There is a secret to American English. What is it? American business people speak with their feet. How? How do they do that?
Look at the following pictures.
A. Kick Off
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They don’t start a meeting, but they kick off a meeting.
So your CEO may say:
Let’s kick off a new project.
B. Run
Well, they don’t just ‘kick’ with their feet. They need some speed too:
So, they run a company.
(But I’ve got a question: Do they run a company with a pair of running shoes?)
But when the company is operated effectively, they run a tight ship.
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And when it comes to a company’s finance, Americans ‘don’t calculate’, they run the numbers.
So in a meeting your coworker from Finance Department may say:
We have to run the numbers before making any big decision.
C. Jump
Well, sometimes run is not fast enough for Americans. In business, they also jump.
Do you know what the expression means?
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Our team jumped the gun by releasing a new product before doing market research.
It means your team started promoting the product too soon. Your team is in trouble (the sea) now.
And when your boss uses ‘jump’ in another way, you have to work harder:
We have to jump through hoops this time to explore a new market.
What is ‘jump through hoops’? It means it is a difficult task for you (unlike the one in the picture).
So in short: American business people kick, run, and jump.
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WHERE IS THE IDEA FROM?
The idea of Fighting Verbs is from a new book to be published:
Grammar Rules Made Funny (1):
How to Make Sentences to Improve Your Spoken and Written American Business English
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