Page 91 - How to write effective business English your guide to excellent professional communication by Fiona Talbot

80 How to Write Effective Business English

‘over the moon’ about it. Do you get the drift of what I am saying,
or am I pulling the wool over your eyes? Are you completely puz-
zled? Let me explain:

● ● To be ‘the bee’s knees’ means to be really good, to be excellent.
● ● ‘Over the moon’ means delighted.

● ● ‘To get the drift’ of something means to get the general meaning.
● ● ‘To pull the wool over someone’s eyes’ means to deceive them or
obscure something from them.

In actual fact, native speakers may also misunderstand idioms:
some are quite obscure so approach them with caution in business.
Let’s consider clichés now. ‘Cliché’ has been imported from
French into many languages, but, interestingly, it doesn’t always
mean the same thing in each. In German, for example, it means a
stereotype, whereas in UK English it means a stale expression: some-
thing that’s ineffective through overuse. A cliché often overlaps with
corporate jargon or management speak and can undermine writing.
Here are some examples of clichés, with their meanings shown
in brackets:

● ● ‘In this day and age’ (now).

● ● ‘Pick the low-hanging fruit’ (go for the easy option).
● ● ‘Think outside the box’ (think in an original or creative way).
‘Nuance’ (another word imported from French) means shade or
subtlety in language. Unsurprisingly, even native writers can have
difficulty understanding nuances. As an example, in one online dis-
cussion forum I noticed some English-speaking artists debating the
differences between the words tint, hue, shade and so on, when
describing aspects of colour. There were many suggestions but little
consensus. Nuances can be tricky things.
In a business context, the subtlety in meaning between, say,
‘quite proud’ and ‘proud’ can lead to problems. You see, to a
British speaker ‘proud’ usually has a stronger emphasis than ‘quite
proud’. If I tell someone I’m proud of their work, it’s an absolute.