The elephant in the room…and other funny and interesting animal Business English expressions/idioms.
Business English has a great many visual and dramatic expressions/idioms which are commonly used and understood in real life business situations. There are many that are connected to animals and animal behaviour.
Here are a few of the most popular ones, especially picked by one of PS English teachers.
1) The elephant in the room
Meaning: a sensitive issue or problem that everyone is aware of but no one wants to discuss openly.
Example:“The company’s financial troubles were the elephant in the room at the board meeting”
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2) A leopard can’t change its spots
Meaning: it’s impossible for someone to change their character
Example: “ I tried to persuade the boss to try my new idea but he wasn’t interested, oh well, I suppose a leopard can’t change its spots!”
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3) One-trick pony
Meaning: a person has only one ability or good quality that he/she is known for,
Example: “Bob’s a one trick pony, his answer to everything is to cut costs!”
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4) The lion’s share
Meaning: to have the largest or biggest portion of something.
Example: “The CEO gets the lion’s share of the company’s annual bonuses”
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5) Cat on a hot tin roof
Meaning: unable to stay still or concentrate because you are very nervous and worried
Example: “The sales manager was like a cat on a hot tin roof until the big contract from the US finally arrived!”
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6) Let sleeping dogs lie
Meaning: ignore a problem because trying to deal with it could make the situation worse.
Example: “I had a big argument with IT about the computer problem last week, it’s still a problem but it’s probably best to let sleeping dogs lie”
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7) Take the bull by the horns
Meaning: To directly confront a difficult situation in a brave and determined way
Example: “The Amsterdam branch are constantly making excuses about their poor sales performance, I think we need to take the bull by the horns and close the branch down.”
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8) Hold your horses
Meaning: to be patient and not to rush a decision, particularly when someone is putting pressure on you
Example: “Hold your horses! We need to further discuss the project before we commit to such a huge investment”
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9) Watch something like a hawk
Meaning: watching something extremely carefully.
Example: “The business environment is extremely difficult at the moment, we need to watch our competitors like a hawk to know exactly what they’re doing.”
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10) A fish out of water
Meaning: to feel uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation or environment.
Example: “I’ve felt like a fish out of water since moving here from the London branch, I just can’t get used to the different culture and work style”
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11) Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning:to accomplish two things at the same time with a single action.
Example: “So we can go to the conference and visit our client on the same day and so kill two birds with one stone.”
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12) A sitting duck
Meaning to be vulnerable or defenceless against an attack or danger.
Example: “The company’s outdated online security system made them a sitting duck for the cyber attack that cost them millions of pounds to fix.”
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