Do American business expressions leave you feeling confused or unsure during meetings?

If you’re a non-native speaker, hearing phrases like “low-hanging fruit” or “running it up the flagpole” can be puzzling—especially if you try to translate them literally.

These moments of confusion can chip away at your confidence, making it harder to speak up in meetings and ultimately impacting your career growth.

In American business culture, expressions like “circle back” or “touch base” are used daily. That’s why investing time in understanding these phrases can significantly improve your communication and boost your confidence at work.

To help you get started, here’s a list of some of the most commonly used American business expressions:

Circle back

To return to a previous topic or discussion.

• Let's circle back to the budget later in the meeting.

• Let's circle back to this topic next week after we have more information.

• I'll circle back with you after I've had a chance to review the proposal.

• We need to circle back and discuss how we can improve our marketing strategy.

• Can we circle back to the action items from the last meeting before we move on?

Low-hanging fruit

The easiest or most obvious targets or opportunities.

• Let's focus on the low-hanging fruit and increase sales with our existing customers before pursuing new leads.

• The company needs to focus on the low-hanging fruit and prioritize the projects with the biggest ROI.

• Our sales team should target the low-hanging fruit first to quickly generate revenue.

• We can easily increase our website traffic by targeting the low-hanging fruit keywords.

• Let's go after the low-hanging fruit by launching a social media campaign for our most popular product.

Peel back the onion

To investigate or analyze something in detail, layer by layer.

• Let's peel back the onion and figure out why our sales numbers are declining.

• We need to peel back the onion and understand the root cause of the issue.

• It's important to peel back the onion and analyze the data to make an informed decision.

• Let's peel back the onion and get a better understanding of our customer's needs and preferences.

• We should peel back the onion and conduct a thorough audit of our supply chain to identify any bottlenecks.

Phone it in

To do something with minimal effort or enthusiasm.

• He's been phoning it in lately, and his work isn't up to our usual standards.

• We can't afford to phone it in on this project. We need to give it our all.

• He's been phoning it in for weeks now and his performance has suffered as a result.

• It's obvious that she's just phoning it in and not putting in any effort.

• Don't just phone it in on your presentation. Make sure you're well-prepared and engaging.

Run it up the flagpole

To propose an idea or plan for consideration by others.

• Let's run this proposal up the flagpole and see if anyone else has any feedback.

• Before we make any major changes, let's run it up the flagpole and get feedback from the team.

• I think we should run this idea up the flagpole with the CEO and see if it's feasible.

• Let's run this new product idea up the flagpole and see if there's any interest from our customers.

• It's always a good idea to run potential legal issues up the flagpole with our lawyers before taking action.

Run with it

To take an idea or opportunity and make the most of it.

• We have a great concept for a new product – let's run with it and see if we can turn it into a profitable venture.

• That's a great idea. Let's run with it and see how it goes.

• I trust your judgment. You should run with it and take the lead on this project.

• We don't have much time, so let's just run with it and make the best of the situation.

• If you have a strong feeling about this approach, then let's run with it and see if it works.

Safe bet

Something that is considered to be a low-risk option or a sure thing.

• Investing in blue-chip stocks is generally considered a safe bet for long-term gains.

• Hiring a well-known consultant is a safe bet to improve our company's performance.

• Investing in blue-chip stocks is usually a safe bet for long-term growth.

• If we stick with our tried and true marketing strategy, it's a safe bet that we'll achieve our goals.

• Putting our resources into renewable energy is a safe bet for the future of our planet.

Raise the bar

To set higher standards or expectations.

• Our company's goal is to raise the bar in terms of customer service and satisfaction.

• We need to raise the bar and set higher performance standards for our employees.

• Our competition is getting better, so we need to raise the bar and improve our products and services.

• Let's raise the bar for customer service and make sure our clients are always satisfied.

• To succeed in this industry, we need to raise the bar and be innovative and forward-thinking.

Hard stop

A firm or non-negotiable deadline or limit.

• We have a hard stop at 5 pm today, so we need to make sure we stay on track with our agenda.

• I have a hard stop at 5 pm, so we need to wrap up this meeting quickly.

• We have a hard stop at 3 pm, so let's make sure we cover everything on the agenda.

• There's a hard stop on the project, so we need to finish it by the deadline.

• We can't go over budget on this project. There's a hard stop on

Have your ducks in a row

To be organized and prepared.

• Before we pitch our idea to the investors, we need to have all our ducks in a row and be ready to answer any questions they might have.

• The investors want to see that we have our ducks in a row before they commit to funding our startup.

• Before launching our new product line, we need to have our ducks in a row by finalizing the marketing strategy, production schedule, and distribution channels.

• We need to have our ducks in a row before presenting our proposal to the board of directors next week.

• By having our ducks in a row, we can ensure that our team is aligned and working towards the same goals.

Keep Learning

Loved these tips? Don’t stop now—see how many of these 43 business English expressions you know. Click here to dive in!

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