Joy English · Level C1 · Work and careersjoy-english.com

Workplace and career idioms

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Learn idioms such as hit the ground running, move the goalposts, call the shots and the glass ceiling to describe working life with nuance.

Choose the best option

Choose the idiom or phrase that completes each sentence.

Tomás ___ when he joined: within a week he was leading the client meetings himself.
- a) hit the ground running
- b) touched base
- c) called it a day
- d) passed the buck
The sales team is frustrated because every time it meets a target, management raises it. They keep ___.
- a) pulling their weight
- b) moving the goalposts
- c) going the extra mile
- d) getting a foot in the door
If you are burning the candle at both ends, you are ...
- a) saving money by working from home
- b) doing too much and not resting enough
- c) pretending to be busier than you are
- d) working slowly to avoid mistakes
I'll ___ with you on Thursday to see how the draft is coming on.
- a) cut corners
- b) jump ship
- c) pass the buck
- d) touch base
Getting a foot in the door means ...
- a) leaving a job suddenly
- b) gaining a first opportunity to enter a profession
- c) being promoted unexpectedly
- d) interrupting a meeting
Having agreed to lead a fourth project, she realised she had ___.
- a) bitten off more than she could chew
- b) pulled her weight
- c) called the shots
- d) got a foot in the door
Although she had excellent qualifications, she came up against a ___ that stopped women from reaching the top roles.
- a) glass ceiling
- b) red tape
- c) paper trail
- d) blank cheque
Newcomers are expected to ___ and share the workload fairly.
- a) move the goalposts
- b) burn their bridges
- c) pull their weight
- d) call the shots

Type the missing word to complete each idiom. Use each word once: candle, deep, door, goalposts, ground, mile, plate, shots.

The new manager hit the ___ running and had fixed the rota by Friday.
It isn't fair to move the ___ after the project has already started.
Mina always goes the extra ___ for her clients, often staying late to help them.
I can't take on anything else; I already have far too much on my ___.
He has been burning the ___ at both ends, working nights to finish his thesis.
A short internship was her first chance to get a foot in the ___.
On her first day she was thrown in at the ___ end and asked to chair a meeting.
The founder still likes to call the ___ on every major hiring decision.

a) hit the ground runningHit the ground running means start working effectively straight away.
b) moving the goalpostsMoving the goalposts means changing the targets unfairly after people have begun working towards them.
b) doing too much and not resting enoughBurning the candle at both ends means exhausting yourself by working long hours and getting too little rest.
d) touch baseTouch base means make brief contact to share news or check progress.
b) gaining a first opportunity to enter a professionGetting a foot in the door means gaining that first opportunity, such as an internship, to enter a field.
a) bitten off more than she could chewBite off more than you can chew means accept more work than you can manage.
a) glass ceilingA glass ceiling is an invisible barrier that stops some groups from being promoted.
c) pull their weightPull your weight means do your fair share of the work.

groundThe idiom is hit the ground running.
goalposts / goal postsMove the goalposts means change the targets unfairly.
mileGo the extra mile means make more effort than expected.
plateHave a lot on your plate means have many tasks to deal with.
candleBurn the candle at both ends means exhaust yourself through overwork.
doorGet a foot in the door means gain a first opportunity to enter a field.
deepBe thrown in at the deep end means be given a hard task with little preparation.
shotsCall the shots means make the important decisions.