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Time Idioms

There are a lot of idioms talking about time as if it were money.

You can spend time.

• I spent 3 hours doing that.

You can waste time.

• I wasted an hour waiting for her.

Time can be a waste.

• It's not worth going. The whole exhibition is a waste of time.

You can value time.

• I value every minute I get to spend with my baby.

You can run out of time.

• I didn't get the project finished as I would have liked. I ran out of time.

You can spare time.

• Can you spare me a few minutes?

Time can be precious.

• I travel a lot so the time I spend at home is very precious to me.

You can afford time.

• We can't afford to spend any more time on this. We have a lot to cover today.

You can save time.

• I've already dug out the old files to save time today.

You can be short of time.

• We're short of the time we need to do a good job on this.

You can have plenty of time.

• We have plenty of time to worry about this later.

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War Idioms

There are a lot of expressions used in business which are borrowed from the army and from war. Here are some examples:

You can 'gain ground' on your competition.

• We've gained ground in the Japanese market. We now have a 20% market share, up from just 7% last year.

You ' don't give up without a fight.'

• I don't think we should just withdraw the product because we have such a poor share of the market. Let's not give up without a fight. Let's try some other marketing strategies.

You may need to 'reinforce' your marketing position.

• Our sales team is doing badly against the competition. We may need to reinforce the team with some new recruits.

You can 'join forces' with another company.

• In China, we've decided to join forces with a local company and set up a joint venture.

If you receive a lot of enquiries, you can say you are 'bombarded' with them.

• After our last radio campaign, we were bombarded with calls to our customer lines.

If you don't want your boss to notice you, it's a good idea to 'keep your head down'.

• The boss is very angry. It would be a good idea to keep your head down for a few days.

You can 'set your sights on ' an objective.

• I've set my sights on being the next sales manager.

Often different departments of a company have a 'battle' over budgets.

• There isn't much money and Accounts and Marketing are having a big battle over the advertising budget.

Some people seem to do things which make them look bad – they are 'their own worst enemy'.

• He's always irritating the boss by being late for meetings. He's his own worst enemy.

Most companies set 'targets' for their employees.

• Our target this year is to increase sales by 10%.

You can 'capture' a larger share of a market.

• We need to capture more of the youth market.

When businesses fail because of a poor economy, they can be said to be 'casualties'.

• They were a casualty of the last recession.

If there are a lot of potential problems in doing something, it can be described as a 'minefield'.

• The workers are very unhappy and so are the customers. Taking over that company would be a real minefield.

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Back Idioms

Learn new expressions in English with these exercises:

I don't suppose I need to tell you that 'back' can mean the part of your body that you can lie on or, more generally, the opposite of 'front'.

• I've hurt my back and I can't lift anything heavy.
• You'll find it in the back of the garage.

'Back' is used in lots of idiomatic expressions. How many of them do you know?

If you 'put your back into' something, you work really hard.

• If we want to dig that pond today, we're going to have to really put our backs into it. The ground is so hard.

If somebody is giving you orders/nagging you etc., you can ask them to 'get off your back'. This is not very polite!

• I know you are my boss but could you just get off my back for a bit and let me work in peace?

If you do something well you 'deserve a pat on the back'.

• He deserves a pat on the back for the way he has got everybody working so hard.

Sometimes people criticize you but not to your face. They talk 'behind your back'.

• I hate people who won't say anything to your face but talk about you behind your back.

Sometimes we agree to do something for somebody if they agree to do something for you – 'you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours'.

• I'll stand in for you at the meeting if you'll work late for me on Thursday. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

If you stop doing something that you used to do regularly, you 'turn your back on' it.

• I used to go out to nightclubs every night but I turned my back on all that when I started working for this company.

If somebody who is not popular is leaving, you 'won't be sorry to see the back of him'.

• My boss is getting promoted and moving to Madrid. I won't be sorry to see the back of him. He was always criticizing me.

If somebody makes you angry, they 'get your back up'.

• He really gets my back up when he starts saying how women are inferior to men.

If you are in a very bad situation, you have your 'backs to the wall'.

• Either this works or the company closes. Our backs are to the wall.

If somebody does something bad to you, you may want to try to 'get your own back'.

• He played a joke on me but I got my own back by having a lot of horse manure delivered to his house.

Sometimes we try not to worry about things but a small worry remains 'in the back of my mind'.

• I know he will probably do a good job but in the back of my mind I can't help thinking about the problems he had last year.

If you know something really well, you know it 'like the back of your hand'.

• I know my way around New York like the back of my hand.

If criticism has no effect on somebody, it is 'like water off a duck's back'.

• I told her yet again about being late for meetings but it's like water off a duck's back with her.

If a place is very isolated geographically, it is 'in the back of beyond'.

• They set up their new factory in the back of beyond. There is no airport for two hundred miles.

If you do not have a major role in an activity, you 'take a back seat'.

• I don't have the time to do much on this so I suggest I take a back seat and you drive it forward.

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Memory Idioms

If you "can't get a word in edgeways", this means that you have no chance to say anything.

• So many people were trying to speak that I couldn't get a word in edgeways.

It's also possible to say "can't get a word in edgewise".

• Kate never stops talking. It's difficult to get a word in edgewise.

If you have forgotten what you were talking about, you have "lost your train of thought".

• Sorry, I've lost my train of thought after that interruption. What was I saying?

If you have absolutely no idea about something, you "haven't a clue".

• I haven't a clue what the capital of Kazakhstan is. Can you help me?

If you cannot understand something, you "can't make head nor tail" of it.

• I'm trying to assemble this IKEA table and I can't make head nor tail of the instructions.

If you forgot about something, it "slipped your mind".

• I was going to send it to you but I'm afraid it completely slipped my mind.

If you have to choose between two alternatives and you are finding it difficult, you are "caught between two stools".

• I'm not sure if I should fly to London or take the train. I'm really caught between two stools on this one.

If something tries to be two things but is not very good at being either it "falls between two stools".

• It's supposed to be a telephone and an MP3 player but it falls between two stools and isn't very good at either.

If you are trying to remember something and cannot quite remember it, it is "on the tip of your tongue".

• What's her name again? It's on the tip of my tongue.

If you don't understand something, you can say that "it beats me".

• It beats me why this car won't start. Everything appears OK with it.

Sometimes, explanations are too difficult or technical for us – they "go over our heads".

• He tried to explain the problem with the reactor but I'm afraid it just went over my head.

Sometimes we think and think about something, trying to remember a name, for example. You can say you have been "racking my brain".

• I've been racking my brain trying to remember the name of that lawyer we met last year in Dubai.

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Health Idioms

Here are some idioms to do with health.

To say that you are in good health, you can use the expressions 'as fit as a fiddle' or 'fighting fit'.

• I've never felt better. I'm really fighting fit.
• After those vitamins the doctor gave me, I feel as fit as a fiddle.
  

(Yes, 'fiddle' is another word for 'violin'. No, I don't understand the origins of this expression either!)

To say that you are OK ( but are not in really good health) use 'I can't complain'

• I've had a bit of a cold but I can't complain.

(As I'm still off work, I've not been able to check out if this expression is used in US English. I'll let you know later.)

To say that you have recovered from an illness, you can use these expressions:

• I was knocked out for a few days but now I'm back on my feet.
• I was quite ill but now I feel as right as rain.
• I'm well on the way to recovery.
• The doctor gave me a clean bill of health.
  

Here are some expressions to indicate you are not in good health.

• I'm a bit out of sorts.
• I'm going down with something.
• I'm feeling very run down.
• There's a bug going round and I think I've got it.
• I'm feeling a bit off-colour/off-color.
• I'm feeling under the weather.
  

Here is an expression for bad headaches.

• I've got a splitting headache.
  
  

Here is an expression to indicate a lot of pain.

• My legs are killing me.
• My back is killing me.

Here is an expression to indicate a serious illness.

• He's in a very bad way.

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