📈 "Buzzwords & Banter: Business English That Actually Means Something!" 💼

No more pretending you know what “synergy” means at meetings... 😅

🔥 Top 20 Business English Expressions You Need to Know

1. Think outside the box 🧠📦
   👉 Be creative / try something new
   💬 “Let’s think outside the box and create a TikTok for accountants.”

2. Touch base ☎️
   👉 Contact someone / check in briefly
   💬 “Let’s touch base next week about the project.”

3. Take it offline 📴
   👉 Talk privately or later, not in the current meeting
   💬 “We’ll take that offline — we’re going off topic.”

4. Circle back 🔁
   👉 Return to a previous topic
   💬 “Let’s circle back to the budget after the break.”

5. On the same page 📄✅
   👉 In agreement
   💬 “Before we move forward, I want to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

6. Think on your feet 🕺
   👉 React quickly and smartly
   💬 “He really had to think on his feet during the Q&A.”

7. Hit the ground running 🏃‍♀️💨
   👉 Start a job or task quickly and effectively
   💬 “We need someone who can hit the ground running on day one.”

8. Back to the drawing board 🎨
   👉 Start over
   💬 “The pitch didn’t land. It’s back to the drawing board.”

9. Raise the bar 📶
   👉 Improve standards
   💬 “Her presentation really raised the bar for the whole team.”

10. Game changer 🕹️
    👉 A big innovation or shift
    💬 “AI is a game changer in customer service.”

11. Low-hanging fruit 🍌
    👉 The easiest tasks or wins
    💬 “Let’s tackle the low-hanging fruit first to build momentum.”

12. In the loop 🔁
    👉 Informed and updated
    💬 “Keep me in the loop on any changes.”

13. Put a pin in it 📌
    👉 Pause a topic and return to it later
    💬 “That’s a great point, but let’s put a pin in it for now.”

14. Get the ball rolling ⚽
    👉 Start something
    💬 “Let’s get the ball rolling on the marketing campaign.”

15. By the book 📕
    👉 Follow the rules exactly
    💬 “He does everything by the book — no shortcuts.”

16. Call the shots 📣
    👉 Be in charge / make the decisions
    💬 “She’s the one calling the shots on this deal.”

17. Keep your eye on the ball 👁️⚽
    👉 Stay focused
    💬 “There’s a lot going on — let’s keep our eyes on the ball.”

18. Crunch the numbers 🧮
    👉 Do calculations or analyse data
    💬 “We’ll need to crunch the numbers before we finalise the budget.”

19. Move the goalposts 🥅
    👉 Change the rules or targets unfairly
    💬 “They keep moving the goalposts — we can’t keep up!”

20. Give 110% 💯➕
    👉 Go above and beyond
    💬 “The team gave 110% this quarter — amazing results!”

🗣️ Mini Dialogue: A Day at the Buzzword Office

Characters:

• Sandra – Team Leader

• Dave – New hire with a love of biscuits

• Amina – Project Manager with zero tolerance for waffle

Sandra: Right, team! Let’s get the ball rolling. This marketing campaign could be a real game changer. 🎯

Dave: I’ve already crunched the numbers — turns out Gen Z prefers memes to emails. 😅

Amina: We raised the bar with the last campaign, so let’s not drop it now. Keep your eyes on the ball, people. 🧐

Sandra: Agreed. Let’s think outside the box this time. What if we ran a giveaway... but for mugs with motivational quotes? 🧠💭☕

Dave: I’d buy that. “Give 110%, even when you're only getting paid for 40.” 😂

Amina: Classic. Anyway, I’ll touch base with the design team. Keep me in the loop. 📲

Sandra: Good. And let’s put a pin in the coffee loyalty app idea — we’ll take it offline. ☕📌

Dave: Wait — didn’t we already go back to the drawing board on that twice?

Amina: Because you keep moving the goalposts, Dave. 🙄

Sandra: Enough bickering. I call the shots, remember? 😎

Dave: Noted. Shall I hit the ground running with the Instagram poll?

Sandra: Yes. Start with the low-hanging fruit. Easy wins. 🍎

Amina: We’ll circle back to the budget later.

Dave: Got it. Just checking — are we all on the same page?

Sandra: We are now. Go give that poll 110%, Dave. 💪

🧠 EXTRA TIP: How to Sound Natural

✨ These expressions work best when used casually and sparingly.
Don't try to cram 10 into one sentence — you'll sound like a walking TED Talk. 😂

Instead, use them:

• At meetings

• In presentations

• In emails (but keep it human)

• When you want to impress your boss just a little bit

📣 BONUS CHALLENGE!

Try completing these sentences:

1. We need to ___ before the competitors do.

2. Let’s ___ the easy stuff first.

3. We’ll ___ that and return to it tomorrow.

4. She really ___ with that report — amazing!

5. I’ll ___ with you after I speak to HR.

Want feedback? Just send your answers! 📤

💌 That's All for Today!

Whether you're in a boardroom or your bedroom in a hoodie (no judgement), now you’ve got the biz lingo to impress. 💼🧠

Hope you found this week's newsletter useful, lemme know if so and next week I'll send another one with some Business Phrasal Verbs. 

Have a great day! 

Lewis