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Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “cover your back”:  take action to protect yourself; sich absichern Example 1:  Just to cover my back in case there are questions later, I’ve sent an email that documents what we agreed when we met in person. Example 2:  Companies often hope that product liability disclaimers cover their …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to be out of the woods”:  to be safe from danger or difficulty; noch nicht über den Berg sein; noch nicht aus dem Schneider sein Example 1:  The fusion went rather well. We seem to be out of the woods. Example 2:  We’re not quite out …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to jump start”:  to take action to improve a situation; etw. wieder in Gang bringen Example 1:  The government is trying to jump start the economy by lowering interest rates. Example 2:  A big cup of coffee in the morning always jump starts my day. In …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to be on the fence”: to be undecided; s. nicht entscheiden können Example 1:  I’m on the fence about the designer’s suggestions for the new logo. On the one hand I like this one, but I like that one too. Example 2:  We have to reach a …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to cut (somebody) some slack”: to be lenient or not strict with somebody; mit jdm nachsichtig sein Example 1:  We should cut him some slack. After all, he just starting working here a few weeks ago and probably didn’t know about the policy. Example 2:  If we cut Ulrike some slack …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to give (someone) a hand”: to help (someone) Example 1:  Could you give me a hand with the letter I’ve been working on? Example 2:  Looks like your arms are full. Let me give you a hand — I can carry some of the binders for you.

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to have a lot on (one’s) plate”: to have a lot to do; viel zu tun haben Example 1:  You could ask Frank to help you, but I think he’s got a lot on his plate at the moment. Example 2:  It seems that everyone has too much …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to get (one’s) wires crossed”: to have a different understanding of the same thing, a misunderstanding; s. falsch verstehen, einander vorbeireden Tip: Always use a plural pronoun, i.e. “we”, “you (two)”, “they”. One person can’t get his or her wires crossed. Example 1:  No, that’s not …

Each week of 2017 we present an English idiom. “to bark up the wrong tree”: to be wrong about the reason for something or the way to get something done; auf dem Holzweg sein Example 1:  I’m afraid we’re barking up the wrong tree if our aim is to reach Millennials. Example 2:  He meant …