Idiom of the Week
Archive - November 2005
"In business, Jey knew he could be at the top of his game one week, but if he couldn't successfully deliver his project on time, he would likely be sent down to the minors."
From Touch All the Bases, p. 26
At the top of one's game - adj. At the height of one's ability; achievement, success.
- "The lawyer is at the top of his game; he convinced a skeptical judge to acquit his client."
 Be sent down to the minors - v. Be demoted, punished, have one's responsibilities reduced. [The Minor League isn't as important as the Major League in baseball or other sports.]
- "If I don't complete the design of the office building on time, I'll be sent down to the minors and will only get to design garages."
"At dinner that night, Mike had joked loudly at the table in a half-hearted effort to minimize their disagreement and mend fences."
From Take the Bull by the Horns, p. 17
Half-hearted – adj. Not serious; not coming from the heart
 “His efforts to study law and become a lawyer were half-hearted; what he really wanted to do was play guitar in a rock band.” Mend fences – v. Just as fences make for boundaries and neighborliness in the U.S., to mend fences means to repair poor or strained relationships.
- “We need to mend fences with our union workers so we can proceed with our fourth quarter production schedule.”
"He dug in his heels to stop the steer and then wrestled the angry animal down by its horns. John now understood how the idiom, take the bull by the horns, came to be used business."
From Take the Bull by the Horns, p. 32
Dig in one's heels - v. To be stubborn; or to be strong and resistant.
- "I dug in my heels and refused to work overtime on my wife's birthday. We had plans to go out for dinner."
Take the bull by the horns - v. To take the initiative; to be strong; to take risks and be
courageous even in the face of danger.
- "If we want to win that contract, we'll need to take the bull by the horns and submit a bold proposal that will impress the client."
"In order to meet the team’s commitments, some of the research work would need to be farmed out. Jey had to decide who he could call on for help; he needed someone who would be fast out of the box."
From Touch all the Bases, p. 10
Farm out – v. To assign something to an outsider or contractor. Baseball teams often have farm teams from which they grow future players.
 “I’m so busy that I need to farm out several clients to an associate.”
Be fast out of the box – v. Get a good start [a hitter running to first base should leave the batter’s box quickly], be a quick learner.
- “The cashier I hired is fast out of the box; she learned in a day the prices of all our products.”
"Hey, don't be caught napping!" someone in the bleachers called out.
From Touch all the Bases, p. 4
 To be caught napping - v. To fail to respond because of inattention.
- "Our competitor took our best customer while we were caught napping."
Bleachers - n. An unroofed stand of wooden or metal seats and steps.
"He imaged John Wayne sitting tall in the saddle on a magnificent white horse, scanning the horizon for the dangerous outlaw he would inevitably track down."
From Take the Bull by the Horns, p. 3
 John Wayne - One of the most famous American movie stars, known as a hero to generations of moviegoers all over the world. He acted in many Hollywood Westerns. If a person is described as a "John Wayne" it means he is independent, strong, brave, and a man of few words but quick action.
Tall in the saddle - adv. Proud and recognizable; comfortable in his/her position. A saddle is the leather gear on the horse which allows a rider to sit securely and take command of the horse.
- "Our CEO sits tall in the saddle whenever he's negotiating a new deal for us."
Track down - v. Hunt for something; or find out something that is not evident
- "We tracked down the missing inventory; it was still in the warehouse."
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