20 Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

20 Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

Hello, English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we will look at idioms related to work and productivity.

1. Burn the midnight oil
2. Pull your weight
3. Think outside the box
4. Go the extra mile
5. Hit the ground running
6. Keep your nose to the grindstone
7. On the back burner
8. A well-oiled machine
9. Bring home the bacon
10. Under the gun
11. Put in a good word
12. Crunch time
13. Back to the drawing board
14. Too many irons in the fire
15. Work like a dog
16. A labour of love
17. Hold the fort
18. By the book
19. Climb the corporate ladder
20. All in a day’s work

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Burn the midnight oil

Meaning: to work late into the night.

• Sandra burned the midnight oil to finish her project before the deadline.
• I often burn the midnight oil during exam season.
• Dan’s been burning the midnight oil preparing his presentation for the meeting.

Pull your weight

Meaning: to contribute your fair share of effort.

• We all need to pull our weight to succeed in this project. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity
• Diana’s always reliable and knows how to pull her weight in group assignments.
• If you don’t pull your weight, the entire plan could fall apart.

Think outside the box

Meaning: to come up with creative ideas or solutions.

• I think that we really need to think outside the box to solve this problem.
• Darius was praised for thinking outside the box and innovating a new process.
• Let’s brainstorm ideas and really think outside the box this time.

Go the extra mile

Meaning: to put in some extra effort to achieve something. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

• Our teacher always goes the extra mile to ensure her students succeed.
• They went the extra mile by adding unexpected features to the product.
• Particia goes the extra mile to make sure her guests feel welcome.

Hit the ground running

Meaning: Start a task or job with energy and enthusiasm.

• Audrey hit the ground running on her first day at the new job.
• After months of training, the new recruits hit the ground running on their first day in the field.
• The new manager hit the ground running by introducing productive changes.

Keep your nose to the grindstone

Meaning: to work hard and persistently.

• If you keep your nose to the grindstone, you’ll achieve your goals. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity
• They’ve been keeping their noses to the grindstone for months to launch the business.
• Simon kept his nose to the grindstone for months to receive the promotion he had been hoping for.

On the back burner

Meaning: to postpone or delay a task for later.

• We had to put our vacation plans on the back burner due to work commitments.
• This proposal isn’t urgent, so let’s put it on the back burner for now.
• He often places personal hobbies on the back burner to focus on his career.

A well-oiled machine

Meaning: refers to smooth-running and efficient work. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

• The team worked together so well, like a well-oiled machine.
• The restaurant staff works like a well-oiled machine during busy hours.
• Thanks to the regular team-building exercises, the department now operates as a well-oiled machine.

Bring home the bacon

Meaning: to earn money to support the household.

• Jill works two jobs to bring home the bacon for her family.
• Daniel takes pride in bringing home the bacon as the primary breadwinner.
• They both contribute equally to bring home the bacon. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

Under the gun 

Meaning: refers to facing pressure to meet a deadline.

• We were under the gun to complete the report before the meeting.
• She works well under the gun and always delivers exceptional results.
• He feels under the gun because of the tight timelines.

Put in a good word

Meaning: to recommend someone or speak positively about them.

• Could you put in a good word for me with your manager?
• She put in a good word for her friend to help him get the job.
• I’m grateful to my colleague for putting in a good word for me.

Crunch time

Meaning: refers to a critical period when work needs to be done as fast as possible.

• It’s crunch time, so we’re all staying late to meet the deadline. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity
• During crunch time before exams, I always stock up on coffee and snacks to stay focused.
• The developers stayed late at the office every night – it was crunch time leading up to the app launch.

Back to the drawing board

Meaning: to start over after a failed attempt.

• The marketing campaign didn’t yield the expected results, so it’s back to the drawing board for the team.
• Zoe’s first draft wasn’t approved by the editor, so she went back to the drawing board to revise her article.
• Sometimes, failure means it’s time to head back to the drawing board.

Too many irons in the fire

Meaning: to juggle too many tasks at once.

• He has too many irons in the fire and struggles to finish them.
• Judy’s feeling overwhelmed because she has too many irons in the fire with work, family, and her side projects.
• Gemma realized she had too many irons in the fire and decided to prioritize. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

Work like a dog

Meaning: to put in a lot of effort or work extremely hard.

• Richard works like a dog to provide for his family.
• During the holidays, the staff works like dogs to keep up with demand.
• Freya’s been working like a dog to meet the company’s new targets.

A labour of love

Meaning: refers to work done out of passion or interest rather than necessity.

• Lola’s garden is a labour of love, and she spends hours tending to it.
• Writing that book was a labour of love for him. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity
• They transformed the old house into a beautiful home as a labour of love.

Hold the fort

Meaning: to take responsibility for work while someone is away.

• Can you hold the fort while I step out for an hour?
• Lucia held the fort while her boss was on holiday.
• It’s up to you to hold the fort during the team leader’s absence.

By the book

Meaning: to follow rules and procedures strictly.

• The accountant did everything by the book to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Vince always works by the book, in order to avoid mistakes.
• Jim is known for working by the book, which makes him reliable although inflexible at times.

Climb the corporate ladder

Meaning: to advance in one’s career or position at work. Idioms Related to Work and Productivity

• Bethany is determined to climb the corporate ladder and reach a managerial position.
• His dedication to his job helped him climb the corporate ladder quickly.
• Climbing the corporate ladder takes a mix of hard work and networking.

All in a day’s work

Meaning: refers to a task that is a normal or expected part of a job.

• It was a challenging day, but it’s all in a day’s work for a firefighter.
• Handling complaints is all in a day’s work for a customer service representative.
• The CEO said the success of the new product was all in a day’s work.

Idioms related to work and productivity

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