Being a non-native English speaker in such a competitive world can be tough sometimes, but you don’t have to roll with the punches. Instead, you can improve your communication skills and put yourself on a par with native speakers. Learn these idioms and phrases to talk about challenges at work, and don’t let the opportunity to shine at work slip through your fingers.
Here you have a list with the most common idioms about challenges and difficulties. Check it out and put them in practice at work or with a teacher:
■ They should go back to the drawing board and review the whole issue of employee training. | -Start over and go back to the beginning or the planning stage |
■ I hate doing these reports, but I'll just have to bite the bullet. | -Do something unpleasant that needs to be done |
■ Losing to a smaller company was a bitter pill to swallow. | - Something unpleasant that needs to be accepted |
■ It is a catch-22 situation - you can't get people without funding, but you can't get funding without the people there in the first place | - A dilemma or difficult situation from which there is no escape because of mutually conflicting conditions |
■ I will be there on time, come hell or high water. | - No matter what |
■ The employee training budget came up short last year. | - Fail to achieve a goal; be insufficient |
■ With the economy continuing to do poorly, many investors decided to cut their losses and sell their stocks. | - Abandon an activity that is clearly going to be unprofitable or unsuccessful before you suffer more loss or harm |
■ Their proposals for other developments fell flat. | - Fail completely to produce the intended or expected effect |
■ They felt that the pressures of her work had been the last straw. | - The last in a series of unpleasant events that finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation |
■ We didn't want to let the opportunity slip through our fingers. | - Fail to take advantage of an opportunity |
■ The investment has helped a lot, but we’re not out of the woods yet. | - We’re still in trouble |
■ You're playing with fire if you try to evade taxes. | - Do something risky or dangerous |
■ Losing my job was really tough, but I've just been trying to roll with the punches until I get back on my feet. | - Adapt to difficulties by accepting them and carrying on |
■ The company has expanded into many different areas and has probably spread itself too thin. | - Try to do too many different things at the same time (so that you cannot give enough time or attention to any of them) |
■ The alternative was equally bad - she was caught between a rock and a hard place. | - In a very difficult situation and to have to make a hard decision |
■ Three of the original five candidates have now thrown in the towel. |
- Abandon a struggle; admit defeat, give up |
■ These small local protests are just the tip of the iceberg. |
- A small, noticeable part of a problem (of which the total size is really much greater) |
■ Winning back our trust after stealing is going to be an uphill climb. |
- A difficult, tedious process |
Fill the gaps with the correct word:
[Download PDF with solutions and many more idioms!]
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