glossary

better off

adjective in a better situation or having more money

bury

verb [transitive often passive] to cover or hide something

cope (with)

verb [transitive] to deal successfully with a difficult situation or job

cram

verb [transitive] to put too much into a space that is too small

errand

noun [count] a small job that involves going to collect or deliver something

fierce

adjective involving a lot of force or energy

headcount

noun [count] a count of all the people in a company

hesitate

verb [intransitive] to pause before doing something, or to do something very slowly, usually because you are nervous, embarrassed or worried

mad dash

noun [singular] an act of going somewhere very quickly in an extremely uncontrolled way: At the end of the nineties there was a mad dash to buy shares in high-tech companies.

mess up

phrasal verb [intransitive/transitive] to do something wrong or spoil something, especially by making mistakes

oddly

adverb or oddly enough: used for saying that something is not what you would expect in a particular situation

overhaul

verb [transitive] to completely change a system to make it work more effectively

polish up

phrasal verb [transitive] to improve a skill by practising

pressure cooker

noun [count] informal a difficult situation in which people have to work very hard or experience a lot of strong emotions

quest

noun [count] a long difficult search slick /shk/ adjective done in a very impressive way that seems to need very little effort

take a breather

phrase informal to have a rest

untold

adjective existing or present in an amount that is too large to be measured

asap - as soon as possible

used especially for asking someone to do something quickly

biscuit

noun [count] British a type of small flat dry cake that is usually sweet and round. The usual American word is cookie.

crash

noun [count] computing an occasion when a computer or a computer program suddenly stops working

give someone a hand

verb to help someone

hassle

verb [transitive] to annoy someone, or to cause problems for them

in the know

phrase people in the know have more information about something than other people

in the loop

phrase informal belonging or not belonging to a group that has information and makes decisions about something

patch

noun [count] computing a piece of software that you add to a computer program in order to improve it or remove a fault

plug-in

noun [count] a piece of software or hardware that you add to a computer to increase the range of things it can do

snail mail

noun [uncount] computing letters that are sent by post

stretched

adjective having difficulty doing everything that you should because you lack the necessary time, money, people or equipment

bulky

adjective too big to be carried or stored easily

carbon footprint

noun [count] the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of the activities of an individual, organization or community

acquaintance

noun [count] someone you know a little, who is not a close friend

IP address -(computing) Internet Protocol address

a code that represents a particular computer and is used to send messages to it on a network or the Internet

mustn't grumble

phrase spoken used as a reply to someone who asks you whether you are well, for saying that you feel all right

small talk

noun [uncount] informal conversation about things that are not important

trivial

adjective not very interesting, serious or valuable

alleviate

verb [transitive] to make something less painful, severe or serious

fine

noun [count] an amount of money that you have to pay because you have broken the law: Firms could face fines of up to £5,000.

forethought

noun [uncount] careful thought and planning that prepares you well for a future event

forthwith

adverb formal legal immediately imperative /im'perativ/ adjective formal extremely important and urgent

officialese

noun [uncount] the way of speaking or writing used by people who work in government offices, especially when ordinary people cannot understand it

solicit

formal to ask someone for something such as money or support

time frame

noun [count] the period of time during which something happens or must happen

unambiguous

adjective clear and with only one possible meaning

down time

noun [uncount] time when a computer or other machine is not working

drag someone kicking and screaming

phrase to make someone do something that they do not want to do

malicious

adjective deliberately wanting to hurt someone or cause damage

morale

noun [count] the amount of enthusiasm that a person or group of people feel about their situation at a particular time

outsource

verb [intransitive/transitive] to arrange for work to be done by people from outside your company, usually by a company that is expert in that type of work

recruit

verb [intransitive/transitive] to get someone to work in a company or join an organization

subsidiary

noun [count] a company that is owned by a larger company

turnover

noun [count/uncount] the value of the goods and services that a company sells in a particular period of time