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Business Word/Phrase of the Day

word-phrase-descEvery day we publish a business word or phrase together with audio pronunciation, phonetics, definition and example sentences. This is a great way to improve your workplace vocabulary as well as your pronunciation. To receive 'Business Word/Phrase of the Day' by email, just subscribe to our newsletter from the link above. 

RULE (SOMEONE) OUT OF ORDER  

Phrase

  • to rule that someone is not following the rules.
Example Sentence: The chairwoman ruled the salesman out of order when he began to speak at the president.
 

KNOCK DOWN THE PRICE OF (SOMETHING)  

Phrase

  • to lower the price of something.
Example Sentence: I bargained hard so that I could knock down the price of the stereo.
 

FIGURE OUT (SOMETHING) fɪgər aʊt

Phrase

  • to find an answer by thinking about something.
Example Sentence: Everyone is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new product.
 

AJOURN A MEETING  

Phrase

  • to end a meeting.
Example Sentence: We adjourned the meeting until the next day.
 

BANKER’S DRAFT bæŋkərs dræft

Noun

  • a written promise from a bank to pay money, especially to another bank.
Example Sentence: We require a banker's draft to secure the deal.
 

GROUND RULES graʊnd ruls

Noun

  • he basic principles that one has to keep/stick to.
Example Sentence: It is extremely important to establish ground rules for business meetings otherwise things can get out of hand and the meeting ends in chaos.
 

TO OFFSET ɔfˌsɛt

Verb

  • to compensate for something; to counterbalance.
Example Sentence: I'm afraid we will have to raise our prices in the restaurant in order to offset the increased cost of ingredients – vegetables are especially expensive this season.
 

BARGAINING CHIP bɑrgənɪŋ tʃɪp

Noun

  • something that can be traded in a negotiation to gain advantage for yourself.
Example Sentence: The minister has a bargaining chip – she will only agree to the bailout if the opposition supports her competitiveness pack.
 

STOCKBROKER stɒkˌbroʊkər

Noun

  • A licensed professional who buys and sells stocks and shares for clients in exchange for a fee, called a 'commission'.
Example Sentence: Bill is a stockbroker for a big investment bank. He earns a huge salary but he has to work long and suffer a great deal of stress.
 

TEAM PLAYER tim pleɪər

Phrase

  • Is someone who is good at working closely with other people.
Example Sentences: ABC Bank Ltd requires a team player committed to quality management.
He is a good team player and works well with all his colleagues.
 

BANK INTEREST RATE  

Noun

  • A bank's interest rate is the amount that the bank charges on money that it lends you.
Example Sentence: My bank's interest rate on mortgages currently stands at 4.75%; its interest rate on savings is just 1.3%.
 

TIDE OVER /taɪd oʊvər/

Phrasal Verb

  • to help someone with money for a period of time until they have enough.
Example Sentence: Can you lend me some money to tide me over till the weekend?
 

REMAINDER rɪˈmeɪndər

noun

  • The remainder is the part of something that is left after the other parts have gone, been used, or been taken away
Example Sentences: I ate most of it and gave the remainder to the dog.
It rained the first day but the remainder of the trip was lovely.
 

TO BREAK EVEN /tu; breɪk ivən/

phrase

  • If you break even, you have neither made a profit nor lost money.
Example Sentences: In his first year in business, although he had made many contacts, he still only broke even.
Our restaurant was lucky because it did not fail; however, next year we are hoping to do more than break even.
 

GO BANKRUPT /goʊ baŋk′rupt/

phrase

  • If a person or company goes bankrupt, they are unable to pay what you owe, and have control of your financial matters given, by a court of law, to a person who sells your property to pay your debts.
Example Sentences:He went bankrupt after only a year in business.
The recession has led to many small businesses going bankrupt.
 
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