第1次上IM课 (IMB1：Idioms)

1、  keep moving the goal posts：people change rules so make it difficult to achieve the goalMy sales target last month was 50，000RMB。But every time I make my target my boss keeps moving the goal posts to higher and higher targets。

2、  back the wrong horse：bet the wrong horseYou’ve been supporting Manchester United this season，but Arsenal won the championships。It looks like you’ve backed the wrong horse this tie。

3、  neck and neck = neck in neck：same/equal in a competitionMy company is neck in neck with our competitor to get the largest market share-neither one can seem to get ahead of the other。

4、  keep sb onside ：ensure/support of a particular groupI’d like to say we can do this project alone，but I think it will be valuable to keep a consulting firm onside just incase。

5、  play ball： cooperateWe tried to get the bank to lend us money for our new project，but they refused to play ball。

6、  the ball’s in your court：it’s your turn to actI’ve done everything I can with the project，I think now the ball’s in your court。

7、  a level playing field：a possibility for both sides to have an equal playChina’s joining the WTO will help to create a level playing field in international trade。

8、  par for the courses：the expected resultThe boss says we have to work overtime again this weekend。Well，that’s par for the course，isn’t it？we always have extra work before Spring Festival。

9、  touch base：contact somebodyI’ve haven’t seen you for a while and I’m coming to town later，so I thought I might stop by and touch base。Is that ok？

10、  a major player：a very important personSony is a major player in marking electronics products。

11、  heavyweight：has power could controlA lot of heavyweights in the construction industry will attend the conference in March。

12、  on the ball：be well-informedMy assistant is really great。She’s always on the ball and ready to help with any project。

13、  in a whole new ball game：be in a different positionEverybody used to watch VCDs，but when DVDs were introduced we were in a whole new ball game。

14、  run with the ball：take the idea and try your best to make it。If we can get the marketing department to run with the ball this products should sell ready well。