Lesson 4 Business English Idioms?英文釋義

• (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