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Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to put something on the back burner”: to delay or put something on hold; to save an idea/suggestion until a later time point; to give something a low priority; etw. auf Eis legen Example 1:  It’s definitely something we need to take care of this year, but we …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to jump the gun”: to act too soon; vorsprechen; überstürzt handeln; voreilig handeln Example 1: She jumped the gun when she told everyone about her new job before she officially got the job offer. Example 2: Don’t jump the gun. Give them a chance to ask all their questions …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to be in hot water”: to be in trouble about something; ganz schön in der Tinte sitzen Example 1:  I was in hot water after I contacted the client without asking my boss first. Example 2:  We’re in hot water with our shareholders. They expected larger dividends …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to pull the plug on something”: to end something, to stop an activity from happening or continuing Example 1:  We’ve had some difficulties with the project, but we’re not ready to pull the plug on it yet. Example 2:  They pulled the plug on their overseas partnership …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to let sleeping dogs lie”: to not talk about something that might be a problem which people have either forgotten about or don’t know about; keine schlafenden Hunde wecken Example 1:  If no one has brought it up, it might be best to let sleeping dogs lie. …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to beat around/about the bush”: to avoid saying something directly or avoid getting to the point; to say something in an indirect way in order to waste time; um den heißen Brei herumreden Example 1:  Let’s stop beating around the bush and get to the point: …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “the squeaky wheel gets the grease”: the person who complains the loudest or the most will get the most attention or the best service; nur wer am lautesten schreit, wird gehört Example 1:  A:  You always get the best customer service — how do you manage to …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to scratch the surface”:  to deal with something only in a superficial way that doesn’t deal with the main issue;  nur an der Oberfläche kratzen Example 1:  The team-building weekend was helpful, but it only scratched the surface when it comes to solving the issues among …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to let the cat out of the bag”: to give away a secret, usually by accident (die Katze aus dem Sack lassen) Example 1:  The mid-year bonus for all employees is supposed to be a secret, so don’t let the cat out of the bag, okay? …