Idiom Sentences Short List

1. Strategy and Tactics

These sentences describe how a party is handling information, behaving, or positioning themselves.

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Playing it Safe/Secretive:

• My colleague was playing his cards close to his chest when he began to talk to our competitor.
• I thought that the negotiations would not succeed but my boss had a card up his sleeve that we did not know about.

Being Direct/Aggressive:

• Our boss laid his cards on the table during the meeting.
• The union played hardball during the contract talks.
• The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.
• The sales manager drives a hard bargain and it is difficult to negotiate with him.
• The manager stacked the deck against his opponent when he went into the meeting.

Testing/Misleading:

• The government called the union's bluff when the union threatened to go on strike.
• The purchasing manager threw us a curve when he said that he would not need any of our products until next year.
• The manager was beating around the bush and never said anything important.

2. Making Progress and Compromising

These sentences cover the "give and take" required to move toward a deal.

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Compromising:

• We know that we must give a little if we want to complete the negotiations.
• After much give and take we reached an agreement regarding the property transfer.
• The price for the truck was too high but we met the salesman halfway and made an agreement to buy it.
• The union made a big concession in their negotiations with their company.

Gaining Ground:

• We are bargaining hard and making headway with the new agreement.
• We were able to break through in our efforts to find a solution to the problem.

Starting the Process:

• We should get the ball rolling and begin the meeting at once.
• "Let's get down to brass tacks and begin talking about the new contract."
• I will start the ball rolling by making some telephone calls to my coworkers.

3. Obstacles and Failures

These sentences describe moments where negotiations slow down, stop, or fail entirely.

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Deadlocks and Stalls:

• The negotiations bogged down over the issue of part-time workers.
• The talks to buy the new computers have reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to start them again.
• The salary issue was a stumbling block in the negotiations between the company and the union.
• The negotiations on where to build the new bridge have reached an impasse.

Failures and Retreats:

• The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.
• The deal for the new machinery fell through and we will have to look for another supplier.
• The negotiations broke down last night when both sides refused to compromise.
• The property developer backed out of the plan to build the new apartment building.
• The negotiations failed so we had to go back to the drawing board and start over.

4. Reaching the Finish Line

These sentences focus on the final stages of a deal, deadlines, and signing contracts.

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The Final Stretch:

• The negotiations went down to the wire last night.
• We were able to send the documents to the lawyer under the wire.
• We spent several hours ironing out the final details of the contract.

Closing the Deal:

• We had to work hard but we were finally able to close the deal.
• The company inked a deal to buy the new product.
• We wrapped up the meeting and went home for the weekend.
• The contract for the new insurance policy is in the bag.
• The lawyers drew up a contract for the new housing development on the government land.