WELCOME... THIS IS VOCABULARY!!! MOST COMMON BUSINESS IDIOMS, PART 3!!!

Hi everybody and welcome to this new entry of Montcada in English. As many of you know English is the main language in business world nowadays. It is well known that for negotiations is important to speak in a correct and polite way but sometimes there are some expressions that are used to explain in a more colloquial way without being informal, a specific situation. Those common expressions are known as Idioms. This is the third part of the most common business idioms list. Enjoy it!

IDIOM	WHAT IT MEANS		EXAMPLES
hands are tied		If you do not have any control over a situation, your "hands are tied."		I would love to get you a job at my company, but my hands are tied. Management isn't hiring any additional employees this year.
have someone's work cut out		If you have a lot of work to do or a particularly difficult assignment, you "have your work cut out for you."		She has to sell $35,000 worth of products by the end of the month. She has her work cut out for her.
hit the nail on the head		To "hit the nail on the head" means to do or say something 100% correctly.		I agree with John 100%. I think he really hit the nail on the head.
in a nutshell		"In a nutshell" means in a few words.		In a nutshell, this book is about how to motivate employees.
in full swing		If a project is "in full swing," it means that it has been completely started and that it is progressing or moving as fast as it ever will.		Construction on the new site is in full swing now.
in the black		If a company is "in the black," it means that they are making a profit.		We're not having a great year, but at least we're in the black.
in the driver's seat		To be ¨in the driver´s seat¨ means to be in control.		I'm not used to being in the driver's seat. I should probably buy some management books.
in the red		If a company is "in the red," it means that they are not profitable and are operating at a loss.		When I started my own business, we were in the red for the first two years. We didn't see a profit until the third year.
keep your eye on the ball		To "keep your eye on the ball¨ means to focus and concentrate on what you want to achieve.		I know we can do it. We just need to keep our eye on the ball and not lose our focus.
last straw		The "last straw" means the last annoyance, disturbance, or betrayal which causes someone to give up, lose his or her patience, or become very angry.		Our boss was unhappy with Brian's performance for a while, but when he came to work three hours late without calling, it was the last straw.
learn the ropes		To "learn the ropes¨means to learn the basics of something.		I like my new position. I´m starting to learn the ropes.
long shot		A "long shot" is something that has a very low probability of happening.		Winning the lottery is a long shot, but millions of people still buy lottery tickets.
loophole		A legal "loophole" occurs If a law is unclear or omits information. This lack of legal clarity allows people or corporations to take advantage of the situation and pay less in taxes or gain some other advantage.		Some people complain that millionaires avoid paying taxes by finding loopholes in tax laws.
lose ground (opposite is to "gain ground")		To "lose ground" means to lose some type of an advantage (market share, for example) to a competitor.		Apple lost some ground to Samsung last quarter.
lose-lose situation (also called a "no-win situation")		A "lose-lose situation" is when someone has to choose between various options and all the options are bad.		It's a lose-lose situation. If they lay off more workers, they'll get bad press. If they don't lay off more workers, they won't be able to compete.
nine-to-five		A "nine-to-five" is a job during normal working hours. The term came into existence because many work days start at 9 AM and end at 5 PM.		She was tired of working a nine-to-five job, so she took her savings and started a restaurant.
no brainer		If a decision is really obvious or really easy to make, the decision is a "no brainer."		Taking the new job was a no brainer. They offered me more money, a better schedule, and more vacation days.
no strings attached		If something is given without expecting anything in return, it is given with "no strings attached."		They will let you try the product for free with no strings attached. If you don't like it, there is no pressure to buy it or give them anything in return.
no time to lose		If there is "no time to lose," it means that there is a lot of pressure to complete something quickly.		I told them I'd send the email by the end of the day and it's already 4:45. I need to get to work. There's no time to lose.
not going to fly		If a solution isn't effective, people say that it "isn't going to fly."		I don't think that idea's going to fly. Let's keep generating ideas.
off the top of one's head		If someone says something "off the top of his or her head," it means that he or she gives a response without thinking about it for a long time or doing any research on the subject.		I have no idea how many branches they have. Off the top of my head, I'd say about 20.
on a roll		If someone is "on a roll," it means that he or she has had several successes in a row.		Our profits have been above our projected numbers for five months in a row. We're really on a roll.
on the ball		To be "one the ball" means to be alert and aware of things.		My new personal assistant is working out well. He's really on the ball.
on the same page page		If two people are "on the same page," they are in agreement about something.		Let's go over the details of what we agreed on just to make sure that we're on the same page.
on top of something		To be "on top of something" means to be in control of a situation and aware of changes.		I read a lot to stay on top of the latest changes in my industry.