe firm, he was on cloud nine for a week.It was the reward for a decade of grindinghard work, and an honour no one had everrefused.

lo que mueve a alguienPara saber como funcionan las cosas es nece-sario desmontarlas. Esa es una fuerte tradi-cion, tanto en psicologia como enauto-ayuda. ^Por que nos comportamos comolo hacemos? ^Que es lo que nos mueve?

demostrarlas cualidades que tiene unoEs verdad que es joven y que no tiene muchaexperiencia, pero ha estado pidiendo la opor-tunidad de demostrar las cualidades que tieney creo que deberiamos darsela.

ser capaz de pensar con rapidez

En este trabajo, la gente te viene constante-mente con problemas, preguntas, malas noti-cias y quejas. Es un flujo continue, asi quetienes que poder mantenerte tranquilo y sercapaz de pensar con rapidez.

ser un manojo de nerviosEra la primera vez que hacia una presentacionante un publico tan numeroso y una hora an-tes de que empezara, estaba hecho un mano-jo de nervios, caminando en circulos,fumando sin parar y comiendose las unas.

tener flojos los tornillos

Cuando al principle sugirio que podriamosvender mas perfumes subiendo el precio, pen-se que debia de tener flojos los tornillos. Peroresulto que tenia razbn: la logica normal no seaplica a la mercancia de lujo.

leer el pensamiento de alguienjPobre George! Se cree muy listo con todossus complots y tramas, pero le puedo leer elpensamiento. Se exactamente lo que esta pla-neando.

ser un / estar resentidoHe averiguado que si estas resentido cuandoest^s en una reunion con inspectores de ha-cienda, te costara dinero. No ganaras nadacon ser desafiante y buscar bronca.

estar en el septimo cieloCuando le invitaron a ser socio de la empresa,estuvo en el septimo cielo durante una sema-na. Fue la recompensa por una decada de tra-bajo durisimo y un honor que nadie habiarechazado nunca.

Stanley 133

Psychology 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

to show one's true colours

He seemed liberal enough until they madehim manager. Then, showing his true col-ours, he imposed a strict white-shirt-and-tiedress code on all male employees. And thatwas only the beginning.

deep downOutwardly, I've always been rather conventionaland traditional: Brooks Brothers clothes, know-ing all the "right people,' etc. But deep down Iknow I'm a contrarian who likes to challengethe orthodox way of looking at things.

be fed up with sthMy last place of employment was so horriblethat everyone except the boss dreaded com-ing to work each day. I finally got fed upand quit.

have both feet on the groundHe's not one of these modern visionary lead-ers. He believes that management is a practi-cal business, requiring you to have bothfeet firmly on the ground at all times.

be nobody's foolTheir chief negotiator is a smooth operatorwith a reputation for getting what he wants.But Michael is nobody's fool and I haveevery confidence that he'll defend our inter-ests and get the best possible deal.

blow hot and cold

Because Wall Street blows hot and coldon biotech stocks, many biotech firms lookto the $110 billion pharmaceutical industryfor help.

go all to piecesIt's terribly sad about Mathers. After his wife'sdeath, he just went all to pieces. Now hetakes weeks to complete tasks he used to doin days.

be on pins and needlesThat lawsuit really scared us. If we had lost,we would have been bankrupt. We were onpins and needles the whole time.

keep sb on tenterhooksGeneral Electric Company has been keepingBritish Aerospace and Thomson-CSF of France

mostrarse unocomo es en realidad

Parecia bastante liberal hasta que le hicierongerente. Entonces, mostrandose como era enrealidad, impuso una norma estricta de ves-tuario, camisa blanca y corbata para todoslos empleados masculinos. Y eso fue tan s6loel comienzo.

en el fondo (de su corazon)

Por fuera, siempre he sido bastante clasico ytradicional: ropa de Brooks Brothers, trato conla gente "bien", etc. Pero, en el fondo, se quesoy una persona que Neva la contraria, aquien le gusta desafiar al orden establecido.

estar harto de algoMi ultimo puesto de trabajo era tan horribleque todos salvo el jefe temian ir al trabajocada dia. Al final me harte y dimiti.

ser realista, ser practice,tener los pies en el sueloNo es uno de esos lideres modernos y visiona-ries. Cree que la gerencia es un negocio prac-tice, que exige tener siempre los pies en elsuelo.

no dejarse enganar por nadieSu principal negociador es un tipo habil confama de conseguir lo que quiere. Pero Michaelno se deja enganar por nadie y tengo plenaconfianza en que defender^ nuestros interesesy conseguir^ el mejor trato posible.

vacilar, no saber que hacerComo Wall Street no se siente segura en cuan-to a las acciones de las empresas de biotecno-logia, muchas empresas de este sector miranhacia la industria farmaceutica de 1 10 mil mi-llones de dolares en busca de ayuda.

perder el control,quedarse deshechoLo de Mathers es muy triste. Tras la muerte desu esposa, se quedo deshecho. Ahora tardasemanas en hacer lo que antes hacia en dias.

estar sobre ascuasEse pleito realmente nos asusto. Si hubiesemosperdido, nos habriamos declarado en quiebra.Estuvimos todo el tiempo sobre ascuas.

tener a uno sobre ascuasLa General Electric Company ha mantenidosobre ascuas a British Aerospace y a

134 Stan ley

Psychology 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

on tenterhooks. However, GEC is expectedto decide within the next few days whether tosell its Marconi defence division to BAe ormerge it with Thomson.

be quick on the uptakeYour new assistant seems very quick on theuptake. She's only been here two weeks andalready she understands all the intricacies ofour office politics.

his bark is worse than his biteDon't let yourself be intimidated by oldOgden, his bark's worse than his bite.When you know him a bit better, you'll seehe's not a bad sort to work for.

be set in one's waysThe problem facing Fisher is how to trans-form a work force that is complacent, setin its ways, and slow to change into onethat's able to cope in today's highly com-petitive market.

be out of one's mindHow would their wives react if these nor-mally level-headed businessmen announcedthey were having a midlife crisis? Every re-action imaginable was predicted. The mostcommon was: "Are you out of yourmind? Get back to work."

slip one's mindThe last time I saw him, he said he would sendme his new e-mail address, but that was twoweeks ago and I haven't heard from him yet. Isuppose it must have slipped his mind.

take it out on sbAt bottom, he's a bully. If he's under pressureor things aren't going right, he takes it outon his subordinates.

fly off the handleEver have a client fly off the handle at youfor something that wasn't your fault? Rulenumber one: don't take it personally. Most dif-ficult behaviour is a response to stress or somekind of perceived threat.

what's eating you?Bill's in a foul temper this morning, snappingat everyone. I wonder what's eating him?

Thomson-CSF de Francia. Sin embargo, se es-pera que GEC se decida en los pr6ximos diassi vende su divisi6n de defensa Marconi a BAeo se fusiona con Thomson.

pillarlas al vueloTu nueva ayudante parece pillarlas al vuelo.S6lo lleva aqui dos semanas y ya entiende to-das las complejidades de nuestra politica ad-ministrativa.

perro ladrador poco mordedorNo te dejes intimidar por el viejo Ogden, yaque perro ladrador es poco mordedor. Cuan-do le conozcas un poco mejor, veras que noes un mal tipo para trabajar con el.

tener costumbresprofundamente arraigadasEl problema al que se enfrenta ahora Fisher esc6mo transformar un equipo de trabajadoresautocomplacientes, de pinon fijo y de reaccio-nes tardias, en uno que sea capaz de hacerfrente al mercado altamente competitivo dehoy en dia.

estar locoiComo reaccionarian sus esposas si estos em-presarios normalmente sensatos anunciaranque sufren la crisis de los 45 arios? Se pronos-ticaron toda clase de reacciones. La mas co-mun fue: "^Estas loco? Vuelve a trabajar."

irsele de la memoria,pasarsele algo a alguienLa ultima vez que le vi, dijo que me enviariasu nueva direcci6n de correo electronico, peroeso fue hace dos semanas. Supongo que se laha pasado.

desquitarse con unoEn el fondo, es un bruto. Si esta bajo presiono las cosas no van bien, se desquita con sussubordinados.

salirse de sus casillas,perder los estribosiAIguna vez has tenido un cliente que ha per-dido los estribos por algo que no era culpatuya? Regla numero uno: no te lo tomes a pe-cho. La mayoria de los comportamientos difici-les son una respuesta al estres o a algun tipode amenaza imaginaria.

£que mosca te ha picado?Bill esta de muy mal humor esta manana.iMe pregunto que mosca le ha picado?

Stanley 135



1 To reveal one's true and usually badcharacter: Se mostrb tal cual era enrealidad.

2 To be in a state of excitement and anxi-ety: They waiting for the results.

3 To keep somebody in a state of anxi-ety: Le encanta tener a la gente sobreascuas.

4 To be extremely happy: Ha estado enel septimo cielo desde que se enterb.

5 He is not as bad-tempered as he seemsto be: Perro ladrador poco mordedor.

6 To show one's real abilities or Worth:This is your chance to the man-agement .

7 To have fixed habits which are veryunlikely to change: He's a sixty-five yearold bachelor, so naturally he's .

8 Deep in ones conscience, feelings, etc:En el fondo lo senti'a.

9 To be mad: jDebes de estar loco!

10 What makes a person think and behaveas he does: Me gustarfa saber que eslo que lo mueve.

11 To become suddenly confused or dis-tressed: Quedb deshecho cuando seentero.

12 To be forgotten: Lo siento, se me olvid6por completo.

13 To understand someone completely, tonot be deceived by someone: A mi nome vengas con cuentos, que ya teconozco.

14 To treat somebody badly because ofone's own personal troubles: Se queestas molesto, pero no te desquitesconmigo.

15 To alternate between liking and dislik-ing something: Its infuriating to workfor someone like Adnan, he onevery possible subject.

16 To be very nervous or anxious: Era unmanojo de nervios antes de laentrevista.

17 What is worrying you, or making younervous, bad tempered, etc?: ^Quemosca te ha picado?

18To be realistic and practical: She ,so she won't be impressed by big prom-ises alone.

19 To be quick to understand or to learnnew things: Las pilla al vuelo.

20 To feel angry or bitter because one be-lieves others do not appreciate one'sreal worth, e.g. because of lack ofmoney or education: Esta muyacomplejado por su origen social.

21 To suddenly lose one's temper withsomeone: Cuando se lo dije, perdio losestribos.

22 To be able to react quickly to changingcircumstances: En este puesto hay queser capaz de pensar con rapidez.

23 To be a shrewd person, not easily de-ceived: Nadie le engana.

24 To be bored and dissatisfied with some-thing: Estoy harto de que me digan loque tengo que hacer.

25 To be slightly mad: Le falta un tornillo.

136 Stan ley

35. Colleagues 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

an Aunt Sally

Topliss wasn't quite as inefficient as everybodyclaims. Perhaps his colleagues simply neededan Aunt Sally to divert attention from theirown shortcomings.

a whizz kid

Young Hall has been our top salesman fouryears in a row. He's a real whizz kid. If hecontinues like this, he'll be running the com-pany by the time he's thirty.

a live wire

Acquiring charisma isn't easy, and a lot ofleaders shouldn't even bother. Who hasn'tcringed at the sight of an awkward managertrying to be a live wire?

a glutton for punishment

I don't understand why he goes to the officeat the weekend. Either he's trying to impresssomebody or he's a real glutton for pun-ishment.

a pain in the neck

Some people you meet in business are a painin the neck. Like the client who demandsthat his project be completed overnight, butlets your bill go unpaid for 90 days.

a fair-weather friend

There isn't anything easy about bankruptcy.But don't waste time crying over fair-weather friends. Instead, take strength fromthose who support you.

be part of the furnitureSam Mouldy has been down in the AccountsDepartment for so long, he's part of the fur-niture. I hear he's due to retire next year, butthen that's what I heard last year as well.

be down-to-earth

Bollenbach has another rare strength: a re-laxed, jovial personality. His ruddy face andblue eyes radiate down-to-earth charm.

be on the ball

There's always a certain anxiety in Singaporeand this is a galvanising force. It keeps peopleon the ball.

un bianco (de insultos, crfticas, etc.)Topliss no era tan inutil como se decia. Quizasus compafieros necesitaban un bianco paradesviar la atencion de sus propios fallos.

un lince, un prodigio

Eljoven Hall es desde hace cuatro anos nues-tro mejor comercial. Es un autentico prodigio.Si continua asi, estara al cargo de la empresacuando llegue a los 30.

un nervio, un torbellino

Tener carisma no es facil y muchos lideres nodeberian ni siquiera intentarlo. iQuien no hasentido verguenza ajena al ver a un gerentetorpe comportarse como un torbellino?

un masoquista

No entiendo por que se va a la oficina duran-te el fin de semana. O esta intentando impre-sionar a alguien o es un autenticomasoquista.

un pesado, un pelmazo

Algunas personas que conoce uno en el tra-bajo son unos autenticos pelmazos. Como elcliente que insiste en que su proyecto este ter-minado para el dia siguiente, pero deja quepasen 90 dias sin pagar la factura.

un amigo de conveniencia

No es nada facil declararse en quiebra. Perono pierdas el tiempo llorando por amigos deconveniencia. En su lugar, concentrate enaquellos que te apoyan.

formar parte del decorado

Sam Mouldy lleva tanto tiempo en el departa-mento de contabilidad que forma parte deldecorado. He oido que le toca jubilarse el anoque viene, pero eso es lo mismo que oi el anopasado.

ser practico,ser realista, bonachon

Bollenbach tiene otra rara habilidad: una perso-nalidad relajada y jovial. Su cara rubicunda ysus ojos azules irradian un encanto bonachon.

estar al caso, espabilar

Siempre hay una cierta ansiedad enSingapur,lo que constituye un gran incentive.Mantiene a la gente a tope.

Stan ley 137

Colleagues 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

be sb's right-hand man

Ballmer, who is Gates' right-hand man,concluded that India was potentially a hugeopportunity.

be a dead ringer for sb

Have you seen the boss's new PA? She's adead ringer for the young Sharon Stone.The only difference is she wears glasses.

give sb the sack

At Morgan Grenfell, 18 fund managers weregiven the sack in November and morale issaid to be low.

put sb out to pasture

"They didn't just put us out to pasture,they put a bullet through us," claimedMcManus, who has filed an age-discriminationlawsuit against the company.

pass the hat round

As you all know, Dick Walton will be gettingmarried next month. So, as is customary, we'llbe passing the hat round the departmentto get him a wedding present. All contribu-tions will be most welcome.

keep oneself to oneself

We don't really know what he's like. Hekeeps himself to himself — never comesto staff parties, or anything like that.

get on sb's nerves

Do you ever snap at a colleague or a cus-tomer who gets on your nerves? If so, it'sprobably evidence of stress.

be all mouth

You don't want to believe everything Conwaytells you. He's all mouth, forever braggingabout people he's never met and places he'snever been.

a skeleton staff

We're open 7 days a week throughout theyear. On weekends and holidays, of course,we operate with only a skeleton staff.

across the board

Mandini sought to placate employee worries,saying there would be no immediate salary re-ductions. Yet he also announced austeritymeasures across the board and hinted atpersonnel reductions.

ser el brazo derecho de alguien

Ballmer, la mano derecha de Gates, Ileg6 a laconclusion de que la India ofrecia inmensasoportunidades.

ser un doble a alguien

iHas visto la nueva relaciones publicas deljefe? Es la doble de Sharon Stone. La unica di-ferencia es que esta lleva gafas.

despedir a uno

En Morgan Grenfell, 18 gestores de fondosfueron despedidos en noviembre y se diceque la moral est£ baja.

jubilar a alguien

"No s6lo nos jubilaron, sino que nos pegaronun tiro," dijo McManis, que ha llevado a pleitoa la empresa por discriminacion de edad.

asar el platillo, pasar la gorra

Como todos sabeis, Dick Walton se va a casarel mes que viene. Asi que, como de costum-bre, pasaremos el platillo por el departamentopara comprarle un regalo de boda. Todas lascontribuciones seran bienvenidas.

ser discrete

Realmente no sabemos c6mo es. Se mantieneapartado, nunca acude a las fiestas de la ofici-na ni nada por el estilo.

crispar los nervios a alguien

has levantado nunca la voz a algun com-panero o cliente que te crispa los nervios? Sies asi, seguramente es una muestra de estres.

ser un fanfarron

No te creas todo lo que te diga Conway. Esun fanfarrbn, siempre alardeando de genteque nunca ha conocido y de lugares en losque nunca ha estado.

un personal minimo

Estamos abiertos 7 dias a la semana durantetodo el ano. Pero durante los fines de semanay las vacaciones, funcionamos solo con el per-sonal minimo.

general, global

Mandini quiso tranquilizar a los empleados,diciendo que no habria ninguna reducci6n in-mediata de salaries. Pero tambien anunciomedidas globales de austeridad e insinu6 quepodria haber ajustes de plantilla.

138 Stanley

Colleagues ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

give sb his due

Whether you like Murdoch or dislike him, andmost people working here can't stand him ei-ther as a person or as a manager, you stillhave to give him his due: he gets the jobdone on time and he gets it done well.

be like a fish out of water

I don't know why they put the new manage-ment trainee in the Data Processing Depart-ment, he doesn't know the first thing aboutcomputers. He must really feel like fish outof water.

a dark horse

No one expected him to be promoted to Divi-sion Head, but then he's always been a bit ofa dark horse. Clearly the management haveseen qualities in him that the rest of us wereunaware of.

new bloodEmployees who have been doing the samethings the same way for twenty years or soaren't going to change overnight. That's whywe need the kind of energy and ideas thatcome with regular infusions of new blood.

hate sb's guts

You can't possibly ask those two to share anoffice. Don't you know they hate each oth-er's guts?

have sth in store for sb

Immediately he took over the company, it wasobvious he had a number of major changesin store for us.

ser justo con alguien

Te guste Murdoch o no —y la mayoria de lagente no le puede aguantar ni como personani como gerente—, tienes que ser justo conel: consigue terminar el trabajo a tiempo y loconsigue hacer bien.

estar como pez fuera del agua

No se por que han puesto al joven en practi-cas de direccion en el departamento de proce-so de datos, no sabe ni lo mas basico sobreordenadores. Se tiene que sentir como un pezfuera del agua.

una enigma, un ganador sorpresa

Nadie esperaba que fuera ascendido a jefe dedepartamento, pero siempre ha sido un pocoenigma"tico. Esta claro que la direccion ha vis-to cualidades en el que el resto de nosotrosdesconocemos.

sangre nueva, savia nueva

Los empleados que han estado haciendo lomismo de la misma forma durante veinte anosno van a cambiar de la noche a la manana.Por eso necesitamos la energia y las ideas ge-neradas por la introduccion de savia nueva.

no poder ver a alguien

No se puede pedir que esos dos compartanla misma oficina. ^No sabes que no se pue-den ver?

tenerle algopreparado para alguien

En cuanto se hizo cargo de la empresa, eraevidente que tenia preparados para nosotrosunos cuantos cambios importantes.

Stan ley 139



1 To have something prepared or re-served for someone: iQue nos deparar^el destine?

2 To be boastful: You can't believe a frac-tion of what he tells you, he's .

3 The smallest number of employeesneeded to keep a service operating,e.g. during holidays: We'll be open forbusiness over Christmas and the NewYear, but with a , of course.

4 A person who invites, or seems to in-vite, treatment usually considered un-pleasant or painful: Eres masoquista,mira que ir a la oficina el fin de semana.

5 (wages, prices, etc.) Affecting everyoneor everything, without exception: Lossupermercados subiran los precios detodos sus productos.

6 To annoy someone: Ese ruido me crispalos nervios.

7 To collect gifts of money from people,e.g. in an office or company: Whensomeone leaves the department, weusually to buy them a little fare-well gift.

8 To admit something positive aboutsomeone: Para ser justo con el, tienesque reconocer que es muy eficiente.

9 To not mix or communicate much withother people: She tends to ,which explains why nobody reallyknows what kind of person she is.

0O Someone who is laughed at, blamed,insulted and despised: Every large of-fice has an some unfortunateperson at whom others can direct theirhostility.

11 To dislike someone intensely: No sepueden ver.

12 To look very much like another person:Es la viva imagen de su hermano.

13 To be a person no-one pays attentionto because he has worked somewherefor so long: Hace tanto tiempo quetrabaja en la oficina, que ya forma partedel decorado.

14 To be lively and alert, and usually highlycompetent: Parecla muy espabilada.

15 To dismiss somebody from his job: Losecharon a todos.

16An annoying person: Es un pesado.

17 To force someone to retire: I don't knowexactly how old he is, but I supposethey'll be soon.

18 To be practical and realistic, to haveboth feet on the ground: You'll like Billa lot, he's a very sensible, per-son, not at all interested in grand theo-ries of management.

19A new person or new people broughtinto an organization to stimulate activ-ity: Hace falta gente nueva en lacompania.

20A young person with modern ideasworking with energy and success: He'sa real , it usually takes fifteen ortwenty years to reach the position he'sreached in five.

21 A person who doesn't talk much abouthimself or who has greater abilities thanothers think: Es una caja de sorpresas.

22 To be someone's most trusted helper:Lleg6 a ser el brazo derecho del patr6n.

23 To feel uncomfortable in unfamiliarcompany or surroundings: Me sientocomo un pez fuera del agua.

24A person who is only friendly whilethings are going well for one: It's badenough to have major financial prob-lems, but what is particularly painful isto discover how many you had.

25 An extremely active, eager, lively per-son: Es una persona llena de vida.

140 Stanley

36. Politics ,000 everyday idioms in business

pull strings tocar teclas

My uncle knows people in high places. Hemay well be able to pull a few stringsfor us.

you scratch my backand I'll scratch yours

For some members of the International Olym-pic Committee a "mutual understanding" isthe equivalent of "you scratch my back andI might vote for your city".

every man for himself

They've announced their intention to reducethe workforce by 40% over the next threeyears, so, as regards keeping your job, it'severy man for himself.

stab sb in the back

The word "loyalty' isn't part of his vocabulary.However much you've done to help him,sooner or later he'll stab you in the back.It's his nature.

lick sb's boots

Auge worked his way up through the ranks,licking the boots of his supervisors allthe way. I never saw a man who could crawlto management the way he could.

have an axe to grind

"Fishbowl" is a management exercise whichbrings everybody with an axe to grind on agiven issue together in one room, with advo-cates of certain points of view in the centre ofthe "fishbowl" and executives responsible forthe decision on the outside.

behind sb's back

Every time I came into the office, they wouldsuddenly stop talking. That happened three orfour times, so I knew they were planningsomething behind my back.

take the credit for sth

Brown wrote an excellent analysis of the situa-tion but it was his boss who took all thecredit for it.

curry favour with sb

He's a talented golfer, so he curries favourwith his superiors by giving them tips on howto improve their game, or even by lettingthem beat him from time to time.

Mi tio conoce a gente en las altas esferas. Esmuy posible que pueda tocar unas cuantas te-clas para favorecernos.

hoy por ti y manana por mi

Para algunos miembros del Comite OlimpicoInternacional un "acuerdo mutuo" es el equi-valente de "haz algo por mi y puede que votepor tu ciudad".

salvese quien pueda

Han anunciado su intenci6n de reducir el per-sonal de un 40% durante los tres proximosanos, asi que en cuanto a mantener el puestode trabajo, salvese quien pueda.

dar a uno una punalada trapera

La palabra "lealtad" no forma parte de su vo-cabulario. Por mucho que hayas hecho paraayudarle, tarde o temprano te dara una puna-lada trapera. Es su forma de sen

hacer la pelota a alguien

Auge fue ascendiendo desde abajo, haciendoconstantemente la pelota a sus superiores. Ja-mas he visto un hombre capaz de arrastrarseante los directives como lo hace el.

tener intereses personates

La "Pecera" es un ejercicio de gestion que re-une en una habitaci6n a todos los que tienenun interes especial en un tema concrete, conlos defensores de ciertos puntos de vista en elcentre de la "pecera" y con los ejecutivos res-ponsables de la decision en el exterior.

a espaldas de alguien

Cada vez que entraba en la oficina, dejabande hablar. Eso ocurrio tres o cuatro veces, asique sabia que estaban planeando algo a misespaldas.

atribuirse el merito de algo

Brown escribio un excelente analisis acerca dela situacion pero fue su jefe quien se atribuyotodo el merito.

tratar decongraciarse con alguien

Es un golfista con talento, por eso trata decongraciarse con sus superiores d^ndoles con-sejos sobre c6mo mejorar su juego, o inclusodejando que le ganen de vez en cuando.

Stanley 141

Politics 1 ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

poke one's nose into sth

What did Parker want this time? He's alwayssnooping around our offices, poking hisnose into matters that don't concern him.

put sb's nose out of joint

Julia used to work in his department, so it'sbound to put his nose out of joint if she'spromoted over him.

If he's agreed to help you, it's because it's tohis advantage to help you, you can be sure ofthat. He believes in looking after numberone and only number one.

keep a low profile

Everybody makes mistakes. Just keep alow profile for the next few months andsoon this whole unfortunate business willbe forgotten.

a snake in the grass

Don't be deceived by all his talk of honesty andloyalty and so on, it's completely superficial. Be-lieve me, he's a real snake in the grass.

soft-soap sb

Often it's not the cleverest or most able peoplewho get promoted, but those who know besthow to soft-soap their superiors.

put a spoke in sb's wheel

Even if it's 20% up on last year, there's a goodchance the Training Plan will be approved atthe next board meeting. Unless, of course, theHead of Finance manages to put a spoke inour wheel first.

a storm in a teacup

How ridiculous to see grown men shouting ateach other like schoolboys! But don't let thissilly row worry you — it's only a storm in ateacup. Tomorrow they won't even rememberwhat they were shouting about.

make waves

Billionaire Ted Turner made waves in themid-1980s when he bought the rights toclassic black-and-white movies andcolorized them to make them more appeal-ing to young audiences.

meter las narices en algo

iQue es lo que Parker queria esta vez? Siem-pre esta fisgando en nuestras oficinas, metien-do las narices en donde no le llaman.

molestar a alguien,ofender a alguien

Antes Julia trabajaba en su departamento, asique se sentira sin duda dolido si a ella le as-cienden por encima de el.

pensar ante todoen el propio interes

Si esta de acuerdo en ayudarte, es porque seva a beneficiar en algo, puedes estar seguro.El piensa solamente en su propio interes ynada m^s.

intentar pasar desapercibido

Todo el mundo comete errores. Intenta pa-sar desapercibido durante los proximos me-ses y pronto este desgraciado asunto sehabra olvidado.

un traidor, un Judas

No te dejes enganar por su palabreria sobre lahonradez, la lealtad, etc. Es muy superficial.Creeme, es un verdadero Judas.

dar coba a alguien

Muchas veces el que asciende no es ni el maslisto ni el mas capacitado, sino el que mejorsabe dar coba a sus superiores.

poner trabas a alguien

Incluso si sube un 20% en relacion con el afioanterior, hay una buena posibilidad de que seapruebe el Plan de Formacion en la proximareuni6n del consejo. A no ser, claro esta, queel jefe de finanzas consiga ponernos trabas.

una tempestad en un vaso de agua

jQue ridiculo es ver a hombres adultos gritan-do como ninos! Pero no dejes que te preocu-pe esta discusion tonta, es tan s6lo unatempestad en un vaso de agua. Mariana ni si-quiera se acordaran por que gritaban.

hacer olas, causar problemas

El multimillonario Ted Turner hizo olas a me-diados de los anos 80 cuando comprd los de-rechos de peliculas clasicas en bianco y negroy las coloreo para hacerlas mas atractivas alpublico joven.

142 Stan ley

look after number one

Politics ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

put in a good word for sb

I'd like to work in our Paris branch and I knowthe manager there is a personal friend ofyours. I was wondering if you could put in agood word for me if any vacancies come up.

get even with sb

Kicked out of the family business, Richardsdidn't get mad. He decided to get even in-stead. In such cases, founding your own suc-cessful company is the best revenge.

bury the hatchetThe trend among retailers and oil companiesis to bury the hatchet and try to maximisetheir returns by going into partnership. Thus,Elf, BP and Esso have joined forces with theSomerfield, Safeway and Tesco retail chains re-spectively.

a hatchet man

Introducing the Time and Efficiency specialistto his employees, the GM insisted that he wasinterested only in improving procedures andthat no one need fear for his job. The special-ist was in no sense a hatchet man.

a vested interest

Our employees have options on nearly 2 mil-lion shares of company stock. Sharing thewealth creates a vested interest for every-one to succeed.

give sb enoughrope to hang himself

Perhaps the best way to deal with any primadonnas working for you is to give themenough rope to hang themselves. Thenthey can either learn from their mistakes ormove out of the company.

on the sly

interceder por alguien

Me gustaria trabajar en nuestra sucursal deParis y como ya se que el gerente de alii esamigo personal tuyo, me preguntaba si po-drias interceder por mi si se produce algunavacante.

desquitarse con alguien

Cuando le echaron de la empresa familiar,Richards no se enfado, pero decidio desquitar-se. En tales casos, la mejor venganza es creartu propia empresa y tener exito.

enterrar el hacha de guerra

La tendencia entre los minoristas y las empre-sas del petrdleo es la de enterrar el hacha deguerra e intentar conseguir el maximo benefi-cio asociandose. Asi, Elf, BP y Esso han auna-do fuerzas con las cadenas de minoristasSomerfield Safeway y Tesco respectivamente.

una persona contratadapara "cortar cabezas"

Al presentarles al especialista en Tiempo y Efi-cacia, el director general insistio en que solole interesaba mejorar los procedimientos yque nadie tenia que temer por su trabajo. Elespecialista no era de ninguna manera unapersona contratada para "cortar cabezas".

un interes adquirido

Nuestros empleados tienen opciones sobrecasi 2 millones de acciones de la empresa. Elhecho de compartir la riqueza genera un inte-res adquirido para que todos tengan exito.

dar completa libertad a alguiencon la esperanza de que vaya aenredarse

It seems that certain employees have been us-ing the firm's Internet connection to playgames on the sly.

Quiza la unica forma de tratar con cualquiertibur6n que trabaje para ti es darle cuerdapara que se ahorque a si mismo. De estemodo o aprende de sus errores o se marchade la empresa.

a escondidas, a hurtadillas

Parece ser que ciertos empleados han estadoutilizando la conexion de la empresa conInternet para jugar a hurtadillas.

Stan ley 143

36 Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness


1 To take care of oneself exclusively or tolook for one's own advantage: Solopiensa en sf mismo.

2 To deliberately behave in a way thatdoes not attract attention: Trato depasar desapercibida.

3 To betray someone: Esto fue unapunalada trapera para el director deexportaciones.

4 A deceitful or treacherous person: Nosdelato algun judas.

5 To flatter someone in order to gainsomething: Susan le dio coba y logroque accediera.

6 To cause someone to be offended be-cause he no longer receives as muchattention as in the past: We succeededwhere Fredricks failed, and of coursethat .

7 To give someone a lot of freedom todo something his own way in order tosee him fail or to make him look fool-ish: Dejale actuar y el se condenara asi mismo.

8 To behave obsequiously to someone inpower: It makes me sick to see the wayhe the boss's and evensicker to see that it works.

9 A personal interest: Tienen un interespersonal en promocionar estosproductos.

10 To accept praise for something, espe-cially something done by someone else:Su jefe se atribuyo el merito de haberescrito el informe.

11 To speak well of someone in order torecommend or defend him: Prometi6hablarle bien de mi al director.

12A person hired to reduce staff or costsin a company: I'm a professional ,so I don't expect to be popular.

13 If you help me with something, I'llhelp you in return: Hoy por ti ymanana por mi.

14To use personal influence to obtainsomething: Toc6 muchas teclas paraconseguir ese trabajo.

15 Secretly in order to deceive: Se haestado viendo con ella a escondidas.

16 Without someone's knowledge or ap-proval: Tramaban algo a mis espaldas.

17 To disturb a comfortable situation bycausing trouble: In the present eco-nomic climate, this isn't the moment to

18 To agree to be friends again after aquarrel: Por fin han decidido hacer laspaces.

19To have a person interest in something:No estoy motivado por interesespersonales en este asunto.

20 To get one's revenge on someone: Yame las pagara algun dia.

21 An argument about something trivial:Su pelea no es mas que una tormentaen un vaso de agua.

22 To ingratiate oneself with one's superi-ors: He knows the boss's son collectsstamps, so he always brings back somefrom his trips abroad. Of course, he'ssimply .

23 A situation of extreme danger in whicheverybody must take care of himself:Salvese quien pueda.

24 To prevent or hinder someone fromreaching their objective: Don't tellMorton what you're doing, because ifhe can, he'll try to .

25 To concern oneself with someone else'saffairs: Siempre esta metiendo lasnarices en nuestros asuntos.

144 Stanley

37. Careers 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

set one's sights on sthRoot set his sights on being a nationalsports broadcaster — and got rejected byhundreds of TV stations. But he persevereduntil FNN, a cable network, offered him a jobas its weekend sports anchor.

be cut out for sthHe's not really the adventurous sort. I don'tknow whether he's cut out for the expa-triate life.

have the makings of sth

I realised at once that these six individualscould work together as a cohesive unit andthat we had the makings of a winningteam.

follow in sb's footsteps

He hoped that one day his son would followin his footsteps and run the family busi-ness, but his son had other plans.

fly highIt is less emotionally demanding to firehigh-fliers than less gifted employees be-cause high-fliers can always go and flyhigh somewhere else. But for most people,there is nowhere to go.

go farHe is an ambitious and talented young man. Iam sure he will go far in his chosen field.

pull oneself upby one's bootstraps

Pulling yourself up by the bootstraps,you learn things that can't be taught in busi-ness school. So your chances of survival aremuch better than those of some guy who'shad it all handed to him on a plate.

come up through the ranksGalvin came up through the ranks. He be-gan by selling two-way radio systems in 1973,and by 1 984 was head of the U.S. operationsof legal.

make a name for oneself

Since it was founded in 1971, KryptoniteCorp. has made quite a name for itself,selling more than one million locks and enjoy-ing healthy success.

tener la mira puesta en algoRoot tenia su mira puesta en ser presentadornacional de deportes y fue rechazado porcientos de cadenas de television. Pero perse-vere hasta que la FNN, una cadena de televi-sion por cable, le ofrecio un puesto comopresentador de deportes de fin de semana.

estar hecho para algo

No es realmente un tipo aventurero. No se siesta hecho para vivir expatriado.

tener todo lo necesariopara ser algo

Me di cuenta enseguida de que estos seis in-dividuos podrian trabajar juntos como un solohombre y que teniamos todo lo necesariopara convertirnos en el equipo ganador.

seguir los pasos a alguien

Esperaba que su hijo siguiera algun dia suspasos y llevara la empresa familiar, pero suhijo tenia otros planes.

picar alto

Es menos estresante a nivel emocional el des-pedir a los que pican alto que a los emplea-dos con menos talento porque los que picanalto siempre pueden ir a picar a otro lugar.Pero la mayoria de la gente no tiene donde ir.

llegar lejos

Es un joven ambicioso y con talento. Estoyseguro de que llegara lejos en el campoque elija.

salir adelante sin ayuda de nadie

Al salir adelante sin ayuda de nadie, aprendescosas que no se pueden ensenar en una es-cuela empresarial. Asi, las posibilidades quetienes de sobrevivir son mucho mayores quelas del tipo a quien se lo han dado todo enbandeja.

empezar de cero

Galvin empezo de cero. Comenzo en 1973vendiendo sistemas de radio bi-direccionales ypara 1984 era ya director de operaciones delegal en EE UU.

hacerse un nombre

Desde su fundacion en 1971, KryptoniteCorp. se ha hecho un nombre, vendiendomas de un millon de candados y consiguien-do un gran exito.

Stan ley 145

Careers 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

be a feather in one's cap

He was just a junior executive like many oth-ers until he clinched the deal with Newton.That was a real feather in his cap. Thetop men in the company knew who he wasafter that.

give sb a pat on the back

Anybody coming from a corporate environ-ment is used to having a shoulder to cry onon a bad day or getting a pat on the backon a good day. You lose that when you gointo business on your own. The isolation be-comes your worst enemy.

pull one's socks upThis is the third time this week you've beenlate. If you want to continue working here, Iseriously advise you to pull your socks up.

out of sight, out of mind

The problem with accepting an expatriatepost in K.L is that one is a very long wayfrom the main office in London. Out ofsight, out of mind, you know.

get into one's stride

It's unfair to criticise someone who has onlyjust joined the company. Let's give him a cou-ple of weeks to get into his stride, thenI'm sure his performance will improve.

a rolling stone gathers no moss

Changing one's job frequently used to befrowned upon ("a rolling stone gathers nomoss", etc.); now no-one can expect tospend one's whole working life in the same or-ganisation.

mark time

You can mark time until some of the oldermen retire or leave the company, but there'sabsolutely no guarantee that you'll gain pro-motion this way.

sb's track recordSuharto's decision to resign in 1998, after 32years in power, was greeted with little enthu-siasm in financial markets. That was mainlybecause of the dubious track record of hissuccessor, BJ. Habibie.

ser un triunfo para alguien

S6lo era un ejecutivo del monton como tantosotros hasta que consigui6 el contrato conNewton. Eso fue un triunfo para el. Los altoscargos de la empresa sabian quien era des-pues de eso.

felicitar a alguien

Cualquiera que venga del ambiente de unagran empresa esta acostumbrado a tener unhombro en el que llorar cuando tiene un diamalo, o ser felicitado cuando el dia es bueno.Eso desaparece cuando uno pone en marchasu propio negocio. El aislamiento se convierteen su peor enemigo.

hacer un esfuerzo, esforzarse

Esta es la tercera vez esta semana que has lle-gado tarde. Si quieres seguir trabajando aqui,sugiero que hagas un esfuerzo.

ojos que no ven,corazon que no siente

El problema de aceptar un puesto en el ex-tranjero es que se esta muy lejos de la oficinacentral de Londres. Ya ves, ojos que no ven,corazon que no siente.

coger el ritmo

No es justo criticar a alguien que acaba de in-corporarse a la empresa. Demosle un par desemanas para que coja el ritmo, estoy segurode que su rendimiento mejorara.

piedra movedizanunca moho la cobija

Antes se miraba con desprecio el cambiar confrecuencia de trabajo ("piedra movediza nun-ca moho la cobija", etc.); ahora nadie puedeesperar que uno se pase toda su vida laboralen la misma organizacion.

hacer tiempo

Puedes hacer tiempo hasta que algunos delos empleados mas mayores se jubilen o dejenla empresa, pero no hay ninguna garantia deque consigas un ascenso de esa manera.

el historial de alguien

La decisi6n de Suharto de dimitir en 1 998,tras 32 anos en el poder, fue recibida conpoco entusiasmo en los mercados financieros,debido principalmente al dudoso historial desu sucesor, B.J. Habibie.

146 Stan ley

Careers 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

up-and-coming que promete mucho

You don't learn leadership in books, you learnit through experience. Here we believe in di-versity of experience, so we move up-and-coming managers from division to divisionand from job to job.

fall by the wayside

Some people get rich through multilevel mar-keting, but the overwhelming majority fall bythe wayside — and that's no accident. It'show the system works.

come up in the worldSlater has certainly come up in the worldsince the last time I saw him. He was only anaccountant then, now he's running the Fi-nance Department.

step into sb's shoes

Have you groomed a successor? If you wereto be promoted, is there someone who couldstep into your shoes right away?

blot one's copybook

Harris seemed to be destined for great thingsuntil he blotted his copybook by gettingdrunk at the office party and insulting the GMin front of everyone.

be in line for sth

Women are successful in high tech companiesbecause there isn't a man with 20 years' expe-rience in line for the job ahead of them.Things change so fast in high-tech businessesthat new opportunities open faster there thanin older kinds of work.

a stepping stone

If the company pays for educational coursesfor employees, these are tax-free to the em-ployee as long as they relate to his current po-sition. But if the course is a stepping stoneto another job, it's taxable.

rest on one's laurels

Probably the reason the technology businessis such fun is that no company is allowed torest on its laurels. The moment you be-come complacent, the competition sprintsahead.

No se aprende a ser lider en los libros, sinocon la experiencia. Aqui creemos en una ex-periencia diversificada, por eso trasladamos alos directives que prometen mucho de divi-sion en division y de trabajo en trabajo.

quedarse en el camino

Algunas personas se enriquecen a traves delmarketing de multiples niveles, pero la inmen-sa mayoria se quedan en el camino, y eso noes ningun accidente. Es asi como funciona elsistema.

prosperar

Desde luego. Slater ha prosperado desde laultima vez que le vi. Entonces era s6lo uncontable. Y ahora lleva el departamento de fi-nanzas.

pasar a ocuparel puesto de alguien

iHas preparado a tu sucesor? Si te fueran aascender, <Lhay alguna forma de que alguienpudiese ocupar tu puesto de inmediato?

manchar su reputacion

Harris parecia estar destinado a grandes cosashasta que manch6 su reputacion emborra-chandose en un fiesta de la oficina e insulto aldirector general delante de todos.

estar a punto de recibir algo

Las mujeres tienen exito en empresas de altatecnologia porque no hay ningun hombre con20 anos de experiencia delante de ellas parael puesto. Las cosas cambian tan rapido en losnegocios de la alta tecnologia que las nuevasoportunidades se presentan mas rapidamenteque en otra clase de trabajos.

un trampolin, un escalon

Si la empresa paga a sus empleados el costede los cursos de formacion, estos estan libresde impuestos para el empleado siempre quetengan relacion con su puesto actual. Pero siel curso es un trampolin para otro puesto, hayque pagar impuestos.

dormirse en los laureles

Posiblemente la razon por la cual el negociode la tecnologia es tan divertido es porque nose permite que ninguna empresa se duermaen los laureles. En el momento que te relajas,la competencia se te adelanta.

S tan ley 147



1 To become famous: Se dio a conocercomo disenador industria

2 (saying) Someone who is not seen issoon forgotten: Ojos que no ven,corazon que no siente.

3 To become successful through one'sown efforts, without help from othersand in spite of disadvantages: Your fa-ther had nothing when he started, noteven a good education, but he workedhard and , so he deserves all thesuccess he's had.

4 To become accustomed to an activityso that one starts doing it well: Estabaempezando a habituarme cuando medespidieron.

5 An achievement of which one can beproud: Es un triunfo para el.

6 (saying) A person who frequentlychanges his job will not becomewealthy or successful: Piedra movedizanunca moho la cobija.

7 To reach a high position in an organi-sation, especially in the military, afterstarting in a low position: Starting in1985 as a maintenance technician, he

and was appointed Head ofTraining in 1 998.

8 To remain in one's present position un-til conditions permit further progress:He wasn't happy in that job, he wasreally just until something bettercame along.

9 To do what another person, especiallya relative, has already done: Queriaseguir los pasos de su padre.

10 The list of a person's or organisation'ssuccesses: Esta compania tiene unexcelente historial comercial.

11 To aim at having or doing something:Tenia la mira puesta en convertirse enabogado.

12 To obtain a high position at work: Estavolando alto.

13 To make a serious effort to improve thequality of one's work: Ya va siendo horade que ponga un poco de emperio.

14 To be satisfied with successes alreadyachieved and not attempt to go further:Se nan dormido en los laureles.

15A position on the way to somethingbetter: Es un peldano en el camino delexito.

16 To have suitable abilities for a particu-lar job or activity: No estoy hecho paralos negocios.

17 To have the necessary abilities to be-come something: Tiene madera dejefede personal.

18To be due to receive something, e.g. apromotion: Pronto le subira el sueldo.

19 Likely to be successful, rising quickly (inan organisation, etc.): Don't you knowhim? He's one of our young ex-ecutives.

20To spoil one's record: Fue una manchaen su historial.

21 To praise someone for something hehas done: Se merece que la feliciten.

22 To take over someone else's job, respon-sibilities, etc: It's not easy to of aman like Christopher, so all I can say isthat I'll try my best.

23 To be successful in one's work: Condedicacion llegaras lejos.

24 To improve one's rank, socially or pro-fessionally: Han prosperado mucho.

25 To become discouraged and abandonthe struggle to succeed: Abandonarona medio camino.

148 Stanley

38. Contacts ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

it takes all sorts(to make a world)

Martin actually prefers travelling in economyto travelling in first class, because he doesn'tlike being near the front of the plane. Ah well,I suppose it takes all sorts.

be on good terms with sb

It's never easy to get that kind of contract —unless, of course, you happen to be ongood terms with someone important in theMinistry of Defence.

be on firstname terms with sb

There are hundreds of salesmen working here,and I'm on firstname terms with each andevery one of them.

get in touch with sb

The secret of the mail order business is to of-fer a product people really want — and thenlearn how to get in touch with the peoplewho want it.

keep in touch with sbFinding new customers costs money. On theother hand, keeping in touch with yoursatisfied customers and making them devoteescosts you relatively little.

the old pals act

He didn't pay much attention to me until some-one mentioned that I was Head of Purchasing.Then he turned on the old pals act.

have sb in the palm of one's hand

With our new presentation software, you'llhave the audience in the palm of yourhand every time.

know sb to see

Jim Burton? Well, we both attend the sametrade fairs, so I know him to see. But we'venever been formally introduced or anythinglike that.

none other than ...You'll never guess who came over and satdown at our table. None other than theVice President in person!.

de todo hay en la vina del Senor

En realidad, Martin prefiere viajar en clase tu-rista que en primera clase, ya que no le gustaestar en la parte delantera del avion. En fin,de todo hay en la vina del Senor.

estar en buenasrelaciones con alguien

Nunca es facil conseguir ese tipo de contrato,a no ser, claro esta, que de la casualidad deque estas en buenas relaciones con alguiendel Ministerio de Defensa.

tutear a uno

Hay cientos de comerciales trabajando aqui yyo me tuteo con todos ellos.

ponerse en contacto con alguien

El secreto del negocio de las ventas por correoes ofrecer un producto que la gente quiera real-mente y entonces aprender como ponerse encontacto con la gente que lo quiere.

mantenerseen contacto con alguien

Encontrar nuevos clientes cuesta dinero. Porotra parte, mantenerte en contacto con losclientes mas satisfechos y conseguir que tesean fieles te cuesta relativamente poco.

amigos de toda la vida

No me hizo mucho caso hasta que alguienmenciono que era el director de compras. En-tonces hizo la pantomima como si fueramosamigos de toda la vida.

tener a alguienen la palma de la mano

Con nuestra nueva presentacion de software,tendras al publico en la palma de la mano.

conocer a alguien de vista

<i.Jim Burton? Pues los dos visitamos las mis-mas ferias, asi que le conozco de vista. Peronunca nos han presentado formalmente ninada por el estilo.

nadie mas que ...

Nunca adivinaras quien vino a sentarse anuestra mesa. jNi mas ni menos que el vicepresidente en persona!.

Stan ley 149

Contacts 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

be the salt of the earth

Why do truck drivers enjoy widespread publicsupport, even in the middle of a strike? Partlybecause they're the salt of the earth andpartly because everyone knows their workingconditions are dreadful.

it's a small world

People in the oil industry are constantlybumping into each other, at intervals ofmaybe 10 or 20 years, in the most unlikelyplaces. It's a small world for everybody, butparticularly small in the oil industry.

talk of the devil !

You'll be working on this project with JimmyHargreaves and Sid Connors. Well, talk ofthe devil, here's Jimmy coming now.

have a foot in both camps

France is a net contributor to the Europeanbudget, although its farmers are still massivenet recipients. That is why France has tradi-tionally been such a successful negotiator: ithas a foot in both camps.

get on like a house on fire

At first they didn't like each other much, prob-ably because their styles were so different. Butnow Lucy sees how much her skills comple-ment Harry's, and vice versa, and they geton like a house on fire.

be in the knowBarcelona and Dublin were successful confer-ence venues for a while but conference or-ganisers in the know are currently lookingat central Europe, and at Prague in particular.

give sb a leg up

Bill Braden and I had been friends for years,so when his son joined the company, I natu-rally took an interest in him. He was a tal-ented lad and I was able to give him theleg up he needed.

sb's opposite numberA meeting is rumoured to have taken placebefore Christmas between Sir Graham Hearne,the chairman of Enterprise, and RudolphAgnew, his opposite number at Lasmo.

ser la sal de la tierra

iPor que los transportistas tienen el apoyo delpublico incluso en medio de una huelga? Enparte porque son la sal de la tierra y en parteporque todo el mundo sabe que sus condicio-nes laborales son lamentables.

el mundo es un panuelo

La gente de la industria petrolifera se sueleencontrar cada 10 o 20 anos en los lugaresmas insospechados. El mundo es un panuelopara todos, pero en particular en la industriapetrolifera.

; hablando del rey de Roma !

Trabajaras en este proyecto con JimmyHargreaves y Sid Connors. Mira, jhablando delrey de Roma!, por ahi viene Jimmy.

tener intereses en ambos lados

Francia .es una contribuidora neta al presu-puesto europeo, aunque sus granjeros sonaim receptores en gran parte. Por tal moti-vo, Francia ha sido tradicionalmente un ne-gociador con exito: tiene intereses enambos lados.

llevarse de maravilla

Al principio no se caian bien, probablementeporque sus estilos eran muy distintos. Peroahora Lucy ve como sus habilidades se com-plementan con las de Harry y al reves, y se lie-van de maravilla.

estar enterado

Barcelona y Dublin tuvieron exito durante al-gun tiempo como destines para conferenciaspero los organizadores de conferencias queestan al dia estan mirando ahora a EuropaCentral y a Praga en particular.

echarle un cable a alguien

Bill Braden y yo hemos sido amigos duranteanos, asi que cuando su hijo ingres6 en la em-presa, me interest por el. Era un chico con ta-lento y pude echarle el cable que necesitaba.

el homologo de alguien

Se rumorea que hubo una reuni6n antes deNavidad entre Sir Graham Hearne, el presiden-te de Enterprise, y Rudolph Agnew, su homo-logo en Lasmo.

150 Stan ley

Contacts ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

hear sth on the grapevine

Nothing's been announced officially, ofcourse, but I heard on the grapevine thatwe'll soon be getting a new CEO.

get wind of sth

We must do everything possible to ensure thatour competitors don't get wind of thisproject until it's too late for them to do any-thing about it.

drop names

One way of increasing your clientele is tocasually drop names of previous customers.The operative word-is "casually".

once in a blue moon

Carla and I work in the same company, it'strue, but so do two thousand other people.And we work in different departments, so Ionly see her once in a blue moon. Which iswhy I hardly know her.

put business sb's way

Alan worked for us for fifteen years beforeleaving to start his own company. We still seeeach other from time to time. And if I get thechance to put a little business his way,I'm only too glad to help out.

better the devil you know(than the devil you don't)

To everyone's surprise the General Managerwas not replaced. "I kept my job," he joked,"because the board prefers the devil itknows to the devil it doesn't. They'rescared somebody else might lose even moremoney than me."

not be sb's cup of teaCan you and your staff stay polite and freshwith each new customer? Can you establishgood relationships? If not, you should thinktwice before going into a service-oriented in-dustry. It may not be your cup of tea.

give sb the lowdown on sth

Why don't we have lunch sometime? You cangive me the lowdown on why Clive Mendelresigned so suddenly.

me lo ha dicho un pajarito

No se ha anunciado nada de forma oficial, na-turalmente, pero me ha dicho un pajarito quepronto tendremos nuevo presidente.

olerse algo

Tenemos que procurar que nuestros competi-dores no se huelan nada de este proyectohasta que sea demasiado tarde para que pue-dan hacer algo al respecto.

mencionar gente importantepara impresionar

Una forma de incrementar el numero de clien-tes es mencionando como quien no quiere lacosa, los nombres de antiguos clientes impor-tantes. La palabra clave es "como quien noquiere la cosa"

de ciento en viento,de Pascuas a Ramos

Carla y yo trabajamos en la misma empresa,es verdad, pero tambien lo hacen otras dosmil personas. Y trabajamos en distintos depar-tamentos, asi que solo la veo de ciento enviento. For eso casi ni la conozco.

conseguirle clientes a alguien

Alan trabajb para nosotros durante quinceanos antes de marcharse para crear su propiaempresa. Aun le vemos de vez en cuando. Y sitengo la oportunidad de conseguirle alguncliente, estoy encantado de hacerlo.

mas vale malo conocidoque bueno por conocer

Para sorpresa de todos, el director general nofue sustituido. "Mantuve mi puesto," bromeo,"porque la junta de consejeros piensa quemas vale malo conocido que bueno por cono-cer. Tienen miedo que otro pueda perder m3sdinero que yo".

no ser plato de su gusto

^Tu y tu equipo podeis manteneros correctosy amables con los nuevos clientes? ̂ Podeis es-tablecer buenas relaciones? Si no es asi,deberiais pensarlo dos veces antes de meterosen la industria de servicios. Puede que no seaun plato de vuestro gusto.

poner a alguien al tanto de algo

iPor que no comemos juntos algun dia? Mepuedes poner al tanto de por que CliveMendel dimiti6 tan repentinamente.

Stanley 151



1 To contact somebody: Ponte en contactocon nosotros cuando llegues.

2 To stay in contact with somebody:Intento mantenerme en contacto conmis amigos de la universidad.

3 To give someone the real informationabout something, as opposed to officialinformation: I don't care how you do it,but I want you to on what theirR&D department is working on.

4 To have a person or group under one'scomplete control or influence: Se lo hametido en el bolsillo.

5 To dislike something or some activity,and so prefer not to have or to do it: Noes plato de mi gusto.

6 To have a good relationship or befriendly with someone: Nuestrasrelaciones no son muy cordiales en estemomento.

7 (saying) It is preferable to suffer fromsomething one knows than change it forsomething one doesn't know whichmight be worse: Mas vale maloconocido...

8 To find customers for someone: We'veknown each other since we were atschool, so I'm happy to from timeto time, and he does the same for me.

9 Very friendly behaviour used to gain abusiness advantage: We hardly knoweach other but when he saw me talkingto Gates, he came over and turned onthe .

10 Very, very rarely: S6lo va a la oficina dePascuas a Ramos.

11 (saying, used to express mild disappovalof a person's unconventional behaviour)Any society consists of people whose char-acters, opinions, etc. vary greatly: De todohay en la vina del Senor.

12 To have a good relationship with twoopposing groups of people: Either you'reon our side or you're on management'sside, you can't .

13 To mention the names of important peo-ple in order to impress others: Siempreesta mencionando gente importante.

14 (used to emphasize the name of a per-son or thing when it is surprising in aparticular situation) Who do you think Imet at the airport in Hamburg? Why,

Bogdan Steplewski.15 To hear about something others are try-

ing to keep secret: That kind of informa-tion is highly confidential, so how onearth did you ?

16 (saying, used when one meets a personwho has an unexpected connection withsomething or someone in one's past) Elmundo es un panuelo.

17 To learn something in an indirect orroundabout way, e.g. through friends:Lo escuch£ en radio macuto.

18 A person who has the same post as one-self but in a different company: Seentrevist6 con su hom6logo frances.

19 (used when a person one is talking aboutsuddenly and unexpectedly appears)jHablando del rey de Roma!

20 To help someone to succeed: When hewas starting out in business, I , buthe seems to have forgotten that now.

21 To have the (lightest personal qualities,e.g. honesty, courage, etc: Son la sal dela tierra.

22 To be one of a small number of peoplewho know secret information: Est^n enla onda.

23 (of two people) To enjoy each other'scompany very much, to have an excel-lent relationship: El director y yo nosllevamos de maravilla.

24 To have a relaxed and friendly relation-ship with somebody: Nos conocemoshace bastante tiempo como paratratarnos de tu.

25 To be able to recognise someone with-out knowing him well: S6lo la conozcode vista.

152 Stan ley

39. Socialising 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

all work and no play makes Jacka dull boyInsist that everyone takes vacations. Allwork and no play makes Jack a dullboy. Start worrying if Jack doesn't want totake a vacation.

break the ice

It's important to establish a relationship, sotalk about baseball or your favourite movie oranything else that will help you to break theice and make a personal connection.

take it easy

A large Chinese man points a finger at myhalf-empty glass. I shake my head: best totake it easy after a day under thetropical sun.

let one's hair down

The annual office party is really the onlychance we all have to get together, have afew drinks and let our hair down.

the more the merrier

We're all going down to the King's Head for adrink after work. If you want to come with us,you're most welcome. The more the mer-rier, and all that.

put in an appearanceWhen was the last time that a British chancel-lor of the exchequer turned up at Davos? Thisyear, not only did Gordon Brown put in anappearance but so did his predecessor,Kenneth Clarke.

get away from it all

A key to having it all — money, power, suc-cess, status — is knowing how to get awayfrom it all. In this article we explore execu-tives' ideas about leisure.

stand on ceremonyOur chairman, although extremely wealthy, isa very modest man. You don't need to standon ceremony with him. Just treat him likeanyone else.

do the honours

John, would you do the honours, please,and make sure everybody's glass is full?

hay que divertirse de vez encuandoInsiste en que todos se tomen unas vacacio-nes. Hay que divertirse de vez en cuando. Em-pieza a preocuparte si alguien no quiere irsede vacaciones.

romper el hieloEs importante establecer una relacion, asi quehabla de beisbol o de tu pelicula favorita o decualquier otra cosa que te ayude a romper elhielo y establecer una relacion personal.

descansar, ir despacio,tomarselo con calma

Un chino grande senala con el dedo hacia mivaso medio vacio. Digo que no con la cabeza:es mejor tomarlo con tranquilidad tras pasarun dia bajo el sol tropical.

desmadrarse, soltarse el peloLa fiesta anual de la oficina es en realidad laiinica oportunidad que tenemos todos parareunirnos, tomar unas copas y desmadrarnos.

cuantos mas mejor

Vamos a ir al King's Head a tomar una copadespues del trabajo. Si quieres venir con noso-tros, bienvenido. Cuantos mas, mejor.

hacer acto de presenciaiCuando fue la ultima vez que un ministro dehacienda britanico aparecio en Davos? Esteano, Gordon Brown no solo hizo acto de pre-sencia, sino que tambien lo hizo su predece-sor, Kenneth Clarke.

evadirse del bullicio

La clave para tenerlo todo —dinero, poder,exito, posicion— es saber como evadirse delbullicio. En este articulo exploramos las ideasque tienen los ejecutivos sobre el descanso.

ser muy ceremoniosoNuestro presidente, aunque extremadamenterico, es un hombre muy modesto. No tienespor que ser muy ceremonioso con el. Tratalecomo a cualquier otro.

hacer los honoresJohn, iquieres hacer los honores, por favor, yasegurarte de que todo el mundo tenga lacopa llena?

Stan ley 153

Socialising ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

the life and soul of the party

He seems like such a quiet, timid fellow in theoffice but when he has a drink or two in him,he's the life and soul of the party.

a drop of the hard stuff

I never touch a drop of the hard stuff,only a glass of wine or beer from time to time.

one for the road

ser el alma de la fiesta

- Let's have one for the road.- No, thanks, I'm driving and I've already hadmore than enough.

pull sb's leg

Levine asked me what I thought of the pro-posal. I started reviewing it, but after just afew minutes decided that Levine must bepulling my leg. The deal was ridiculous.

on the rocks

When he was finally sure that his business re-ally was on the rocks, he went into thenearest bar and ordered a stiff whisky — alsoon the rocks.

talk shop

If we have a colleague over for dinner, mywife complains that we talk shop allevening. But surely it's better to do that thanjust sit there saying nothing.

rub shoulders with sb

When you're a CEO, says lacocca, you neverrub shoulders with the people who makeyour cars, or buy them, or service them. Yourlife is so structured that you really become in-sulated.

drown one's sorrows

One way or another we'll be in the pub to-morrow night. Either because we we've wonthe contract and we're celebrating, or be-cause we haven't won it and we're drown-ing our sorrows.

let off steam

All work and no play will cause any executiveto eventually burn himself out. You need tolet off steam with regular, competitivegames of tennis or squash.

Parece un tipo callado y timido en la oficina,pero cuando se ha tornado una copa o dos,es el alma de la fiesta.

un traguito de algo fuerte

Nunca tomo bebidas fuertes, s6lo un vaso devino o una cana de cerveza de vez en cuando.

la ultima copa

- Tomemos la ultima copa.- No, gracias, tengo que conducir y ya he be-bido demasiado.

tomarle el pelo a alguien

Levine me pregunto qu6 pensaba acerca de lapropuesta. Empece a revisarla, pero tras unosminutos decidi que Levine debia estar toman-dome el pelo. El asunto era ridiculo.

irse a pique

Cuando al fin tuvo la seguridad de que su ne-gocio se habia ido a pique, se fue al bar m3scercano y se pidi6 un whisky doble con hielo.

hablar del trabajo

Si invitamos a un companero a casa para ce-nar, mi esposa se queja de que hablamos deltrabajo toda la noche. Pero es mejor que estarsentado sin decir nada.

codearse con alguien

Cuando se es presidente, dice lacocca, unonunca se codea ni con la gente que fabricalos coches ni con los que los compran ni conlos que los mantienen. Tu vida esta tanestructurada que esta"s totalmente aislado.

ahogar las penas

De una forma u otra iremos a un pub mahanapor la noche. Sea porque hemos conseguidoel contrato y lo estaremos celebrando sea por-que no lo hemos conseguido y estaremosahogando nuestras penas.

desfogarse, desahogarse

Trabajar sin distraerse es la causa de que unejecutivo se queme tarde o temprano. Unonecesita dasahogarse con unos cuantos parti-dos de tenis o de squash.

154 Stan ley

Socialising 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

small talk charla, charloteo

Attending a Tom Peters seminar in Tampa, Imade small talk with others at my table. Didthey think he was worth the $445 apiece theyhad paid to attend?

wine and dine sb

High ranking government officials winedand dined Toyota representatives for morethan a year before the Japanese car manufac-turer agreed to build the plant in France.

a wet blanket

Come on, Hilary, don't be such a wet blan-ket. Get a glass and join in the fun.

make oneself at home

Come in, come in. Sit down and make your-selves at home. What will you have todrink?

take a hint

We were yawning and looking at our watchesevery five minutes and saying what a hardday tomorrow was going to be, but they sim-ply refused to take a hint. In the end, I juststood up and said it was late and I was goingto bed.

take a joke

I can take a joke as well as the next man,only I don't happen to think that what you'vedone — sending out a fictitious memo withmy signature on it — is particularly amusing.

throw a party for sb

Next Friday will be Fred Wallace's last day inthe office before returning to headquarters inSydney, so we're throwing a little farewellparty for him at our place. Naturally, you'reall invited.

Cuando asisti a un seminario de Tom Petersen Tampa, tuve una pequena charla con losde mi mesa. ^Pensaban ellos que se merecialos 445 dolares que habiamos pagado cadauno por asistir a su seminario?

tratar a alguien por todo lo alto

Altos funcionarios gubernamentales trataron alos representantes de Toyota por todo lo altodurante mas de un ano antes de que el fabri-cante japones de coches decidiera construiruna fabrica en Francia.

ser aguafiestas

Venga, Hilary, no seas aguafiestas. Coge unacopa y unete a la diversion.

sentirse como en su casa

Pase, pase. Sientese como si estuviera en sucasa. iQue quiere beber?

darse por aludido,coger la indirecta

Bostezabamos mirando nuestros relojes cadacinco minutos y diciendo que nos esperabauna dura Jornada al dia siguiente, pero nocaptaban la indirecta. Al final, me puse en pie,dije que era tarde y que me iba a la cama.

saber aceptar las bromas

Se aceptar una broma tan bien como cual-quier otro, solo que no acabo de ver que loque has hecho —enviar una nota ficticia conmi firma— sea especialmente gracioso.

dar una fiestaen honor de alguien

El viernes que viene sera el ultimo dia de FredWallace en la oficina antes de volver a la cen-tral de Sydney, asi que vamos a dar una fiestaen su honor en nuestra casa. Naturalmente,estais todos invitados.

Stan ley 155


Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capitulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espafiol, traducela al ingles.

1 To attend an event, e.g. a party, be-cause one thinks one has a duty todo so: Hizo una breve aparici6n enla fiesta.

2 One last drink before leaving: In my ex-perience, is usually one too many.

3 To organise a party or celebration forsomebody: Dieron una fiesta en suhonor.

4 To escape from the difficulties and wor-ries of work: Every so often the pres-sure becomes unbearable and I take afew days' holiday, just to .

5 To not be offended by something saidor done for fun: A ti no se te puedegastar una broma.

6 To do something to ease the tension ofa formal occasion, e.g. by starting aconversation: Pusieron musica pararomper el hielo.

7 To understand what is stated only indi-rectly: Yo no dejaba de mirar el reloj,pero no se dio por aludido.

8 (alcoholic drink) With ice, (marriage,business) close to ruin: Su relacibn andamal desde hace tiempo.

9 To act as if one were in one's ownhome: Sientate y ponte c6modo, est^sen tu casa.

10To not hurry or become anxious, to notwork too hard: jTranquilo!

11 A person who spoils a happy atmos-phere by refusing to join in the fun:There's no point in inviting him to theparty, he's a real .

12 (saying) A person who spends all histime working will become a dull humanbeing: My wife complains about meplaying golf, but I tell her that .

13 To act with excessive formality: Porfavor, no te andes con cumplidos connosotros.

14 To joke with someone by telling himsomething that isn't true: Me est^stomando el pelo, ^no?

15 To offer someone expensive meals in arestaurant: El director y su mujer nosinvitaron a una cena por todo lo alto.

16 Polite conversation about unimportantmatters: Hablamos de trivialidadeshasta que llego.

17 The liveliest and most amusing personat a party or other social gathering: Fueel alma de la fiesta.

ISA drink of strong alcohol, especiallywhisky: He offered me a but Ihad a long drive ahead of me and sen-sibly refused.

19 (saying, used to invite or welcome oth-ers] The more people there are, themore they will enjoy themselves:Cuantos mas mejor.

20 To give free expression to one's feelings,e.g. by using strong language or do-ing violent physical exercise: Cuando seenfada, sale a correr para desahogarse.

21 To talk about one's work during a so-cial event: Dejate de hablar de trabajo,estas de vacaciones.

22 To act as the host, e.g. to serve peopledrinks or food, or to introduce them toeach other: John, could you open thatbottle of champagne and ,please?

23 To drink alcohol in order to forget un-fortunate recent events: Esta en el barahogando sus penas.

24 To be in the same group as someonerich, famous, powerful, etc: Se codeacon estrellas del cine.

25 To enjoy oneself without reserve aftera period of discipline and restraint: Sedesmadro en la fiesta.

156 Stanley

4O. Miscellaneous ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

on no accountIn a warning that says much about how localauthorities handle problems in China, Mr Zhusaid on no account should officials "use dic-tatorial means against people".

let alone ...You can never be certain of recovering an in-vestment, let alone getting a return on it.

all along

bajo ningun concepto

Management makes a big fuss about consult-ing the workers — then they announce thatthere's no consensus and do what they in-tended to do all along.

by and largeBy and large, top managers are optimisticabout their own businesses. Nearly three-quarters of the CEOs we interviewed believetheir companies' financial performance willimprove this year.

a case in pointOnce your competitor starts discounting, yournewly acquired customers are likely to flock tohim. The long-distance phone market — withits confusing promotions and its migratingsubscribers — is a case in point.

know sth to one's costCompetitive advantage brings growth, not theother way round, as many companies havefound to their cost.

have nothing to do with sthThe marketing and promotion of a productare greatly simplified when it stands out visu-ally among competing products. This differ-ence may have nothing to do with theproduct's function or effectiveness.

on the face of itOn the face of it, the UK is merely follow-ing the European trend by introducing energytaxes. But many industrialists are painfullyaware that large numbers of their interna-tional competitors, notably in the US, have nointention of doing so.

be in favour of sthThe euro has not been widely popular in Eu-rope, with relatively few Germans in favourof giving up the Deutschmark.

En un aviso que dice mucho de como las au-toridades resuelven los problemas en China,Mr. Zhu dijo que los funcionarios no deberianbajo ningun concepto "aplicar medidas dicta-toriales contra el pueblo".

y mucho menos ...Nunca se puede estar seguro de recuperaruna inversion, y mucho menos de conseguirbeneficios.

desde el principioLa direcci6n habla mucho de consultar a lostrabajadores, y luego anuncia que no hayconsenso y hace lo que pensaba hacer desdeel principio.

por lo generalPor lo general, los altos directives son optimis-tas acerca de sus empresas. Casi las tres cuar-tas partes de los presidentes que entrevistamoscreen que los resultados financieros de sus em-presas van a mejorar este ario.

un buen ejemploEn cuanto tu competidor empiece a ofrecerdescuentos, tus nuevos clientes acudiran rapi-damente a el. El mercado de las conferenciastelefonicas - con sus campanas confusas y sussubscriptores errantes - es un buen ejemplo.

saber algo por propia experienciaLa ventaja competitiva atrae el crecimiento yno al reves, como muchas empresas sabenpor propia experiencia.

no tener nada que ver con algoEl marketing y la promoci6n de un productose simplifican enormemente cuando destacavisualmente sobre los productos de la compe-tencia. Esta diferencia puede que no tenganada que ver con la eficacia o la funcion delproducto.

a primera vistaA primera vista, el Reino Unido se limita a seguirla tendencia europea al gravar la energia. Peromuchos empresarios son conscientes de que ungran numero de sus competidores internaciona-les, en especial los de EE UU, no tienen ningu-na intencion de hacerlo.

ser partidario de algoEl euro no ha sido muy popular en Europa, yaque pocos alemanes son partidarios de desha-cerse del deutschmark.

Stan ley 157

Miscellaneous ,000 everyday idioms in business

and so forth y demasThe sales rep has to fill out a special formwhich includes information on the customer,the deal, the volume, the competitive situa-tion, and so forth.

as good asSometimes I would have a late-afternoonmeeting. On those days I checked into anearby hotel at lunchtime, took my hour'snap, and went back to work as good asnew.

hold goodOur offer holds good until the end of July.Naturally we expect your answer before then.

to say the leastThe directors simply cannot agree with eachother. It's an embarrassing situation, to saythe least, for a company that earns most ofits revenue by telling others how to resolveproblems.

in the light of sthIn the light of Asia's economic chaos, it'spretty clear that any return from our invest-ment is still a long way off.

the long and the short of it is ...He wrote a ten-page memo to the DHR ex-plaining why we shouldn't send him to SaudiArabia. But the long and the short of it isthat he doesn't want to be separated from hisgirlfriend.

as a matter of factBeing good friends is not a prerequisite to asuccessful partnership. As a matter of fact,it can add a stressful dimension.

by all meansIf you love such gadgets, by all means getthem. But legally, they're not required. Le-gally, you need only satisfy a court that youtook "reasonable' care protecting your tradesecret.

by the wayInventory management, a key measure ofhow efficiently a manufacturer operates,hasn't improved for U.S. companies in thepast 50 years. You see a similar situation inEurope and Japan, by the way. Nothing hashappened.

El comercial tiene que rellenar un formularioespecial que incluye informacion acerca delcliente, el tipo de transacion, el volumen, la si-tuacion competitiva y demas.

como (si), practicamenteAlgunas veces tenia reuniones hasta ultimahora de la tarde. Esos dias me metia en unhotel a la hora de la comida, me echaba unasiesta de una hora y regresaba al trabajocomo nuevo.

seguir validaNuestra oferta sigue valida hasta finales de Ju-lio. Naturalmente esperamos que nos contes-ten ustedes antes.

por no decir masLos directores no consiguen llegar a un acuer-do. Es una situacion embarazosa, por no decirmas, para una empresa que consigue la ma-yor parte de sus ingresos diciendoles a los de-mas como resolver sus problemas.

en vista de algo,teniendo algo en cuentaEn vista del caos economico de Asia, esta bas-tante claro que cualquier beneficio proceden-te de nuestra inversion esta aun muy lejos.

en resumidas cuentas ...Escribio un informe de diez paginas al Direc-tor de RR. HH. de por que no deberiamos en-viarle a Arabia Saudi. Pero en resumidascuentas, lo que no quiere es separarse de sunovia.

en realidad, de hechoSer buenos amigos no es un requisite para te-ner exito en una asociacion. De hecho, puedeanadir un factor estresante.

naturalmente, por supuestoSi te encantan ese tipo de chismes, por su-puesto consiguelos. Pero legalmente, no sonnecesarios. Legalmente, solo necesitas con-veneer a un tribunal de que has tornado unasmedidas "razonables" para proteger tu secretoindustrial.

a proposito, por ciertoLa gestion de inventarios, una medida clavepara conocer la eficiencia de un fabricante,no ha mejorado nada en las empresas de EEUU en los ultimos 50 afios. Se ve una situa-cion similar en Europa y en Japon, por cierto.Nada ha ocurrido.

158 Stanley

Miscellaneous ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

out of place

You're honest, intelligent, reliable, hard-work-ing, loyal — and clearly quite out of place ina company like ours.

in principle

In November 1997, Gordon Brown, thechancellor, first expressed the government'ssupport for joining the single currency inprinciple.

on purposeI'm sorry I spilled coffee all over your papersbut there's no need to make such a fuss. Ididn't do it on purpose, you know.

out of the questionTo reach its destination, the oil must passthrough the Bosphorus strait — in otherwords, right through the middle of Istanbul.Turkey's government insists this is out of thequestion for environmental reasons.

for starters

He is one of the smartest people I've ever met.For starters, he has a wonderful talent forexplaining complicated technology in termsanyone can understand.

be under the weather

I'm sorry I couldn't attend the meeting lastweek, but I had an awful cold. In fact, I'm stilla bit under the weather.

jump the gun

The price increases should not come into ef-fect before next month at the earliest. We'vereceived reports, however, that some retailershave jumped the gun and are already charg-ing the new prices.

fuera de lugar

Eres sincere, inteligente, responsable, trabaja-dor y leal, y estas claramente fuera de lugaren una empresa como la nuestra.

en principle

En noviembre de 1997, Gordon Brown, Minis-tro de Hacienda, expreso por primera vez elapoyo del gobierno para unirse en principio ala moneda unica.

a proposito, adrede

Siento haber derramado cafe sobre tus pape-les pero no hay que armar tanto escandalo.No lo hice a proposito, sabes.

imposible, impensable

Para llegar a su destine, el petroleo tiene quepasar por el estrecho del Bosforo - en otraspalabras, justo en medio de Estambul. El go-bierno turco insiste en que esto es imposiblepor razones medioambientales.

para empezar

Es una de las personas mas inteligentes quehe conocido jamas. Para empezar, tiene ungran talento para explicar tecnologia compli-cada en terminos que todo el mundo com-prenda.

no estar muy bien

Siento no haber asistido a la reunion la sema-na pasada, pero tenia un catarro terrible. Dehecho, aun no estoy muy bien.

adelantarse a los acontecimientos

Los aumentos de precio no deberian entrar envigor antes del mes que viene como muypronto. Sin embargo, hemos recibido informa-ci6n, de que algunos minoristas se han ade-lantado a los acontecimientos y ya estancobrando los nuevos precios.

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4O. Exercise 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

Encuentra los modismos presentados en este capftulo que mejor corresponden a lasdefiniciones y descripciones que vienen a continuacion. Si una frase contiene un espacioen bianco, completalo con las palabras que faltan (poniendo atencion al tiempo delverbo, pronombres, etc.). Si la frase esta en espanol, traducela al ingles.

1 To have no connection or relationshipwith something: Eso no tiene nada quever contigo.

2 Superficially, at first sight: For lo queparece, la economfa esta mejorando.

3 From the beginning, all the time: I knewthat he was lying, but I had to

wait until he contradicted himself toprove it.

4 To feel unwell: No se encontraba bien.

5 To act prematurely: No te adelantes.

6 To one's disadvantage or loss: No sepuede conducir cuando se ha bebido,leccion que le costo muy caro aprender.

7 Almost the same as, almost: El trabajoesta casi acabado.

8 To begin with, first of all: What doesthe employee get out of this increasedresponsibility? , he gets a newsense of self-respect.

9 Impossible, not to be considered: Theidea was appealing but financially

10 Generally speaking, in general: En gen-eral, la organizacion es buena.

11A very good example of what is beingtalked about: Su forma de llevar losasuntos es un ejemplo que viene alcaso.

12 (used to introduce something thespeaker has just thought of) jAh, aprop6sito! Tienes una carta.

13 (used to give permission) Yes, certainly:Llevatelo, no faltaba m^s, pero porfavor tr^elo de vuelta.

14 And much less: He doesn't even knowhow to turn on the computer, usethe word processor.

15 Deliberately, with concious intent: Nofue un accidente, lo hizo a prop6sito.

16 Considering the knowledge gainedfrom something: A la luz de lo quesabemos ahora, la idea parece extrana.

17 Etcetera, and continuing in a similarmanner: Vendian libros, periodicos, ycosas asi.

18According to general principles: Enprinciple, estoy de acuerdo con lo quedices.

19To say no more than this: Estuvogrosero, y me quedo corto.

20 Unsuitable, inappropriate: In the mod-ern workplace, it's considered fora male boss to compliment a femalesubordinate on the way she dresses.

21 To continue to be valid: Mi promesasigue en pie.

22 {often used to introduce a piece of in-formation that may surprise the listener)As it happens: En realidad nunca heestado en Espafia.

23 The only thing that needs to be said,the conclusion: En resumidas cuentas,hemos fracasado.

24 In no case, not for any reason: Nodebes volver a verla bajo ningunconcepto.

25 To be in agreement with something:Estoy totalmente a favor de la libertadde expresion.

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Answers

Answers 1,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

1. Fundamentals

1 A bad workman blames his tools. 2Forewarned is forearmed. 3 To keepone's head above water: keep ourheads above water. 4 Half a loaf isbetter than none. 5 Never put off tilltomorrow what you can do today. 6The ground rules: We can't change theground rules at this stage. 7 Time ismoney. 8 If at first you don't succeed,try and try again. 9 Where there's awill, there's a way. 10 To take therough with the smooth: You have totake the rough with the smooth. 11A fool and his money are soon parted.12 It's an ill wind that blows nobodyany good. 13 Take care of the pen-nies and the pounds will take care ofthemselves. 14 What you lose on theswings you gain on the roundabouts.ISA bird in the hand is worth two inthe bush. 16 He who pays the pipercalls the tune. 17 Easy come, easygo. 18 The grass is always greeneron the other side of the hill. 19 Wherethere's a will, there's a way. 20 Upsand downs: His business has had itsups and downs. 21 To let sleepingdogs lie. 22 One good turn deservesanother. 23 Waste not, want not. 24The exception proves the rule. 25That's the way the cookie crumbles.

2.Time

1 In the long run. 2 Leave it therefor the time being. 3 Till the cowscome home. 4 It's high time that some-body did something. 5 The train left athalf past two on the dot. 6 So you won'tdo it, not even for old time's sake. 7Time flies: How time flies! 8 The soonerthe better: The sooner this decision is

implemented, the better. 9 To call it aday: I clearly wasn't getting anywhere,so I called it a day and left. 10 Tramsare a thing of the past. 11 Be aheadof one's time: He was ahead of histime. 12 To date. 13 Against theclock. 14 Do something at one's lei-sure: Read it at your leisure. 15 Tomove with the times: moving withthe times. 16 To keep up to datewith something: keep up to date.17 It was about time. 18 For don-key's years : I haven't seen her for don-key's years. 19 At the best of times.20 In the nick of time: I arrived at theairport in the nick of time. 21 To beout of date: out of date. 22 At theeleventh hour. 23 To take one's time:Just take your time. 24 Round theclock. 25 Once and for all.

3. Money

1 The sixty-four thousand dollar ques-tion. 2 To be rolling in it: They wererolling in it. 3 To make a bomb: Hemade a fortune out of that business.4 To go through the roof: The priceof petrol went through the roof. 5They operate on a shoestring. 6 Topay cash on the nail: paid cash on thenail. 7 Money doesn't grow on trees.8 To foot the bill: The company willfoot the bill. 9 To the tune of sth:He's in debt to the tune of £5,000. 10To pay over the odds. 11 Money talks.12 To be hard up: We were very hardup. 13 To throw good money afterbad: throwing good money after bad.14 They want the contract at anyprice. 15 To not have a penny to one'sname: have a penny to his name. 16To be in the black: Your account is inthe black. 17 To be in the red: I'm

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Answers 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

always in the red. 18 To see the col-our of sb's money: seen the colour ofhis money. 19 They bought the com-pany fora song. 20 To make a bomb:That must have cost you a bomb. 21To be penny wise and pound foolish.22 To be deep in debt: They're deepin debt. 23 Money is no object: Hesaid money was no object. 24 Betone's bottom dollar: bet your bottomdollar. 25 It's a drop in the ocean.

4. Information

I To keep something under one's hat:He kept his promotion under his hatfor three months. 2 To keep some-body posted: keep each other posted.3 There's no smoke without fire. 4The news of his resignation spread likewildfire. 5 How did you know that?A little bird told me. 6 To keep some-thing under wraps: kept under wraps.7 To sell someone a bum steer: They'vesold me a bum steer. 8 To take some-thing with a pinch of salt: I would takeanything he says with a pinch of salt.9 To come to light. 10 To put some-body out of his misery: Put me out ofmy misery and tell me what happened.I1 To have something at one's finger-tips: he has all the facts at his finger-tips. 12 It's news to me: It was newsto me. 13 Who let the cat out of thebag? or Who spilt the beans? 14 Tobe none of somebody's business: WhatI do is none of your business. 15 Toput something down in black andwhite: I want to see your offer downin black and white. 16 To get some-thing straight from the horse's mouth:I got it straight from the horse's mouth.17 To play one's cards close to one'schest: he played his cards close to his

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chest. 18 To put someone in the pic-ture: He arrived late but we soon puthim in the picture. 19 To keep one'sear to the ground: Keep your ear tothe ground. 20 To keep somethingdark: keep it dark. 21 Cannot believeone's ears: I couldn't believe my ears.22 Do you promise not to spill thebeans? (or...let the cat out of the bag?)23 To shed light on something: Let'ssee if you can shed any light on thisbusiness for us. 24 A red herring: Itturned out to be another red herring.25 No news is good news.

5. Experience

1 It's easy to be wise after the event.2 (You) live and learn. 3 To gothrough the mill. 4 We solved it bytrial and error. 5 An object lesson: Itwas an object lesson in how not to doit. 6 To get one's fingers burnt: manylenders got their fingers burnt. 7 Toknow one's onions: unless you reallyknow your onions. 8 To learn one'slesson: we've certainly learnt our les-son. 9 He will need time to learn theropes. 10 Once bitten, twice shy. 11To know the score: I told him about mypast, so he knows the score. 12 Un-der one's belt: They have a string ofhits under their belt. 13 Seeing isbelieving. 14 A lot of water hasflowed under the bridge since then.15 To be in one's line of country: That'snot in my line (of country). 16 Tohave a rough ride: The company hashad a rough ride recently. 17 Youcan't teach an old dog new tricks. 18You can rely on him through thick andthin. 19 To have another string toone's bow: He's also an electrician, sohe has another string to his bow. 20

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Answers 1,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

To be second nature to somebody:Don't worry, it'll soon be second na-ture to you. 21 To find out the hardway: He found out the hard way. 22To take a leaf out of somebody's book:You ought to take a leaf out of Manolo'sbook. 23 To be an old hand at some-thing: He's an old hand at climbing. 24It's just one of those things. 25 To bewet behind the ears: The new manageris still a bit wet behind the ears.

6. Work

1 The factory is working at full stretch.2 To keep tabs on someone or some-thing: We'll have to keep tabs on whoenters and leaves the building. 3 Todo the dirty work: I'm fed up doing hisdirty work for him. 4 To make shortwork of something: She'll make shortwork of typing the reports. 5 To putone's back into something. 6 To notdo a hand's turn: I can't get him to doa hand's turn. 7 To put one's shoulderto the wheel: If you put your shoulderto the wheel. 8 To burn the candle atboth ends: He's burning the candle atboth ends. 9 To do the spadework:...without doing the spadework. 10To sit on one's hands: They seem to besitting on their hands. 11 To keep atight rein on something: The govern-ment is keeping a tight rein on expendi-ture. 12 To swing the lead: ...as hedoes into swinging the lead. 13 Todo the donkey work: I did all the don-key work but he got all the credit. 14Persuading them to come was a pieceof cake. 15 To keep one's nose to thegrindstone: I'll have to keep my noseto the grindstone until the exams areover. 16 Three years' wear and tearmade a complete overhaul necessary.Stanley

17 To have one's work cut out (forone): She'll have her work cut out forher finishing the job on time. 18 Tobe snowed under with work: I'msnowed under with work at the mo-ment. 19 To be on the dole: He's beenon the dole for two years. 20 To burnthe midnight oil: He's burning the mid-night oil to get the job finished. 21To down tools. 22 A blue-collar job:Blue-collar jobs won't be affected. 23To breathe down somebody's neck: Ihad the boss breathing down my neckall day. 24 To be dead beat: You lookdead beat. 25 To get one's teeth intosomething: You've got a new job to getyour teeth into now.

7. Routine

1 The economy is now on an evenkeel. 2 They're forcing him to toe theline. 3 Middle-of-the-road. 4 I listento the same complaints day in, day out.5 To go through the motions of doingsomething: They went through themotions of interviewing him. 6 All ina day's work. 7 His bad temper is parfor the course. 8 True to form, hearrived late. 9 In theory we shouldreply to all letters, but in practice it'simpossible. 10 To take something inone's stride: He takes everything in hisstride. 11 You need to get out of therut you're in. 12 We always keep acopy as a matter of course. 13 Prac-tice makes perfect. 14 As a rule, she'svery hardworking. 15 To get into theswing of something: You'll soon getinto the swing of it. 16 As a rule ofthumb, the journey takes three hours.17 To kill time: I did the crosswordpuzzle to kill the time. 18 Short hair-cuts were the order of the day. 19 Red

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Answers ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

tape. 20 I've been going backwardsand forwards all day between thehouse and the office. 21 Run-of-the-mill. 22 From day to day. 23 Fromnow on it's all plain sailing. 24 Didyou notice anything out of the ordi-nary? 25 In the normal course ofevents.

8.Trading

1 To break even: Let's hope we can atleast break even. 2 To run short ofsomething: We're running short ofmoney. 3 To put something on themarket: We put the house on the mar-ket at £150,000. 4 To pay throughthe nose for something: We paidthrough the nose for it. 5 To cost anarm and a leg: That car cost me an armand a leg. 6 To corner the market insomething: They've cornered the mar-ket in electronic books. 7 To changehands: The company has changedhands. 8 That's the going rate. 9 Togive someone first refusal: Can I havefirst refusal ? 10 To wheel and deal:He eats, drinks, sleeps, wheels anddeals. 11 To go window-shopping:Yesterday we went window shopping.12 To price something out of the mar-ket: They've priced themselves out ofthe market. 13 Shall we do it todayor tomorrow? It's six of the one and halfa dozen of the other. 14 To sell one-self short: Don't sell yourself short. 15To get one's foot in the door: It's a wayof getting your foot in the door. 16Chicken feed: They pay their staffchicken feed. 17 To be in the marketfor something: They're in the marketfor semiconductors. 18 To flood themarket with something: They're flood-ing the market. 19 Getting money

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from him is like getting blood from astone. 20 To drive a hard bargain:He drives a hard bargain. 21 Be inshort supply: Copper was in short sup-ply. 22 At a price. 23 To be worthsomeone's while to do something: Itcould be worth your while to make afriend of him. 24 Go public. 25 Tosell like hot cakes: His books are sell-ing like hot cakes.

9.Thinking

1 His boss's words gave him food forthought. 2 To have no idea: I haveno idea what you're talking about. 3Great minds think alike. 4 To be deadfrom the neck up: He's dead from theneck up. 5 To not have a clue: I don'thave a clue how much it costs (or I haveno idea...). 6 He refuses to see rea-son. 7 To think twice about (or be-fore) doing something: She'll thinktwice before being rude to me again.8 Use your grey matter! 9 I thinkwe're on the right track here. 10 Tohave something (or someone) in mind:I had him in mind for that job. 11 Toput two and two together: He soon puttwo and two together. 12 To rackone's brains: She racked her brains try-ing to think of an excuse. 13 To havea mind of one's own: He has a mind ofhis own. 14 To bear something inmind: Bear in mind that you have tobe back before five. 15 More money?That's just wishful thinking. 16 Tojump to conclusions: Don't jump toconclusions. 17 In one's heart ofhearts: In his heart of hearts he knewit was hopeless. 18 To bear no rela-tion to something: His answer bears norelation to the question. 19 To havesomething at the back of one's mind:

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Answers 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

I've had the interview at the back ofmy mind all day. 20 To take some-thing at face value: I took what he saidat face value. Why should he lie? 21To toy with an idea: I've been toyingwith the idea of buying a boat. 22Come to think of it, I could have doneit yesterday. 23 To have a brainwave:I had a brainwave. 24 He always in-sists on knowing the whys and where-fores. 25 To cross one's mind: It didn'teven cross his mind.

1O. Understanding

1 To get the picture: Just read this,you'll soon get the picture. 2 To beout of one's depth: I tried reading Marxbut I was soon out of my depth. 3The mind boggles!: His mind boggledat the thought of all that money. 4Cannot make head or tail of something:I can't make head or tail of this dia-gram. 5 To know one's stuff: He seemsto know his stuff. 6 To go over some-one's head: His lecture went right overmy head. 7 To get the message: You'renot welcome here, (do you) get themessage? 8 To get ones wires crossed:I think we've got our wires crossed. 9The penny (finally) dropped. 1OThere's more to this than meets the eye:There's more to that software thanmeets the eye. 11 To get hold of thewrong end of the stick: As usual, hegot hold of the wrong end of the stick.12 To not see the point of doing some-thing: I don't see the point of doing it.13 To not know the first thing aboutsomething: You don't know the firstthing about it. 14 To lose the thread:I lost the thread of his argument. 15They cannot see the wood for the trees.16 Reading between the lines, I'd sayStanley

they have financial problems. 17 Togive someone to understand some-thing: He gave me to understand thatshe was leaving. 18 To have a goodhead for something: He has a goodhead for business. 19 It is difficult tounderstand all the ins and outs of thelegal system. 20 To fall into place:Things are beginning to fall into place.21 To get the hang of something: Inever got the hang of golf. 22 Letme get this straight: Let's get thisstraight, we're a thousand poundsshort of our target? 23 To make al-lowances for someone (or something):You have to make allowances for him,he's very young. 24 To get to thebottom of something: He was resolvedto get to the bottom of the matter. 25To be all Greek to someone: It's allGreek to me.

11. Discussions1 To complain about the date wouldbe to split hairs. 2 To pick somebody'sbrains: ...so he could pick my brains.3 To set the record straight. 4 Forone thing, it's getting very late and I'mtired. 5 To be all ears: I'm all ears. 6To compare notes. 7 To put oneselfinto somebody's shoes: The skilled ne-gotiator knows how to put himself intothe shoes of his adversary. 8 Face toface. 9 Off the record: The ministerwas speaking off the record. 10There's the problem of time, not tomention the cost. 11 It stands to rea-son that he won't want to buy it again.12 For the sake of argument, let's sup-pose he's guilty. 13 To be beside thepoint: They're quite beside the point.14 To agree to differ: Let's agree todiffer, shall we? 15 At issue. 16 To

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Answers 1,000 everyday idioms in business

put words into someone's mouth: Don'tput words into my mouth. 17 To talkthrough one's hat: He's talking throughhis hat, as usual. 18 To be neitherhere nor there: His objections are nei-ther here nor there (or are beside thepoint). 19 To talk at cross-purposes:They were talking at cross-purposes.20 To beg to differ: On that point Ibeg to differ. 21 To ring a bell: Thename rings a bell. 22 To scratch thesurface: This article doesn't evenscratch the surface of the problem. 23To play devil's advocate. 24 On theone hand..., on the other hand... 25Cannot get a word in edgeways: Icouldn't get a word in edgeways.

12. Meetings

1 To get one nowhere: This is gettingus nowhere. 2 When all's said anddone, she's the one who's going to suf-fer. 3 To speak to the purpose: Hespeaks to the purpose. 4 To have one'ssay: Let him have his say now. 5 Toget to the point. 6 The chairmanasked for a show of hands. 7 To holdforth: He held forth on the need to actwith moderation. 8 To go over oldground: We're going over old ground.9 I stand corrected. 10 To lose sightof something: They've lost sight of themost important thing. 11 To getdown to business: Let's get down tobusiness straight away. 12 To go off ata tangent: He went off at a tangent andnever finished his explanation. 13 Weput our heads together and came upwith the idea. 14 To lay it on the line:I'm going to lay it on the line with you,your work isn't up to scratch. 15 Tobeat about the bush: Stop beating aboutthe bush and tell me what happened.

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16 The negotiations are going round incircles. 17 To cover a lot of ground: Wecovered a lot of ground in our discussions.18 I don't know how they're going toreact, I'll just have to play it by ear. 19Who's going to start the ball rolling? 20To tie up loose ends: There are still a fewloose ends to tie up. 21 To cut some-thing short: She had to cut her holidayshort. 22 The meeting was short andsweet. 23 For the record, I don't agree.24 To take something as read: We took itas read that he had a valid passport. 25That's the situation in a nutshell.

13. Speaking

I To say something till one is blue inthe face: I've told him till I'm blue inthe face, it makes no difference. 2 Topay lip-service to something: Ralphpaid lip-service to his firm's efforts tochange. 3 Off the top of one's head:He gave me a few suggestions off thetop of his head. 4 To tie oneself up inknots: He quickly tied himself up inknots. 5 To not mince one's words:He doesn't mince his words. 6 Towaste one's breath: You're wastingyour breath trying to convince him. 7To speak for itself: I think that the factsspeak for themselves. 8 To hit the nailon the head: You've hit the nail on thehead. 9 It goes without saying thatwe'll pay your expenses. 10 To pile iton thick: You were piling it on thick.I1 Not in so many words: He didn'tsay it in so many words, but that's whathe meant. 12 To have something onthe tip of one's tongue: I have her nameon the tip of my tongue. 13 To call aspade a spade. 14 Tongue in cheek(adverbial expression/: He made severaltongue-in-cheek remarks. 15 To take

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the word out of one's mouth: You tookthe words right out of my mouth. 16He spoke off the cuff. 17 To takesomebody's word for something: You'llhave to take my word for it. 18 Tohave the gift of the gab: He has thegift of the gab. 19 To speak one'smind: I always speak my mind. 20That's a rather sweeping statement,isn't it? 21 To cut a long story short.22 His technique was to learn the firstsentence of every paragraph by heart.23 I'm sorry, that was an unfortunateslip of the tongue. 24 Not to put toofine a point on it, he's stupid. 25 Giveit to them straight from the shoulder.

14. Decisions

1 To give someone the benefit of thedoubt: We'll give you the benefit of thedoubt. 2 To stick to one's guns: Hestuck to his guns. 3 To tip the scalesin somebody's favour: His fluency inRussian tipped the scales in his favour.4 I wasn't brave enough to take theplunge. 5 We decided to go to Vigoon the spur of the moment. 6 I chosethis make on the strength of your rec-ommendation. 7 He was in two mindsabout whether to tell her. 8 To takesomething into account: You shouldhave taken that into account. 9 Tothink better of (doing) something: Shewas on the point of applying for thepost, but then thought better of it. 10To keep one's options open: We'rekeeping all our options open. 11 Iwas in a quandary (or dilemma) aboutwhether to go or not. 12 To havesecond thoughts about something: I'vehad second thoughts, I don't want to sellthe company. 13 To change one's tune:You've changed your tune! 14 To makeStanley

one's mind up: Tell him to make hismind up. 15 To argue the toss: There'sno point arguing the toss, my mind'smade up. 16 To strike a happy bal-ance: They strike a happy balance be-tween formality and familiarity. 1 7You have to strike a balance betweenquality and price. 18 Read the smallprint before signing the contract. 19To be at a crossroads: He was at a cross-roads in his career. 20 They were dis-cussing the pros and cons of buying acomputer. 21 To be up in the air:Nothing's settled, everything's still upin the air. 22 To take the bull by thehorns: We must take the bull by thehorns and act immediately. 23 Tohave mixed feelings about something:I have mixed feelings about it. 24 Theydecided to toss a coin for it. 25 To siton the fence: The minister was accusedof sitting on the fence

15. Priorities

1 To have other fish to fry: I can'tcome, I've got other fish to fry. 2 Bet-ter late than never. 3 We'll cross thatbridge when we come to it. 4 Don'tput the cart before the horse. 5 You'rethrowing the baby out with the bathwater. 6 Prevention is better thancure. 7 First things first, how are yougetting on with the translation? 8 Youhave to keep a sense of proportion. 9And last but not least, my wife. 10Their campaign put a premium onlower taxation. 11 To make a bigthing out of something? Why does hehave to make such a big thing out ofit? 12 This decision is only the thinend of the wedge. 13 Coventry was,first and foremost, an industrial city. 14Better safe than sorry. 15 I'll do it

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first thing. 16 First come, first served:It was done on a first-come-first-servedbasis. 17 To make a mountain out ofa molehill: She's always making moun-tains out of molehills. 18 Above all.19 If the worst comes to the worst,we could contact him at home. 20You shouldn't have been there in thefirst place. 21 I thought it was thelesser of two evils (or the lesser evil).22 To have pride of place: The latestaward has pride of place in their col-lection. 23 There's only one thing forit, we'll have to go on foot. 24 Hav-ing possessions isn't the be-all and end-all in life. 25 Don't count your chick-ens before they're hatched: We don'twant to count our chickens beforethey're hatched.

16. Planning

1 The booklet explains the nuts andbolts of accounting. 2 To save some-thing for a rainy day: They're savingfor a rainy day. 3 To be on the cards:It was on the cards that something likethis would happen. 4 As a last resortwe put an advertisement in the paper.5 He bought a book to learn Englishstep by step. 6 In the pipeline. 7 Totake something for granted: He takesit for granted that they'll support him.8 To count the cost of (doing) some-thing: We have to count the cost oflaunching this product now. 9 To havesomething in view: Let's see what wehave in view for the week ahead. 10To build castles in the air: He's alwaysbuilding castles in the air. 11 To takethe long view: The boss take a longerview. 12 To go through somethingwith a fine-tooth comb: They wentthrough the books with a fine-tooth

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comb. 13 This will go a long waytowards solving the problem. 14 Tohedge one's bets: He's hedging his betsby going to both interviews. 15 Tolook forward to doing something: Welook forward to meeting you. 16 Youcan't have it both ways. 17 To nothold water: That theory just doesn'thold water. 18 He say he'll put outfeelers and see what he can do. 19It's a whole new ball game. 20 Totake shape: My report is beginning totake shape. 21 In any event, let meknow. 22 To be on the safe side, we'dbetter leave at two. 23 To set thestage for something: This agreementsets the stage for even closer ties. 24To do one's homework: It was obvioushe hadn't done his homework. 25Cannot see beyond the end of his nose.

17. Problems

1 Up the creek. 2 To be hard pressedto do something: We'll be hard pressedto replace him. 3 To not be out of thewoods: We're not out of the woodsyet. 4 It can't be helped, we'll haveto buy a new one. 5 To be out oforder: The telephone's out of order (oris on the blink). 6 It was the last strawwhen he said that the price had goneup. 7 He couldn't make ends meet.8 To go haywire: The computer sud-denly went haywire. 9 It was a vi-cious circle. 10 To come up against abrick wall: They came up against a brickwall. 11 To go from bad to worse:His financial situation went from badto worse. 12 To be one of those days:It's just been one of those days. 13To be behind schedule: We're fallingbehind schedule. 14 To go througha bad patch: The team is going through

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a bad patch. 15 To jump out of thefrying pan into the fire: He jumped outof the frying pan into the fire. 16 Thephotocopier is on the blink. 17 One'sAchilles' heel: We must find their Achil-les' heel. 18 By the skin of one's teeth:He caught the plane by the skin of histeeth. 19 To be heavy going: His pres-entation of the sales figures was heavygoing. 20 To take the easy way out:He took the easy way out. 21 To havesomething on one's mind: I can't relaxwith all these problems on my mind.22 To be up in arms about something:They were up in arms about the delay.23 To be hard hit: The company washard hit by the recession. 24 Thesecases are just the tip of the iceberg. 25It's a tough nut to crack.

18. Emergencies

I To keep one's head: The importantthing is to keep your head. 2 Thecalm before the storm. 3 We couldsee the light at the end of the tunnel.4 All hell breaks loose: When the newsbecame known, all hell broke loose. 5When his savings ran out, he began tofeel the pinch. 6 To be taken short: Iwas taken short. 7 When the chipsare down, what matters is who youknow. 8 If it comes to the crunch, I'llresign. 9 By seven o'clock, I was onmy last legs. 10 To have one's backto the wall: There was no choice, I hadmy back to the wall. I had to do it. 11It's impossible to do it at such shortnotice. 12 To weather the storm (orto ride out the storm). 13 Replies werecoming in thick and fast. 14 To cometo a head: Matters have come to ahead. 15 The company is in direstraits and heading for bankruptcy. 16Stanley

To tighten one's belt: He had to tightenhis belt when he lost his job. 17 Tobe at one's wit's end: He was at his wit'send. 18 To fiddle while Rome burns:The management is fiddling whileRome burns. 19 To pull the rug outfrom under someone's feet: His resig-nation pulled the rug out from underour feet. 20 To come to the boil. 21To be on the brink of something: Wewere on the brink of disaster. 22 Tobe up to one's ears (or eyes or neck) insomething: I'm up to my ears in work.23 To have one's hands full: She hasher hands full right now. 24 To getout of hand: The situation is gettingout of hand. 25 To hang by a thread:His promotion is hanging by a thread.

19. Action

1 To practice what one preaches: Hedoesn't practice what he preaches. 2It was a step in the right direction. 3We worked against the clock to meetthe deadline. 4 A stitch in time savesnine. 5 Actions speak louder thanwords. 6 We had to start again fromscratch. 7 To not do something byhalves: He never does things by halves.8 To pull out all the stops: We pulledout all the stops to make the party asuccess. 9 To take steps: The govern-ment is taking steps to end the con-flict. 10 To get the show on the road:Let's get this show on the road. 11 Inthe heat of the moment. 12 To reachfirst base: They'll probably not evenreach first base. 13 There's no timelike the present (or Don't put off till to-morrow what you can do today). 14To take the bit between one's teeth: Shehas (taken) the bit between her teeth.15 His apparent generosity was a

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Answers 1,000 everyday idioms in b u s i n e s s

means to an end. 16 Easier said thandone. 17 No sooner said than done.18 To follow suit: He sold all his sharesand the others followed suit. 19 Tonip something in the bud: That kind ofbehaviour must be nipped in the bud.20 We have to come to grips with theproblem. 21 To cut corners: He's al-ways cutting corners to get thingsdone. 22 Out of order. 23 To makea point of doing something: She alwaysmade a point of talking to everyone.24 To throw caution to the winds: Hethrew caution to the winds. 25 Thismachine only works in fits and starts.

2O. Success

I If you've convinced the boss, that'shalf the battle. 2 To hit the jackpot:He hit the jackpot. 3 To do the trick:Thanks for those pills, they did the trick.4 To make a killing: He made a killing.5 It's probably only a flash in the pan.6 To go from strength to strength: Ourcampaign is going from strength tostrength. 7 Nothing succeeds like suc-cess. 8 He's getting better by leapsand bounds. 9 To be home and dry:Once they agree to terms, we'll be prac-tically home and dry. 10 To make asplash: The new range made a splash.I1 It'll take some time for the newsystem to get off the ground. 12 Toget on top of something: They finallymanaged to get on top of the situa-tion. 13 To land on one's feet: Healways seems to land on his feet. 14To make someone or break someone:It can make us or break us. 15 Onething led to another. 16 To rise fromthe ashes: He went bust three times,and three times rose from the ashes.17 To make one's mark: He made his

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mark in business. 18 All's well thatends well. 19 To make a go of some-thing: He's making a go of the business.20 A sure-fire method. 21 To have(got) it made: If you go to HarvardBusiness School, you've got it made.22 To come out on top: Our teamcame out on top. 23 A self-made man.24 I took a short cut across the park.25 To get off to a flying start: He gotoff to a flying start in his new job.

21. Failure

1 To go to the dogs: The country's go-ing to the dogs. 2 To shoot some-thing down in flames: They shot itdown in flames. 3 To give somethingup as a bad job: He gave it up as a badjob. 4 To go back to square one: Nowwe're right back to square one. 5 Tocome to nothing: His ambitions hadcome to nothing. 6 To go downhill:That restaurant has certainly gonedownhill. 7 To come a cropper. 8 Adamp squib. 9 You can't win themall. 10 In the end they had to throwin the towel. 11 To reach a dead end:The talks reached a dead end. 12 Tosee the writing on the wall: Investorssaw the writing on the wall and soldtheir shares. 13 To go bust: The firmwent bust last year. 14 To serve nopurpose: It serves no particular pur-pose, it's purely decorative. 15 To fallflat (on one's face): His jokes about sec-retaries fell flat. 16 To make a dent insomething: It's made a big dent in oursavings. 17 To fight a losing battle:We were fighting a losing battle againstinflation. 18 To hit rock bottom: Mo-rale had hit rock bottom. 19 A has-been: ...other old has-beens like him-self. 20 To go down the drain: It's

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Answers ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

money down the drain. 21 The be-ginning of the end. 22 To go back tothe drawing board: Back to the draw-ing board! 23 To come away empty-handed: The delegation came backempty-handed. 24 To go to the wall:More and more companies were goingto the wall. 25 To lose one's touch: Imust be losing my touch.

22. Mistakes

1 To cut one's own throat: If you leavenow, you'll be cutting your own throat.2 To get off on the wrong foot: Hegot off on the wrong foot. 3 To backthe wrong horse. 4 To bark up thewrong tree: You're barking up thewrong tree. 5 To put all one's eggs ina one basket: Don't put all your eggsin one basket. 6 To bury one's headin the sand: When are you going tostop burying your head in the sand?7 To go too far: This situation has gonetoo far. 8 To tread on someone's toes:When we made those changes, wewere careful not to tread on anyone'stoes. 9 To be wide of the mark: Hisestimate was wide of the mark. 10 Toput one's foot in it: He put his foot init. 11 To get somebody wrong: Don'tget me wrong, we're not against theplan. 12 I don't intend to go out tothe airport again on another wildgoose chase. 13 To live beyond one'smeans: He was living beyond hismeans. 14 To bite off more than onecan chew: He's bitten off more than hecan chew. 15 To blow up in one'sface: Their plans blew up in their faces.16 To go off the rails: He went com-pletely off the rails when he lost his job.17 To go wrong: Follow the instruc-tions and you can't go wrong. 18 ToStanley

be on the wrong track: I think we'reon the wrong track here. 19 To beout of tune with something: The build-ing is out of tune with it's surroundings.20 To make a hash of something: Hemade a real hash of writing the report.21 A half-baked idea: Stop wastingour time with your half-baked ideas.22 To dig one's own grave: You're dig-ging your own grave. 23 To shootone's mouth off: He's always shootinghis mouth off about what he did in thearmy. 24 It's a case of the blind lead-ing the blind. 25 To rub someonethe wrong way: I suppose I just rub himthe wrong way.

23. Criticism

1 Our department will be in the firingline. 2 To tell somebody a few hometruths: I told him a few home truths. 3It's no use crying over spilt milk. 4 Tolay the blame for something on some-body: He laid the blame for everythingon his partner. 5 To pour cold waterover something: The division headspoured cold water over our proposals.6 A slap in the face. 7 To have abone to pick with someone: Tell MarcusI have a bone to pick with him. 8 Togive something (or someone) shortshrift: The idea was given short shrift.9 And, to add insult to injury, I had topay for his meal. 10 They took ourcriticism to heart. 11 The bad newsput a damper on the celebrations. 12To vote with one's feet: He decided tovote with his feet. 13 To put one'sown house in order: Let him put hisown house in order. 14 To make nobones about something: He makes nobones about his sympathies. 15 It's abone of contention between them. 16

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Answers 1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

To be in somebody's bad books: We'rein her bad books at the moment. 17We should let bygones be bygones. 18To pick holes in something: They keptpicking holes in my argument. 19 Ihave no hard feelings about the waythey treated me. 20 To lay oneselfwide open to something: That wouldlay us wide open to criticism. 21 Youcould drive a horse and carriagethrough it. 22 To make amends forsomething: He should make amends tous for his negligence. 23 To tell some-one where to get off: I'll soon tell himwhere to get off. 24 To tear some-thing to pieces: Neither had he ex-pected them to tear it to pieces. 25To clear the air: It clears the air for awhile.

24. Reactions

1 To cut one's losses: We should cutour losses and drop the deal. 2 It'ssour grapes: He said that the job wouldhave been boring anyway, but that wasjust sour grapes. 3 To dig one's heelsin: She dug her heels in and refused tobe persuaded. 4 To clutch at straws:He's just clutching at straws. 5 To whetsomeone's appetite for something: Theexperience had whetted her appetitefor foreign travel. 6 To get a grip ononeself: This type of behaviour is point-less. Get a grip on yourself! 7 To puton a brave face (or to put a brave faceon something): She was very disap-pointed but she put a brave face on it.8 To turn a blind eye to something:The company turns a blind eye to pri-vate phone calls. 9 To turn a deaf earto something: They turned a deaf earto our warnings. 10 To be glad tosee the back of someone: I was glad

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to see the back of them. 11 Well, wehave to be thankful for small mercies.12 To take a hard line. 13 To takesomething lying down: When you tellhim, he won't take it lying down. 14To stretch a point. 15 To make dowith something: We'll have to make dowith what we have. 16 To lose sleepover something: I'm not going to loseany sleep over it. 17 He's trying topick up the pieces of his life. 18 Tonot bat an eyelid: When he announcedhis resignation, she didn't bat an eye-lid. 19 To lose heart: They've lost heartin the project. 20 To look on thebright side: She always looks on thebright side of things. 21 To take adim view of something: They take avery dim view of this type of behav-iour. 22 We could all be sacked atthe drop of a hat. 23 I refuse to takesides when they start to argue. 24You'll just have to grin and bear it. 25To be sick and tired of something: We'resick and tired of your complaints.

25. Opportunities

1 To hand something to someone ona plate: They aren't going to hand it tous on a plate. 2 The letter arrived outof the blue. 3 That way we could killtwo birds with one stone. 4 Goodteachers are few and far between. 5To rise to the occasion: They rose tothe occasion. 6 To play one's cardsright: If you play your cards right... 7To have a finger in every pie: He has afinger in every pie. 8 To not look agift horse in the mouth: (saying) Neverlook a gift horse in the mouth. 9 Tomiss the boat: I missed the boat withmy application. 10 To take advan-tage of something: He took full advan-

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Answers 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

tage (or he made the most) of the op-portunity. 11 It is difficult to gain afoothold in the Japanese market. 12He let the opportunity slip through hisfingers. 13 To get in on the groundfloor. 14 You have the best of bothworlds. 15 To break new ground:They're breaking new ground in thetreatment of this disease. 16 If I wereyou, I'd buy it while the going is good.17 Every cloud has a silver lining. 18To be up for grabs: The job is up forgrabs. 19 To make hay while the sunshines: (saying) Make hay while the sunshines. 20 Don't worry, this may turnout to be a blessing in disguise. 21The sky's the limit. 22 To have a crackat something: Let me have a crack atfixing it. 23 n 24 You'd better strikewhile the iron is hot and tell him now.25 To make the most of something:We must make the most (or take fulladvantage) of this good weather.

offered him a job. 12 To be (orto go)out on a limb: He went out on a limbdefending the research. 13 To betouch and go: For a while it was touchand go whether it would be ready ontime. 14 To play it safe. 15 To leavesomeone to sink or swim: New recruitsare left to sink or swim. 16 To skateon thin ice: They're skating on thin ice.17 To put one's money where one'smouth is: Let's see you put your moneywhere your mouth is! 18 To cut itfine: Hasn't he left yet? He's cutting itvery fine! 19 It was a shot in the darkbut it proved to be right. 20 In theend we won, but it was a close shave.21 It's anybody's guess: What will hap-pen next is anybody's guess. 22Against the odds: They won the con-tract against all the odds. 23 To playwith fire: You're playing with fire. 24Time will tell. 25 A long shot: It's a bitof a long shot, but it just might work.

26. Risk 27. Competition

1 To carry out a spot check: We docarry out spot checks. 2 I didn't reallythink I'd find him in the office, but Iwent on the off-chance. 3 An un-known quantity: The new sales man-ager is a bit of an unknown quantity.4 To push one's luck: Be careful, you'repushing your luck. 5 It's all a bit hitand miss. 6 To be at the mercy ofsomething: We are at the mercy of theirhunches. 7 To keep one's fingerscrossed: - Will he come tomorrow?Keep your fingers crossed. 8 Theywere selected at random. 9 Her ca-reer hung in the balance. 10 To notstand a dog's chance: We didn't standa dog's chance of winning. 11 To stickone's neck out: I stuck my neck out andStanley

1 They have a head start over us, sothey'll probably win. 2 To be streetsahead of someone (or something): Thecompany is streets ahead of it competi-tors. 3 To knock spots off someone(or something): Their latest machinesknock spots off all comparable PCs. 4To play into somebody's hands: Don'tplay into his hands, tell him no. 5 Tocome off second best: I have no inten-tion of coming off second best. 6 Toset the pace: Europe has set the pacefor reform. 7 To give someone a goodrun for his (her, their, etc.) money:Never mind, we gave him a good runfor his money. 8 To stand the pace:He can't stand the pace. 9 To be inthe running: We're still in the running

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for the contract. 10 To be out of therunning: They are out of the running.11 It has to be a frank discussion, withno holds barred. 12 To give some-one an edge (over someone else): Itwould give us an edge over our com-petitors. 13 To be on the cutting edgeof something: We are on the cuttingedge of technological development.14 In the teeth of something: Thechanges were made in the teeth ofstrong resistance. 15 To stay (or tobe) one jump ahead of someone: He'salways one jump ahead of us. 16 Tohold one's own: He holds his own withthe senior partners. 17 To keep pacewith somebody: I can't keep pace withhim. 18 To jump on the bandwagon:We were accused of jumping on thebandwagon. 19 To get in on the act:He tried to get in on the act. 20 Tobeat someone to the punch: Somebodyhad beaten her to the punch. 21 Tobe neck and neck (with someone): Thetwo runners were neck and neck. 22To meet one's match: He has met hismatch in Dennis Bartley. 23 Anothernail in someone's coffin: This is anothernail in their coffin. 24 To gain ground:The campaign to protect the environ-ment is gaining ground. 25 He wasdetermined to get out of the rat race.

28. Teamwork

1 To be hand in glove: They're said tobe hand in glove with their competi-tors to fix prices. 2 Two heads arebetter than one. 3 To do someone agood turn: You've done me a goodturn. 4 To be in the same boat: We'reall in the same boat. 5 To go hand inhand: These matters go hand in hand.6 Jobs for the boys. 7 To be on the

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same wavelength: He wasn't on thesame wavelength as the others. 8 Tolet the side down: He always lets theside down. 9 To be in good company:You're in good company, we've all beenfired. 10 To sit on the sidelines: Hehas been sitting on the sidelines ofpublic life for years. 11 To pull one'sweight: Everyone will have to pull theirweight to get the job done. 12 Hewas a square peg in a round hole. 13Many hands make light work. 14 Toplay ball with someone: We tried topersuade him but he refused to playball. 15 To do something in tandemwith somebody: We make decisions intandem with their department. 16She's the driving force behind theproject. 17 You can't trust him, he'sin cahoots with Neyrolles. 18 Therank and file. 19 Too many cooks spoilthe broth. 20 To be as thick asthieves: Last year they couldn't standeach other, now they're as thick asthieves. 21 They close ranks whenthey are criticised. 22 To see eye toeye: Those two have never seen eyeto eye. 23 The two companies werenot competing on equal terms. 24To give someone a hand: They gaveus a hand. 25 To have a hand insomething: I had a hand in its crea-tion.

29. Quality

1 To be second to none: Our serviceis second to none. 2 To be no greatshakes: The food was no great shakes.3 To put something or someone toshame: He speaks English so well thathe puts me to shame. 4 He'll nevermake the grade. 5 To beggar descrip-tion: It beggars description. 6 To

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scrape the bottom of the barrel: You'rereally scraping the bottom of the bar-rel. 7 To separate the men from theboys: The initial training separates themen from the boys. 8 To not be up tomuch: His work wasn't up to much. 9To be worth one's salt: Any engineerworth his salt would have seen it im-mediately. 10 You cannot hold a can-dle to him. 11 To be up to scratch:He's simply not up to scratch. 12 Tomake a clean sweep of something: Ourteam made a clean sweep of theawards. 13 To get one's money'sworth: I've got (or had) my money'sworth out of this car. 14 Second-rate.15 This hotel is the pick of the bunch.16 It's not all it's cracked up to be. 17Language schools are two a penny. 18To go out of one's way to do some-thing: He went out of his way to makeme feel at home. 19 Fly-by-night. 20To steal the show. 21 It's absolutelyout of this world. 22 To be in a classof one's own: He's in a class of his own(or it's in a class of its own). 23 Youcan't keep a good man down. 24 It'snothing to write home about (or It's nogreat shakes). 25 To praise someoneor something to the skies: It has beenpraised to the skies.

3O. Negotiations

1 The ball is in your court. 2 To takesomeone's point: I take your point, butour prices are not negotiable. 3 Togrind to a halt: The negotiations haveground to a halt. 4 To be poles apart:He and his brother are poles apart. 5To have someone over a barrel: Wehave him over a barrel. 6 He has beenorganising everything behind thescenes. 7 We split the difference. 8Stanley

There has to be some give and take. 9To get down to brass tacks. 10 To layone's cards on the table: I'm preparedto lay my cards on the table. 11 (Youcan) take it or leave it. 12 He had anace up his sleeve. 13 To budge aninch: He wouldn't budge an inch. 14To play cat and mouse with somebody:I think they're playing cat and mousewith us. 15 To strengthen one's hand:His announcements have strengthenedour hand. 16 Common ground. 17They managed to turn the tables ontheir adversaries. 18 You have todraw the line somewhere. 19 A stum-bling block: We have overcome themost important stumbling block. 20To have the upper hand: He thinks hehas the upper hand. 21 To meetsomeone halfway: If he won't agree tothis, we'll have to meet him halfway.22 To stand one's ground: He stoodhis ground. 23 To call someone's bluff:Go ahead and call his bluff. 24 Tolose face. 25 Beggars can't be choos-ers.

31. Results

1 She soon became a householdname. 2 Not by a long chalk. 3 Acan of worms: The revaluation of sala-ries opened up a can of worms. 4 Tomake inroads into something: Trainingmake serious inroads into my free time.5 To make headway: We've finallymanaged to make some headway. 6To pave the way for something: Thisbill paved the way for a united Europe.7 To flog a dead horse: You're flog-ging a dead horse talking to themabout cutting expenditure. 8 The re-sult was a foregone conclusion. 9 Theacid test is whether the public likes it

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Answers ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

or not. 10 It makes no odds. 11The end-of-year bonus was just the ic-ing on the cake. 12 If you don't fin-ish on time, you won't be paid n that'sthe bottom line. 13 At the end of theday, it's his responsibility. 14 To bearfruit: His careful planning bore fruit.15 They couldn't come up with thegoods. 16 This is a far cry from whatI expected. 17 He has made his bedand now he must lie in it. 18 Thecourse of events has come full circle.19 To take its toll: Years of hard workhad taken their toll on his health. 20So far, so good. 21 To not have a legto stand on: He doesn't have a leg tostand on. 22 The employees in thiscompany are a mixed bag. 23 Toserve somebody right: It serves youright. 24 One swallow doesn't makea summer. 25 To fall short of some-thing: The quality of their products fallsshort of our requirements.

32. Responsibility

1 To be saddled with something: Wewere saddled with all the bills. 2 Theywere fighting for their place in thepecking order. 3 She's not the sort topull rank. 4 To know where onestands: I like to know where I stand. 5He has decided to take a back seat fromnow on. 6 We can't do it unless wehave his say-so. 7 To rule the roost:He's the one who rules the roost. 8To be quits with someone: Now we'requits. 9 To have friends in high places:He has friends in high places. 10 Asusual I had to carry the can. 11 Tohave the final say in something: Themanager has the final say in thesematters. 12 To stand on one's owntwo feet: You have to learn to stand

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on your own two feet. 13 To givesomeone a free hand: They would givehim a free hand. 14 To have a say insomething: I have no say in the mat-ter. 15 To give someone the greenlight: Plans for the new tower blockhave been given the green light (orgo-ahead). 16 To give someone the go-ahead: Our plans were given the go-ahead (orgreen light). 17 To put one'sfoot down: He put his foot down andrefused to sign. 18 The top brass.19 To play second fiddle to someone:After years of playing second fiddle toothers... 20 To have a lot to answerfor: The mining industry has a lot toanswer for. 21 A sleeping partner or(US) a silent partner. 22 They accusedhim of trying to pass the buck. 23 Tokick someone upstairs: The only solu-tion was to kick the present one up-stairs. 24 To call the shots: Cronin'scalling the shots now. 25 To washone's hand of something or someone:After that, he washed his hands ofthem.

33- Ethics

1 To cook the books: Someone hasbeen cooking the books. 2 To be asgood as one's word: He was as goodas his word. 3 He does not have thecourage of his convictions. 4 To pullthe wool over someone's eyes: There'sno point trying to pull the wool overhis eyes. 5 Now his policies havecome home to roost. 6 To sweepsomething under the carpet: They at-tempted to sweep the affair under thecarpet. 7 To take someone's word forit: You'll have to take my word for it. 8To feather one's nest: He has featheredhis nest at the tax payer's expense. 9

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There are no two ways about it. 10Honesty is the best policy. 11 Younever know when they're being sincereand when they're simply on the make.12 They paid him $25,000 under thetable. 13 To grease somebody's palm.14 To get cold feet: He got cold feetand said nothing. 15 In good faith.16 To catch someone red-handed: Icaught him red-handed. 17 He's aman of his word. 18 To have the gutsto do something: He had the guts tosay it to his face. 19 All the transac-tions were above board. 20 They wonfair and square. 21 He has an itchypalm. 22 To go against the grain: Itgoes against the grain for me to sup-port them. 23 That's a different kettleof fish. 24 He doesn't do it on princi-ple. 25 To be on the level: Don'tworry, Sam's on the level.

34. Psychology

1 To show one's true colours: He re-vealed his true colours. 2 To be onpins and needles: They were on pinsand needles waiting for the results. 3To keep somebody on tenterhooks: Sheloves keeping people on tenterhooks.4 To be on cloud nine: He's been oncloud nine since he heard the news.5 His bark is worse than his bite. 6To show what one is made of: This isyour chance to show the managementwhat you're made of. 7 To be set inone's ways: Naturally he's set in hisways. 8 Deep down she regretted it.9 To be out of one's mind: You mustbe out of your mind. 10 What makesomeone tick: I'd like to know whatmakes him tick. 11 To go all to pieces:He went all to pieces when he foundout. 12 To slip one's mind: I'm sorry,Stanley

it completely slipped my mind. 13 Toread someone like a book: Don't tellme stories, I can read you like a book.14 To take it out on somebody: I knowyou're upset, but don't take it out onme. 15 To blow hot and cold onsomething: He blows hot and cold onevery subject. 16 He was a bag ofnerves before the interview. 17 What'seating you? 18 She has both feet onthe ground. 19 He's very quick onthe uptake. 20 To have a chip onone's shoulder: He has a chip on hisshoulder about his background. 21To fly off the handle at someone: WhenI told her, she flew off the handle. 22In this job you have to be able to thinkon your feet. 23 He's nobody's fool.24 To be fed up with something: I'mfed up with being told what to do. 25He has a screw loose.

35. Colleagues

1 To have something in store for some-body: What does fate have in store forus? 2 To be all mouth: He's all mouth.3 A skeleton staff. 4 You're a gluttonfor punishment, going into the officeat the weekend. 5 Supermarkets willraise prices across the board. 6 Toget on someone's nerves: That noisegets on my nerves. 7 To pass the hatround (or around). 8 To give some-one his due: To give him his due, he isvery efficient. 9 To keep oneself tooneself: She tends to keep herself toherself. 10 An Aunt Sally. 11 Tohate somebody's guts: They hate eachother's guts. 12 To be a dead ringerfor someone: He's a dead ringer for hisbrother. 13 He's worked in this officeso long, he's part of the furniture. 14She seemed to be on the ball. 15 To

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Answers 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

give somebody the sack: They gavethem all the sack. 16 He's a pain inthe neck. 17 To put someone out topasture: They'll be putting him out topasture soon. 18 He's a sensible,down-to-earth person. 19 This com-pany needs some new blood. 20 Awhizz kid. 21 He's a dark horse. 22He became the boss's right-hand man.23 I feel like a fish out of water. 24A fair-weather friend: It's painful to dis-cover how many fair-weather friendsyou had. 25 He's a real live wire.

nally decided to bury the hatchet. 19To have an axe to grind: I have no axeto grind in this matter. 20 To get evenwith someone: I'll get even with himsome day. 21 Their quarrel is only astorm in a teacup. 22 To curry fa-vour: He's simply currying favour. 23It's every man for himself. 24 To put aspoke in somebody's wheels: He'll tryto put a spoke in your wheels. 25 Topoke one's nose into something: He'salways poking his nose into our busi-ness.

36. Politics 37. Careers

1 He looks after number one. 2 Shetried to keep a low profile. 3 To stabsomeone in the back: This was a stabin the back for the export manager. 4A snake in the grass: Some snake in thegrass informed on us. 5 To soft-soapsomeone: She soft-soaped him intoagreeing. 6 To put someone's noseout of joint: That put his nose out ofjoint. 7 To give someone enough ropeto hang himself: Give him enough ropeand he'll hang himself. 8 To lick some-body's boots: It make me sick to see theway he licks the boss's boots. 9 Theyhave a vested interest in promotingthese products. 10 To take the creditfor something: His boss took all thecredit for writing the report. 11 Toput in a good word for someone: Hepromised to put in a good word for mewith the manager. 12 A hatchet man.13 You scratch my back and I'll scratchyours. 14 To pull strings: He pulledquite a few strings to get that job. 15He has been seeing her on the sly. 16Behind somebody's back: They wereplanning something behind my back.17 To make waves. 18 They've fi-

180

1 To make a name for oneself: Hemade a name for himself as an indus-trial designer. 2 Out of sight, out ofmind. 3 To pull oneself up by one'sbootstraps: He pulled himself up by hisbootstraps. 4 To get into one's stride:I was just getting into my stride whenthey fired me. 5 That's a feather in hiscap. 6 A rolling stone gathers nomoss. 7 To come up through theranks: He came up through the ranks.8 To mark time: He was really justmarking time. 9 To follow in some-body's footsteps: He wanted to followin his father's footsteps. 10 This com-pany has an excellent track record. 11To set one's sights on something: Hehad set his sights on becoming a law-yer. 12 To fly high: He's flying high.13 To pull one's socks up: It's high timehe pulled his socks up. 14 To rest onone's laurels: They've been resting ontheir laurels. 15 It's a stepping stoneto success. 16 To be cut out for some-thing: I'm not cut out for business. 17To have the makings of something: Hehas the makings of a personnel man-ager. 18 He's in line for a raise soon.

Stanley


19 Up-and-coming. 20 To blotone's copybook: It was a blot on hiscopybook (or He blotted his copy-book.) 21 To give someone a paton the back: He deserves a pat onthe back. 22 To step into some-body's shoes: It's not easy to step intothe shoes of such a man. 23 Withdedication you'll go far. 24 They'vecome up in the world. 25 To fall bythe wayside: They fell by the way-side.

38. Contacts

1 To get in touch with somebody: Getin touch with us when you arrive. 2 Tostay in touch: I try to stay in touch withmy friends from university. 3 To givesomeone the lowdown on something: Iwant you to give me the lowdown ontheir recent R&D. 4 To have someonein the palm of one's hand: She's got himin the palm of her hand. 5 To not besomebody's cup of tea: It isn't my cup oftea. 6 To be on good terms with some-body: We aren't on very good terms atthe moment. 7 Better the devil youknow (than the devil you don't). 8 Toput business somebody's way: I'm happyto put business his way. 9 The old palsact. 10 He only goes to the office oncein a blue moon. 11 It takes all sorts (tomake a world). 12 To have a foot inboth camps. 13 To drop names: He'salways dropping names. 14 Noneother than. 15 To get wind of some-thing: How on earth did you get windof it? 16 It's a small world. 17 To hearsomething on the grapevine: I heard iton the grapevine. 18 He met with hisFrench opposite number. 19 Talk ofthe devil! 20 To give someone a legup: I gave him a leg up. 21 They're theStan ley

salt of the earth. 22 To be in the know:Are they in the know? 23 To get onlike a house on fire: The manager and Iget on like a house on fire. 24 We'veknown each other long enough to beon first name terms. 25 To know some-one to see (or by sight): I only know himto see.

39. Socialising

1 To put in an appearance: He put ina brief appearance at the party. 2 Onefor the road. 3 To throw a party forsomeone: They threw a party for him.4 To get away from it all. 5 To take ajoke: You can't take a joke. 6 Theyput on some music to break the ice. 7To take a hint: I kept looking at mywatch but he didn't take the hint. 8Their relationship has been on the rocksfor some time. 9 To make oneself athome: Sit down and make yourself athome. 10 To take it easy. 11 A wetblanket. 12 All work and no playmakes Jack a dull boy. 13 Please,there's no need to stand on ceremonywith us. 14 To pull someone's leg:You're pulling my leg, aren't you? 15We were wined and dined by the man-ager and his wife. 16 We made smalltalk until he arrived. 17 He was thelife and soul of the party. ISA dropof the hard stuff. 19 The more themerrier. 20 To let off steam: When hegets angry, he lets off steam by goingfor a run. 21 To talk shop: Stop talk-ing shop, you're on holidays. 22 Todo the honours. 23 To drown one'ssorrows: He's in the bar drowning hissorrows. 24 To rub shoulders withsomebody: He rubs shoulders withmovie stars. 25 To let one's hair down:He really let his hair down at the party.

181

1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

4O. Miscellaneous

1 To have nothing to do with some-thing or someone: That has nothing todo with you. 2 On the face of it, theeconomy is improving. 3 All along.4 To be (or to feel) under the weather:She was feeling under the weather. 5To jump the gun: Don't jump the gun.6 To one's cost: You can't drink anddrive, as he found out to his cost. 7The job's as good as finished. 8 Forstarters. 9 Out of the question. 10By and large, the organisation is good.1 1 Their way of doing business is acase in point. 12 Oh, by the way,there's a letter for you. 13 By allmeans take it, but please bring it back.14 Let alone. 15 It wasn't an acci-dent, he did it on purpose. 1 6 In thelight of what we now know, the ideaseems strange. 1 7 They sold book,newspapers, and so forth. 1 8 I agreein principle with what you say. 1 9 Hewas rude, to say the least. 20 Out ofplace. 21 To hold good: My promisestill holds good. 22 As a matter offact, I've never been to Spain. 23 Thelong and the short of it is that we'vefailed. 24 On no account are you tosee her again. 25 To be in favour ofsomething: I'm all in favour of freedomof speech.

182 Stanley

Answers

Index 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in bus iness

The numbers in this index are chapter numbers, not page numbers.

able 34account 14, 40ace 30Achilles 17acid 3 1act 27, 38action 19add 23advantage 25advocate 1 1again 1agree 1 1ahead 2, 27air 14, 16, 23alike 9allowance 10alone 40always 1amend 23another 1, 5, 20answer 32anybody 26apart 30appearance 39appetite 24argue 14argument 1 1arm 8, 1 7ash 20Aunt 35axe 36

baby 1 5back 6, 9, 18, 21,22, 24, 32, 36,37

backwards 7bad 1, 3, 17, 21,23

bag 4, 31, 34balance 14, 26ball 35ball 12, 16, 28, 30bandwagon 27bargain 8bark 22, 34barred 27barrel 29, 30base 19basket 22bat 24bath 15battle 20, 2 1bean 4bear 9,24,31beat 6, 12, 27bed 31i_ _ _ t ibeg 1 1beggar 29,30beginning 21believe 4believing 5bell 1 1belt 5, 1 8benefit 14best 2, 25, 27, 33bet 3, 16

better 1,2, 14,15, 28, 38

big 15bill 3bird 1, 4, 25bit 19bite 22, 34bitten 5black 3, 4blame 1, 23blanket 39blessing 25blind 22, 24blink 1 7block 30blood 8, 35blot 37blow 1, 22, 34blue 13, 25, 38blue-collar 6bluff 30board 21, 33, 35boat 25, 28boggles 10boil 18bolts 16bomb 3bone 23book 5, 23, 33, 34boots 36bootstraps 37both 6, 16, 25, 38bottom 3, 10, 21,29, 31

bounds 20

bow 5boy 28, 29, 39brains 9, 1 1brainwave 9brass 30, 32brave 24break 8, 18, 20,25, 39

breath 13breathe 6brick 1 7bridge 5, 1 5bright 24brink 18broth 28buck 32bud 19budge 30bull 14bum 4bunch 29burn 6, 1 8burnt 5bury 22, 36bush 1, 12business 4, 12, 38bust 2 1bygones 23

Stanley 185

A B

Index ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

cahoots 28cake 6, 8, 3 1call 1,2, 13, 30,32

calm 18camp 38can 1, 22, 25, 32candle 6, 29cap 37card 4, 16, 25, 30care 1carpet 33carry 26, 32cart 1 5case 40cash 3castles 1 6cat 4, 30catch 33caution 19ceremony 39chalk 31chance 26change 8, 14chase 22check 26cheek 13chest 4chew 22chicken 8, 1 5chip 18, 34chooser 30circle 1 2, 1 7, 3 1class 29clean 29clear 23

clock 2close 4, 26, 28cloud 25, 34clue 9clutch 24coach 23coffin 27coin 14cold 23, 33, 34colour 3, 34comb 1 6come 1, 2, 4, 9,

15, 17, 18, 19,20, 21,27,31,33,37

common 30company 28compare 1 1conclusion 9, 31cons 14contention 23conviction 33cook 33cookie 1cooks 28copybook 37corner 8, 1 9corrected 12cost 3, 8, 1 6, 40count 15, 16country 5courage 33course 7court 30cover 1 2cow 2

crack 1 7, 25cracked 29credit 36creek 17cropper 2 1cross 9, 11,15crossed 10, 26crossroads 1 4crumble 1crunch 18cry 31crying 23cuff 1 3cup 38cure 15curry 36cut 6, 12, 13, 19,20, 22, 24, 26,37

cutting 27

damp 21damper 23dark 4, 26dark 35date 2day 2, 7, 1 6, 1 7,

31

dead 6, 9, 21, 31,35

deadline 19deaf 24deal 8debt 3deep 3, 34dent 2 1depth 10description 29deserve 1devil 1 1, 38differ 1 1difference 30different 33dig 22, 24dim 24dine 39dire 18direction 19dirty 6disguise 25dog 1, 5, 21, 26dole 6dollar 3done 2, 12, 19donkey 2, 6door 8dot 2

186 Stanley

C D

Index 1 ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

doubt 14downhill 21down 6downs 1down-to-earth 35dozen 8drain 2 1draw 30drawing 2 1drink 25drive 8, 23driving 28drop 3, 24, 38, 39dropped 10drown 39dry 20due 35dull 39

ear 4, 5, 11, 18,24

earth 38easier 19easy 1, 17, 39eating 34edge 27edgeways 1 1egg 22eleventh 2empty 2 1end 6, 1 0, 1 2, 1 5,

16, 17, 18, 19,20, 21, 31

enough 36equal 28error 5even 7, 8, 36event 5, 7, 16every 25, 36evil 15exception 1eye 10, 24, 28, 33eyelid 24

face 9, 11, 13, 21,22, 23, 24, 30,40

fact 40fair 33fair-weather 35faith 33fall 10, 21, 31, 37far 22, 25, 31, 37fast 1 8favour 1 4, 36 40feather 33, 37fed 34feed 81 Wt^U \J

feel 18feeler 16feelings 14, 23feet 18, 20, 23,32, 33, 34

fence 14few 23, 25fiddle 1 8, 32fight 2 1file 28final 32find 5fine 13, 26fine-tooth 16finger 5, 25, 26fingertip 4fire 4, 1 7, 26, 38firing 23first 1,8, 10, 15,

19firstname 38fish 15, 33, 35fit 19

flame 2 1flash 20flat 2 1flies 2flog 3 1flood 8floor 25flowed 5fly 34, 37fly-by-night 29flying 20follow 19, 37food 9fool 1 , 34foolish 3foot 3, 8, 22, 32

38foothold 25footsteps 37force 28forearmed 1foregone 3 1foremost 15forewarned 1form 7forth 1 2, 40forward 16forwards 7free 32friend 32, 35fruit 3 1fry 15frying 17full 6, 1 8, 3 1fun 2furniture 35

Stan ley 187

E F

Index 1,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

H

gab 13gain 1, 25, 27game 16gather 37get 5, 6, 7, 8, 9,

10, 11, 12, 18,19, 20,22,23,24, 25,27, 29,30,33,35,36,37,38,39

gift 13, 25give 8, 10, 1 4, 2 1 ,23, 27, 28, 30,32, 35, 36, 37,38

glad 24glove 28glutton 35go 1, 3, 5, 7, 8,

10, 12, 13, 16,17, 20, 21,22,26, 28, 29, 33,34 37J if J 1

go-ahead 32going 8, 17, 25good 1, 3, 4, 10,25, 28, 29, 31,33, 36, 38, 40

goods 3 1goose 22grabs 25grade 29grain 33granted 16grapes 24grapevine 38grass 36grass 1

grave 22grease 33great 9, 29Greek 10green 32«j

greener 1grey 9grin 24grind 30, 36grindstone 6grip 1 9, 24ground 1,4, 12,20, 25, 27, 30,34

grow 3guess 26gun 14, 40guts 33, 35

hair 11, 39half 1, 8, 20half-baked 22halfway 30halt 30halves 19hand 1, 5, 6, 8,

11, 12, 18, 25,27, 28, 30, 32,38

handed 21handle 34hang 10, 18, 26,36

happy 14hard 3, 5, 8, 1 7,23, 24, 39

has-been 2 1hash 22hat 4, 1 1, 24, 35hatched 15hatchet 36hate 35have 3, 4, 5, 6, 9,

10, 12, 13, 14,15, 16, 17,18,20, 23, 25, 27,28, 30, 31, 32,33, 34, 35, 36,37, 38, 40

having 2hay 25j

haywire 1 7head 1, 10, 12,

13, 18, 22, 27,28

headway 3 1hear 4, 38

heart 9, 13, 23,24

heat 19heavy 1 7hedge 16heel 1 7, 24hell 18helped 17here 11herring 4high 2, 32, 37hill 1hint 39hit 13, 17, 20, 2126

hold 10, 12, 16,27, 29, 40

hole 23, 28home 2, 20, 23,29, 33

homework 16honesty 33honours 39horn 14horse 4, 1 5, 22,23, 25, 31, 35

hot 8, 25, 34hour 2house 23, 38household 31

188 Stanley

G

Index 1 , 0 0 0 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

1ice 26, 39

iceberg 1 7

icing 31

idea 9, 22

ill 1

inch 30

injury 23

inroads 3 J

ins 10

insult 23interest 36iron 25

issue 1 1

itchy 33

itself 1 3

J K L

Jack 39 keel 7 land 20

jackpot 20 keep 1, 2, 4, 6, large 40job 6, 21, 28 14- 18, 26, 27, ,ast 15 16 17 18

joint 36 29,34,35,36, ^ ]5JO

joke 39 __ laurel 37kettle 33

jump 9, 17, 27, , . ,- , . , lay 12, 23, 30K\f*K ^S

kid 35 lead6'25

kill 7, 25 leadi"9 22

Ipof C

killing 20i i -»-i 'eaP 20knock 27 ^. . _ . - - , - learn 5, 13know 5, 1 0, 32,

38 least 1 5, 40leave 26, 30

led 20

leg 8, 18, 31, 38,39

leisure 2lesser 1 5

lesson 5

let 1, 4, 10, 23,25, 28, 39, 40

level 33

lick 36

lie 1, 31

life 39

light 4, 18, 28,32, 40

like 4, 8

limb 26

limit 25

line 5, 7, 1 0, 1 2,23, 24, 30, 31,37

lining 25

lip 13little 4

live 5, 22, 35

Stanley 189

40

Just 5

Index

,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

loaf 1long 2, 13, 16,26, 31, 40

look 16, 24, 25,36

loose 12, 18, 34lose 1, 10, 12, 21,24, 30

losing 21losses 24Iot5, 12, 32louder 19low 36low-down 38luck 26lying 24

M

made 20, 31,34 moment 14, 19make 3, 6, 7, 10, money 1, 3, 26,

14, 15, 17, 19, 27, 2920,21,22,23, moon 38

more 10, 22, 39

38 39 moss 37

makings 37 most 25

man 20, 29, 33, motions 735, 36 mountain 15

many 13, 28 mouse 30mark 20, 22, 37 mouth 4, 11, 13,markets 22,25,26,35

match 27 move 2

matter 9, 1 0 much 29

matter 7, 40means 22, 19, 40medium 14meet 10, 17, 19,27, 30

mention 1 1mercy 24, 26merrier 39message 1 0method 20middle 7midnight 6milk 23mill 5, 7mince 13mind 9, 10, 13,

14, 17, 34, 37misery 4miss 26miss 25mixed 14, 31molehill 15

N

nail 3, 13, 27name 3, 31, 37,38

nature 5necessity 24neck 6, 9, 26, 27,35

needles 34neither 1 1nerves 34, 35nest 33never 1 ,15new5, 16, 25, 35news 4nick 2nine 19, 34nip 19nobody 1, 34none 1, 4, 29, 38normal 7nose 6, 8, 16, 36note 1 1nothing 20, 21,29, 40

notice 18nowhere 12number 36, 38nut 16,17nutshell 12

190 Stan ley

25, 28, 29, 31,33, 34, 36, 37,

Index , 000 e v e r y d a y i d i oms in b u s i n e s s

oobject 3, 5occasion 25ocean 3odds 3, 26, 31off-chance 26oil 6old 2, 5, 12, 38once 2, 5, 38onions 5only 15open 14, 23opposite 38options 14order 7, 1 7, 23,32

ordinary 7other 8other 1 , 11, 15,38

outs 10own 9, 22, 23,27, 29, 32

P

pace 27pain 35palm 33, 38pal 38pan 17, 20par 7part 35parted 1partner 32party 39pass 32, 35past 2pasture 35pat 37patch 17pave 3 1pay 1,3,8, 13pecking 32peg 28penny 1,3, 10, 29perfect 7pick 1 1, 23, 24,29

picture 4, 1 0pie 25piece 6, 23, 24,34

pile 13pinch 4, 18pin 34pipeline 16piper 1place 10, 15, 32,40

place 32plain 7

plate 25play 4, 11, 12, 2!26, 27, 28, 30,32 39J £- , *J /

plunge 14point 11, 12, 24,30, 40

point 10, 13, 19poke 36pole 30policy 33posted 4pound 1, 3pour 1, 23

practice 7

practise 19

praise 29

preach 19

premium 15

present 1 9

pressed 1 7

prevention 15

price 3, 8

pride 1 5

principle 33, 40

print 14

profile 36proportion 1 5

pros 14

prove 1

public 8

pull 18, 19, 28,32, 33, 36, 37,39

punch 27

punishment 35

purpose 1 1,12,21, 40

push 26

put 1, 4, 6, 8, 9,11, 12, 13, 15,16, 22, 23, 24,26, 29, 32, 35,36, 38, 39

Stan ley 191

Index

1,000 everyday idioms in bus iness

quandary 14

quantity 26question 3, 40

quick 34

quits 32

race 27rack 9rails 22rains 1rainy 16random 26rank 28, 32, 37rat 27

rate 8

reach 19, 21

read 10, 12, 34reason 9, 11

record 11, 12, 37

red 3, 4, 7

red-handed 33

refusal 8

rein 6relation 9

resort 1 6

rest 37

ride 5

right 9, 10, 19,25, 31

right-hand 35ring 1 1

ringer 35

rise 20, 25road 7, 19, 39

rock 21, 39

rolling 3, 12, 37

Rome 18

roof 3roost 32, 33

rope 5, 36rough 1, 5

round 2, 5,12, 28, sack 3535 saddled 32

roundabouts 1 safe 15 ,6 26

rub 22, 39 said 12, ]9

ru9 18 sailing 7rule 1,7,32 sake 2 n

run 2, 7, 8, 27 Sa||y 35

running 27 salt 4 29, 38rut 7 same 28

sand 22save 16,19say 12, 13, 32, 40say-so 32scales 14scene 30schedule 1 7score 5scrape 29scratch 11, 19, 29,36

screw 34seat 32second 5, 14, 27,29, 32

second-rate 29see 3, 9, 1 0, 1 6,

18, 21, 24, 28,38

seeing 5self 20sell 4, 8sense 15separate 29serve 21 ,31served 1 5service 13

192 Stanley

Q R S

Index ,000 everyday id ioms in bus iness

set 11, 16, 27, 34,37

shakes 29

shame 29

shape 16shave 26shed 4shines 25

shoes 1 1, 37shoestring 3

shoot 21, 22

shop 39shopping 8

short 6, 8, 1 2, 1 3,18, 20, 23, 31,40

shot 26

shots 32shoulder 6, 13,

34, 39show 12, 19, 29,

34

shrift 23shy 5sick 24

side 1, 16, 24, 28sidelines 28

sight 12, 37sights 37silent 32silver 25sink 26

sit 6, 14, 28six 8sixty-four 3

skate 26

skeleton 35

skies 29skin 17

sky 25slap 23

sleep 24sleeping 1, 32sleeve 30

slip 13, 25, 34sly 36small 14, 24, 38,

39

smoke 4smooth 1snake 36snowed 6sock 37

soft-soap 36song 3

sooner 2, 1 9

sorrow 39sorry 1 5

sort 38soul 39sour 24

spade 13spadework 6

speak 12, 13, 19

spill 4spilt 23splash 20

split 1 1, 30spoil 28

spoke 36spot 26, 27

spread 4spur14

square 21, 28, 33squib 21

stab 36staff 35

stage 16stand 11, 12, 26,

27, 30, 31, 32,39

start 12, 19, 20,27

starters 40statement 13

stay 27

steal 29steam 39

steer 4

step 16, 19, 37stepping 37

stick 10, 14, 26

stitch 19stone 8, 25, 37

stops 19store 35storm 18, 36story 13

straight 4, 10, 11,13

straits 18

straw 17, 24street 27strength 14, 20strengthen 30

stretch 6, 24

stride 7, 37

strike 14, 25string 5, 36

stuff 10, 39

stumbling 30succeed 1, 20

success 20suit 19

summer 31sun 25supply 8

sure-fire 20

surface 11swallow 31

sweep 29, 33sweeping 13

sweet 12swim 26swing 6, 7

swings 1

Stanley 193

Index ,000 everyday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

T

table 30, 33tabs 6tacks 30tail 10take 1 , 2, 4, 5, 7,

9, 12, 13, 14,16, 17, 19, 23,24, 25, 30, 31,32, 33, 34, 36,38, 39

taken 18talk 3, 11, 38, 39tandem 28tangent 12tape 7tea 38teach 5teacup 36tear 6, 23teeth 6, 17, 19 27tell 23, 26tenterhooks 34term 28, 38test 31thankful 24themselves 1there 11thick 13thick 5, 18, 28thieves 28thin 5, 15, 26thing 2, 5, 10, 11,

15, 19, 20think 9, 1 4, 34thinking 9thought 9, 1 4thousand 3

thread 10, 18throat 22throw 3, 15, 19,

21, 39thumb 7tick 34tie 1 2, 1 3tight 6tighten 18time 2, 7, 37time 1, 2, 19, 26times 2tip 13, 14, 17tired 24today 1toe 7, 22together 9, 12told 4toll 31tomorrow 1tongue 13tool 1, 6top 13, 20, 32toss 14touch 21, 26, 38tough 17towards 16towel 21toy 9track 9, 22, 37tread 22tree 3, 1 0, 22trial 5trick 5, 20true 7, 34truths 23

utry 1tune 1, 3, 14, 22tunnel 18turn 1, 6, 24, 28,30

twice 5, 9two 1, 9, 14, 15,

25, 28, 29, 32,33

understand 10unknown 26up-and-coming 37upper 30ups 1upstairs 32uptake 34use 23

194 Stan ley

Index ,000 eve ryday id ioms in b u s i n e s s

value 9vested 36vicious 17virtue 24view 16, 24vote 23

wall 17, 18, 21want 1wash 32waste 1 ,13water 1,5, 15, 16,

23, 25, 35wavelength 28waves 36way 1,5, 16, 17,

22, 29, 31, 33,38, 40

wayside 37wear 6weather 18, 40wedge 15weight 28well 20wet 5, 39wheel 6, 8, 36wherefores 9white 4whizz 35whole 16whys 9wide 22, 23wild 22wildfire 4will 1win 21wind 1, 19, 38window 8wine 39wire 10, 35wise 3, 5wishful 9wit 18

wood 10, 17wool 33word 11, 13, 19,

33, 36work 6, 7, 28, 39workman 1world 25, 29, 37,

38worse 1 7, 34worst 15worth 1, 8, 29wraps 4write 29writing 21wrong 10, 22

year 2

Stanley 195

V W Y

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