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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. 

SECOND A MOTION  

Phrase

  • to agree with a proposal.
Example Sentence: I seconded the motion where we decided to start one hour early every morning.
 

IN STOCK ɪn stɒk

Phrase

  • available or ready to sell or use.
Example Sentence: The store does not have any printer ribbons in stock.
 

GO OVER THE BOOKS  

Phrase

  • to check and analyze the accounting records of a company.
Example Sentence: We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.
 

BEAN COUNTER bin kaʊntər

Phrase

  • an accountant.
Example Sentence: We asked the bean counters to look at the figures in the new budget.
 

UNIQUE SELLING POINT  

Noun

  • A feature of a product which makes it different from the rest.
Example Sentence: It's Unique Selling Point is that it is waterproof, unlike the others.
 

GROUND-BREAKING graʊndˌbreɪkɪŋ

Adjective

  • pioneering.
Example Sentence: His ground-breaking study on the role of fringe benefits in motivating workforce came out in 1981.
 

INSOLVENT ɪnˈsɒlvənt

Adjective

  • unable to pay debts.
Example Sentence: In order to avoid becoming insolvent he decided to open a savings account.
 

TO PLEDGE plɛdʒ

Verb

  • to make an official/serious promise to do something.
Example Sentence: The minister pledged to support the reconstruction of the old town despite the financial crisis.
 

TAX EVASION tæks ɪˈveɪʒən

Noun

  • Is the minimising of the tax you owe by failing to declare taxable income or taxable capital gains or by submitting false information to the tax authorities.
Example Sentence: World famous Tenor Luciano Pavoratti was convicted of tax evasion in 1999, and ordered to pay a penalty of US$11 million to the Italian Courts.
 

BLUE COLLAR WORKERS  

Phrase

  • Are people who do physical or unskilled work in a factory or outdoors rather than office work. Blue-collar workers are often poorly educated and poorly paid.
Example Sentence: More than 500 blue-collar workers, employed by the mining company, have gone on strike. They’re demanding better pay and working conditions.
 

REDUNDANCY PAYMENT /rɪˈdʌndənsi peɪmənt/

Noun

  • A redundancy payment is what a company pays to workers who are no longer needed.
Example Sentences: How was your redundancy payment calculated?
After working for the company for 20 years, I received a very generous redundancy payment.
 

DIP INTO /dɪp ɪntʊ/

Phrasal Verb

  • to spend part of your saved money.
Example Sentence: I've had to dip into my savings to pay for the repairs to the apartment.
 

DRAUGHT drɑft

noun

  • A draught is a current of unpleasantly cold air blowing through a room. (confusingly in US English they use 'draft' to mean this).
Example Sentences: Can you shut the door? - there's a terrible draught coming through.
 

TO GIVE SOMEONE THE GREEN LIGHT  

phrase

  • If you give something or someone the green light, you give your permission to start something.
Example Sentences:We were all prepared to start the project. We were just waiting for the director to give us the green light.
On Tuesday, all of the new employees will be given the green light and the store will officially open for business.
 

CONFIRM AN ORDER / kən fʉrm′ ən ôr′dər/

phrase

  • say by phone or in writing that the order can be processed
Example Sentences:We can deliver the goods between two to five days after you confirm the order.
Once an order is confirmed, an invoice is issued and emailed to the client.
 
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