Introduction
In this free IELTS Speaking lesson on the topic of IDIOMS for WORK, you will learn how to talk about the world of work and business using some creative and less common idioms.
What you will Learn
Useful Links
Idioms dictionary online
English Idioms Online Youtube Channel full of useful idioms
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1HH5tChfG8wfFr3tpqzBEQ/playlists
List of 2,000 Useful Idioms
British National Corpora – great to check idioms and get examples
Introducing idioms and idiomatic expressions
Idioms
Idioms are fixed phrases whose meaning is different from the individual words. For example,
The expression ‘To spill the beans’ has nothing to do with beans falling out of a can or tin. What it actually means is ‘to reveal a secret’. For example,
“Yesterday, I was talking to Jane and I decided to spill the beans about my new job.”
We use them to,
- get attention (especially news, blogs, articles…),
- for humor
- for emphasis
- to add color
Often idioms have a connotation, so be careful, try to learn the connotation. It might be positive, negative, or neutral.
Idiomatic expressions
Idiomatic expressions make up a much wider group of expressions that include idioms, but also include some phrasal verbs and set phrases or spoken chunks of language.
Some phrasal verbs
Pack something in = to stop doing something
I am going to pack in my job.
Cut down on = to reduce (usually something you see as bad, eg. smoking)
I need to cut down on the time I spend in meetings
Spoken chunks
By the way (used to give extra information)
At a pinch = if absolutely necessary
Idioms to talk about work
These are the idioms and idiomatic expressions found in the video in today’s live lesson.
- I’ve been working like a dog = working hard
- She had a stinker of a day = a terrible day
- This job is (way) above her pay grade = a job that someone more senior should do
- Her boss went up the wall = he was angry, he saw red, he flew off the handle
- He came down on her like a ton of bricks = to be strict on s.o. / punish them
- If she gets over this bump in the road, she’ll be fine = to overcome a problem
- If she plays her cards right, (=do the right thing) she will be up for (=eligible, recommend her for) a promotion
- We work 9 to 5, we are stuck in the rat race = stuck in a boring routine
- We try our best to climb the corporate ladder = To move up in the company
- You need time to find your feet (=learn how to do new things) and to learn the ropes
- You get a golden handshake (= bonus when you retire)
- I am going to pack it all in and throw in the towel (=give up, quit)
- He could sell snow to the Eskimos = he is very good at sales
What do you like and dislike about your job?
- My job has a number of fringe benefits (=non-financial benefits, e.g. free lunch, gym membership)
- I have got flexible working hours
- It’s challenging but rewarding as well
- There is too much red tape (=bureaucracy/ too many rules)
- I always have to burn the midnight oil to meet all my deadlines = work late into the night
- It’s a cushy number = an easy job
- I have a lot on my plate these days = I am busy / things are hectic / I am snowed under
- I have hit a glass ceiling = I can go no higher in the company – no chance for promotion
- I was easy to get a foot in the door = to get an opportunity to enter…
- My boss is a slave driver = makes me work very hard
- I really have my work cut out = I have a difficult job to do
- I took a busman’s holiday = I took holiday but I actually worked on a holiday
- He is a mover and shaker = He is an important and well-connected person in the company
- She has a good track record = She has a good work history
More Idioms about work
- I like to put my feet up after work (= to relax)
- I need to think on my feet in my job (= to think quickly and improvise)
- I was going to volunteer to give the speech but then I got cold feet and decided not to do it. (= got nervous)
- Michael annoys me, he is always dragging his feet at work (= working too slowly)
- She has been here for a year now, she needs to stand on her own feet (= be independent and look after herself)
- I put my foot in it yesterday when I told my boss that nobody really listens to him (= made a mistake / said an embarrassing thing)
- I don’t worry too much about small mistakes, I believe every dog has its day (= Everyone will be successful sometime)
- I took a day off work yesterday, I was as sick as a dog (= extremely sick / ill)
- He was in the dog house with his boss after messing up the whole project (= his boss was angry with him)
Talk about a company you like
Here are some more idioms you could use to talk about a company that you like or a company you are interested in.
- It does a roaring trade (= to sell a lot)
- It might go belly up (= to go wrong, go bankrupt, lose all the money)
- They went bust (=lose all their money)
- This company has gone to the dogs (= The quality of its work has dropped)
- They wanted to dominate the China market and they have pulled it off (= to be successful)
- Their products sell like hotcakes (=sell very well).
Model Answers
Q1. DESCRIBE YOUR REGULAR WORKING DAY.
A1.
So, I get up at the same time most days. I have a bit of a routine that I like to follow every day.
I like to go walking in the morning and then I will come back home and have a hearty breakfast to have lots of energy for the day. I work from home, so it’s quite straight forward for me. I don’t have to commute and can control my work time quite easily but I tend to do the same thing day after day.
Q2. Are you the main bread-winner? If so, how do you feel about it?
A2.
Yes, I am the main breadwinner in my family, although my wife does work, she works part-time, and I bring home the bacon, by and large, most months. I am absolutely comfortable with that. I think a relationship is a balance where both the husband and the wife, or both partners, have to find a comfortable balance where they both contribute to the well-being of the family. There are things beyond finance. There are other things to take care of, like looking after the house, educating the children, bringing up a happy family environment. So, I think both have to make equal contributions. I am a big one for making a contribution at home, whether that’s washing the pots, tidying the house a little bit, but we like to share responsibilities. So, I think it’s a shared responsibility issue.
Q3. What do you want to change about your job?
A3.
Well, as you may know, I am an online teacher so I spend quite a bit of time teaching and I also dedicate quite a bit of time to making videos and teaching online. I really enjoy my job you know, it’s something that makes me happy, I am really engaged in my day-to-day work. If there were one thing I could change, I think that one thing might be, I would like to rent or buy a space, better equipped for video recording. At the moment, I work form home so as you can see, I have to record in our bedrooms and it’s not the most professional or best quality and I would really like to take the opportunity to rent a place the has better facilities and amenities for that aspect of my work.
If you enjoyed this lesson, go and find more materials and videos from recent live lessons below.
