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Above board |
If business negotiations are described as above board,
they are open, honest and legal.
"There are no secret negotiations. Our dealings have always
been
above board." |
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Have an ace up your sleeve. |
If you have an ace up your sleeve,
it means that you have
something in reserve with which you can gain an advantage. |
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Hold all
the aces |
A person or company who holds all the aces is in a very strong
position because they have more advantages than anyone else.
"With low production costs and excellent transport facilities,
they seem to be holding all the aces." |
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Have your back to the wall |
If you have your back to the wall, you
are in serious difficulty.
"With his back to the wall, the supplier had to
accept the deal." |
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Back to square one |
To say that someone is back to square one, means that they
have not succeeded in what they were trying to do, and so they
have to start
again.
"When they refused the terms of the contract, it was back to
square one for the negotiators." |
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Beggars can't be choosers. |
This expression means
that you should not reject an offer
if it is the only possibility you have. You have no choice.
"Beggars can't be choosers"! |
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Bend over
backwards |
If you bend over backwards, you try very hard to
do something, especially to please somebody.
"The director bent over backwards to try and persuade them to
accept our proposal." |
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Bide your
time |
If you bide your time,
you wait for a good opportunity to do
something. "He's not hesitating, he's just biding his time. He's waiting
for the price to drop." |
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A blank cheque |
If you give someone a blank cheque, you authorize
them to do what they think is best in a difficult situation.
"Tom was given a blank cheque and told to negotiate the best
deal possible." |
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Bone of contention |
A bone of contention is a matter or subject about which there
is a lot of disagreement. "The salaries have been agreed on, but
opening on Sundays remains a bone of contention." |
| Bring
nothing to the table |
If you participate in negotiations and bring nothing to the table,
you have nothing of interest to offer the other side.
"We'll never reach an agreement if we don't all bring something to
the table." |
| Clinch
a deal |
In a business relationship,
if you clinch a deal, you reach
agreement on a proposal or offer.
"Tom's final argument enabled us to clinch the deal." |
| Drive
a hard bargain |
A person who drives a hard bargain always makes sure they
gain advantage in a business deal.
"Be prepared for tough negotiations with Stuart - he drives a bard
bargain." |
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Keep someone posted |
If a person asks you to keep them posted, they want you to
keep them informed about a situation
"Our agent promised to keep us posted on developments in the
negotiations." |
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| Leave
the door open |
If you leave the door open, you behave in such a way as to
allow the possibility of further action.
"Both parties left the door open for further negotiations." |
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Leave
no stone unturned |
If you try everything possible in order to achieve
something
something, you leave no stone unturned.
"The
management left no stone unturned in their efforts to
reach an agreement." |
| Meet
someone half-way |
If you meet someone half way, you accept to make a
compromise and
give them part of what they are trying to obtain.
"We can't agree to all your conditions but we could perhaps agree
to
meet half-way." |
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Nitty-gritty |
When people get down to the nitty-gritty, they begin to discuss
the most important points or the practical details.
"I was interested in the project,
but we didn't get down to the
nitty-gritty until his partner arrived." |
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No dice! |
If someone asks you for something and you reply "no dice"
you mean that it is impossible or it can't be done.
"Can you lend me your car?" "Sorry, no dice." |
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Play your cards right. |
This means that you do
all that is necessary in order to
succeed or to obtain what you want. |
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Play for time |
If you play for time, you try to delay or prevent something
from
happening in order to gain an advantage.
"He decided to play
for time in the hope that the price would
decrease." |
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Prepare the ground |
To prepare the ground means that
you try to make it easier
for a future event or action to happen or be accepted. |
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Sign on the
dotted line |
If you sign on the dotted line, you
formally give your consent
to something by signing an official document.
"I
consulted my lawyer before signing on the dotted line." |
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Signed, sealed and delivered |
When an agreement, contract or treaty is signed, sealed
and delivered, all the legal documents have been signed.
"It is hoped that the agreement will be signed, sealed and
delivered before
the end of the week." |
| Skating
on thin ice |
If you are skating on thin ice, you are doing or
saying
something that could cause disagreement or trouble.
"Don't mention that subject during the negotiations or you
could
be skating on thin ice." |
| Take stock
of a situation |
If you take stock of a situation, you assess all
the aspects
in order to form an opinion.
"He took time to take stock of the situation before making a
suggestion." |
| Turn on/up
the heat |
If you turn on/up the heat on a person or
organization,
you put pressure on them in order to obtain what you want.
"If the goods are not delivered this week, we'll have to turn on
the heat." |
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