business expressions 2

BUSINESS EXPRESSIONSPart 2

My manager will sometimes ________________ at the end of the quarter ifwe need to achieve our target.

a) bend the rules b) change the rules c) break the rules

We’ve been working _________________ on this project. I can’t wait untilI get some time off!

a) long time b) round the clock c) 24 hours, 7 days a week

“Instead of talking to Sarah directly, Anna went ______________, and spokedirectly to Sarah’s manager.”

a) around her b) behind her back c) against her

“If he loses his job, he’ll be in the same _____________ as all of the other employedpeople.”

a) box b) boat c) basket

“Don’t count on Anna to bend the rules. She works ______________.”

a) by the rules b) by the book c) by the law

“The interview was mostly standard questions, but he asked me one questionthat ________________. I wasn’t sure how to answer it.”

a) caught me off guard b) caught me unexpected c) caught me on guard

“Some generic drug companies ______________ by using cheap ingredients in orderto save money.”

a) cut walls b) cut sides c) cut corners

“Our _______________ for this new territory is to first get a list of all the gastroenterologists, and then find out how many patients each have. After that…”

a) attack plan b) game plan c) strategy plan

“My job can sometimes be high-pressure, and other times, very boring. Ihave to focus on the _____________ though. It’s a good opportunity to growmy career. ”

a) big picture b) future picture c) big scene

“After the tea break, we really need to ___________________ and startdiscussing our new action plan for quarter 3.”

a) Get down to discussion b) Get up to business c) Get down to business

“Dr. Nghi isn’t friendly to most people; however I’m on his ______________ because we used to be classmates.”

a) good side b) good list c) friend list

“There are some _______________ in our policy that need to be clarified. We shouldbe more specific about the rules.”

a) Gray matters b) Black and White areas c) Gray areas

“I wish I could be there for the conference, however my hands are _________.Our flight has been delayed due to bad weather. ”

a) together b) tied c) stuck

“The book was both scary and mysterious. The characters are great, and thewriting was really beautiful. ________________, you should read this book. ”

a) In a nutshell b) In a summary c) In shortness

“She really wanted to trust her newest employee, Sam. However, Sam hadalready broken many policies. The _____________ came when he asked to take a 2-month holiday. She knew she had to fire him.”

a) last chance b) last time c) last straw

“Although the visa process was long, there were ______________. The easiestway is to pay an agent to help you get your visa faster. ”

a) short cuts b) loop ties c) loopholes

“The solution was a ______________. How obvious! Everyone agreed on the plan. ”

a) no-brainer b) brainless c) clear brainer

“You can try a free 30-day trial of our product, _________________. If you don’t likeit – no problem. We will return 100% of your money. ”

a) No hidden strings b) No ties attached c) No strings attached

“The meeting is this Friday, and we haven’t even begun to make our slideshowpresentation. We’ve got _______________ to lose!”

a) no time b) no hours c) no days

“I’m really _____________ today. I’ve had my proposal approved, I gave a greatpresentation, and I successfully got two new customers to try our product! It’s been a great day!”

a) Rolling b) On a roll c) On a ball

“I really get along well with my manger. We usually see ____________ withmost issues.”

a) nose-to-nose b) head-to-head c) eye-to-eye

“I don’t think we’re ___________________. You’re more worried about the target, but I’m more worried about our current strategy. I think we need to seek a 2nd opinion.”

a) on the same page b) in the same direction c) eye-to-eye

“I feel out of the __________, because I just started working here last week. I don’t really know what’s going on.”

a) circle b) plan c) loop

“Tom occasionally likes to __________________ and challenge his manager andcolleagues ideas. He’s a trouble-maker…”

a) shake the boat b) turn the boat c) rock the boat

“Dear Dr. Dan,

I just wanted to _____________ with you and see if your patients have respondedwell to our product.”

a) touch up b) touch ground c) touch base

“Their office looks very productive, but _______________, it’s actually very disorganized and a lot of employees are stressed out.”

a) on the other hand b) backstage c) behind the scenes

“I plan to leave for my interview 1 hour ahead of time. I want to make sure I’m there on time, and that I start off ‘on the right _____________’”

a) foot b) leg c) side