商务英语口语 Lesson 09《Speak Business Engl...

Lesson 9 IDIOMS英文释义

• a far cry from: different than; not at all like; much less than
• EXAMPLE: Cisco Systems' stock may be trading higher, but it's still a far cry from where it was in 2000.
• (to) go all out:  to make a big effort; to try hard
• EXAMPLE: The small gift shop went all out on advertising in December, trying to increase its holiday sales.
• (to) mince words: to control one's language so as to be polite
• EXAMPLE: Sue told you your new product idea was "the stupidest idea she's ever heard?" Clearly she's not one to mince words!
• NOTE: Mince has two main meanings: in this expression, it means "to make less harsh." It also means "to chop foods into tiny pieces."
• pretty penny: a lot of money; too much money (when referring to the cost of something)
• EXAMPLE: ruth made a pretty penny selling antiques on eBay.
• (to) deliver:  to meet expectations or requirements of a task, project, or job
• EXAMPLE: You made a lot of promises during your job interview here. Now that you're hired, I hope you can deliver!
• (to) pull out all the stops:  to use all one's resources to get something done; to try very hard
• EXAMPLE: Many airline companies are pulling out all the stops to win the right to fly direct to China.
• ORIGIN: This expression comes from the world of music. To increase the volume of a pipe organ, organists pull out stops (levers that control the volume).
• (to) pull the wool over one's eyes: to deceive someone
• EXAMPLE: Are you telling me the truth or are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?
• ORIGIN: In in the 17th and 18th centuries, men sometimes wore wigs. The "wool" refers to the wig (made of wool). Pulling the wool over the eyes made it impossible to see.
• Where to begin?: There is so much to say, I have to think about where to start (usually used when you're about to complain and you want to stress that there's a lot to complain about).
• EXAMPLE: Your new marketing campaign has so many problems. Where to begin?
• (to) get right on something: to take care of something immediately
• EXAMPLE: You need my help in finding a new office to lease? I'll get right on that.
• (to) mess around: to waste time; to spend time with no particular purpose or goal
• EXAMPLE: We don't have time to mess around with the design for the packaging. Let's just design it quickly and get it into production!
• (to be) swamped: to have too much work to do; to be extremely busy
• EXAMPLE: Accounting firms are swamped during tax season.
• (to) make it up to you: to do something to compensate you for your trouble
• EXAMPLE: I'm sorry that you weren't happy with the sign we made for your business. Let me make it up to you and make a new sign for you at no charge.