ESL Podcast 688 - Ending a Business Relationship
to break the news - to tell someone something he or she does not want to hear; to share bad news with someone
The hardest part of being a doctor is having to break the news to the family when the patient has passed away.
to pull the plug - to end a project, relationship, or agreement; to stop doing something
Why did you decide to pull the plug on the contract negotiations?
contract - a legal agreement; an official, written agreement
According to the contract, we have to pay the full amount by the 4th of each month.
to be up - to end; to finish on a particular date and time
The lease is up at the end of the summer, and then we'll need to look for new tenants.
to hold off on - to delay; to postpone; to wait to do something until later
Please hold off on buying your airplane tickets until you're sure you are eligible for a visa to enter the country.
in the hopper - active; currently being used or worked on; in process
Grant has published five novels, and he has two more in the hopper.
to drag (one's) feet - to procrastinate; to do something very slowly or later than one should
If we hadn't dragged our feet this morning, we could have left work early this afternoon.
professional courtesy - something that one does or says in a business environment because it is nice, kind, and polite
As a professional courtesy, please call to tell us if you're going to arrive late.
to let (someone) down - to disappoint someone by not meeting expectations or by not doing what one was supposed to do
Pierre promised he could get $2 million in sales last year, so he really let us down by getting only $750,000.
airtight - completed very carefully so that there are no mistakes or errors; having no weaknesses
This proposal is airtight. There's no way they won't choose us over our competitors.
old habits die hard - a phrase used to mean that it is difficult for people or organizations to change, and they are more likely to continue doing things as they have done them in the past, even if those ways are not very good
Mariah weighs 300 pounds and she says she would like to lose weight, but old habits die hard.
on (one's) last legs - about to die or fail; very weak and worn out; almost finished
The investigation is on its last legs, and if the detectives don't find a suspect soon, they're going to close the case.
it's only a matter of time - a phrase used to mean that something will happen in the future, although one doesn't know exactly when
It's only a matter of time before someone invents a car that can fly.
at the rate (one) is going - a phrase used to refer to how someone is acting or performing or how someone has been acting or performing in the recent past, assuming that it will not change in the future
At the rate they're going, they will have spent all their savings by the end of the year.
PR rep - a public relations representative; a person whose job is to influence how people view a particular company or organization, especially whether they think it is good or bad
The company hired a PR rep to help management deal with the scandal.