HUMAN RESOURCES

Unit Idioms 0000 3
Look at these mini-dialogues, and complete each one with an idiomatic expression from the box. You do
not need to use all of the expressions.
cherry pick dead wood dress-down day dumbsizing ear candy
exploding bonus eye service glad-hand graveyard shift helicopter view
kiss up to leaky reply marzipan employee mushroom job
shape up or ship out sweetener three-martini lunch
general vocabulary
1. A. Oh no! Elaine sent me an email complaining about Mr Jones, and I wrote her a reply. I agreed
that I thought Mr Jones was stupid and incompetent, and I've accidentally sent it to him!
B. Oh well, don't worry. We all send a __________ now and then.
2. A. I've told Tom that unless he improves his performance at work, he'll be fired.
B. Good. It's about time somebody told him to __________.
3. A. A lot of our factory employees are happy to work at night because the money is good.
B. Yes, working the __________ can be a good way of making more money.
4. A. The only way to get promoted in this job is to flatter and be very attentive to the senior
managers.
B. That's terrible! You shouldn't have to __________ people to get ahead in your job.
5. A. We need to get rid of some of our older and less productive staff.
B. I agree. The __________ has to go as soon as possible.
6. A. Ms Rigden met a lot of people at the conference, didn't she?
B. She certainly did. I think I saw her __________ almost everyone there.
7. A. On Wednesdays, we're allowed to wear informal clothes to work.
B. Us too. Our __________ is Friday.
8. A. My boss always compliments me and tells me how well I'm doing, but he never offers me a pay
rise.
B. Well, I suppose a bit of _________ is better than nothing.
9. A. A lot of people in out company only do any work when the supervisor is watching them.
B. It's the same in our company. In fact, __________ is more common than you think.
10. A. We need to reduce the size of the company but we need to make sure it doesn't become
unprofitable or inefficient.
B. That's true. __________ is something we need to avoid at all costs.
11. A. Alan says he's thinking of leaving the company to work for someone else.
B. That's not good news. Offer him a _________ and see if he can be persuaded to stay.
12. A. Do we need to look at all the problems in detail?
B. No, not really. A _________ should be enough for now. We just need the main ideas.
© Bloomsbury Publishing Plc. For reference see Dictionary of Human Resources and Personnel Management (ISBN 0 7475 6623 2)
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