Idioms

Work

The full list of 20 words in this set. Open any word for its pronunciation, collocations, a band 8 sentence and the mistakes Vietnamese learners make.

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20 words

1
get down to businessidiom/ɡet daʊn tə ˈbɪznəs/
to begin to do the main or serious work; to start discussing the important matters.
“After small talk, we finally got down to business and discussed the contract.”
2
pull one's weightidiom/pʊl wʌnz weɪt/
do your fair share of work in a team
“Everyone needs to pull their weight if the project is going to succeed.”
3
touch baseidiom (verb phrase)/tʌtʃ beɪs/
to make brief contact with someone to update or confirm information
“I'll touch base with HR about the recruitment timetable.”
4
be snowed underidiom/biː snəʊd ˈʌndə/
to have so much work that you cannot deal with it all
“I'm snowed under with paperwork this week.”
5
on the back burneridiom/ɒn ðə bæk ˈbɜːnə/
to delay dealing with something because there are more important things to do first
“The renovation plans were put on the back burner while the company dealt with a financial crisis.”
6
work one's fingers to the boneidiom
to work extremely hard for a long time, often until one is exhausted.
“My grandfather worked his fingers to the bone when he first arrived in the city.”
7
burn the midnight oilidiom/bɜːn ðə mɪdˈnaɪt ɔɪl/
work or study late into the night, especially to meet a deadline
“I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my presentation before the meeting.”
8
get the ball rollingidiom (phrasal verb)/ɡet ðə bɔːl ˈrəʊlɪŋ/
to start an activity or process so that other things can follow
“We need someone to get the ball rolling on the marketing plan.”
9
think on your feetidiom/θɪŋk ɒn jɔː fiːt/
to be able to respond quickly and effectively in unexpected situations
“In interviews you often have to think on your feet when the panel asks a surprise question.”
10
work around the clockidiom/wɜːk əˈraʊnd ðə ˈklɒk/
to work continuously for a long time, especially to meet a deadline.
“The team worked around the clock to finish the prototype before the trade show.”
11
by the bookidiom/baɪ ðə ˈbʊk/
to do something strictly according to rules or official procedures.
“The company operates by the book to avoid legal trouble.”
12
climb the corporate ladderidiom
advance to higher positions within a company
“He worked hard and gradually climbed the corporate ladder to become CEO.”
13
in the driver's seatidiom/ɪn ðə ˈdraɪvə(r)z siːt/
to be in control or to have the power to make decisions
“After the restructuring, she found herself in the driver's seat for all major product decisions.”
14
back to the drawing boardidiom
to have to start an idea, plan, or project again because the first attempt failed
“When the client rejected the proposal, it was back to the drawing board.”
15
take someone under one's wingidiom
to mentor, protect, or guide someone less experienced.
“When I joined the firm, a senior partner took me under her wing and taught me the procedures.”
16
be up to speedidiom (adjective phrase)/bi ʌp tuː spiːd/
to have the latest information or to be working at the required level of knowledge or performance
“Make sure the new hires are up to speed before they start client work.”
17
pull stringsidiom/pʊl strɪŋz/
to use influence or personal connections to obtain an advantage or favor.
“He pulled strings to get his nephew into the university.”
18
roll up one's sleevesidiom/rəʊl ʌp wʌnz sliːvz/
to prepare to work hard on a task, usually a practical or difficult one
“After the audit report came out, the team rolled up their sleeves and cleared the backlog.”
19
out of one's depthidiom/aʊt əv wʌnz dɛpθ/
to be unable to deal with something because it is beyond your knowledge or abilities
“I was out of my depth in the advanced coding workshop and had to ask for extra help.”
20
golden handshakeidiom (noun)/ˌɡəʊldən ˈhændʃeɪk/
a large sum of money given to an employee when they leave a company, especially as a severance or retirement payment
“The CEO received a hefty golden handshake when he resigned.”

20 words

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