Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 23 Idioms and Expressions Test

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Congratulations - you have completed Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 23 Idioms and Expressions Test. You scored %%SCORE%% out of %%TOTAL%%. Your performance has been rated as %%RATING%%

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Question 1

Choose the best substitute for the phrase or sentence in bold:

Procter & Gamble had to jump through hoops to get its new drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

A	ask the right people
B	take many steps
C	show proven results

Question 2

Nora had a very good job interview with the bank. She thinks the job is in the bag.

A	she'll get an offer
B	she'll get a rejection letter
C	she'll get a bag with the bank's logo on it

Question 3

Madeleine Albright made many connections while she was U.S. Secretary of State. It was a no-brainer for her to open a political consulting firm after she left office.

A	a poor decision
B	a logical decision
C	a tough decision

Question 4

When the popular coffee house announced it would start staying open until midnight and start serving beer, many loyal customers feared it would become a different animal.

A	become a hangout for dogs and cats
B	change in character
C	become an even better coffee house

Question 5

I know you were hoping for a higher bonus, but $5,000 is nothing to sneeze at!

A	less than you deserve
B	disappointing
C	a good amount of money

Question 6

Of course, I prefer Dom Perignon champagne over a $4 bottle of sparking wine, but comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges.

A	you can't really compare the two
B	one is fruitier than the other
C	it makes sense to compare the two

Question 7

If you need advice on where to set up your new manufacturing facility in China, talk to Stan. He knows China inside and out.

A	He's been to China a few times
B	He speaks Chinese.
C	He knows China very well.

Question 8

Chris spent a year working as an intern at Chelsea Brewing Company in order to get some experience under his belt. Then he opened his own microbrewery.

A	have a good time
B	make some money
C	gain experience

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LESSON 23 – Requesting a Bank Loan

REQUESTING A BANK LOAN

Ivan meets with Gina, a loan officer at L&S Bank, about getting a loan to start a new coffee shop. When Gina reviews his financial forecasts and suggests some changes, Ivan is angry at first but then decides to go along with it.

Ivan: I ‘m here to see about getting a $ 100,000 loan to start a Coffee Shack franchise.

Gina: I see from your application that you’ve already got two franchise businesses under your belt — both Subway sandwich shops. That’s certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Ivan: Thank you. Now that I know the franchise business inside and out, I’d like to expand.

Gina: Well, Subway is a sandwich shop. Now you’re talking about a coffee house. That’s an entirely different animal.

Ivan: Sure, there may be a thing or two to learn, but it should be more or less a no-brainer.

Gina: I see from your business plan that you’re basing all of your profit estimates on the profits you made from one of your Subway shops. I don’t think that’s right. You’re comparing apples to oranges.

Ivan: Apples? Oranges? I didn’t know we were talking about fruit now. Maybe I should open up a fruit smoothie shop instead!

Gina: Ha ha. Well, at least you haven’t lost your sense of humor!

Ivan: Well, seriously, what do you want me to do?

Gina: Go back to the drawing board. Make some new calculations based on selling coffee, not sandwiches. Then the loan will be in the bag.

Ivan: If you’re going to make me jump through hoops to get this loan, I’ll just have to take my business to a different bank.

Gina: You’re missing the point here. I’m not trying to make your life difficult. I’m just suggesting you beef up your business plan so my boss will approve your loan.

Ivan: Well, in that case, maybe I will go back to the drawing board.

IDIOMS

(to get or to have) under one’s belt

→ to get or to have experience

EXAMPLE: Before you start your own coffee shop, you should work at Starbucks to get some experience under your belt.

nothing to sneeze at

→ not insignificant; impressive

EXAMPLE: This year, our company opened 15 new sales offices overseas. That’s nothing to sneeze at!

(to) know something inside and out

→ to know something very well

EXAMPLE: If you’re having a problem with your presentation, ask Pam for help. She knows PowerPoint inside and out.

different animal

→ something entirely different

EXAMPLE: The Gap had many years of experience selling clothing through retail stores. When they started the Gap.com, they found out that selling online was a different animal.

no-brainer

→ an easy decision; an obvious choice

EXAMPLE: Most of our clients are based in Korea, so it’s a no-brainer to open an office there.

(to) compare apples to oranges

→ to compare two unlike things; to make an invalid comparison

EXAMPLE: Comparing a night at EconoLodge with a night at the Four Seasons is like comparing apples to oranges. One is a budget motel, and the other is a luxury hotel.

NOTE: You will also see the related expression “compare apples to apples” which means to compare two things of the same type. This means that you are making a valid comparison, as opposed to when you’re comparing apples to oranges.

(to) go back to the drawing board

→ to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning

EXAMPLE: We didn’t like the print advertisement our ad agency designed, so we asked them to go back to the drawing board.

in the bag

→ a sure thing

EXAMPLE: Boeing executives thought that the new military contract was in the bag and were surprised when it was awarded to Airbus instead.

SYNONYM: a done deal. Example: Boeing executives thought the new military contract was a done deal.

(to) jump through hoops

→ to go through a lot of difficult work for something; to face many bureaucratic obstacles

EXAMPLE: We had to jump through hoops to get our visas to Russia, but we finally got them.

(to) miss the point

→ to not understand

EXAMPLE: You’re missing the point. Your son wants an expensive new cell phone so he can impress his friends, not because he actually needs all of those bells and whistles.