Speaking English Like a Native (to) compare apples to oranges to compare two unlike things; to make an invalid comparison EXAMPLE: Comparing a night at Econo-Lodge with a night at the Four Seasons is like comparing apples to oranges. One is a budget motel, and the other is a luxury hotel. NOTE: You will also see the related expression "compare apples to apples" which means to compare two things of the same type. This means that you are making a valid comparison, as opposed to when you're comparing apples to
oranges. (to) go back to the drawing board to start a task over because the last try failed; to start again from the beginning EXAMPLE: We didn't like the print advertisement our ad agency designed, so we asked them to go back to the drawing board.
in the bag a sure thing EXAMPLE: Boeing executives thought that the new military contract was in
the bag and they were surprised when it was awarded to Airbus instead. SYNONYM: a done deal. Example: Boeing executives thought the new military contract was a done deal.
(to) jump through hoops to go through a lot of difficult work for something; to face many bureaucratic obstacles EXAMPLE: We had to jump through hoops to get our visas to Russia, but we finally got them.
(to) miss the point to not understand EXAMPLE: You're missing the point. Your son wants an expensive new cell phone so he can impress his friends, not because he actually needs all of those bells and whistles.
beef up - see Lesson 5 Polar English
Speaking Business
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English Like a Native