English idioms: Workplace
15 idioms with meanings and example sentences, plus where many of them come from.
learn the ropesto learn the basic skills or procedures needed for a jobIt took her a few weeks to learn the ropes at her new job, but now she handles everything confidently.Origin: Comes from sailing, where new sailors had to learn how to handle the ship's ropes and rigging.
burn the midnight oilto work late into the night, especially to finish somethingThe team burned the midnight oil all week to get the project done before the deadline.Origin: Refers to the era before electric light, when people worked by oil lamps late at night.
get the axeto be fired or dismissed from a jobHalf the sales department got the axe after the company lost its biggest client.Origin: An old figurative use of 'axe' to mean a sudden, harsh cut, applied to job losses.
in the loopinformed and included in discussions or decisions about somethingPlease keep me in the loop on any changes to the project timeline.Origin: Business jargon from the mid-20th century describing being part of a communication circuit.
on the same pagein agreement or having the same understanding about somethingBefore we start the meeting, let's make sure everyone is on the same page about the goals.Origin: Likely comes from people literally reading from the same page of a shared document or script.
throw someone under the busto blame or betray someone, often to protect yourselfWhen the report went wrong, he threw his colleague under the bus instead of admitting his own mistake.Origin: An American phrase from the late 20th century, likely from politics and sports commentary, describing a sudden betrayal.
wear many hatsto have multiple roles or responsibilities in a jobAt a small startup, employees often wear many hats, handling everything from sales to customer support.Origin: Refers to different hats symbolizing different jobs or roles a person takes on.
back to the drawing boardto start over on a plan or project after it has failedThe client rejected our proposal, so it's back to the drawing board for the design team.Origin: Refers to engineers and architects literally returning to their drafting boards to redesign something.
cut cornersto do something in the easiest or cheapest way, often sacrificing qualityThe contractor cut corners on the office renovation, and now the shelves are already falling apart.Origin: Likely from the idea of taking a shorter, less careful path instead of going the full way around a corner.
up in the airundecided or uncertainWhether the merger will go through is still up in the air after this morning's meeting.Origin: A visual metaphor for something unresolved, like an object suspended without a fixed landing place.
go the extra mileto make more effort than is expected or requiredHer manager praised her for going the extra mile to finish the client's report ahead of schedule.Origin: Traces to a biblical reference about voluntarily walking a mile further than required.
under the gununder pressure to meet a deadline or complete something quicklyThe whole team was under the gun to launch the app before the end of the quarter.Origin: American slang from the early 20th century, evoking the pressure of being threatened at gunpoint.
my way or the highwaysaid when someone insists on doing things only their own way, with no room for compromiseThe new supervisor runs the shift with a my way or the highway attitude.Origin: American slang from the mid-20th century, implying that anyone who disagrees is free to leave.
grease someone's palmto bribe someone, often to get something done faster or more favorablyThey had to grease a few palms to get the permit approved on time.Origin: Refers to the old image of literally slipping money into someone's hand, in use in English since at least the 16th century.
kibitzto offer unwanted advice or comments, especially while watching someone else workHe kept kibitzing from the sidelines instead of actually helping with the spreadsheet.Origin: Borrowed from Yiddish 'kibitsen', originally describing onlookers who comment on a card game without playing.
Learn them in the app
The Day to Day English Word Bank has idioms, phrasal verbs, slang and advanced vocabulary to review any time.