Supply chains and logistics keep businesses moving, from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products. Because these processes can be complex, professionals often use clear and memorable expressions to describe them. In this post, we’ll highlight practical supply chain & logistics idioms that reflect challenges, solutions, and the flow of goods and services.
| Idiom | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Get the nod | To receive approval or permission. | “After presenting the proposal, we finally got the nod from the board of directors.” |
| Get a bite | To make progress or achieve success. | “With the new marketing strategy, we’re starting to get a bite in the market.” |
| Put the cart before the horse | To do things in the wrong order; to prioritize incorrectly. | “We shouldn’t hire new staff before securing funding; that’s putting the cart before the horse.” |
| Iron out the wrinkles | To resolve or smooth out problems or difficulties. | “Let’s have a meeting to iron out the wrinkles in the project plan.” |
| Tie up loose ends | To complete or finalize the remaining details of a task or project. | “Before launching the product, we need to tie up some loose ends in the packaging.” |
| All systems go | Ready for action; everything is in place and operational. | “The preparations are complete, and it’s all systems go for the event.” |
| Get the ball rolling | To start or initiate a process or activity. | “Let’s get the ball rolling on the new marketing campaign.” |
| Put the wheels in motion | To start a process or action; to begin moving forward. | “With the approval of the budget, we can finally put the wheels in motion for the project.” |
| Full steam ahead | To proceed with maximum effort and enthusiasm. | “Now that we have the green light, it’s full steam ahead with the expansion plans.” |
| On track | Progressing as planned; in alignment with expectations. | “Despite some setbacks, the project is still on track to meet its deadline.” |
| In the pipeline | In progress; being worked on or developed. | “We have several new products in the pipeline that we expect to launch next year.” |
| In the works | Being planned or developed; in the process of being done. | “The new website redesign is in the works and should be ready soon.” |
| Hit a snag | To encounter a problem or obstacle that slows or halts progress. | “We hit a snag when the supplier couldn’t deliver the materials on time.” |
| Go belly up | To fail or go out of business. | “Unfortunately, the startup went belly up after just a year of operation.” |
| Hit a brick wall | To encounter an insurmountable obstacle or barrier. | “We hit a brick wall when the government regulations changed suddenly.” |
| Fall through the cracks | To be overlooked or neglected; to fail to be noticed or addressed. | “The issue with customer complaints fell through the cracks until it became a major problem.” |
| Hit the mark | To achieve success or meet expectations. | “The new advertising campaign really hit the mark with our target audience.” |
| Hit a bullseye | To achieve a goal or target precisely and accurately. | “The new product launch hit a bullseye, exceeding sales projections.” |
| Cross the finish line | To complete a task or reach a goal. | “After months of hard work, we finally crossed the finish line and launched the project.” |
| Arrive safe and sound | To reach a destination or complete a journey without any problems or incidents. | “Despite the bad weather, we arrived safe and sound at the conference.” |
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We hope you enjoyed our Supply Chain Idioms & Logistics Idioms.
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