across the board
MEANING: including everyone or everything
EXAMPLE:
The computer company decided to give the workers an across-the-board increase in their salary.
at a loss
MEANING: sell something and lose money
EXAMPLE:
We were forced to sell the computers at a big loss.
bail a company out
MEANING: help or rescue a company with financial problems.
EXAMPLE:
The government decided to bail out the failing bank in order to maintain stability in the economy.
ball park figure/estimate
MEANING: a rough estimate or figure
EXAMPLE:
The contractor gave us a ball park figure for the cost of repairing the new building.
bang for the buck
MEANING: value for the money spent
EXAMPLE:
We were able to get a big bang for our buck when we advertised on the Internet.
banker's hours
MEANING: short work hours
EXAMPLE:
My sister's husband owns his own company and is able to work banker's hours with his large staff.
Bean-counter
MEANING: an accountant
EXAMPLE:
We asked the bean-counters to look over the figures in the new budget.
big gun/cheese/wheel/wig
MEANING: an important person, a leader
EXAMPLE:
The new director was a big wheel in his previous company but is not so important now.
bottom fall out/drop out
MEANING: to fall below an earlier lowest price
EXAMPLE:
When the bottom fell out of the coffee market many companies had to stop doing business.
bottom line
MEANING: the total, the final figure on a balance sheet
EXAMPLE:
When they examined the bottom line of the company they decided not to invest in it.
bottom out
MEANING: reach the lowest or worst point of something
EXAMPLE:
The value of the stock has begun to bottom out and should soon begin to increase in value.
boys/men in the backroom
MEANING: a group of men making decisions behind the scenes
EXAMPLE:
The boys in the backroom told us that we must close down the factory as soon as possible.
break even
MEANING: have expenses equal to profits
EXAMPLE:
After only three months the company was able to break even and start making profits.
budget squeeze/crunch
MEANING: a situation where there is not enough money in the budget
EXAMPLE:
We have been going through a severe budget squeeze at our company and must begin to stop spending money in a wasteful manner.
buy off
MEANING: use a gift or money to divert someone from their duty or purpose
EXAMPLE:
The land developer tried to buy off the politician but he was not successful.
buy out
MEANING: buy the ownership or a decisive share of something
EXAMPLE:
The company was bought out by another large company in the textile industry.
by a long shot
MEANING: by a big difference, by far
EXAMPLE:
The soap company was able to beat out the bids of the other companies by a long shot.
calculated risk
MEANING: an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
EXAMPLE:
They took a calculated risk when they introduced the new computer screen onto the market.
captain of industry
MEANING: a top corporation officer
EXAMPLE:
The president of our company was a captain of industry and after he retired he was appointed to many government boards.
carry over
MEANING: save for another time
EXAMPLE:
We were forced to carry over the sale to the Monday after the national holiday.
carry over
MEANING: transfer (a figure) from one column or book to another
EXAMPLE:
Our company is still facing difficult times and we will have to carry over last year's losses to this year.
carry the day
MEANING: win completely
EXAMPLE:
The president's new idea carried the day and everyone supported him energetically.
carry through
MEANING: put into action
EXAMPLE:
The steel company carried through their plan to restructure all of their operations.
close out
MEANING: sell the whole of something, sell all the goods
EXAMPLE:
They decided to close out the store and sell all of the remaining stock very cheap.
close the books
MEANING: stop taking orders, end a bookkeeping period
EXAMPLE:
They usually close the books at the end of February every year.
cold call
MEANING: call a potential customer from a list of persons one has never seen
EXAMPLE:
When he first started to work at his company he was asked to make cold calls using the telephone book.
come on strong
MEANING: overwhelm with excessively strong language or personality
EXAMPLE:
The salesman came on too strong at the meeting and angered the other members of the team.
company man
MEANING: a person who always works hard and agrees with his employees
EXAMPLE:
My father was a true company man and was always putting in an extra effort for his company.
company town
MEANING: a town dominated by one industry or company
EXAMPLE:
When the coal mine closed down the company town faced severe economic times.
cut back
MEANING: use fewer or use less
EXAMPLE:
The company has been cutting back on entertainment expenses for over a year now.
cut corners
MEANING: economize
EXAMPLE:
We have been forced to economize on stationary expenses during these severe economic times.
cut off
MEANING: interrupt or stop
EXAMPLE:
The speech of the president was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.
cut one's losses
MEANING: do something to stop losing money or something
EXAMPLE:
We should sell the old machinery as soon as possible and try and cut our losses.
deliver the goods
MEANING: succeed in doing well what is expected
EXAMPLE:
The new owner of the company is not very popular but he is able to deliver the goods.
double-check
MEANING: check something again to confirm
EXAMPLE:
We were unable to double-check the costs of the new products before the price list was printed.
face value
MEANING: the official worth or trust of something
EXAMPLE:
Although the face value of the postage stamp was very low it sold at the auction for much money.
fair play
MEANING: justice, equal and right action to someone
EXAMPLE:
The company is very good to work for as they always use fair play when they are bargaining with their employees.
figure out
MEANING: find an answer by thinking about something
EXAMPLE:
Everyone in our company is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.
fill the bill
MEANING: be just what is needed
EXAMPLE:
That new machine should fill the bill as to what we need to finish the job.
finger in the pie
MEANING: involved in what is happening, receiving money for something
EXAMPLE:
The new manager has his finger in the pie in all aspects of our company's business.
gain ground
MEANING: go forward, make progress
EXAMPLE:
Our company has been gaining ground in our attempt to be the best in the industry.
get a break
MEANING: get an opportunity or good deal
EXAMPLE:
We were able to get a break on the price of the paint and saved a lot of money.
get off the ground
MEANING: make a successful beginning, go ahead
EXAMPLE:
We were unable to get the new product off the ground and will have to wait until next year.
give someone the green light
MEANING: give permission to go ahead with a project
EXAMPLE:
Our boss gave us the green light to begin work on the new sales promotion.
go public
MEANING: sell shares of a privately owned company to the public
EXAMPLE:
The stock of the Internet company rose very quickly when they went public.
go through with
MEANING: finish, do as planned or agreed
EXAMPLE:
We have decided not to go through with our plans to launch the new product until we have solved all of its problems.
hard sell
MEANING: sell something by being very aggressive
EXAMPLE:
The car salesman gave us a hard sell so we decided to go to another dealer.
heads will roll
MEANING: someone will be punished
EXAMPLE:
Heads will roll when our boss learns about the money that we have lost recently.
in black and white
MEANING: in writing
EXAMPLE:
The company refused to deal with the customer's complaints until they saw them in black and white.
in charge of
MEANING: in control of, responsible for
EXAMPLE:
My sister has been in charge of buying supplies at her company for many years.
in short supply
MEANING: not enough, in less than the amount or number needed
EXAMPLE:
Experienced computer programmers are in short supply at our company.
in stock
MEANING: have something ready to sell or use
EXAMPLE:
They didn't have any computer printer ribbons in stock at the store.
in the black
MEANING: successful or making money
EXAMPLE:
The new company has been in the black for over a year now.
in the long run
MEANING: in the final result
EXAMPLE:
The company has been losing money recently but in the long run they should do very well.
in the market for
MEANING: ready to buy something
EXAMPLE:
We have been in the market for a new computer for a long time but still we haven't bought one.
in the red
MEANING: losing money, unprofitable
EXAMPLE:
The company began to go into the red when the price of oil began to rise rapidly.
in the works
MEANING: in preparation, being planned or worked on
EXAMPLE:
The camera company has a new automatic camera in the works but nobody knows about it yet.
jack up
MEANING: make a price higher
EXAMPLE:
The steel companies decided to jack up the price of steel at the beginning of the year.
keep books
MEANING: keep records of money gained and spent
EXAMPLE:
The new assistant to the sales manager has no experience keeping books and has made many mistakes.
keep track of
MEANING: keep a count or record, stay informed
EXAMPLE:
They have been making a great effort to keep track of the number of visitors to their store.
kickback
MEANING: money paid illegally for favourable treatment
EXAMPLE:
The construction company was taken to court for giving kickbacks to the local politicians.
make a go of
MEANING: produce good results, succeed
EXAMPLE:
Although he works very hard in his small business he has been unable to make a go of it and may soon go out of business.
mean business
MEANING: be serious
EXAMPLE:
Our boss means business when he tells everyone to try and work harder.
number-cruncher
MEANING: an accountant, someone who works with numbers
EXAMPLE:
Our president is a good number-cruncher and understands about the finances of our company.
on hand
MEANING: in one's possession, ready
EXAMPLE:
We didn't have any supplies on hand and were unable to finish the job.
(buy) on credit
MEANING: buy something without paying cash
EXAMPLE:
My friend had no money so he decided to buy the furniture on credit.
on the block
MEANING: for sale
EXAMPLE:
As soon as they purchased the company they began to put some of the equipment on the block.
pay off
MEANING: make a profit, be successful
EXAMPLE:
The furniture manufacturer was unable to pay off their loan and had to go out of business.
piece/slice of the action
MEANING: a share in the activity or the profits of something
EXAMPLE:
The inventor wanted a large piece of the action of the profits from the new computer that he had invented.
red ink
MEANING: debt (red ink on a financial statement)
EXAMPLE:
The automobile company has been drowning in red ink since the US dollar began to rise.
run short
MEANING: not have enough in quantity
EXAMPLE:
They ran short of gasoline at the gas station and had to close early.
saddled with debt
MEANING: burdened with debt
EXAMPLE:
Our sister company is saddled with a great amount of debt and should be sold as soon as possible.
sell like hotcakes
MEANING: sell very quickly
EXAMPLE:
The children's toys were selling like hotcakes at the end of the year.
sell out
MEANING: sell all of a product
EXAMPLE:
Every year at least one company sells out all of their products which frustrates many customers.
strike while the iron is hot
MEANING: take advantage of an opportunity
EXAMPLE:
We decided to strike while the iron was hot and began to market the product around the time of the Olympics.
sweetheart deal
MEANING: a deal made between friends so that both may make a big profit
EXAMPLE:
We were able to make a sweetheart deal with our landlord and got the rent greatly reduced.
take a nosedive
MEANING: collapse, fail, decrease in value
EXAMPLE:
The stock market took a nosedive when the earnings of the oil company began to weaken.
take on
MEANING: to give a job to or hire someone
EXAMPLE:
The company took on many new workers during the busy holiday season.
take over
MEANING: take control or possession of something, take charge or responsibility
EXAMPLE:
The government decided to take over the bank after it declared bankruptcy.
take public
MEANING: sell shares in a company to the general public
EXAMPLE:
We decided it was necessary to take our company public in order to raise money to expand our facilities.
take stock
MEANING: count the items of merchandise or supplies in stock, take inventory
EXAMPLE:
The department store closes down for 3 days every March in order to take stock.
throw cold water on
MEANING: discourage, forbid
EXAMPLE:
The managers threw cold water on the plans to close down the factory for one week in August.
throw money at something
MEANING: try to solve a problem by spending money on it
EXAMPLE:
The president of our company is willing to throw a lot of money at the problem in the hope of solving it.
tight spot
MEANING: a difficult situation
EXAMPLE:
The computer manufacturing company has been in a tight spot since the shortage of computer chips appeared.
turn over
MEANING: to buy and then sell something to customers
EXAMPLE:
The turn-over at that discount store is very rapid.
work out
MEANING: plan, develop
EXAMPLE:
I spent the weekend trying to work out the budget estimates for next year.
write off
MEANING: remove from a business record, cancel a debt
EXAMPLE:
It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.
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