Business English Booster

Bite Sized Business English

Author: Teacher Rob

  • Put Someone on Hold

    🗓️ Idiom: Put Someone on Hold (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To pause a phone conversation, often by using a button or switch
    • To delay someone’s request or issue while they wait

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The customer was frustrated after being put on hold for 20 minutes.
    • When I called to complain, they put me on hold without explaining why.
    • Many companies put you on hold before transferring you to the right department.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from telephone systems. To “put someone on hold” means to temporarily stop the call while the person waits, often with music playing. Over time, it also became a way to describe delays in customer service.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    The agent asked me to wait and then ____________________.

    Answer

    put me on hold

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “put someone on hold”:
    A) To fire someone from their job
    B) To make someone wait on the phone
    C) To call someone back later

    Answer

    B) To make someone wait on the phone

    3. Change the sentence using “put someone on hold”:
    “The receptionist told me to wait while she checked the system.”

    Answer

    The receptionist put me on hold while she checked the system.

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  • Give Someone the Cold Shoulder

    🗓️ Idiom: Give Someone the Cold Shoulder (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To deliberately ignore someone
    • To show someone that they are not welcome or important

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • After I asked for a refund, the staff gave me the cold shoulder.
    • The company gave long-time customers the cold shoulder by removing support.
    • If you give a client the cold shoulder, they may not return.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from old times in Britain, when hosts would serve cold meat—especially the shoulder part—to unwanted guests as a sign they should leave. Over time, it came to mean giving someone an unfriendly or distant response.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    The customer felt upset because the staff ____________________.

    Answer

    gave her the cold shoulder

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “give someone the cold shoulder”:
    A) To offer someone a better deal
    B) To ignore someone on purpose
    C) To ask for help politely

    Answer

    B) To ignore someone on purpose

    3. Change the sentence using “give someone the cold shoulder”:
    “The support team did not respond or help the customer.”

    Answer

    The support team gave the customer the cold shoulder.

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  • Brush Someone Off

    🗓️ Idiom: Brush Someone Off (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To ignore someone or treat them as unimportant
    • To refuse to listen or respond, especially in a rude or quick way

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • When the customer asked a question, the salesperson just brushed her off.
    • He tried to explain the issue, but the support agent brushed him off.
    • If you brush off clients, they may go to a competitor.

    🏛️ Origin

    The phrase comes from the physical action of brushing dust or dirt off your clothes. In this idiom, it means dismissing a person as if they were not worth your time or attention. It has been used this way since the mid-1900s.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    Instead of helping, the receptionist just ____________________.

    Answer

    brushed me off

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “brush someone off”:
    A) To welcome someone warmly
    B) To ignore or dismiss someone
    C) To clean something quickly

    Answer

    B) To ignore or dismiss someone

    3. Change the sentence using “brush someone off”:
    “The manager didn’t take my complaint seriously at all.”

    Answer

    The manager brushed me off.

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  • Give Someone the Runaround

    🗓️ Idiom: Give Someone the Runaround (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To avoid giving clear answers or help, often to delay or confuse someone
    • To pass a customer from one helper to another, then another without solving their problem

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • When I asked for a refund, the company gave me the runaround for weeks.
    • Customers will stop trusting you if you give them the runaround.
    • The client felt frustrated after being given the runaround by several departments.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom likely comes from the idea of making someone run around in circles rather than moving forward. It has been used in English since the 1800s to describe evasive or unhelpful behaviour.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    The support team kept ____________________, and I still don’t have an answer.

    Answer

    giving me the runaround

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “give someone the runaround”:
    A) To solve their problem quickly
    B) To confuse or delay them on purpose
    C) To give them a full refund

    Answer

    B) To confuse or delay them on purpose

    3. Change the sentence using “give someone the runaround”:
    “The manager kept avoiding my questions instead of helping.”

    Answer

    The manager kept giving me the runaround instead of helping.

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  • A Must Have Item

    🗓️ Idiom: A Must-Have Item (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • A product that is considered essential or very desirable
    • Something people feel they need to buy, often because it is trendy or popular

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The new smartwatch has become a must-have item for tech lovers.
    • For many customers, free delivery is a must-have item when shopping online.
    • The marketing team worked hard to make the product feel like a must-have item.

    🏛️ Origin

    This phrase became common in advertising and fashion in the late 20th century. It is used to describe products that are highly desirable and seen as essential by consumers, even if they are not truly necessary.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    This fitness tracker is being advertised as ____________________ for busy professionals.

    Answer

    a must-have item

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “a must-have item”:
    A) A product no one wants
    B) A product that is considered essential
    C) A product that is too expensive

    Answer

    B) A product that is considered essential

    3. Change the sentence using “a must-have item”:
    “Everyone is talking about the new noise-cancelling headphones.”

    Answer

    The new noise-cancelling headphones are a must-have item.

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  • A Lemon

    🗓️ Idiom: A Lemon (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • A product, especially a vehicle or electronic item, that does not work well or has many problems
    • Something defective or disappointing after purchase

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The new tablet looked great in the ad, but it turned out to be a lemon.
    • They offered a refund because the customer claimed the laptop was a lemon.
    • Selling a lemon to a customer can hurt the company’s reputation.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from American slang in the early 1900s. A “lemon” was used to describe something that looked good but failed to meet expectations. It became especially common in the car industry to describe faulty vehicles.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    The car broke down after one week. I think we bought ____________________.

    Answer

    a lemon

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “a lemon”:
    A) A delicious product
    B) A faulty or disappointing product
    C) A high-performing item

    Answer

    B) A faulty or disappointing product

    3. Change the sentence using “a lemon”:
    “The phone has had nothing but problems since we bought it.”

    Answer

    The phone is a lemon.

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  • A Tough Sell

    🗓️ Idiom: A Tough Sell (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • Something that is difficult to persuade someone to accept or buy
    • An idea, product, or proposal that people do not easily agree with

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • Convincing investors to fund a second app after the first one failed was a tough sell.
    • Their new pricing model is a tough sell in such a competitive market.
    • The customer service team found the new subscription plan a tough sell to long-term users.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the world of sales. If a product is hard to sell, it’s called a “tough sell.” Over time, the phrase began to describe anything that is difficult to promote, explain, or convince someone to accept.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    Getting clients to accept the new return policy has been ____________________.

    Answer

    a tough sell

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “a tough sell”:
    A) Something easy to promote
    B) Something hard to convince people about
    C) A friendly sales tactic

    Answer

    B) Something hard to convince people about

    3. Change the sentence using “a tough sell”:
    “Convincing the team to use the new software was very difficult.”

    Answer

    Convincing the team to use the new software was a tough sell.

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  • Snake Oil Salesman

    🗓️ Idiom: Snake Oil Salesman (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • A person who sells or promotes something that is fake, useless, or dishonest
    • Someone who makes big promises but cannot deliver results

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The product sounded amazing, but the man selling it turned out to be a snake oil salesman.
    • Be careful of snake oil salesmen online who claim their tool will solve all your business problems.
    • That software looked impressive, but it was promoted by a snake oil salesman with no real proof.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the 1800s in the United States. Traveling salesmen claimed that “snake oil” could cure many health problems, but the products were often fake. Today, the phrase is used for anyone selling false or exaggerated solutions.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    We thought the consultant had the answer, but in the end, he was just a ________.

    Answer

    snake oil salesman

    2. Choose the correct meaning:
    What does “snake oil salesman” mean?
    a) Someone who sells natural medicine
    b) Someone who promotes fake or dishonest solutions
    c) Someone who works hard to sell good products

    Answer

    b) Someone who promotes fake or dishonest solutions

    3. Change the sentence using “snake oil salesman”:
    “The salesperson promised great results, but none of the claims were true.”

    Answer

    The salesperson was a snake oil salesman.

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  • Throw the Kitchen Sink at Something

    🗓️ Idiom: Throw the Kitchen Sink at Something (V)

    💬 Meaning

    • To use every possible method, effort, or resource to achieve something.
    • Often used when someone tries very hard to make something succeed or to win.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The sales team threw the kitchen sink at the final pitch to win the contract.
    • We threw the kitchen sink at our holiday campaign, but the results were still disappointing.
    • She threw the kitchen sink at trying to close the deal before the end of the quarter.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the humorous idea of using everything available—even the kitchen sink—to solve a problem or reach a goal. It became popular in the mid-1900s and is often used in business and sports.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    They __________ the product launch by using every ad platform and running nonstop promotions.

    Answer

    threw the kitchen sink at

    2. Choose the correct meaning:
    What does “throw the kitchen sink at something” mean?
    a) To waste time and money
    b) To use every possible way to succeed
    c) To clean everything before a meeting

    Answer

    b) To use every possible way to succeed

    3. Change the sentence using “throw the kitchen sink at something”:
    “The marketing team used all their energy and ideas to try to boost sales.”

    Answer

    The marketing team threw the kitchen sink at trying to boost sales.

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  • Sell Sand to the Arabs

    🗓️ Idiom: Sell Sand to the Arabs (V)

    💬 Meaning

    • To be extremely good at selling. Even selling something to someone who has no need for it.
    • Used to describe someone who is very skilled at convincing others.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • Our top salesperson could sell sand to the Arabs—she never comes back without a deal.
    • You must be confident and convincing if you want to sell sand to the Arabs in this industry.
    • His pitch was so good, he basically sold sand to the Arabs during that product demo.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom plays on the idea of selling something to someone who already has a lot of it—in this case, sand to people living in the desert. It shows how skilled or persuasive someone must be to do that. It’s similar in meaning to “sell ice to Eskimos.”

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:
    Our sales manager is so persuasive she could __________ —no wonder she always wins the biggest clients.

    Answer

    sell sand to the Arabs

    2. Choose the correct meaning:
    What does “sell sand to the Arabs” mean?
    a) To start a business in the desert
    b) To be extremely good at persuading someone
    c) To make a quick sale

    Answer

    b) To be extremely good at persuading someone

    3. Change the sentence using “sell sand to Arabs”:
    “She sells to every customer that comes into the shop.”

    Answer

    She could sell sand to the Arabs.

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