商务英语口语 Lesson 13《Speak Business Engl...
Lesson 13 IDIOMS 英文释义
- I could've sworn that…: I really thought that; I was convinced that
- EXAMPLE: You didn't know we already hired somebody for the sales director position? I could've sworn that I told you.
- NOTE: "Sworn" is the past perfect tense of "swear."
- no big deal: it's not a problem
- EXAMPLE: Our coffee machine broke? No big deal. Our employees will just have to go to Starbucks until we get a new one.
- (to) dot your i's and cross your t’s: to be very careful; to pay attention to details
- EXAMPLE: When preparing financial statements, accuracy is very important. Be sure to dot your i's and cross your t's.
- (to) make a mountain out of a molehill: to make a big deal out of something small or insignificant
- EXAMPLE: Don't be angry at your boss for not complimenting you on your presentation. He probably just forgot. Don't make a mountain out of a molehill.
- (to) blow things out of proportion: to exaggerate; to make more of something than one should
- EXAMPLE: Our CEO says that if we don't meet our sales target for the month, our company is going to go out of business. He's probably blowing things out of proportion.
- (to) drop the ball: to make a mistake; to fail; to do something poorly
- EXAMPLE: You forgot to submit the budget? You really dropped the ball!
- ORIGIN: When a football player drops the ball, his team may lose the chance to score.
- bitter pill to swallow: bad news; something unpleasant to accept
- EXAMPLE: After Gina spent her whole summer working as an intern for American Express, failing to get a full-time job offer from the company was a bitter pill to swallow.
- up to scratch: good; at the expected level
- EXAMPLE: Your customer service call center isn't up to scratch. They put me on hold for 45 minutes!
- NOTE: You will usually hear this expression in the negative: not up to scratch.
- asleep at the wheel: not performing well; neglecting responsibilities; not paying attention to what's going on
- EXAMPLE: The dental hygienist was asleep at the wheel. She accidentally left a big piece of dental floss in the patient's mouth!
- SYNONYMS: asleep at the switch; out to lunch
