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Questions and Answers
What does the expression 'keep our heads above water' imply in a business context?
What does the expression 'keep our heads above water' imply in a business context?
How should the expression 'the sky's the limit' be understood?
How should the expression 'the sky's the limit' be understood?
What does the term 'dried up' signify concerning credit for housing?
What does the term 'dried up' signify concerning credit for housing?
In the context of stocks, what does 'plunged' indicate?
In the context of stocks, what does 'plunged' indicate?
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Which phrase best describes the expression 'a flood of new engineering graduates'?
Which phrase best describes the expression 'a flood of new engineering graduates'?
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What does 'turbulence' suggest when predicting market conditions?
What does 'turbulence' suggest when predicting market conditions?
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How can 'soar' best be interpreted in relation to property prices?
How can 'soar' best be interpreted in relation to property prices?
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What does the expression 'got off to a flying start' imply about the marketing campaign?
What does the expression 'got off to a flying start' imply about the marketing campaign?
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What does it mean to say that consumer spending is 'in the doldrums'?
What does it mean to say that consumer spending is 'in the doldrums'?
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What is implied by the idiom 'give it a kick-start' in a business context?
What is implied by the idiom 'give it a kick-start' in a business context?
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What does the expression 'the ball is in your court' mean?
What does the expression 'the ball is in your court' mean?
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What is meant by the idiom 'jumped the gun'?
What is meant by the idiom 'jumped the gun'?
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What does it signify when someone states that a profit is 'just a drop in the ocean'?
What does it signify when someone states that a profit is 'just a drop in the ocean'?
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What could 'bail out' refer to in a business context?
What could 'bail out' refer to in a business context?
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What does it mean to say 'threw cold water on' an idea?
What does it mean to say 'threw cold water on' an idea?
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What concept does the phrase 'a long shot' represent in a business proposal?
What concept does the phrase 'a long shot' represent in a business proposal?
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Study Notes
Business Idioms Exercise
- Positive (Rise) or Negative (Drop) Expressions: Identify expressions as positive or negative. Examples given include: "heads above water" (positive), "rocketed" (positive), "dried up" (negative), "sky's the limit" (positive), "safe landing" (positive), "turbulence" (negative), "take off" (positive) "plunged" (negative), "flood" (positive), "flying start" (positive), "soar" (positive), "nosedive" (negative).
Categories of Expressions
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War and Combat: Expressions relating to warfare aren't specifically listed.
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Sport: Expressions like "caught the ball," "turbulence ahead," "cold water," "plunge."
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Flying: Examples include "safe landing," "taking off," "banana tree trunks are surprisingly buoyant" and so on.
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Water: Expressions relating to water include "heads above water," "rocketed" "flood," "the ball is in your court."
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Specific Categories: Note that the text provided is not fully organized into categories.
Sentence Examples with Original Meanings
- Basketball Example: "He caught the ball when it bounced back from the backboard and managed to get it into the basket at his second attempt."
- Aviation Example: "We are expecting some turbulence ahead, so please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts."
- Water Example: "The cold water took his breath away when he plunged into the lake."
- General Example: "drifting slowly down to earth on a parachute was pretty exciting, but soaring silently above the clouds in a glider plane was something else!"
Business Idioms
- Kick-Start, Sport: "Consumer spending is in the doldrums and needs some stimulation from government to give it a kick-start." This is about boosting consumer spending. In a looser context: kicking-it to get going
- Long Shot, Sport: "It's a long shot, but how about seeing if the New York Times will write a story on our new product?" This is about a low probability opportunity.
- Jumping the Gun, Sport: "That market is still a bit immature and I think we jumped the gun a bit by buying into it back in the 90's. Meaning doing something too early, prematurely.
- In the Ball's Court, Sport: "I've given you the best offer and now the ball is in your court". Meaning: It is now your turn to act or respond.
- Bailing Out, Water: "Mitsubishi group are going to have to bail out their motoring division again." Meaning to rescue or help overcome a hard situation.
- Drop in the Ocean, Water: "Even if Ford's new SUV is a success, the money it makes will be just a drop in the ocean." Meaning a small impact compared to the big picture.
- Throwing Cold Water, Water: "I was absolutely certain that I had found a winning idea, but my boss threw cold water on it. Meaning to discourage or disapprove of something.
Rally the Troops, War-related
- The goal is to inspire and encourage team members to work harder.
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Description
Test your understanding of business idioms by identifying whether expressions suggest positive or negative sentiments. This quiz covers various categories such as sports, flying, and water, providing examples like 'safe landing' and 'nosedive'. Challenge yourself with this engaging exercise on business expressions.
