fill someone in

phrasal verb with fill verb

UK  /fɪl/ US  /fɪl/

to give someone extra or missing information:

I filled her in on the latest gossip.

To make it is to accomplish something, or to become successful.

be/get bogged down

phrasal verb with bog verb

UK  /bɒɡ/ US  /bɑːɡ/

-gg-

to be/become so involved in something difficult or complicated that you cannot do anything else:

Let's not get bogged down with individual complaints

UK Try not to get too bogged down in the details.

hear (something) through/on the grapevine

idiom

to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else:

I heard through the grapevine that he was leaving - is it true?

to give someone the boot: If you get the boot or are given the boot, you are told that you are not wanted any more, either in your job or by someone you are having a relationship with. [informal]

lay someone off

phrasal verb with lay verb

UK  /leɪ/ US  /leɪ/

laid

B2

to stop employing someone, usually because there is no work for them to do:

Because of falling orders, the company has been forced to lay off several hundred workers.

leap at something

phrasal verb with leap verb [ I + adv/prep ]

UK  /liːp/ US  /liːp/

leaped or leapt | leaped or leapt 

C2

to eagerly accept the chance to do or have something:

When I offered her the job, she leapt at it.

win-win

adjective [ before noun ]

UK  /ˌwɪnˈwɪn/ US  /ˌwɪnˈwɪn/

A win-win situation or result is one that is good for everyone who is involved:

Flexible working hours are a win-win situation for employers and employees.

Supporters of globalization assert that it is a win-win proposition for the rich and the poor.

take something on

phrasal verb with take verb

UK  /teɪk/ US  /teɪk/

took | taken

C1

to accept a particular job or responsibility:

She took too much on and made herself ill.

hold your horses

idiom   old-fashioned informal

used to tell someone to stop and consider carefully their decision or opinion about something:

Just hold your horses, Bill! Let's think about this for a moment.

rush into something

phrasal verb with rush verb

UK  /rʌʃ/ US  /rʌʃ/

If you rush into something such as a job, you start doing it without having really decided if it is the right thing to do or having considered the best way to do it.

put the cart before the horse

idiom

to do things in the wrong order:

Aren't you putting the cart before the horse by deciding what to wear for the wedding before you've even been invited to it?

keep an eye on someone/something

idiom (also keep your eye on someone/something)

to watch someone or something or stay informed about the person’s behavior, esp. to keep someone out of trouble:

Keep an eye on your brother while I’m out, please.

If someone has their eye on you, they are watching you carefully to see what you do. As the boat plodded into British waters and up the English Channel, Customs had their eye on her. 

go south: to go wrong

idiom

to become much worse:

A lot of people ended up losing money when the economy went south.

When a transition is handled badly, things can go south very quickly.

get verb (UNDERSTAND/HEAR)

B2 [ T ]

to understand or hear something:

I didn't get what he said because the music was so loud.

I told that joke to Sophia, but she didn't get it.

cover someone's back

idiom

to defend and support someone, or protect them from blame or criticism:

For every person attacking me I know there are ten more covering my back.

There hasn't been time to build up trust, and you don't know if people are going to cover your back.

Your job is to cover your client's back.

shrewd

adjective   approving

UK  /ʃruːd/ US  /ʃruːd/

C2

having or based on a clear understanding and good judgment of a situation, resulting in an advantage:

[ + to infinitive ] He was shrewd enough not to take the job when there was the possibility of getting a better one a few months later.

She is a shrewd politician who wants to avoid offending the electorate unnecessarily.

It was a shrewd move to buy your house just before property prices started to rise.

Synonyms

astute

hit the nail on the head

idiom

to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem:

I think Mick hit the nail on the head when he said that what's lacking in this company is a feeling of confidence.

precision

noun [ U ]

UK  /prɪˈsɪʒ.ən/ US  /prəˈsɪʒ.ən/

precision noun [U] (EXACT)

the quality of being exact:

Great precision is required to align the mirrors accurately.

Precision bombing was used to destroy enemy airbases and armaments factories.

Swamped: Very busy; having too much to do. They have been swamped ever since they started advertising. 

swamp verb (TOO MUCH/BIG)

[ T often passive ]

If something swamps a person, system, or place, more of it arrives than can be easily dealt with:

Foreign cars have swamped the UK market.

be swamped with I'm swamped with work at the moment.

Don't let feelings of depression swamp you.

come through

phrasal verb with come verb

US  /kʌm/

past tense came US/keɪm/ | past participle come

(SUCCEED)

to succeed in a difficult situation:

He's a great leader who always comes through under pressure.

Investors had faith we would come through for them in the long run.

all on deaf ears

idiom

C2

If a suggestion or warning falls on deaf ears, no one listens to it:

Their appeals to release the hostages fell on deaf ears.

jump down someone's throat

idiom   informal

to react angrily to something that someone says or does:

I made the mildest of criticisms and he jumped down my throat.

verbally

adverb

UK  /ˈvɜː.bəl.i/ US  /ˈvɝː.bəl.i/

verbally adverb (SPOKEN)

in a way that is spoken rather than written:

The judge then verbally agreed to the attorney's request.

I have repeatedly asked parents, both verbally and in writing, not to park here.

corner verb (TRAP)

[ T ]

to force a person or an animal into a place or situation from which they cannot easily escape:

Once the police had cornered her in the basement, she gave herself up.

go over someone's head

idiom

to speak to or ask permission from someone who has more authority than the person who you would normally go to in that situation:

Amanda was refusing to give me the week off so I went over her head and spoke to the boss.

bring something up

phrasal verb with bring verb [ T ]

UK  /brɪŋ/ US  /brɪŋ/

brought | brought

(TALK)

B2

to start to talk about a particular subject:

She's always bringing up her health problems.

don't hold your breath

idiom   informal

used to tell someone not to expect something to happen for a very long time:

She said she'd get back to us, but don't hold your breath!

She said she might finish by this afternoon but don't hold your breath.

keep a low profile

idiom

C1

to avoid attracting attention to yourself:

He's been in a little trouble recently so he's trying to keep a low profile.

pink slip

noun [ C ] US informal

UK  /ˌpɪŋk ˈslɪp/ US  /ˌpɪŋk ˈslɪp/

a document given to a person saying that they do not have a job any more

carved/etched/set/written in stone

noun phrase

: permanent or not able to be changed

These new rules are not carved in stone; if they don't work, we'll change them.