Sina Language Department

By the sweat of one's brow.

To work really hard.

For example:

"She managed to keep the company going by the sweat of her brow. "

To sweat blood.

To work very hard.

For example:

"She sweated blood to finish the project on time."

To get the sack

To be dismissed from your job.

For example:

"He was always coming late, so eventually they sacked him."

Jack / Jill of all trades

A person that is competent with many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one.

This idiom can be negative or positive, depending on the context in which it is used.

For example:

"She can turn her hand to anything, she's a real Jill of all trades."

A golden handshake.

To receive a large payment on leaving a company.

For example:

"She won't have to find a job very quickly because she got a huge golden handshake from her last job."

A dead end job.

A job that has no chance of promotion or advancement.

For example:

"She left the company because she was very ambitious but in a dead end job."

"To crack the whip ."

To make someone work harder by threatening them.

For example:

"We finished the project on time, but only because I really cracked the whip."

To cook the books.

To modify financial statements and accounting information, especially illegally.

For example:

"We only made a profit last year because our accountant cooked the books."

A big cheese.

An important person, a leader (usually about business).

For example:

"Anita Roddick is a big cheese in Body Shop."

A cash cow.

A product or service that makes a lot of money for a company.

For example:

"The new product has proved to be a real cash cow."

A bean-counter.

An accountant

For example:

"The bean-counters told us we had to reduce the budget."