Lesson 1-5 IDIOMS??英文釋義

Lesson 01

• (to) come up with a winner:?to think up a very good idea
• blockbuster:?a big success; a huge hit
• ORIGIN: This term comes from the blockbuster bombs used during World War Two by the British Royal Air Force. They were huge and created a large explosive force. Blockbuster ideas similarly create a big impact — and hopefully don't cause destruction like blockbuster bombs!
• bells and whistles:?extra product features, usually using the latest technologies; product features which are attractive, but not essential for the product to function
• (to) fast track a project: to make a project a high priority; to speed up the time frame of a project
• stocking stuffer:?a small gift given at Christmas time
• NOTE: This expression comes from the practice of kids hanging up stockings that Santa Claus fills (or "stuffs") with small gifts.
• big win: a huge success; a successful product
• (to) make a killing:?to make a lot of money
• SYNONYM: to make a fortune
• (to) keep something under wraps:?to keep something secret; to not let anybody know about a new project or plan
• NOTE: "Wraps" are things that provide cover, so if something is "under wraps" it's covered up and hidden.
• mum's the word:?let's keep quiet about this; I agree not to tell anyone about this
• ORIGIN: The word "mum" comes from the murmur "mmmmm," the only sound you can make when your mouth is shut firmly. Try making other sounds besides "mmmmm" with your lips and mouth shut firmly, and you will see that it's impossible!
• (to) get wind of:?to find out about something, often sensitive information
• (to) rip off:?to copy an idea; to steal
• NOTE: "Rip off' is also a noun. Example: We were charged $10,000 for a small advertisement in the newspaper. What a?rip off!
• game plan:?an action plan; a plan for how a project will proceed
• ORIGIN: In football, a "game plan" is a strategy for winning.
• (to) get something off the ground:?to get started on something, often a project.

Lesson 02 IDIOMS

• 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.

Lesson 03 IDIOMS?

• (to) run some ideas by someone:?to discuss some new ideas
• EXAMPLE: Our R&D department has some ideas about how to make our products safer. They'd like to meet this afternoon to?run some ideas by us.
• NOTE: You will also hear the singular form: to run an idea by someone.
• (to) keep an open mind:?to be ready to accept new ideas and experiences
• EXAMPLE: Cathy's new boss starts next Monday. She's heard he's very difficult to work with, but she's trying to?keep an open mind.
• nothing is set in stone:?nothing is decided yet; things can still be changed
• EXAMPLE: If you don't like the new product design, we can still change it.?Nothing is set in stone?yet.
• (to) brainstorm:?to think up new ideas; to generate new ideas in a group
• EXAMPLE: When the company started losing market share, the president called a meeting to?brainstorm?ways to turn around the business.
• NOTE: There is also the expression "brainstorming session," in which a group gathers to come up with new ideas or to solve a problem.
• half-baked idea:?a stupid or impractical idea or suggestion
• EXAMPLE: I can't believe we paid that consulting company so much money. We wanted them to help us grow our business and all they did was give us a bunch of?half-baked ideas!
• tagline：a slogan; a phrase used to promote a product
• EXAMPLE: Meow Mix, a brand of cat food, has one of the best?taglines?in history: "Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name."
• (to) throw cold water over (an idea, a plan):?to present reasons why something will not work; to discourage
• EXAMPLE: Pat presented her boss with a plan to expand their business into China, but he?threw cold water over?her plan and told her to just focus on developing business in the United States.
• NOTE: You will also hear the variation: to throw cold water on.
• on the right track：proceeding in a good way; going in the right direction
• EXAMPLE: After years of struggling, Apple Computer is now?on the right track?by focusing on innovative products like the iPod.
• (to) generate lots of buzz:?to cause many people to start talking about a product or service, usually in a positive way that increases sales
• EXAMPLE: Procter & Gamble?generated lots of buzz?for its new toothpaste by giving away free samples to people on the streets of New York City.
• NOTE: "Buzz" is a popular word for "attention."
• icing on the cake:an additional advantage; when one good thing hAppens, then another good thing hAppens along with it
• EXAMPLE: Alison won $2 million in a sexual harassment lawsuit against her employer. And here's the?icing on the cake: her company will have to pay all of her legal fees too!
• NOTE: Icing is the creamy glaze put on top of a cake to decorate it and make it sweeter. The cake is already good enough — putting icing on top is something extra which makes it even better.
• an arm and a leg:?a lot of money
• EXAMPLE: Jack always flies business class to Asia. The plane tickets cost?an arm and a leg!
• (to) plug (a product):?to promote a product; to talk positively about a product
• EXAMPLE: American Express often hires famous people?to plug their credit cards. No wonder people pay attention to their ads!
• (to) twist somebody's arm:?to convince somebody; to talk somebody into doing something
• EXAMPLE: Ben didn't want to go to the company Christmas party this year, but Amy?twisted his arm?and he ended up having fun.
• (to) run with an idea：?to proceed with an idea
• EXAMPLE: After much discussion, the language school decided to?run with the idea?of offering a free class to each potential client.
• (to) flesh out something:?to elaborate on something; to add more detail to a plan; to think in more detail about something
• EXAMPLE: I like your idea of moving our manufacturing facility to China, but your plan doesn't have any details. Please?flesh out?your plan and present it at our board meeting next month.
• (to) touch base with someone:?to get in contact with; to make brief contact with
• EXAMPLE: "Hi, it's Andy calling from City Style magazine. I'm just?touching base with you?to see if you want to buy an ad."

Lesson4 IDIOMS

• (to) work out the (or some) kinks:?to solve the problems with
• EXAMPLE: The company announced that they will delay the launch of their new product by two weeks. They still need to?work out the kinks?with their packaging process.
• NOTE: A "kink" is a problem or flaw in a system or plan.
• (to) fine-tune:??to make small adjustments to something to increase the effectiveness or to make something work better
• EXAMPLE: Rick hired an executive coach to help him?fine-tune?his managerial skills.
• no its. ands, or buts:??no excuses; it's absolutely necessary that; this is how it's going to be no matter what anybody says
• EXAMPLE: All employees must attend our team-building workshop tomorrow,?no ifs, ands, or buts.
• SYNONYM: no two ways about it
• just for the record (also: for the record):?let me make my opinion clear
• EXAMPLE: I know that everybody else likes the idea of using a bear for a mascot, but,?just for the record, I think it's a lousy idea.
• (to) cut it (a little) close:?to try to do too much before a deadline; to not leave enough time to get a task done
• EXAMPLE: Jerry promised his customer he'd ship out the farm equipment by the end of the week. Since we haven't assembled it yet, I think that's?cutting it close.
• tagline:?a slogan; a phrase used to promote a product
• EXAMPLE: Meow Mix, a brand of cat food, has one of the best?taglines?in history: "Tastes so good, cats ask for it by name."
• reality check:?Let's think realistically about this situation (said when you don't like something that's being suggested because you don't think the other person is thinking practically or logically)
• EXAMPLE: You think we can start selling our products through our website next month? Time for a?reality check! Nobody at our company knows anything about e-commerce.
• (to) step up to the plate:?to take action; to do one's best; to volunteer
• EXAMPLE: We need somebody to be in charge of organizing the company holiday party. Who'd like to?step up to the plate?and start working on this project?
• NOTE: This expression comes from baseball. You step up to the plate (a plastic mat on the ground) when it's your turn to hit the ball.
• (to) get the job done:?to do the job successfully; to accomplish the task
• EXAMPLE: We plan to outsource all of our software development to IBM. We know they have the resources to?get the job done.
• (to) work down to the wire:?to work until the last minute; to work until just before the deadline
• EXAMPLE: The investment bankers need to turn in their report at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning, and they've still got many hours of work left on it. They're going to be?working down to the wire.
• NOTE: This expression comes from horse racing. In the 19th century, American racetracks placed wire across the track above the finish line. The wire helped determine which horse's nose crossed the line first. If a race was "down to the wire," it was a very close race, undecided until the very last second.
• (to) do whatever it takes:?to do anything and everything necessary to accomplish a task or reach a goal
• EXAMPLE: It's very important that our new product be ready before Christmas.?Do whatever it takes?to make that hAppen.
• 24/7 (twenty-four seven):?around the clock; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• EXAMPLE: During tax season, many accountants work?24/7.
• at the end of the day:?in summary; when we look back on this after we're finished
• EXAMPLE:?At the end of the day, the most important thing is how many cases of product we were able to ship this year.
• NOTE: This expression is now overused. You will likely hear it, but you may not want to use it.
• SYNONYM: when all is said and done

Lesson 5 IDIOMS

• fast followers:?a company that doesn't come up with new ideas or concepts first, but rather quickly copies those of other companies
• EXAMPLE: Many PC manufacturers don't spend much on R&D. They are?fast followers, waiting for competitors to innovate and then quickly copying their products.
• cutting-edge:?very modern; using the latest technologies
• EXAMPLE: Sony focuses on innovation and is known for its?cutting-edge?electronic goods.
• Why mess with success?:?Why start doing things differently when the way we're doing them now is working?
• EXAMPLE: We could move our manufacturing plant to China, but we're doing very well manufacturing in the United States.?Why mess with success?
• (to) get with the program:?to pay attention to what's going on right now; to be alert to what's hAppening now
• EXAMPLE:?Get with the program. Our competitors have all started to outsource their call centers to India to save money, while we're still paying a fortune here in the United States!
• cash cow:??a product, service, or business division that generates a lot of cash for the company, without requiring much investment
• EXAMPLE: With strong sales every year and a great brand name, Mercedes is a?cash cow?for DaimlerChrysler.
• real dog:?a bad product; a commercial failure
• EXAMPLE: In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company released New Coke. It was a?real dog?and was in stores for only a few months.
• me-too products:??products that are extremely similar to another company's products; copies
• EXAMPLE: Procter & Gamble is a company famous for innovation. They rarely produce?me-too products.
• (to) leapfrog one's competitors:?to make a product that is technologically superior to competitors' products
• EXAMPLE: Logitech introduced a product that?leapfrogged its competitors: a mouse that was both wireless and ergonomic.
• NOTE: Leapfrog is a popular children's game in which one child bends down and another jumps over him or her.
• for starters:?as a first step; to begin with
• EXAMPLE: You want to do business in Russia??For starters, I'd recommend setting up an office in Moscow.
• (to) beef up:??to improve; to add to
• EXAMPLE: Leave plenty of extra time at the airport. Ever since they?beefed up?security, it takes a long time to get through the lines.
• at a premium:?at a high price; at a relatively high price
• EXAMPLE: When flat-screen televisions first came out, they were selling?at a premium.
• (to) get buy-in (from):?to get agreement or Approval from
• EXAMPLE: To be an effective leader, you need to?get buy-in?for your decisions from employees throughout the organization.
• (to be) on the same page:??to be in agreement; when everybody has the latest information on what's going on
• EXAMPLE: Before we start on the next phase of this project, let's have a meeting and make sure everybody's?on the same page.
• NOTE: This expression is overused. You will likely hear it, but you may not want to use it.