Are you standing now in the firing line?

Today’s English
July 5th, 2017

One third of our daily life, in somebody’s life a little more is spent in our workplace and the expressions we are  gonna deal with today are workplace idioms.

Have you seen some people who do their office work at home even on holidays? In English, we can say that they have “ busman's holidays.”

1. Today is Sunday. But, for me, it’s only a busman's holiday.
2. Shall we go to Fun mall tomorrow? No, tomorrow is only a busman's holiday.

In office, the subordinates will work a lot but they will not be known to the public. The credit will go only to the higher officials, heads and ministers who will be in contact with media and public.  If you feel that you are one of them, then you belong to the category of back-room boys. In this English expression, boys refer to abovesaid people, not any boys.

1. I’m one of the back-room boys. I can’t say anything about that to the press.
2. Behind each box office hit, there are thousands of back-room boys.

If you know how to do a particular work correctly, in English, it is said that you have learnt the ropes. Have you learnt the ropes?

1. He’s a new staff but, no doubt, he will learn the ropes quickly.
2. He often commits mistakes. I don’t know when he will learn the ropes.

There are some important positions where the designated people have a lot of responsibilities and are likely to be criticized and blamed frequently.  If you are so, mind that you are “in the firing line".

1. I know, I’m in the firing line. Let them criticize me whatever the way they want.
2. When she became a principal, she knew very well that she was in the firing line.


“I like to reinvent myself — it’s part of my job.”
- Karl Lagerfeld