Business Communications - Idiomatic Expressions

An idiom is an expression, word, or phrase whose sense means something different from what the words literally imply. It can be mistakenly interpreted if the listener does not know the meaning of the expression. It became popular because it gives communication ease in conveying the actual message in a concise manner instead of using several words to explain the message.  Idiomatic expressions are used either in business or personal conversations.   Here are some of the known Idiomatic expressions :



Forty Winks – colloquial for a short sleep or nap taken during the day.

A Greenhorn – colloquial for a raw, inexperienced person.


A Herculian task – a work requiring very great effort for its accomplishment, a work which only Hercules could perform.


A left-handed compliment – one of doubtful sincerity, or ambiguous meaning.

A queer fish – a colloquialism for an eccentric person.

Alter ego – a very close and intimate friend. It is a Latin phrase that literally means ‘other self’.

A screw loose – an expression that means there is something wrong, usually mentally wrong.

A sleeping partner – a term applied to a partner in a business who was invested money in the business, but takes no active share in the management of it. However he gets a share of profits or losses.

A small fry – colloquial for children or insignificant persons.

A bed of thorns – a very uncomfortable situation.

Bare your heart – If you bare your heart to someone, you tell them your personal and private feelings. (’Bare your soul’ is an alternative form of the idiom.)

Bridge the gap – If you bridge the gap, you make a connection where there is a great difference.

Sail under false color – to pretend to be different to mislead somebody.

To the letter – to do exactly what is written or per detailed instruction.

These Idiomatic expressions are timeless as long as society still accepts the general knowledge of  its real meanings . With the present high-tech generation, expressions steps into a different level and idioms are continuously evolving as long as widely acceptable by many.