This document contains summaries of idiom projects from various students in a VESL business idioms class. It includes definitions and examples of common business idioms such as "lemon", "think outside the box", "big wig", "too much on one's plate", "downsize", "throw in the towel", "in hot water", "banker's hours", "balance the books", "across the board", "bean-counter", "good call", "company man", and others. Students provided idiom definitions, examples in short dialogues, and attribution for the projects.

1. Idiom Dictionary
VESL @ MiraCosta
College
Spring 2014

2. Business & Work Idioms
Victoria Mendoza
Edith Floyd
VESL@MiraCostaCollage
Spring 2014

3. • Lemon: A defective
product or anything
that doesn’t work.

4. • Think outside the
box: to think in
different ways.

5. • The big wig: An
important, powerful
or famous person.

6. Idiom project
Manami Hayashi

7. • Too much on one’s plate =
having too much work one
must do

8. • Downsize =to reduce the
number of workers in a
company
• Throw in the towel =to quit
• In hot water = get angry

10. Business Idioms
Created by Jennifer Rong
VESL
4/30/2014

11. Tim and Alison chat at home
• Banker’s hours = short / few
hours

12. David and Jennifer meet at park
• Balance the books = to check
that all money in a business is
accounted for

13. News from company
• Across the board = including
everyone or everything

14. Created by JuFen Huang
VESL
4/30/14
BUSINESS IDIOMS

15. Tom and Sara meet at a restaurant
•Bean-counter =
An accountant

16. •Good call =
Good decision or
judgment

17. •Company man =
A person who always
works hard

18. Idioms project
By: Camila Zuluaga
Melissa Lesmes
Enrique Desentis

19. •Big wig: An important
person or famous
person.

20. •Throw in the towel:
to quit; to give up to
something

21. • Take the bull by the horns:
To deal with a problem
directly and resolutely ; to
confront a problem or
challenge.
• Think outside the box: To
think creatively;; to
approach a situation or
problem in a new way.

23. • Back to the salt mines:
humorous way of talking about
returning to work, usually with
some reluctance.
• Business before pleasure:
This expression means that it is
considered preferable to finish
one's work before going to
relax and enjoy oneself.

24. Business & works Idioms
Faby and Candy Project
VESL MiraCosta College
Spring 2014

25. •Co-workers are
talking about
their boss.

26. • Big Wig: An important,
powerful or famous
person.
• Lemon: A defective
product, or anything that
doesn’t work very well;
something which breaks
constantly.

27. • Bite the hand that feeds
you: To be ungrateful, to
turn against your family or
employer or other
supporters.
• Tomorrow is another day:
that even if everything is
not satisfactory at present,
there will be opportunity
for things to improve.

28. MEI VON NORMANN

31. • Break even = to have expenses
equal to profits
• Ball park figure =a rough
estimate or figure
• Balance the books =to check
that all the money in a
business is accounted for
• Meeting adjourned = to end a
meeting

32. Idiom Dialog
Abdul Haq & Mohammad Bilal

38. Idiom Project
Howard
04/30/14
VESL

39. Joe is talking to Jack at the meeting
room.
•Though the roof:
Very high; higher
than expected

40. Joe is talking to Jack at the meeting
room.
•Pass the buck:
To shift the blame; to
blame somebody else

41. Joe is talking to Jack at the meeting
room.
•Pull one’s weight:
To do one’s share of
the work

42. Thank you for watching!