Font size
WorksheetsBusiness Idioms
Total questions: 121
Worksheet time: 1hrs 10mins
Fill in the gap in the following sentence: What have you _________ to the table?
bring
brought
braught
bought
What does 'to be off track' mean?
To lose focus on the central topic, issue, or subject at hand
To provide something that will be a benefit
To do something without preparation or plans, to improvise
To mention or introduce a topic
Which idiom means 'to forget what you have been talking about and why'?
To lose your train of thought
To bring something to the table
To bank on something
To turn down
Which idiom is correct?
To get back off track
To get back in track
To get back upon track
To get back on track
What are the two meanings of 'to get off track'?
'To update or improve your skills' and 'to get lost'
'To lose focus on the central topic' and 'to get lost'
'To provide something that will be a benefit' and 'to do something without preparation'
'To update or improve your skills' and 'to be very busy'
Which two idioms are synonyms?
'To get back on track' and 'to get off track'
'To be flat out' and 'to turn down'
'To bring up' and 'to turn down'
'To do something off-the-cuff' and 'to wing it'
What does 'to brush up on' mean?
To bet that something will happen in a certain way
To update or improve your skills
To get lost
To forget what you have been talking about and why
Which idiom means 'to do something without preparation or plans, to improvise'?
To wing it
To brush up on
To bring something to the table
To get back on track
Go back to the ____ ____
(a)
To have a lot on __ ___
(a)
There's one phrase that does not correspond to the verb:
Keep me on the loop
keep me posted
keep me in the circle
keep trying
Tweak means to make____ adjustments
huge
small
no
To put it in a nutshell
to summarise briefly
to fail to understand anything
to misunderstand
to get straight to the point
to talk about the most important thing
to give the latest information
to share similar opinions and ideas
to hear it on the grapevine
to misunderstand
to delay talking about something
to hear about something passed from one person to another
to put you in the picture
to fail understand anything
to give the latest information
to talk about the most important thing
to get the wrong end of the stick
to misunderstand
to tail to understand anything
to delay talking about something
to be on the same wavelength
to tail to understand anything
to share similar opinions and ideas
to give the latest information
can't make head or tail of it
to fail to understand anything
to summarise briefly
to misunderstand
to talk at cross-purposes
to talk about the most important thing
to hear about something passed from one person to another
to misunderstand
to beat around/about the bush
to delay talking about something
to fail to understand anything
to misunderstand
to get our wires crossed
to misunderstand
to fail to understand something
to give the latest information
a situation that shows you something surprising that you did not know before
eye-opener
common ground
open-minded
cultural shock
Read between the (a)
take something on (a)
The idiom 'take a back seat' means
consider an idea, problem, or situation and try to deal with it
deliberately become less active, and give up trying to control things
guess something that is not expressed directly
something that people can agree about, especially when they disagree about other things
(a) the ice
'Get off on the wrong foot with' means
to find a hidden meaning in something said or written
to describe something that makes you remain alert, energetic and ready
immediately establish a bad relationship with someone when you first meet them or first start working with them
to be responsible for something when someone else is unavailable
Which idiom means 'to start focusing on a specific task (after introductions/small talk)'?
get down to business
rock the boat
by the book
throw in the towel
'Twist someone's arm' means
to praise someone for an achievement
to encourage/pressure someone to do something that they don't want to
to give your complete attention to something
not able to act in a particular way because of external reasons
'bring something to the table' means
to make something start happenin
to start a relationship in a positive way
to contribute something of value (to a company)
to show support and give approval
'Off the top of my head' means
to speak about some something without thinking in detail or checking facts
to agree with another person
to praise someone for an achievement
to describe when something is still undecided and plans are not yet finalised
“Our sales estimates were way off the mark. We’d projected sales of $15M, but the actual numbers were closer to $9M.”
too optimistic
higher than average
very wrong/inaccurate
“We showed the president 20 ideas for new products, but she didn’t like any of them – so we had to go back to the drawing board.”
ask other people for advice
start again from the beginning
reuse a good idea from the past
“The text for the article is almost perfect. I just want to tweak one or two sentences.”
remove
make small adjustments
make longer
“I need to submit a weekly report on this project, so please keep me in the loop.”
informed / updated
working hard
in the office
“Three people from my department are on vacation, so I’ve got a lot on my plate at the moment.”
I have a lot of responsibilities
I wish I was on vacation, too
I have nothing to do
“The rule of thumb is to reinvest no more than 30%, but it’s OK if you go over that number occasionally.”
minimum amount
strict limit
general practice
“Bob said I missed the deadline, but I want to set the record straight – I submitted my work on time, but he didn’t check his e-mail.”
correct a mistake and say the truth
express a different opinion
get permission
"We have until December to prepare these documents, so let’s put them on the back burner for now. We have other, more urgent projects.”
send them back to their origin
give them low priority
finish them quickly
“That program never produced any significant results, so the director finally decided to pull the plug.”
get personally involved
improve the technology
stop, discontinue
“Yesterday’s meeting lasted four hours… but in a nutshell, we decided to close our office in India and open a branch in China.”
in an argument
in the end
in summary
“Laura didn’t go to the meeting. Could you send her a summary of the discussion to bring her up to speed?”
help her work faster
give her the most recent informatio
find out what her perspective is
“Don’t make any changes without talking to Peter. He’s the one calling the shots on this project.”
communicating with the supervisor
making the important decisions
working very hard
We weren't able to achieve our targets. We ...
jumped the gun
missed the mark
go back to square one
raised the bar
Our annual trip has already been cancelled as our CEO doesn't think we will have any money to pay for transport. It looks like the CEO has ...
stayed on your toes
jumped the gun
gone back to square one
raised the bar
Our R and D manager says we need to ... if we want to compete internationally.
raise the bar
jump the gun
go back to square one
throw in the towel
As a new employee in the company, you need to ... and make sure you complete your work on time.
throw in the towel
stay on your toes
jump the gun
go back to square one
I think it's time to ... and start a new business venture because we've lost a lot of money.
stay on your toes
raise the bar
throw in the towel
jump the gun
Our design wasn't accepted so the head of IT said we need to ...
go back to square
jump the gun
miss the mark
stay on your toes
Slip one's ________
leg
brain
hair
mind
_______ corners
put
cost
cut
do
clear the _______
trash
air
breath
office
________ over backwards
bend
take
jump
run
rule ______
in
on
out
off
________ base
call
first
answer
touch
someone means ________
deal
business
project
failure
get the ______ rolling
car
gun
soccer
ball
on the _______ burner
back
front
middle
serious
________ of pace
choice
fast
change
move
cut to the _______
chance
choice
chase
choose
Companies should never _______ with regards to health and safety.
be ahead of the pack
work against the clock
cut corners
be in the same boat
Everything is still ________about our company relocating to another office.
up in the air
against the clock
ahead of the pack
off the top of my head
We've got five interns at the moment, but he is way ___________.
ahead of the pack
the tip of my tongue
the extra mile
up in the air
What is her name? ______________. Joan. Joan Simpson. That’s it!
Let´s cut corners.
To cut a long story short
It´s up in the air.
It’s on the tip of my tongue
I was a waitress in a bar and he was one of my customers, and that, ________, is how we met.
on the tip of my tongue
let´s call it a day
to cut a long story short
to go the extra mile
"How much is the house worth?" "Off the top (a) , I'd say around $160,000."
I might be going on a training course next week, but it's still (a) in the air.
This is my plan. It's a ________, but if it does succeed, it will earn us a lot.
long shot
big shot
wide shot
The stock price is low right now. We should buy; we don't want to miss ________.
the train
the plane
the boat
I'm in debt. I'm in the ________.
red
black
green
That company can afford to spend billions on research. They have ________.
clean pockets
hot pockets
deep pockets
The app became popular and the number of downloads _____.
flew
skyrocketed
helicoptered
Most people heard about our product through word ________.
of media
of mouth
of foot
We need open the discussions and get right ________ to business.
down
up
off
I'm still ________ about the new rules. Nobody explained them to me.
in the cupboard
in the sunlight
in the dark
If you go by the book......
you avoid trouble
you are very stubborn
you comply with the rules
you are very formal
If you are given the walking papers, you are most likely to ...
Get promoted.
Get a raise.
Be dismissed from a job.
Be sent to another department or office.
A cash cow is ...
The least profitable product or service offered by a company.
A large amount of money given to someone to persuade them to leave their job.
The most profitable product or service offered by a company.
None of the above.
A large sum of money given to somebody when they leave their job, or to persuade them to leave their job is called___.
The golden hand-glove.
The silver handshake.
The gold handshake.
The golden handshake.
An eager beaver is ...
An individual who is selfish and egotistical.
An enthusiastic person who works hard.
Someone who loves animals.
A person takes care of sick beavers.
While the boss is out of the office, Manuel will have to ___.
Hold the fort
Have an eye for details
Be in over his head
Shoulder the blame
If you shoulder the blame on someone, you are most likely___.
Giving somebody the opportunity to clarify a doubt.
Accepting someone´s apologies for a mistake he or she made.
Accusing someone for a mistake you have made.
Correcting a mistake you have made.
"It's 8pm, Phil! You were supposed to get off work at 5pm."
Phil is _______
Throwing me under the bus.
Burning the midnight oil.
Learning the ropes.
Getting the ball rolling.
"Alibaba just offered me a job! Now I just need to decide whether to accept the job offer or not."
Which idiom is most appropriate?
The ball is in my court.
I'm burning the midnight oil.
I was thrown under the bus.
We're on the same wavelength.
My best friend and I understand each other so well. We are always ____.
On the same wave length
Swamped
Talking shop
Bottleneck
It's my dream to be a professional piano player, but I've had to put my dream ______ while I focus on my studies.
Up to speed
Long haul
Back to the drawing board
On the back burner
"The floor is all yours, Penelope!"
This sentence means:
It's time for Penelope to clean.
Penelope should take a break.
It's Penelope's turn to talk.
Penelope is hard-working.
"I've been swamped recently."
Which sentence has the same meaning?
I've been in a lake.
I've been traveling for business recently.
I've been super busy.
I've been sad recently.
Our boss built this company from the ground up.
to do something from the start/very beginning
to think creatively and develop new and original ideas
to do things according to the rules or the law
Companies should never cut corners with regards to health and safety.
to do a task to a lower standard to save time or money
to be in the same difficult or unpleasant situation
to learn how to do specific tasks
We've got five interns at the moment, but he is way ahead of the pack.
to stop a task or activity from continuing
someone who performs better than others in their team
to learn how to do specific tasks
He doesn't always see eye to eye with his colleague about the future priorities.
not able to act in a particular way because of external reasons
to show support and give approval
to agree with another person
Our boss built this company from the ground up.
to do something from the start/very beginning
to think creatively and develop new and original ideas
to do things according to the rules or the law
We only have a limited time to discuss this today, so let’s get down to business.
to do things according to the rules or the law
to start focussing on a specific task
allow someone to do something
We're all in the same boat because our company is closing and we need new jobs.
to be in the same difficult or unpleasant situation
to learn how to do specific tasks or activities in a company
to agree with another person
I got the thumbs up from my boss about working from home every Friday.
to show support and give approval
to do something from the start
to start focussing on a specific task
To be successful in our industry, we need staff who think outside the box.
to think creatively and develop new and original ideas
to do things according to the rules or the law
to be in agreement or thinking in a similar way
We made a proposal to expand globally and the CEO is on the same page.
not able to act in a particular way because of external reasons
to show support and give approval
to be in agreement or thinking in a similar way
Companies benefit from staff who go the extra mile.
to make more effort to achieve something that is expected
to learn how to do specific tasks or activities in a company
to agree with another person
We've decided to cut our losses and close the restaurant.
not able to act in a particular way because of external reasons
to stop an activity that is unsuccessful to avoid losing more money
to show support and give approval
My boss said that she cannot give me a promotion because her hands are tied.
not able to act in a particular way because of external reasons
to agree with another person
to learn how to do specific tasks or activities in a company
We all have to learn the ropes when we start a new job.
to do a task to a lower standard to save time or money
to learn how to do specific tasks or activities in a company
to allow someone to do something
We've got five interns at the moment, but he is way ahead of the pack.
someone who performs better than others in their team
to learn how to do specific tasks or activities in a company
to make more effort to achieve something that is expected
Very intense, aggressive, and merciless competition
corner the market
Cut throat
Something gained easily is also lost easily
by the book
easy come, easy go
Apple has .............. the IT market - everyone wants to have their smartphones or computers.
cornered
came up
gave
went through
Studying in the IT or engineering field is definitely a ............, you'll get a job easily.
safe bet
long shot
hard bargain
red tape
Today’s meeting is a (_________ ) to develop new ideas.
input
odds of
brainstorming session
fraction
"on the tip of one's tongue" means ...
I can't pronounce it
I have a vivid memory about it
I can almost remember it
Find the the idiom with the meaning "I forgot what I had been thinking about or talking about"
I lost my brain
I lost my train of thought
I lost where I was talking about
I lost the schedule of thought
If something escapes me, it means I ...
don't regret it
forgot it
I'm trying to memorize it
If you don't want to mention something, and you avoid the topic, you ...
come to the bush
stroll about the bush
beat about the bush
ignore the bush
Please explain this complicated algorithm, I ________.
I can't make head nor leg of it
I can't make a thing of it
I can't make head nor tail of it
If you work fingers to the bone you ...
work excessively hard
do something because it's your duty
are involved with many activities or jobs at the same time
finish work on time
If you are in the red you are in a financially profitable situation.
True
False
If you are paid peanuts it means that you earn a lot of money. Is it true?
True
False
Administrative procedures
Yellow tape
Black tape
White tape
Red tape
To give a rough estimate
To sum up
To give a ballpark figure
To conclude
To be exact
To summarise briefly
Is this it?
Briefly
In a nutshell
to conclude
If you only have a small budget
On a tightrope
On the floor
On a shoestring
On the ceiling
