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question		réponse
1. the final figure on a balance sheet 2. the most important feature of something commencer à apprendre		the bottom line I don't really like the bottom line of this project, I'd prefer to do something more useful.
a general financial figure commencer à apprendre		ball park figure At the moment I can give you just a ball park figure, I can provide you with details in a week.
a job that has no chance of promotion or advancement commencer à apprendre		dead end job Working in a fast food restaurant is a kind of dead end job.
a large payment on leaving a company commencer à apprendre		golden handshake She received a golden handshake, but she cannot say why she was dismissed.
a lot of trouble in an organisation often resulting in someone losing their job commencer à apprendre		blood on the carpet After this last meeting there was blood on the carpet.
a person that is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one commencer à apprendre		Jack / Jill of all trades Michel can do anything, he is a Jack of all trades.
an accountant commencer à apprendre		bean-counter A bean counter is thought to be a very boring job.
an important person, a leader (usually about business) commencer à apprendre		big cheese Can you see that man over there? He's a big cheese in education.
the company breaks even when expenses equal profits commencer à apprendre		to break even It took this company five years to finally break even.
to be dismissed from your job commencer à apprendre		1. to be fired 2. to get the sack 1. I missed the deadline and I was fired. 2. I missed the deadline and I got the sack.
to be the person who is responsible for everything commencer à apprendre		to be a chief cook and bottle washer It is a hard task to be a chief cook and bottle washer, but this is how you start a business.
to be very busy commencer à apprendre		to be snowed under I'm sorry, I can't meet you this week, I'm snowed under.
to call potential customers without an appointment or previous contact commencer à apprendre		to cold call I hate all those people cold calling me all the time!
to make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received commencer à apprendre		to balance the books In big companies it is not easy to balance the books.
to make someone work harder by threatening them commencer à apprendre		to crack the whip Sometimes the boss has to crack the whip in order to make their employees work faster.
to work really hard commencer à apprendre		1. to work your fingers to the bone 2. to sweat blood 1. I work my fingers to the bone to run this restaurant. 2. I sweat blood to run this restaurant.
when the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organisation is stopped at a lower level (it happens to women a lot) commencer à apprendre		the glass ceiling The glass ceiling is what you meet when you are a woman in big company.
when you come extremely close to a dangerous or unpleasant situation or only just manage to avoid it commencer à apprendre		close shave It was a close shave, but we managed to make the deal.

What is an idiom?

In order to learn the most common work idioms, it would be great to revise the basic things about idioms. According to the idiom definition, an idiomatic expression is a group of words that is used often and has a meaning that can not be deduced directly from its elements. Here is a popular idiom example: It's raining cats and dogs. The meaning of this idiomatic expression is that it's raining heavily. It is important to learn job idioms and other types of idioms in order to learn what do native speakers say and to learn to express yourself using these idioms. It will make your speech more interesting and you will know how to express an entire idea with a single idiomatic expression.

Work idioms

There are a lot of idioms on different topics in the English language. This flashcard lesson will teach you some of the most common work idioms and carpet sayings that natives use in everyday life. These work idioms will help you speak about your work and understand what do others say related to their job. The lesson also includes balance idioms related to accounting. Learn these idioms for hard word and speak like a native!

Idiom examples

Here are some of the work idioms, balance idioms and carpet sayings our linguists included in this lesson:

1. dead end job = a job that has no chance of promotion or advancement
2. golden handshake = a large payment on leaving a company
3. bean counter = an accountant
4. to be a chief cook and bottle washer = to be the person who is responsible for everything
5. to work your fingers to the bone = to work really hard
5. to balance the books = to make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received
3. blood on the carpet = a lot of trouble in an organisation often resulting in someone losing their job

As you can see, you will learn what does it mean when a person says: "I work my fingers to the bone." If you want to learn more than just work idioms and carpet sayings, take a look at our other idiom lessons: Entertainment idioms, Sport idioms, Money idioms, Politics idioms and many more. Explore our site to find the perfect lesson for you!

Work – English idioms and sayings

What is an idiom?

Work idioms

Idiom examples

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