Idioms based on professions or work
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a baker’s dozen13 rather than twelve
don’t give up the day job!a way of telling someone they are doing something badly
the game plana business strategy
a number cruncheran accountant or someone who is very good at dealing with numbers or calculations |
to pull rankwhen a person of higher position exercises their authority over subordinates, thus ending a discussion or dismissing their views |
just what the doctor orderedprecisely what is needed
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the teacher’s petsomebody’s ‘favourite’ |
a glass ceilingthe discrimination that prevents women and minorities from getting promoted to the highest levels of companies or organisations |
all in a day’s worknothing special |
a bean counteran accountant |
a busman’s holidayspending your free time doing the same sort of work as you do in your job |
an agony aunta newspaper columnist who gives advice to people with problems, especially personal ones |
a bad workman always blames his toolswhen someone is a bad loser or claims there were let down by their equipment, this term is used to imply that this was not the case! |
speak to the organ grinder not the monkeytalk to the boss, not the subordinate |
Have a go at the quiz based on these idioms
1. [Match]
Idioms based on professions or work
Answers for Quiz [1].
- 1. We need a game plan (correct)
- 2. It was just what the doctor ordered (correct)
- 3. She pulled rank on us (correct)
- 4. He’s a number cruncher (correct)
- 5. It was all in a day’s work (correct)
- 6. It was a busman’s holiday (correct)
- 7. She’d better not give up the day job (correct)
- 8. There is a glass ceiling in this business (correct)
- 9. She’s the teacher’s pet (correct)
- 10. A bad workman always blames his tools (correct)