Idioms on Organizations are Gardens

This is lesson 11 from Idiom Part 1. Each idiom is followed by its definition and examples. After you learn them, you can use them in your daily conversation.

 

Previous English Idiom Lesson

In our previous English idiom lesson, we cover below:

Idioms Related To Economic Is Flying

 

English Idiom Part 1- Lesson 11

1- Dig out= trying to find or search for

We might want to dig out the sales figures.

 

2- Stem from= originate from, caused by

Most of her health problems stem from an accident she had when she was younger.

 

3- Weed out= find and remove

We need to weed out the weaker employees and re-train our best staff.

 

4- Cut back on= reduce

They’ve cut back on costs.

 

5- Branch out into= expand and diversify

The company is branching out into Europe.

 

6- Plough into= invest a lot in sth

They ploughed all their savings into their daughter’s business.

 

7- Cross-fertilization= importing and mixing ideas to produce better products and services.

There will be an exhibition on cross-fertilization of advertising and art next week.

 

8- Up-rooting= moving to another place

We’re planning to relocate in Scotland but the up-rooting process will be difficult for many of the workforce.

 

9- Dead wood= a useless or burdensome persons or things

If we want to be more efficient, we have to get rid of the dead wood in middle management.

 

10- To flourish= to give results or come to fruition

As a result of the government’s new monetary policy, the economy is now flourishing.

 

11- Cut back on= to spend less, do less, or use less of something

The government has announced plans to cut back on defense spending by 10 percent next year.

 

12- Spadework= hard, sometimes boring work done in preparation for something

Now that the spadework is all done, we can start to write the report itself.

 

13- Offshoot= something that has developed from something larger that already existed

Our subsidiary in Papua is one of our main offshoot companies in Malaysia.

 

Next English Idiom Lesson

In our next English idiom lesson, we cover below:

Idioms Related To People Are Liquid
 

Related Idioms

Here is the list of idioms related to this lesson.

 

Idiom Part 1 Outline

If you wish to explore all lessons that are covered in HiCafe Idiom Part 1, you can visit the Essential and Popular English idioms- Part 1 page.

 

English Fluency Resources

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