What does a native English speaker mean when they talk about “getting wind of something”, “it’s a perfect storm” or being “snowed under”? All these phrases are called idioms and native speakers make use them a lot. Whether it’s to talk about weather, or any personal or business-related topic, idioms are often used, and often misunderstood, or not understood at all.

I was very impressed when in one of my business English lessons, a student used the idiom “beat around the bush” when we were discussing communication styles in different cultures. When you are able to use such phrases correctly, you demonstrate a good command of the English language. If, however, this is something you have yet to master, don’t put it off.. Otherwise, you might get lost in a business English conversation.

Try making a sentence with one of these business English idioms to test your understanding. Write your suggestions in the comments:

Back to square one
Corner the market
Get something off the ground In a nutshell
No-brainer
Out in the open
Put the cart before the horse Rock the boat
Take the bull by the horns Raise the bar
Not going to fly

In a nutshell, it’s a no-brainer that employers have raised the bar for their staff’s English skills and not being able to communicate in English freely is just not going to fly anymore… Don’t be a blind squirrel and hope to get lucky, set a goal to become more fluent in English and tend to it actively! There is plenty new under the sun…