Lesson 02 Idioms?英文解釋?《Speak Business??English Like an American》

• back-of-the-envelope calculations:?quick calculations; estimates using approximate numbers, instead of exact numbers
• EXAMPLE: I don't need the exact numbers right now. Just give me some?back-of-the-envelope calculations.
• NOTE: This expression refers to the quick calculations one would do informally, as on the back of an envelope.
• educated guess:?a guess based on experience; a piece of information based on prior knowledge, not hard facts or data
• EXAMPLE: I'd say there are about a million potential consumers for your new line of cosmetics, but that's just an?educated guess.
• in hot water:?in trouble
• EXAMPLE: Ian was in hot water with the government after he was caught making illegal copies of software.
• (to) crunch the numbers:?to perform financial calculations
• EXAMPLE: Reed Corporation is thinking about buying a small company. First, they'll need to?crunch the numbers?and see if their acquisition will be profitable.
• NOTE: You will also see the noun form of this expression, "number cruncher," used to describe somebody who makes a lot of financial calculations as part of his or her job.
• (it or that) blows my mind:?it bothers me; it really surprises me; it amazes me
• EXAMPLE:?It blows my mind that?our company is trying to save money by taking away our free coffee service.
• (to) run (the) numbers:to perform financial calculations
• EXAMPLE: Should we lease or buy the equipment? We'll need to?run the numbers?to help us make the decision.
• in the red:losing money; when expenses are greater than revenues
• EXAMPLE: We need to do something to start making profits. If we're?in the red?for one more quarter, we're going to go out of business.
• NOTE: This expression comes from the accounting practice of marking debits (subtractions to the account) in red and credits (additions to the account) in black. The opposite of "in the red" is "in the black," meaning profitable.
• one's head is on the chopping block:?in a position where one is likely to be fired or get in trouble
• EXAMPLE: After Earthy Foods released a frozen dinner that made many consumers sick, their CEO's?head was on the chopping block.
• NOTE: A chopping block is a piece of wood on which food or wood is chopped. Having your head" on the block would suggest that it is going to be cut off. Fortunately, the meaning here is not literal. If your head is on the chopping block, you might lose your job, but at least you'll still have your head!
• (to) give somebody the green light:?to give permission to move forward with a project
• EXAMPLE: Super Software's Moscow office has developed its own regional advertising campaign. They hope that headquarters in California will?give them the green light?to proceed with the campaign.
• (to) break even:?to make neither a profit or a loss; the point at which revenues equal costs
• EXAMPLE: You?broke even?during your first year in business? That's good since most companies lose money during their first year.
• (to) pull the plug:?to put a stop to a project or initiative, usually because it's not going well; to stop something from moving forward; to discontinue
• EXAMPLE: After losing millions of dollars drilling for oil in Nebraska and finding nothing, the oil company finally?pulled the plug?on its exploration project.
• ORIGIN: This expression refers to removing a plug to make something stop working — when you pull the plug out of the wall, your appliance doesn't work. In the 19th century, when this term originated, the plug was for a toilet. To flush the toilet, you had to pull out a plug.