Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook (11 page)
cut class
or
cut school (v)
♦
We sometimes
cut class
on Friday and go to the beach.
♦
Just before high school graduation, most of us
cut school
and called it Senior Cut Day.
ditch class
or
ditch school
(v)
♦
The kids who
ditched school
were sent to talk to the principal.
skip class (v)
♦
I’ll probably
skip class
today so I’ll have time to finish my research paper.
play hooky (v)
♦
Everyone, we’ll have a little quiz tomorrow, so don’t
play hooky!
Work-Related Idioms
Work-related expressions and business idioms are so numerous that entire books have been devoted to them. This section introduces common idioms for describing work, having and not having a job, established working hours, types of work and workers, and for being hired, fired, and paid.
“What do you do?” (What is your occupation?) is the most common way to ask people about their work or occupation. It’s perhaps a short form of “What kind of work do you do?” In response, people typically don’t say “I
do
(something).” They say “I
am
(something),” as in “I’m a teacher.” They also might describe their occupation, like “I teach English.” Another way people describe their general
line of work
(type of work) is to say “
I’m in
. . .” as in “I’m in construction.”
Work, or how one earns money to live, is often referred to as
a living, earning a living,
or
making a living.
Here are some examples that show how these terms are used:
- What do you do
for a living? - My work is kind of boring, but
it’s a living. - She
makes
her
living
painting houses. - He’s been
earning a living
as a writer.
Work is sometimes called
the daily grind,
or just
the grind,
as in “Well, our break is over; let’s get back to
the grind.
” These expressions emphasize the tiring quality of daily work.
Here are some common ways to say that someone is employed or has a job:
have work
(v)
♦
After looking for two months, I finally
have work.
be working (v)
♦
In today’s economy, I’m thankful
to be working.
Here are some common ways to say that someone is unemployed, or does not have a job:
be out of work (adj)
♦
So many people are
out of work
right now.
not have work (v)
♦
He
hasn’t had work
for six months.
not be working (v)
♦
Our daughter
isn’t working;
she’s going to school.
Grammar Note:
Be careful. The expressions
out of work
and
out of a job
have different meanings.
To be out of a job
generally means to be fired or laid off from a job.
Working Hours
A regular day job is often called
a nine-to-five job,
referring to the common working hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (though the actual work times could vary). Saying “I have a
nine-to-five job
” indicates that one works regular working hours and
full time
(eight hours per day, five days per week). Saying “I work a
40-hour week
” or “I have a
full-time job
” expresses the same thing as a
nine-to-five job.
Some people who are employed but who don’t work
full time
(a
40-hour week
) work
part time
or have a
part-time job.
Even if they work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. a few days per week, they usually don’t say “I have a
nine-to-five job
” because that implies full-time work.
People use the general, literal terms
day job
and
night job
to describe when they work. Some businesses operate 24 hours a day and have three or four work
shifts
(work periods). Employees use the term
day shift
for any shift that begins in the morning and ends in the afternoon or evening. The following terms are used to describe the types of
night shifts:
swing shift:
(n)
from about 4 p.m. to 12 a.m. (midnight)
graveyard shift:
(n)
from about midnight to 8 a.m.
split shift:
(n)
two shorter shifts during a 24-hour period, with a break of three or four hours in between shifts
Job Idioms
Following are some job-related idioms:
work-a-day job:
a daily, routine, humdrum, boring job ♦
His work isn’t very exciting. It’s just a
work-a-day job.
desk job
or
office job:
a job done at a desk in an office; clerical work ♦
I enjoy working outside. I wouldn’t want a
desk job.
dead-end job:
a job with no possibility of advancement or with very limited advancement. Also referred to as a job that
is going nowhere.
♦
He’s in a
dead-end job;
he’ll never be able to advance.
♦
I’m looking for a job with plenty of room for advancement; no
dead-end job
for me.
Note:
Dead-end
refers to a street or passage that has no exit or way out (called a
dead-end street
).
grunt work:
(n)
hard physical labor; routine, low-prestige work ♦
He’s the newest employee, so he does most of the
grunt work. ♦
His dad said, “If you don’t want to do
grunt work
all your life, get an education.”
Note:
This term originally referred to low-ranking U.S. soldiers, often called
grunts.
slave labor: (n)
hard physical labor with long hours, poor working conditions, and very low pay, as a slave might have worked; working without pay. This idiom is sometimes used sarcastically to refer to household chores. ♦
Working in that factory was like
slave labor. ♦
When we were kids, we had to do
slave labor
every weekend by helping to clean the house.
The Workplace
People who work in an office might logically say, as they go to work, “I’m off to the office.” But people whose jobs aren’t in an office (like teachers, firefighters, construction workers, and so on) may also say this as a lighthearted and idiomatic reference to their work environment.
I’m off to the office
has come to mean more than simply “I’m going to my office.” A related idiom is
life at the office,
as in “How’s
life at
the office?
” or “It’s Monday. Back to
life at the office.
” In both examples,
life at the office
means work or workplace.
Following are a few other expressions that describe the workplace:
salt mines
(n)
any workplace, but in particular, any place where one works hard; also one’s work in general. Usually used in the expressions “I’m off to the
salt mines
” or “I’m home from
the salt mines.
” This expression is generally used in the first or second person (I or you). ♦
Ah, here you are . . . home from the
salt mines.
Sit down and relax.
♦
It’s great to have a vacation and take a break from the
salt mines.
Note:
Salt mines
refers to a place where salt is mined or harvested and the expression alludes to hard, physical labor.
sweat shop
(n, adj)
a workplace where one works long hours for low pay and in very poor working conditions; any workplace where one works hard for low pay ♦
I’m glad I quit that factory job. It was a
sweat shop! ♦
Police arrested two men who were running a
sweat shop
in the basement of their store.
Note:
Sweat shop
alludes to a place where workers sweat or perspire a lot because of hard work and poor air circulation. In reality, a sweat shop is illegal, though they do exist. Workers in such situations are frequently undocumented immigrants who might be afraid or unable to demand better pay and work conditions.
The Workforce
The workforce, or the population of working people in a company, community, or the nation, is sometimes separated into categories of professional and non-professional. A few idiomatic expressions are used to describe working people.
(the) working class
(n) (adj)
a category of workers that includes manual laborers and trades people; non-professionals ♦
For her research on work-related injuries, she surveyed members of
the working class. ♦
I grew up in a
working-class
neighborhood.
Grammar Note:
Use the article
the
before
working class
when
working class
is a noun. Hyphenate
working class
when it is used as an adjective and comes before the noun it modifies.
Jack of all trades
(n)
a person who is skilled at many things, who can do many different types of jobs; a person who knows a little about many jobs but isn’t well skilled at any one job. Generally refers to manual labor, crafts, and trades. ♦
I’ll have my son fix that plumbing problem for you. He’s really a
Jack of all trades. ♦
She has her own repair and maintenance business, so you could say she’s a
Jill of all trades.
Note:
Jack of all trades
is derived from the saying “He’s a jack of all trades, master of none.” Today, with more women in the trades and doing jobs that were once considered men’s jobs, a woman may playfully adopt the term and say that she is a
Jill of all trades.
a grunt
(n)
a person who does
grunt work
(hard physical labor, routine, low prestige work); a somewhat uncomplimentary term. ♦
I was just
a grunt
starting out, but I eventually worked up to a better position.
♦
They assign all of the dirty, strenuous work to the
grunts.
Getting Hired
When a person is actively looking for a job (sending out résumés and going to job interviews), the effort is sometimes described as
pounding the pavement
(alluding to excessive walking on the sidewalk or pavement, going from business to business looking for work). For example: “I’ve been
pounding the pavement
for three weeks now, and I haven’t found a job yet.” Finding a job, receiving a job offer, or being hired is typically described with one of the following expressions:
Blue-Collar
and
White-Collar Workers
The tradition of laborers wearing a blue work shirt (with a blue-collar) and professionals wearing a white dress shirt (with a white-collar) inspired the terms
blue-collar worker
and
white-collar worker
.
Blue-collar workers
are people who do manual labor or are in a trade.
White-collar workers
are people who work in business offices or are in a profession. These terms are often used to talk about segments of society, for example: “The candidate for governor is hoping to win the vote of
blue-collar workers.
”
be in
(adj)
be hired; to become an employee ♦
Great news! The firm I applied to just called me to say that
I’m in! ♦
They were very impressed with her experience, so hopefully
she’s in.
Grammar Note:
Generally used in the affirmative rather than the negative. Almost always said with a contraction:
I’m, you’re, she’s
, and so on.
get the job
to be hired for a job for which one has applied ♦
I like the company, so I hope that I
get the job. ♦
Out of 200 applicants, she
got the job!
get an offer
to be offered a job, often with a specific salary and benefit plan ♦
She
got offers
from three different companies.
give an offer
to offer to hire someone at a specific salary and often specific benefits plan ♦
They
gave
me
a
good
offer.
I think I’ll take the job.
Grammar Note:
This idiom is also said in the passive form,
be given an offer,
meaning to be offered a job, often with a salary and benefit plan: “They seemed very interested in hiring me, but I haven’t
been given an offer
yet.”
Make an offer
is similar to
give an offer,
but is rarely put in the passive voice. Also, it can be said as
make
their
offer, make
our
offer,
and so on: “After they
make
their
offer
I’ll decide whether or not to work for the company.”
Grammar Note:
An indirect object is often placed after the verb in the idioms
give an offer
and
make an offer,
for example:
