Joy English
Joy English

C1 Vocabulary

C1Work and careers20 min

Workplace and career idioms

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

English-speaking workplaces are full of idioms, from informal chat in the corridor to the language of performance reviews and interviews. Understanding them helps you follow what colleagues really mean, and using a few of them well makes your own English sound relaxed and natural. Because idioms are fixed, you usually cannot change the words, although the verb tense can change.

hit the ground runningidiom
start a new job or project and work effectively straight awayWithin a week, Tomás had hit the ground running and was leading client meetings.
move the goalpostsidiom
change the rules or targets unfairly while someone is trying to meet themEvery time we reach the target, management moves the goalposts.
go the extra mileidiom
make more effort than is expected of youMina always goes the extra mile for her clients.
touch baseidiom
make brief contact with someone to share news or check progressI'll touch base with you on Thursday to see how the draft is coming on.
have a lot on your plateidiom
have many tasks or responsibilities to deal withI can't take on anything else; I already have far too much on my plate.
burn the candle at both endsidiom
exhaust yourself by working very hard and getting too little restHe has been burning the candle at both ends, writing at night after a full day at work.
get a foot in the dooridiom
gain a first opportunity to enter a profession or organisationA short internship was her chance to get a foot in the door.
pull your weightidiom
do your fair share of the workNew team members are expected to pull their weight from the start.
bite off more than you can chewidiom
accept more work than you are able to manageBy agreeing to lead a fourth project, she had bitten off more than she could chew.
be thrown in at the deep endidiom
be given a difficult task with little preparation or supportOn her first day she was thrown in at the deep end and asked to chair a meeting.
glass ceilingnoun
an invisible barrier that stops some groups from reaching the top jobsMany talented women hit a glass ceiling before reaching the board.
call the shotsidiom
be the person who makes the important decisionsThe founder still likes to call the shots on every major hiring decision.

Exercise 1 of 2

Choose the best option

Choose the idiom or phrase that completes each sentence.

  1. Tomás _____ when he joined: within a week he was leading the client meetings himself.

  2. The sales team is frustrated because every time it meets a target, management raises it. They keep _____.

  3. If you are burning the candle at both ends, you are ...

  4. I'll _____ with you on Thursday to see how the draft is coming on.

  5. Getting a foot in the door means ...

  6. Having agreed to lead a fourth project, she realised she had _____.

  7. Although she had excellent qualifications, she came up against a _____ that stopped women from reaching the top roles.

  8. Newcomers are expected to _____ and share the workload fairly.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 2

Complete the idiom

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

  1. The new manager hit the running and had fixed the rota by Friday.

  2. It isn't fair to move the after the project has already started.

  3. Mina always goes the extra for her clients, often staying late to help them.

  4. I can't take on anything else; I already have far too much on my .

  5. He has been burning the at both ends, working nights to finish his thesis.

  6. A short internship was her first chance to get a foot in the .

  7. On her first day she was thrown in at the end and asked to chair a meeting.

  8. The founder still likes to call the on every major hiring decision.

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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