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Category: idioms

  • Make Money Hand Over Fist

    🗓️ Idiom: Make Money Hand Over Fist

    💬 Meaning

    • To make a lot of money very quickly and easily.
    • Often used to describe a business or person that is generating large profits in a short period of time.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • During the holiday season, the online store was making money hand over fist.
    • Since launching their new app, the startup has been making money hand over fist.
    • The consultant made money hand over fist after landing three major clients.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom originally referred to the action of pulling on a rope, hand over fist. It later evolved to mean rapid progress or gain, especially in financial terms. Today, it’s most often used to describe rapid financial success.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Thanks to a viral marketing campaign, they were __________ after just one week.

    Answer

    making money hand over fist

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “making money hand over fist”:

    A) Losing money rapidly
    B) Earning a lot of money very quickly
    C) Struggling to make ends meet

    Answer

    B) Earning a lot of money very quickly

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “Their business is generating huge profits every day.” → Change the sentence using: making money hand over fist

    Answer

    Their business is making money hand over fist every day.

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  • Cost an Arm and A Leg

    🗓️ Idiom: Cost an Arm and a Leg

    💬 Meaning

    • To be extremely expensive or overpriced.
    • Used to describe something that requires a large amount of money, often more than expected or reasonable.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • Their new accounting software cost an arm and a leg, but it’s already saving time.
    • Upgrading the office equipment will cost an arm and a leg, so we need approval.
    • Hiring a top financial advisor might cost an arm and a leg, but it could be worth it.

    🏛️ Origin

    The phrase is believed to have originated after World War I or II, referencing the high cost of war, many soldiers literally lost limbs. Over time, it evolved into a way to describe high monetary cost.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    That designer laptop looks great, but it __________.

    Answer

    costs an arm and a leg

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “cost an arm and a leg”:

    A) To be dangerous
    B) To be very expensive
    C) To be hard to carry

    Answer

    B) To be very expensive

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “Their vacation was extremely expensive.” → Change the sentence using: cost an arm and a leg

    Answer

    Their vacation cost an arm and a leg.

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  • Fight an Uphill Battle

    🗓️ Idiom: Fighting an Uphill Battle

    💬 Meaning

    • To be in a difficult situation where success is unlikely or requires a lot of effort.
    • To struggle against significant challenges or resistance, often with little support or progress.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The finance team is fighting an uphill battle trying to reduce costs without sacrificing quality.
    • Startups often fight an uphill battle when competing with large, established companies.
    • He’s fighting an uphill battle to convince investors that the project is still viable.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom originates from military strategy, where attacking uphill is harder due to gravity and the defensive advantage of higher ground. It now refers to any difficult effort where little or no progress can be made.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Without public support, the organization was __________ trying to implement the new policy.

    Answer

    fighting an uphill battle

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “fighting an uphill battle”:

    A) Working on a project with guaranteed success
    B) Making progress easily
    C) Struggling against difficult odds

    Answer

    C) Struggling against difficult odds

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The team was struggling to get approval for the budget changes.” → Change the sentence using: fighting an uphill battle

    Answer

    The team was fighting an uphill battle to get approval for the budget changes.

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  • Bleed Cash

    🗓️ Idiom: Bleed Cash (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To be rapidly losing a large amount of money, especially in a business context.
    • To be spending or losing more money than is being earned, often in a damaging or unsustainable way.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The startup was bleeding cash and had only a few months of runway left.
    • If the company keeps bleeding cash like this, it won’t survive the year.
    • They had to cut costs drastically because they were bleeding cash.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom draws a parallel to physical bleeding of blood from the body implying serious financial harm. Just as excessive blood loss can be fatal to a person, excessive cash loss can be fatal to a business.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Due to poor sales and high overheads, the company was __________.

    Answer

    bleeding cash

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “bleeding cash”:

    A) Making a steady profit
    B) Losing money at a rapid rate
    C) Saving large amounts of money

    Answer

    B) Losing money at a rapid rate

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The business was losing a lot of money every day.” → Change the sentence using: bleeding cash

    Answer

    The business was bleeding cash every day.

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  • In the black

    🗓️ Idiom: In the Black (adj)

    💬 Meaning

    • To be financially healthy or profitable.
    • To have a positive balance in your financial accounts, especially after expenses.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • After a difficult first year, the company is finally in the black.
    • Thanks to strong holiday sales, our store ended the quarter in the black.
    • We need to cut unnecessary costs to stay in the black this year.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom originates from accounting practices where profits were traditionally written in black ink, while losses were written in red. Being “in the black” meant the company was profitable.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Our startup was __________ within just six months, which surprised everyone.

    Answer

    in the black

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “in the black”:

    A) Operating illegally
    B) Losing money
    C) Earning a profit

    Answer

    C) Earning a profit

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The company made a profit for the first time last quarter.” → Change the sentence using: in the black

    Answer

    The company was in the black for the first time last quarter.

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  • In the Red

    🗓️ Idiom: In the Red (adj)

    💬 Meaning

    • To be operating at a financial loss; to owe more money than one has.
    • This idiom is commonly used to describe individuals, businesses, or accounts that are in debt.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The company has been in the red for three consecutive quarters.
    • After all the expenses, their bank account was deep in the red.
    • If we don’t cut costs soon, we’ll be in the red by the end of the year.

    🏛️ Origin

    The phrase comes from traditional accounting practices, where losses were written in red ink and profits in black ink. Being “in the red” meant the books showed a negative balance. This colour-based system is still reflected in financial reporting today.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Due to poor sales, the small business ended the year __________.

    Answer

    in the red

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “in the red”:

    A) To be making a profit
    B) To be in financial debt
    C) To cancel a contract

    Answer

    B) To be in financial debt

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “Our expenses are higher than our revenue this month.” → Change the sentence using: in the red

    Answer

    We are in the red this month.

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  • Creative Accounting

    🗓️ Idiom: Creative Accounting (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • Using accounting methods that follow the rules technically, but are intended to make a company’s financial situation look better than it actually is.
    • Often involves stretching legal boundaries to manipulate figures in a misleading way.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The firm used creative accounting to hide its mounting debts from shareholders.
    • Creative accounting allowed the startup to appear profitable during its first year.
    • Auditors became suspicious when they noticed signs of creative accounting in the report.

    🏛️ Origin

    The term emerged in the mid-20th century and became widely known after several high-profile corporate scandals. It reflects the idea of “creativity” being applied to numbers, typically implying manipulation rather than innovation. Though legal in some cases, it often misleads stakeholders and dances with unethical practices.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    The company used __________ accounting to boost its earnings on paper.

    Answer

    creative

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “creative accounting”:

    A) Honest and accurate bookkeeping
    B) Falsifying data in an illegal way
    C) Legal but misleading manipulation of financial information

    Answer

    C) Legal but misleading manipulation of financial information

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “They used tricky methods to make their profits look higher than they were.” → Change the sentence using: creative accounting

    Answer

    They used creative accounting to make their profits look higher than they were.

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  • Paint a Rosy Picture

    🗓️ Idiom: Paint a Rosy Picture (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To present a situation as better or more positive than it really is.
    • Often used in financial or business contexts to make a company’s future or performance seem more optimistic than reality.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The CEO painted a rosy picture of the company’s growth to attract new investors.
    • During the presentation, the manager painted a rosy picture of the budget, despite looming losses.
    • Analysts warned that the report painted a rosy picture and left out key risks.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the artistic idea of using “rosy” or pink hues to make something appear warm, pleasant, and attractive. In speech, it refers to portraying situations in an unrealistically positive way—especially common in business reports and forecasts.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    The spokesperson tried to __________ a rosy picture of the company’s financial future.

    Answer

    paint

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “paint a rosy picture”:

    A) Show accurate financial details
    B) Present a situation in a negative light
    C) Describe something as more positive than it really is

    Answer

    C) Describe something as more positive than it really is

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The CFO made everything sound great, even though the company was struggling.” → Change the sentence using: paint a rosy picture

    Answer

    The CFO painted a rosy picture, even though the company was struggling.

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  • Balance the Books

    🗓️ Idiom: Balance the Books (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To ensure that a company’s financial records are accurate and that income matches expenses.
    • Often used to describe the process of finalizing accounts to make sure everything adds up correctly.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The finance team worked late to balance the books before the end of the quarter.
    • Good accountants know how to balance the books without any discrepancies.
    • After the audit, they found errors and had to go back and balance the books again.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom originates from traditional accounting, where financial data was recorded in physical ledgers (accounting books). Balancing the books referred to making sure that all income and expenses were properly accounted for. So the final totals on both sides of the ledger matched.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    The accountant stayed late to __________ the books before submitting the report.

    Answer

    balance

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “balance the books”:

    A) Rewrite a financial plan from scratch
    B) Make sure financial records are accurate and totals match
    C) Spend more money than the company earns

    Answer

    B) Make sure financial records are accurate and totals match

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The accountant checked everything to keep the finacial records accurate.” → Change the sentence using: balance the books

    Answer

    The accountant checked everything to balance the books.

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  • Fudging the Numbers

    🗓️ Idiom: Fudging the Numbers (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To manipulate or alter financial or numerical data dishonestly.
    • Often done to make results look better than they really are, especially in accounting or reporting.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The accountant was caught fudging the numbers to hide the company’s losses.
    • If you keep fudging the numbers, it will eventually catch up with you.
    • She denied fudging the numbers, but an audit revealed multiple discrepancies.

    🏛️ Origin

    The term “fudge” has been used since the 18th century to refer to falsifying or fabricating something. “Fudging the numbers” became a popular idiom in the 20th century as financial regulations increased and creative accounting practices came under scrutiny.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    The manager was fired after it was discovered he had been __________ the numbers for years.

    Answer

    fudging

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “fudging the numbers”:

    A) Performing calculations quickly
    B) Estimating values honestly
    C) Altering financial data dishonestly

    Answer

    C) Altering financial data dishonestly

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The company changed its financial figures to make things look better.” → Change the sentence using: fudging the numbers

    Answer

    The company fudged the numbers to make things look better.

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