One vocabulary a day

      One vocabulary a day

      for the life of me

      This is a common idiom which we use if we find something very hard to understand. We normally start with I can't for the life of me ......


      Examples

      I can't for the life of me understand why she decided to look for a new job. She was so popular here!
      For the life of me I don't know how we're going to pay our overheads this quarter.
      I can't for the life of me remember where I put my car keys.
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      One vocabulary a day

      to call a spade a spade

      If you call a spade a spade then you speak clearly and directly. A spade is a garden tool for turning and digging the earth.


      Examples

      I like her, she calls a spade a spade.
      I think that we should call a spade a spade and in my opinion it's just too expensive.
      I can never really understand what he wants to say, I wish he would just call a spade a spade.
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      One vocabulary a day

      suit (the 'ui'sounds like 'shoot')

      A suit is what you wear to a formal business meeting or negotiation, normally a dark jacket and trousers of the same material. Suits are normally worn at weddings and funerals, too.


      Examples

      My boss always wears a suit to work.
      I have a suit in my wardrobe, but I haven't worn it for a long time.
      Suits are normally pretty expensive but you can get some cheap ones in the January sales.
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      One vocabulary a day

      retail price

      This is the price which you pay when you buy a product from a shop.


      Example

      Retail prices are always at least 10% higher than the price which the shop pays to buy the product.
      The retail price index is used in the UK to measure inflation.
      Retail prices in Germany went up dramatically when the Euro was first introduced.
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      One vocabulary a day

      mains electricity

      This is the electricity which comes out of the sockets in your home or office. Sometimes it is simply called 'the mains'.


      Examples

      My laptop is normally connected to the mains.
      If you want to charge your mobile phone you have to plug it into the mains.
      If you want to install a light you should disconnect the electricity at the mains.
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      One vocabulary a day

      contagious

      If something, an illness or a mood is contagious, then you can give it to other people easily.


      Examples

      There is a very good atmosphere in our office. It's contagious.
      My sister is ill with a very contagious illness, so she's not having any visitors.
      When a lot of people start selling their shares, it can become contagious. This can lead to a stock market crash.
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      One vocabulary a day

      to take measures

      This is simply a more common way of saying to do something in a situation where there is a problem and something must be done.


      Example

      We took measures to reduce our costs last year.
      They are taking measures to improve communication within the firm.
      The world community is currently deciding what measures to take to deal with Iran.
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      One vocabulary a day

      off the top of my head

      If you say something off the top of your head then you don't have time to get the correct information. What you say is then a guess or an estimate.


      Examples

      Off the top of my head I would say that we sold 20,000 units last year.
      I think we have about 2,500 employees on site here, but that's just off the top of my head. I don't know for sure.

      Dave: How many people live in France?
      Jim: Off the top of my head, 60 million.
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      One vocabulary a day

      (to make a ) snap decision

      A snap decision is a very quick decision. When you don't have time to
      discuss the problem because you must decide now.


      Examples

      The problem was serious, so we had to make a snap decision about what to do.
      My wife and I didn't discuss our holiday plans this year. We just made a snap decision to go to Italy.
      I don't like making snap decisions. I like to think about it first.
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      One vocabulary a day

      Search me

      If someone asks you a question that you can't possibly answer, 'Search me' means that the person can search you but they won't find the answer.
      It's the same as 'No idea'.


      Examples

      Dave What's the capital city of Uruguay?
      Bill: Search me.

      Jim: What's the name of our subsidiary in Indonesia?
      Sally: Search me.

      Jane: What percentage of our products were defective last year?
      Mary: Search me.
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      RE: One vocabulary a day

      to demand

      If you say that you must have something, you demand it.


      Examples

      German doctors are demanding more money.
      Striking workers at AEG in Nuremberg are demanding better conditions for leaving the company.
      The customer is demanding that we repair the defective equipment now. Otherwise, they say that they will cancel the contract.
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      One vocabulary a day

      heated discussion

      A heated discussion is where there are strong opinions and an element of disagreement. German speakers often say 'strong discussion' or 'hard discussion'. 'Heated discusssion' sounds much better than these.


      Examples

      We had a heated discussion about the new budget.
      I need to talk to my supplier about his quality. I expect a heated discusssion.
      We've just had a heated discusssion about the need for outsourcing some of our development.
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      One vocabulary a day

      the crux of the problem

      The crux of the problem is the basic key to the problem, the most important factor behind the problem.


      Examples

      The crux of the problem is that we don't have enough experience in this market.
      The crux of the problem is that we don't have enough time to complete the project.
      Money is the crux of the problem, as usual.
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      One vocabulary a day

      Petty cash


      This is cash which is kept in a company to pay for everyday expenses, coffee, paper and so on. It normally isn’t very much, maximum 30 or 50 Euros.



      Examples


      We took the money out of petty cash.

      We realized that it was the secretary’s birthday so we used the petty cash to buy her a present.

      We keep the receipts for the petty cash.
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      One vocabulary a day

      Hallo.
      Jetzt geht es wieder weiter :)

      ______________________________________________

      to reveal


      This is a more formal word for show.


      Examples

      The sales figures for last year reveal that we need to concentrate more on the South American market.
      Our survey revealed that the customers are not sartisfied with the product.
      What does your date reveal about long term trends?
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