Hiring and firing

take on = hire someone: “They’re taking on more than 500 people at the canning factory.”

get the boot = be fired: “She got the boot for being lazy.”

give someone the sack = fire someone: “He was given the sack for stealing.”

give someone their marching orders = fire someone: “After the argument, he was given his marching orders.”

How do you work?

get your feet under the table = get settled in: “It only took him a week to get his feet under the table, then he started to make changes.”

burn the candle at both ends = work day and night at something: “He’s been burning the candle at both ends to finish this project.”

knuckle under = stop wasting time and start working: “The sooner you knuckle under and start work, the better.”

put pen to paper = start writing: “She finally put pen to paper and wrote the letter.”

work all the hours that God sends = work as much as possible: “She works all the hours that God sends to support her family.”

work your fingers to the bone = work very hard: “I work my fingers to the bone for you.”

go the extra mile = do more than is expected of you: “She’s a hard worker and always goes the extra mile.”

pull your weight = do your fair share of the work: “He’s a good team worker and always pulls his weight.”

pull your socks up = make a better effort: “You’ll have to pull your socks up and work harder if you want to impress the boss!”

put your feet up = relax: “At last that’s over – now I can put my feet up for a while.”

Office politics and relationships

get on the wrong side of someone = make someone dislike you: “Don’t get on the wrong side of him. He’s got friends in high places!”

butter someone up = be very nice to someone because you want something: “If you want a pay rise, you should butter up the boss.”

the blue-eyed boy = a person who can do nothing wrong: “John is the blue-eyed boy at the moment – he’s making the most of it!”

get off on the wrong foot = start off badly with someone: “You got off on the wrong foot with him – he hates discussing office politics.”

be in someone’s good (or bad) books = be in favour (or disfavour) with someone: “I’m not in her good books today – I messed up her report.”

a mover and shaker = someone whose opinion is respected: “He’s a mover and shaker in the publishing world.”

pull a few strings = use your influence for something: “I had to pull a few strings to get this assignment.”

take the rap for something = take the blame for something: “They made a mistake, but we had to take the rap for it.”

call in a favour = ask someone to return a favour: “I need a holiday – I’m going to call in a few favours and ask the others to cover for me.”

put your cards on the table = tell people what you want: “You have to put your cards on the table and tell her that you want a pay rise!”

beat around the bush = not say exactly what you want: “Tell me – don’t beat around the bush!”

sit on the fence = be unable to decide about something: “When there are arguments, she just sits on the fence and says nothing.”

pass the buck = pass on responsibility to someone else: “The CEO doesn’t pass the buck. In fact, he often says “the buck stops here!”

take someone under your wing = look after someone: “When he was taken on, Sarah took him under her wing.”

show someone the ropes = show someone how things are done: “My predecessor showed me the ropes, so I felt quite confident.”

be thrown in at the deep end = not get any advice or support: “He was thrown in at the deep end with his new job. No-one helped him at all.”

a them and us situation = when you (us) are opposed to “them”: “The atmosphere between the two departments is terrible. There’s a real them and us situation.”

Face

face-to-face = in person: “We need to arrange a face-to-face meeting.”

face the music = take responsibility for a difficult situation: “We’ve got to face the music – this company is going under.”

face up to responsibilities = accept responsibilities: “You need to face up to your responsibilities – it’s time you got a job and started to save money.”

be two-faced = be hypocritical: “I can’t believe she told you that she likes Harry – she told me she hates him! She’s so two-faced!”

Ears

be all ears = listen attentively: “So, you’ve got an idea. I’m all ears.”

have an ear for = be good at music: “He’s doing well in his piano lessons – he’s definitely got an ear for music.”

keep your ears to the ground = listen out for something: “I’ll keep my ears to the ground – the next time I hear someone wants to rent out a flat, I’ll let you know.”

up to your ears in something = be extremely busy: “I’m sorry I can’t come out this weekend – I’m up to my ears in work.”

Eyes

keep your eyes peeled = watch extremely attentively: “Keep your eyes peeled for him – he’s in the crowd somewhere.”

keep an eye out for = watch for someone or something: “Keep an eye out for the next turning on the left.”

eye up = look at someone because you think they look nice: “Whenever she goes to a club, she always gets eyed up by older men.”

have your eye on something / someone = want someone or something: “I’ve got my eye on a new computer.”

have eyes in the back of your head = warn someone that you can see exactly what they are doing: “Don’t make those signs at me – I’ve got eyes in the back of my head!”

see eye to eye on something = agree with someone: “Those two don’t always see eye to eye – they often argue.”

Other parts of the face

stick your nose in = get involved in something or someone else’s business: “I wish she wouldn’t stick her nose in like that – I really don’t want anyone else’s help.”

on the tip of my tongue = when you’ve forgotten the word you want to say: “What’s the word for it – it’s on the tip of my tongue…”

tongue-tied = when you can’t say anything because you feel shy: “She’s tongue-tied when she has to speak in public.”

by the skin of my teeth = just manage to do something: “He got out of the burning building by the skin of his teeth.”

cut your teeth on something = where you learn to do something: “He’s the best man to run the company – he cut his teeth in the Production Department and ran it successfully for years.”

teething problems = start-up problems with a new project: “We’re having teething problems with our distribution systems.”

have a cheek = be disrespectful: “He’s got a cheek saying you never help him – I saw you writing his report for him!”

a frog in my throat = when your throat tickles and makes you cough: “Sorry I can’t stop coughing – I’ve got a frog in my throat.”

stick your neck out = do or say something that might have negative results: “I’m going to stick my neck out and say what I think.”

be up to your neck in = be in a difficult situation: “He’s up to his neck in debt.”

breathe down someone’s neck = check constantly what someone else is doing: “I can’t write this letter with you breathing down my neck!”

off the top of your head = when you give an answer to something without having the time to reflect: “What’s our market strategy?” “Well, off the top of my head, I can suggest…”

have a good head for = be good at something: “He’s an accountant and he has a good head for figures.”

have your head in the clouds = dream: “He’s always got his head in the clouds – he makes all these impossible plans.”

go over your head = not understand something: “The lesson went over my head – I didn’t understand a word of it.”

keep your head = stay calm: “He always keeps his head in a crisis.”

be head over heels in love = be completely in love: “You can see that he’s head over heels in love with her.”

keep your head above water = manage to survive financially: “Despite the recession, they kept their heads above water.”

use your head = think about something to solve a problem: “It’s quite simple – just use your head!”

English idioms using ‘mind’

keep / bear something in mind = remember something for future use: “I need a job in computers.” “I’ll bear it in mind – we often have vacancies for people with your skills.”

make up your mind = decide: “I can’t make up my mind about the job offer.”

be in two minds about something = unable to decide: “I’m in two minds about buying a new car.”

be out of your mind = be really worried: “Where have you been? I’ve been out of my mind with worry.”

have a mind of your own = not be influenced by other people: “Don’t tell me what to do! I’ve got a mind of my own, you know.”

give someone a piece of your mind = tell someone how angry you are with them: “I’m going to give him a piece of my mind. He knows I cooked dinner for him and now he’s an hour late.”

The heart

break someone’s heart = upset someone greatly: “She broke his heart when she left him.”

learn something off by heart = learn something completely: “I’ve learnt this off by heart – I’m bound to pass the exam!”

you’re all heart! = when you tell someone sarcastically how kind they are: “Thanks for giving me all this work – you’re all heart!”

hand on heart = promise with sincerity: “Hand on heart, it’s the honest truth.”

have the heart = be able to give someone bad news: “I didn’t have the heart to tell him he’d failed.”

a heart of gold = be a very kind person: “She’ll always help – she has a heart of gold.”

Hands

hand over = pass on something: “Before I leave, I have to hand over all my work.”

get out of hand = become impossible to manage: “You’ll have to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand.”

know something like the back of your hand = know something extremely well: “He knows London like the back of his hand.”

have your hands full = be very busy: “I can’t do anything about it now – my hands are full.”

in hand = under control: “The company report is in hand – you’ll have it next week.”

live hand to mouth = only earn enough money for food: “After he lost his job, he had to live hand to mouth for a couple of months.”

give someone a hand = help someone: “He always gives me a hand with the housework.”

have someone in the palm of your hand = have influence over someone: “He’s got her in the palm of his hand.”

be caught red-handed = be caught doing something bad: “The children were caught red-handed picking the flowers.”

Fingers

butter fingers = be clumsy and drop things: “You’ve dropped my vase! Butter fingers!”

keep your fingers crossed = wish something for someone: “Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow – it’s my job interview.”

under your thumb = control someone: “She’s got him under her thumb – he won’t do anything without asking her first.”

Arms

twist someone’s arm = persuade someone: “I didn’t want to go out, but he twisted my arm.”

cost an arm and a leg = cost a fortune: “The car cost an arm and a leg – it’ll take them ages to pay back the loan.”

Feet and legs

put your foot in it = say or do something you shouldn’t: “I think I’ve put my foot in it – I told her about the party.”

have itchy feet = not able to settle down in one place: “She’s going off travelling again – she’s got really itchy feet.”

keep someone on their toes = keep someone alert: “Our teacher keeps us on our toes – we have to pay attention in class.”

stand on your own two feet = be independent: “I don’t need your help – I can stand on my own two feet.”

have two left feet = be awkward or clumsy: “He’s a terrible dancer – he’s got two left feet!”

walk on eggshells = be careful about what you say or do: “She’s in a terrible mood – you’ll have to walk on eggshells around her.”

foot the bill = pay the bill: “He had to foot the bill for the party.”

The back

go behind someone’s back = do something secretly: “She went behind my back and told my boss I wanted a new job.”

back off = stop trying to force someone to do something: “Will you just back off and let me decide what I should do!”

back down = accept defeat: “He finally backed down and let me buy a pet rabbit.”

back someone up = support someone: “Thank you for backing me up in the meeting.”

put your back into something = work very hard at something: “She put her back into it and got good results.”

stab someone in the back = betray someone: “Be careful of him – he’ll stab you in the back if it gets him what he wants.”

take your hat off to someone = admire someone: “I really take my hat off to people who work full time and study at the same time!”

tied to his mother’s apron strings = someone (normally a man) who does what his mother tells him: “He didn’t want to come out last weekend, because his mother disapproves of us. He’s really tied to her apron strings!”

keep something up your sleeve = keep something hidden for later: “We’ve been negotiating my new pay and conditions, but I’ve kept the other job offer up my sleeve for the time being.”

all talk no trousers – someone who talks a lot but doesn’t act: “I know he told you that he would get you a limousine for the wedding. Don’t believe him, though. He’s all talk, no trousers.”

who wears the trousers? = who has the power in a relationship: “What do you mean, she won’t let you come out with us? Who wears the trousers in your house?”

pull your socks up = work harder: “You’ll have to pull your socks up if you want a promotion next year.”

it will blow your socks off = very hot food: “This is a fantastic stir-fry – it’s hot enough to blow your socks off!”

hot under the collar = upset or angry about something: “He gets really hot under the collar about cruelty to animals – he can’t stand seeing animals suffer.”

it’s pants (UK slang) – rubbish: “What did you think of the film?” “Pants!”

get something under your belt – achieve something: “I’m really glad I passed the driving test. Now I’ve got that under my belt, I can relax for a little while.”

belt up = keep quiet: “What’s all that noise? Just belt up, would you? I can’t hear myself think.”

below the belt = unfair: “You know he’s really sensitive about the accident. I think it was a bit below the belt to mention it.”

the boot’s on the other foot = your opponent now has the advantage: “Now that she has been promoted, the boot’s on the other foot! You should watch what you say from now on.”

get your skates on = to hurry up: “Get your skates on – we’re late as it is!”

have the shirt off your back = to steal all you own: “He asked you for how much rent? He’d have the shirt off your back, if you let him.”

in only the clothes he stood up in = to only possess what you wear: “After the fire, they were left with only the clothes they stood up in.”

get shirty = become angry with someone: “Don’t get shirty with me! I’m only reporting the new rules.”

skirt around the issue = not talk directly about something: “They skirted around the issue for a while, then got down to the real business.”

cloak and dagger = mysterious: “Who’s arranging the party? I don’t know – it’s all very cloak and dagger at the moment.”

give someone a dressing down = tell someone off / reprimand someone: “He gave the whole department a dressing down after they failed to meet their agreed targets.”

dressed to the nines / dressed to kill = dressed up: “Where are you going, dressed up to the nines?”

Talk

talk nineteen to the dozen = talk fast: “She was so excited that she was talking nineteen to the dozen.”

talk the hind legs off a donkey = talk without stopping: “She can talk the hind legs off a donkey!”

talk something through / over = to discuss something: “Before we decide anything, I think we ought to talk it through.”

talk something up = to make something appear more important: “She really talked the idea up, but I don’t think that everyone was convinced.”

talk someone into doing = to persuade someone: “He talked her into buying a new car.”

talk someone through something = give step-by-step instructions: “She talked him through the procedure.”

talk down to = talk in a condescending way: “Don’t talk down to me! I understand you perfectly well.”

talk back = respond to someone in authority in a rude way: “Don’t talk back to your mother!”

This is similar to back chat: “I don’t want any back chat from you!”

talk under your breath = talk quietly so that nobody can hear you: “They talked under their breath in the meeting.”

talk rubbish = not to speak logically: “He talks complete rubbish sometimes!”
Also talk through your arse (British slang and quite rude): “You’re talking through your arse again. You know nothing about it!”

talk at cross purposes = when two people don’t understand each other because they are talking about two different things (but don’t realise it): “We’re talking at cross purposes here.”

talk / speak with a plum in your mouth = talk with a posh (=upper class) accent: “She talks with a plum in her mouth!”

talk around the subject = not get to the point: “He didn’t want to say they were in danger of losing their jobs, so he talked around the subject for half an hour.”

talk highly of someone = praise someone: “He talks very highly of you!”

to give someone a talking-to = when you talk to someone because you are angry with them: “His boss gave him a real talking-to yesterday!”

talk to yourself = to speak to yourself, maybe because you are concentrating on something: “Are you talking to yourself again?”

to be like talking to a brick wall = to not have any effect on someone: “Sometimes talking to him is like talking to a brick wall!”

talk your way out of something = get out of a difficult situation by giving a clever explanation: “Whew! I think I managed to talk our way out of that one!”

straight talking = honest words: “I want some straight talking around here!”

talk shop = talk about work in a social situation: “Whenever I go out with my colleagues, we always end up talking shop.”

Chat

to chat someone up = to talk to someone because you are attracted to them: “He went to a party and chatted up every woman.”

a chatterbox = someone who talks a lot, but not saying anything important: “She’s a bit of a chatterbox at work.”

chit-chat = social conversation about unimportant subjects: “Enough of the chit-chat! I have to get on with some work.”

Word

to have a word with someone = to talk to someone about something you are not happy with: “I’m going to have a word with him about his kids’ behaviour.”

to not have a good word to say about someone = to always criticise: “She never has a good word to say about the Browns.”

a word in your ear = something you say before you give some advice or a warning: “A word in your ear – the company are monitoring internet use.”

to not mince your words = say something directly, without trying to be diplomatic: “She doesn’t mince her words!”

to have words = to have an argument: “They’ve had words and now they’re not speaking.”

to get a word in edgeways = to try to contribute to a conversation: “They were talking so fast it was impossible to get a word in edgeways!”

Positive

get on like a house on fire = to get on really well with someone: “They get on like a house on fire.”

have a soft spot for someone = to be very fond of someone: “She has a soft spot for her youngest child.”

go back a long way = to know someone well for a long time: “Those two go back a long way. They were at primary school together.”

be in with = to have favoured status with someone: “She’s in with the management.”

Negative

get off on the wrong foot with someone = to start off badly with someone: “She really got off on the wrong foot with her new boss.”

keep someone at arm’s length = to keep someone at a distance: “I’m keeping her at arm’s length for the time being.”

they’re like cat and dog = to often argue with someone: “Those two are like cat and dog.”

rub someone up the wrong way = to irritate someone: “She really rubs her sister up the wrong way.”

be at loggerheads = to disagree strongly: “Charles and Henry are at loggerheads over the new policy.”

sworn enemies = to hate someone: “Those two are sworn enemies.”

Equality and inequality

bend over backwards for someone = do everything possible to help someone: “She bent over backwards for them when they first arrived in the town.”

be at someone’s beck and call = to always be ready to do what someone wants: “As the office junior, she was at his beck and call all day.”

pull your weight = to do the right amount of work: “The kids always pull their weight around the house.”

do your fair share = to do your share of the work: “He never does his fair share!”

take someone under your wing = to look after someone until they settle in: “He took her under his wing for her first month at work.”

keep tabs on someone = to watch someone carefully to check what they are doing: “He’s keeping tabs on the sales team at the moment.”

wear the trousers = to be in control: “She wears the trousers in their relationship.”

be under the thumb = to be controlled by someone else: “He really keeps her under the thumb.”

How you communicate

get your wires crossed =to misunderstand someone because you think they are talking about something else: “I think I’ve got my wires crossed. Were you talking about car or personal insurance?”

get the wrong end of the stick = to misunderstand someone and understand the opposite of what they are saying: “You’ve got the wrong end of the stick. The fault was with the other driver, not with me.”

be left in the dark = to be left without enough information: “We’ve been left in the dark over this project. We haven’t been told how to do it.”

talk at cross purposes = when two people don’t understand each other because they are talking about two different things (but don’t realise it): “We’re talking at cross purposes here.”

go round in circles = to say the same things over and again, so never resolving a problem: “We always end up going round in circles in these meetings.”

leave things up in the air = to leave something undecided: “I hate leaving things up in the air.”

All these idioms mean that you are absolutely delighted!

over the moon: “He was over the moon when he heard the news.”

thrilled to bits: “She was thrilled to bits with her new bicycle.”

in seventh heaven: “They were in seventh heaven when they learned they’d won a cruise.”

on cloud nine: “When I got the job, I was on cloud nine for several weeks.”

jump for joy: “We jumped for joy when we got the mortgage.”

These idioms mean you are feeling sad.

down in the dumps: “When she left him, he was down in the dumps for a couple of weeks.”

feel blue: “She felt a little blue when she lost her job.”

beside yourself (with grief, worry): “When her son went missing, she was beside herself with worry.”

Annoyed because you have missed an opportunity

sick as a parrot: “He was as sick as a parrot when he realised he had thrown away his lottery ticket.”

:-V

These idioms mean that you are very angry.

see red: “Don’t talk to him about his boss – it just makes him see red!”

hopping mad: “She was hopping mad when she found out her daughter had disobeyed her.”

in a black mood: “Be careful what you say – she’s in a black mood today.”

Less angry idioms.

cheesed off: “I was really cheesed off when I lost the competition.”

to not be on speaking terms: “They’re not on speaking terms at the moment after their row.”

To be off someone’s Christmas card list: “Oh dear. I think I’m off her Christmas card list after insulting her husband!”

have a downer on someone: “What’s John done? You seem to have a real downer on him.”

rub someone up the wrong way: “Those two are always arguing. They just seem to rub each other up the wrong way.”

In desperation

These idioms mean you don’t know what to do.

at the end of your tether: “I just can’t cope. I’m at the end of my tether with all these bills and debts.”

at your wits’ end: “He’s at his wits’ end. He’s tried everything to solve the problem, but nothing has worked.”
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out with the old, in with the new = to change the old for the new: “We have a new CEO who wants to make his mark on the company. Out with the old, in with the new.”

new blood = to have fresh people and ideas in an organisation: “In an effort to get new blood into our research department, we’re having a recruitment drive.”

shake things up (a shake up) = to change things a lot: “The government are having a shake up of their education policies.”

give something a new lease of life = to renew something so that it lasts longer: “Those tablets have given our pet dog a new lease of life.”

breathe new life into = to give new energy to something: “This sports club needs to increase its members to breathe new life into our finances.”

New views

get a fresh perspective = to get a different point of view: “Let’s ask the sales department for their opinion. The can bring us a fresh perspective.”

see things from a different angle = to consider something from a different point of view: “Let’s try to see this problem from a different angle.”

Starting again

go back to square one = to have to start again because something didn’t work: “Well, so much for trying! I suppose it’s back to square one.”

go back to the drawing board = to have to start again because something didn’t work: “Unfortunately the plans didn’t work out. We’ll have to go back to the drawing board.”

start with a clean sheet = to have another chance, perhaps because you have made serious mistakes: “He’s paid for his mistakes, and now he can start with a clean sheet.”

make a fresh start / make a clean break = to start something again: “Let’s put the problems behind us and make a fresh start.”

Some other expressions with change

a change is as good as a rest = it’s often as refreshing to make a change than it is to have a break

a change for the better / worse = a change that results in either a better or a worse situation

a change of heart = when you change your mind on something: “I’ve had a change of heart. I think I’ll stay in my present job, after all.”

loose change / spare change = coins in your pocket: “Do you have any spare change for the parking meter?”

small change = money of little value: “I’ve got about 5 euros of small change in my pocket.”