Business idioms. 20 идиом из мира бизнеса на английском языке

Идиомы в английском языке – чрезвычайно интересная и вместе с тем сложная тема для изучения. А поскольку английский язык насыщен идиомами, им следует уделить особое внимание.

Что такое идиома? Это устойчивое выражение, свойственное определенному языку, значение которого не определяется значением отдельных слов, входящих в его состав. Например, “put foot in it” — попасть впросак, сесть в калошу, вляпаться. Не пытайтесь переводить отдельные слова, заучивайте сразу правильное значение целой идиомы как нераздельной единицы.

Начинайте с малого. Например, эти 20 бизнес-идиом значительно обогатят вашу речь, а картинки помогут быстрее запомнить их значение.

Idioms	Meaning	Translation	Example
Dead wood	People or things that are no longer useful or productive; the employees that are losing a company money.	Балласт, что-нибудь негодное, бесполезное.	We need to cut out the dead wood ASAP (as soon as possible).
Put / stick your oar in	To involve yourself in a discussion or a situation when other people do not want you to.	Вставить пять копеек; вмешиваться, встревать (в разговор).	You shouldn’t have stuck your oar in when we were arguing with our colleagues.
Bean counter	A person, such as an accountant or financial officer, who is concerned with quantification.	Бухгалтер, счетовод, человек, ведущий расчёты.	Today two bean counters are here to help us with our taxes.
Rat race	A fierce struggle for success, especially in one’s career or business.	Бешеная погоня за богатством, ожесточённая конкуренция.	I am fed up with / about the rat race.
Dogsbody	One who does menial work; a drudge.	Мальчик на побегушках, «принеси-подай», (человек, который выполняет любую работу в офисе за небольшую плату (покупает канцелярские принадлежности, заправляет катридж…)).	The dogsbody was half an hour late today.
Сushy job	An easy, comfortable job.	Непыльная работёнка, «тёпленькое местечко».	She lost such a cushy job.
Get the boot	To be dismissed.	Быть уволенным.	I guess you got the boot after that painful incident.
A Mickey Mouse job	A job done incorrectly in an extremely poor manner using the simplest, easiest, cheapest and fastest way possible.	Халтура, несерьезная, наспех сделанная работа.	It’s a Mickey Mouse job – you ought to be ashamed.
Lip service	Hypocritical respect.	Неискренние словоизлияния, пустые слова.	Although he paid lip service to their views, he was enrolled.
Lemon	Any product you have just purchased and it’s no good. (Probably leaving a bad or bitter taste in your mouth like a lemon).	Барахло, недоброкачественное изделие (часто употребляется в отношении некачественных старых машин).	We bought that new car but it turned out to be a lemon.
Cash cow	А product or investment that steadily continues to be profitable.	Надёжный источник денег, дойная корова.	Any independent entrepreneur longs for a cash cow product.
Ideas hamster	А person with a creative, inventive mind who is constantly churning out new ideas.	Генератор идей.	Why don’t we ask our ideas hamster? He knows how to help us hit upon an idea.
Basket case	A company or a person who is in such bad condition that they are beyond help.	Кто-либо или что-либо, находящееся в плачевном, изношенном состоянии; слабый, немощный человек.	After the third business meeting I was practically a basket case.
Stress Puppy	A person who thrives on stress, yet constantly complains about it.	Персона, преуспевающая в стрессовых ситуациях.	She must be the only stress puppy in the company.
Seagull Manager	Someone who is brought to in a company to deal with a problem or make changes, achieves nothing, annoys everyone and then leaves.	Тип менеджера, который налетает, шумит и улетает, оставляя после себя разруху и хаос.	She was irritated at being taught by a seagull manager.
Empty suit	Someone who is high up in a company due to unfair hiring practices, such as nepotism, and doesn’t really do anything for the company, someone who is not particularly good at their job.	Работник, который не выполняет важную работу, не справляется с ней или устроился по протекции.	It’s about time we told our chief about her inefficient execution – she’s just an empty suit.
Goldbricker	An idler.	Человек, увиливающий, уклоняющийся от работы, обязанностей, сачок, лентяй, халтурщик.	These goldbrickers must be dismissed for laziness.
Happy camper	A person who is pleased with the situation in which s/he finds him / herself. Often used ironically or in understatement, especially in the negative.	Достаточно довольный собой человек (иронич.).	The employees given some overwork were not a bunch of happy campers.
Wombat	1). Waste of money, brain and time. 2). A strange (weird, odd, unusual) person.	1). «Пустышка» (программа, не стоящая затрат денег, мозгов и времени). 2) Странный человек, странная личность.	1). Turn off the WOMBAT. 2) He is thought to be a wombat.
Mover and shaker	A powerful person who initiates events and influences people.	Первое лицо, влиятельное лицо.	It’s important to hang out with the movers and shakers of the business world.

Совершенствуйте свои знания языка, используя идиомы, благодаря которым ваша речь будет колоритной, увлекательной и максимально приближенной к речи грамотных носителей языка.

Match the above mentioned business idioms on the left with their meanings on the right.

1.	Lemon	a).	One that is burdensome or superfluous.
2.	Goldbricker	b).	To add one’s comments or opinion, even if unwanted or unasked for.
3.	Mickey Mouse job	c).	A bookkeeper.
4.	A happy camper	d).	An exhausting, usually competitive routine.
5.	Ideas hamster	e).	A drudge.
6.	Lip service	f).	A well-paid and easy job.
7.	Wombat	g).	To be discharged.
8.	Mover and shaker	h).	A slapdash job.
9.	Get the boot	i).	Trash, junk.
10.	Empty suit	j).	A steady dependable source of funds or income.
11.	Cash cow	k).	A person who is employed as a source of new ideas.
12.	Stress puppy	l).	If someone describes a country or organization as a …, they mean that its economy or finances are in a seriously bad state.
13.	Dead wood	m).	An expression of agreement, unsupported by real action.
14.	Put / stick your oar in	n).	A person who appears to thrive on being stressed, yet whines about it.
15.	Seagull manager	o).	Someone who makes themselves out to be much more able or important than they really are.
16.	Dogsbody	p).	A comfortable, contented person.
17.	Bean counter	q).	A shirker.
18.	Basket case	r).	A term used to describe a management style of interacting with employees only when a problem arises, making hasty decisions about things they have little understanding of, then leaving others to deal with the mess they leave behind.
19.	Rat race	s).	Waste of money, brain and time.
20.	Cushy job	t).	One who wields power and influence in a sphere of activity.