Business English is full of idioms that don't appear in most textbooks. Here are 25 you're likely to hear in real meetings and emails — grouped by what they're used for.
Talking about plans and progress
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| touch base | make brief contact / check in | "Let's touch base on Friday about the budget." |
| move the needle | make a meaningful difference | "This campaign really moved the needle on sales." |
| on the same page | in agreement / aligned | "Before we start, let's make sure we're on the same page." |
| circle back | return to a topic later | "Let's circle back to this after lunch." |
| ballpark figure | a rough estimate | "Can you give me a ballpark figure for the cost?" |
Talking about problems
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hit a snag | run into an unexpected problem | "We hit a snag with the supplier last week." |
| back to the drawing board | start planning again from zero | "The client rejected it, so it's back to the drawing board." |
| drop the ball | fail to do something expected | "I dropped the ball on that email — sorry, I'll fix it now." |
| under the weather | feeling slightly unwell | "I'm a bit under the weather, so I'll join by call." |
| put out fires | deal with urgent problems constantly | "This week has just been putting out fires." |
Talking about decisions and effort
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| think outside the box | think creatively | "We need to think outside the box for this pitch." |
| get the ball rolling | start something | "Let's get the ball rolling on the new project." |
| go the extra mile | put in extra effort | "She always goes the extra mile for clients." |
| cut corners | do something poorly to save time/money | "We can't cut corners on safety." |
| call it a day | stop working for now | "It's 7 p.m. — let's call it a day." |
Tip: Business idioms are usually semi-formal — fine in meetings and internal emails, but many are too casual for formal written reports or legal documents. When in doubt, use the plain version instead ("start" instead of "get the ball rolling").
Practice
Rewrite this sentence using two idioms from above: "We had an unexpected problem, so we need to start planning again and check in with the team on Monday."
Sample answer: "We hit a snag, so it's back to the drawing board — let's touch base with the team on Monday."
Keep learning: browse more Idioms & Phrases notes or head back to the homepage to explore other subjects.