50 английских идиом про людей в бизнесе, которые сразят ваших коллег

На работе нас окружают люди разного типа. А хотите узнать, как можно назвать их по-английски?

В бизнес-культуре для обозначения социального положения, умственных способностей и характера носители английского языка используют различные идиомы. Эти идиомы помогают дать людям положительную, отрицательную или нейтральную характеристику. Изучив их, вы легко сможете понять, о чем идет речь в офисной беседе на английском языке, и стать «умной печенькой»! 

Английские бизнес-идиомы для положительной характеристики людей

Angel investor – частный инвестор, готовый предоставить стартовый капитал

• Is there a small business owner who hasn’t thought of angel investors as an ideal source of the capital needed?

Blue-eyed boy – любимчик

• It was no surprise that Frankie got the promotion. Everyone knows he’s the boss’s blue eyed boy.

Cash cow – надежный источник дохода; надежный и доходный бизнес

• Mr. Wilson turned out to be the cash cow we needed to start our repertoire company. 

Eager beaver – энтузиаст, трудяга

• Give that big project to the new girl, she’s a real eager beaver.

Eagle eye – зоркое око

• Nothing escaped the eagle eye of the manager.

Gift of the gab – дар красноречия

• Alexis really has the gift of gab, so she should be the one to address the potential investors.

Go-getter – целеустремленный и предприимчивый человек

• We only recruit go-getters who will be actively involved in the company’s development.

Jack of all trades – мастер на все руки

• Indeed, you need to be something of a jack of all trades and passably good at most of them.

Made of money – денег куры не клюют

• Why do people always think that lawyers are made of money?

Man of his word/woman of her word – человек слова

• I’ve found Mary to be a woman of her word so far, so I’m confident she’ll get us the best deal possible.

Mover and shaker – влиятельный и инициативный человек

• The conference is going to be full of movers and shakers of the industry, so I want to make a good impression.

Salt of the earth – достойный, порядочный человек

• Don’t worry, even with all his success, Robert is still the salt of the earth. He donates most of his salary to charity and volunteers weekly at the hospital.

Smart cookie – толковый человек

• Don’t underestimate Cindy’s intelligence—she’s one smart cookie!

Top dog – хозяин положения, лидер в своей области

• Thought still a young man, he is already top dog in his firm.

Whiz kid – талантливый молодой специалист

• Sarah’s the new whiz kid in accounting. She’ll help you tackle the budget in no time.

ЧИТАЙТЕ ТАКЖЕ: 50 английских прилагательных личности и характера человека: значения, примеры, антонимы, синонимы

Английские бизнес-идиомы для нейтральной характеристики людей

Big fish in a small pond – важная персона местного масштаба

• He’s the firm’s general counsel, but since there are only three employees he’s just a big fish in a small pond.

Bigwig – заправила, шишка

• They have links with political bigwigs and the local administration, which is all the qualification needed to get into the business.

Blue-collar worker – работник физического труда

• The company hopes to reduce back injuries amongst its blue-collar workers.

Company man – фанатично преданный фирме сотрудник

• Dave is a company man. His allegiance is to his job more than his family.

Dark horse – темная лошадка; человек, от которого неизвестно чего ожидать

• The new assistant is still something of a dark horse to the department.

Head honcho – важная птица, большая шишка, главный

• Who’s the head honcho round here?

Major player – ключевая фигура, крупный игрок 

• Facebook has proven its ability to change, and it will continue to be a very major player.

Number cruncher – служащий, специализирующийся на сложных расчетах, бухгалтер

• His current role is as the number cruncher with a locally-based law firm.

People person – душа компании

• Colleagues say she’s a good people person who can really motivate a team.

Poker face – бесстрастное лицо

• Now, make sure you keep your poker face on for these negotiations—we can’t let them know where we stand.

Quiet as a mouse – тише воды, ниже травы

• I just can’t believe that Kate actually yelled at Mike—she’s usually as quiet as a mouse!

Silent partner – компаньон, не принимающий активного участия в управлении компанией

• Dave’s father agreed to be a silent partner when we started our company, leaving us to run it once it was set up.

Voice in the wilderness – глас вопиющего в пустыне, пророк; тот, кто говорит о том, во что никто не верит, пока это не произойдёт / не станет популярным

• Before the recent «Me too» movement, I was a lone voice crying in the wilderness about sexual harassment in the workplace. 

Whistleblower – лицо, совершающее служебное разоблачение (противозаконной или аморальной деятельности компании)

• The company had paid out substantial sums to silence would-be whistleblowers.

White-collar worker – работник умственного труда, офисный работник, белый воротничок

• White-collar workers and students were reported to make up the largest proportion of Internet users. 

ЧИТАЙТЕ ТАКЖЕ: 12 английских акронимов, без которых не обойтись в деловой переписке

Английские бизнес-идиомы для негативной характеристики людей

Armchair critic – диванный критик

• The last thing we need are words of wisdom from an armchair critic.

Ambulance chaser – адвокат-стервятник, навязывающий свои услуги пострадавшим от несчастных случаев

• The first person I met after my accident was an ambulance chaser who wanted to represent me in court.

Bean counter – счетовод (пренебрежительно)

• We need to get a bean counter in here to analyze these expense reports and give us the big picture on our finances.

Cog in a machine – винтик, мелкая сошка

• I’m tired of working in this thankless IT support job. I don’t want to be just a cog in the wheel anymore!

Dead duck – неудачник, неумеха; дохлый номер

• That mechanic turned out to be a dead duck. He didn’t even know how to change my oil.

Dead wood / dead weight – балласт 

• If the company is to improve its performance, it needs to take this opportunity to get rid of some of the dead wood.

Fast talker – человек, у которого «подвешен» язык, способный обвести вокруг пальца

• Used car salesmen have a reputation for being fast talkers. They’ll say anything to sell a car.

Fuddy-duddy – старомодный, отставший от жизни человек

• They think I’m an old fuddy-duddy because I don’t approve of tattoos.

Know-it-all – всезнайка

• There is nothing more annoying than working with a know-it-all who constantly tries to outdo everyone else.

Lame duck – неудачник, непроизводительный человек

• A lot of time and effort goes into supporting employees who are essentially lame ducks.

Loan shark – нелегальный кредитор

• This tolerant attitude towards credit history can prevent people going to loan sharks in times of need.

Pain in the neck/pain in the ass – невыносимый человек, заноза

• As a friend he is not bad, but as an employer, he is a pain in the neck.

Pen pusher / pencil pusher – конторская крыса

• The ad made the job sound exciting but I’m just a glorified pen pusher.

Rotten apple – паршивая овца, оказывающий негативное влияние человек 

• It may not be until your rotten apple is absent from work that you realise the atmosphere is so much happier and the office has suddenly become a much more pleasant place to work. 

Sitting duck – лёгкая добыча

• I feel like a sitting duck for crime working the night shift at the convenience store.

Stool pigeon – подсадная утка, осведомитель

• Watch out for John; I’m sure he’s a stool pigeon for the police.

Smart alec/ smart aleck – всезнайка

• Smart alecs are people who are conceited and think they’re pretty clever.

Stick-in-the-mud – зануда

• Mr Johnes is an old stick-in-the-mud: you’ll never persuade him to change at all.

Stickler for the rules – педант, буквоед, сторонник строгого соблюдения правил

• 37 years in the military makes you a stickler for the rules.

Wet blanket – зануда

• Don’t invite Nicole to the party. She’s such a wet blanket that she’ll probably just complain the whole time.

Wise guy – всезнайка 

• Okay, wise guy, if you’re so damned smart, you can tell everyone how it’s done!

Wolf in sheep’s clothing – волк в овечьей шкуре

• Don’t trust Dana—she’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who will try to steal your position if given the chance.

Yes-man – подпевала, подлиза, подхалим

• It’s no good applying for a job with him unless you’re happy being a yes-man.

ЧИТАЙТЕ ТАКЖЕ: 10 лучших американских фильмов про бизнес (с субтитрами!), которые прокачают ваш деловой английский