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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. 

WORK OUT wɜrk aʊt

Phrase

  • to have a specific result.
Example Sentence: I do not believe that the new plan is going to work out.
 

PUT (SOMEONE) THROUGH  

Phrase

  • to transfer someone to someone else's telephone.
Example Sentence: I phoned the credit card company and they quickly put me through to a supervisor.
 

MEAN BUSINESS min bɪznɪs

Phrase

  • to be serious.
Example Sentence: Our boss means business when he tells everyone to work harder.
 

DRAW UP A CONTRACT  

Phrase

  • to make/draft a contract.
Example Sentence: The lawyer spent several hours drawing up a new contract.
 

TOP BRASS tɒp bræs

Noun

  • people in the key positions of an organization or a company.
Example Sentence: The car manufacturer's top brass started panicking when share prices plunged at the beginning of Q2.
 

OFFHAND ɔfˈhænd

Adverb

  • without preparation and without thinking about something.
Example Sentence: He couldn't tell me offhand whether the item in question is tradeable or not. He promised to check the details and then get back to me.
 

BULL MARKET bʊl mɑrkɪt

Phrase

  • an upward market trend when prices of shares, commodities etc are rising and the market is optimistic.
Example Sentence: Though things seem to be improving in our sector, the bull market won't come back.
 

COLLATERAL kəˈlætərəl

Noun

  • a car, a house or something valuable that you promise to give the lender if you cannot pay back the money you borrowed from them.
Example Sentence: I need $20.000 urgently. I can put my flat in London up as collateral – it must be worth 10 times as much as that.
 

PERCENTAGE pərˈsɛntɪdʒ

Noun

  • rate or proportion out of 100.
Example Sentence: A percentage of the income will be given to a local charity.
 

SHARE CERTIFICATE ʃɛər sərˈtɪfɪkɪt

Noun

  • Certificate representing the number of shares owned by an investor.
Example Sentences: In order to sell shares you own in a publicly-listed company, you will need to show your share certificate to your broker.
If you lose your share certificate, you will have to request another one from the company secretary of the company you have invested in.
 

LIQUIDATION lɪkwɪˈdeɪʃən

Noun

  • This refers to the sale of all the assets of the company.
Example Sentence: The assets of a company that has gone into liquidation are often sold off at an auction.
 

INTEREST /ɪntərɪst/

Noun

  • the money a bank pays you for their use of your money, or the money you pay the bank for a loan.
Example Sentence: The interest rate on her savings account was higher than that on her checking account.
 

COUGH UP /kɔf ʌp/

Phrasal Verb

  • to provide money for something you do not want.
Example Sentence:I've just had to cough up $50 for a parking fine.
 

PERSONAL pɜrsənl

adjective

  • Personal means individual or private - a letter that is only to be opened by the person it is addressed to may be marked 'personal'.
Example Sentences: She left the room to take a personal phone call.
The letter had 'personal' on the envelope so she didn’t open it.
 

A KICKBACK /eɪ kɪkˌbæk/

phrase

  • A kickback is the money given to a person in a position of power as a payment for making something possible.
Example Sentences: Mr. Washburn might go to jail as the police believe he was taking kickbacks.
The company made the building with poor materials because two of its managers were taking kickbacks.
 
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