Business_Spotlight_No3_202..

18 SKILL UP!

ESSENTIAL IDIOMS

Fotos: cosmin4000, agrobacter/iStock.com

First, the idiomatic way

Dan: I like the plan. Can you test

the waters in the marketing team?

Mia: They won’t like it. They’ve

already allocated the lion’s share

of the budget to print. That’s

where they see more bang for

our buck.

Now, more simply

Dan: I like the plan. Can you find

out how they feel about it in the

marketing team?

Mia: They won’t like it. They’ve al-

ready allocated the largest part of

the budget to print. That’s where

they see more value for money.

Cold reception?

Testing the

waters

test the water(s)

, das Terrain son-

dieren, die Stimmung

prüfen

lion’s share: the ~

, der Löwenanteil

bang for one’s buck:

a ~ US ifml.

, gute Ware fürs Geld

What did they say again?

English is rich in idiomatic expressions. It’s important to under-

stand exactly what they mean. Learn some key idioms here.

First, the idiomatic way

Dan: A digital campaign can help

make or break us.

Mia: But they say social media is

not all it’s cracked up to be.

Dan: Maybe I can shed some

light on why it’s so important.

Now, more simply

Dan: A digital campaign can help

us succeed or fail.

Mia: But they say social media is

not as good as people claim.

Dan: Maybe I can help explain

why it’s so important.

make or break sb./sth.

, zum Erfolg oder

Scheitern von jmdm./

etw. führen

not all it’s cracked up

to be: sth. is ~ ifml.

, mit etw. ist es auch

nicht sehr weit her

shed light on sth.

, über etw. Aufschluss

geben, etw. (er)klären

First, read the two versions of

the short conversations. Then

cover up the simpler version

and read the idiomatic dialogue

again. Can you remember the

meanings?