Negotiation Idioms

at stake

- something that can be gained or lost

There was much at stake during the negotiations between the nurses and the government.

back down

- to yield in one's position during negotiations, to not follow up on a threat

The government backed down on their threat to stop giving money to the school district.

back out (of something)

- to get out of an agreement, to fail to keep a promise

The property developer backed out of the plan to build the new city hall.

ball is in (someone's) court

- it is the decision of another person/group to do something

The ball was in the union's court after the company made their final offer.

beat around the bush

- to talk about something without giving a direct answer

The manager was beating around the bush and never really said anything important.

bog down

- to slow to a stop

The negotiations bogged down over the issue of part-time workers.

bone of contention

- the subject or reason for a fight/dispute

The size of the project was a bone of contention during the talks between the city and the developer.

break down

- to fail, to stop

The negotiations broke down last night when both sides refused to compromise.

break off

- to stop or end suddenly

The government decided to break off talks about extending the trade agreement.

break through

- to be successful after overcoming a difficulty

We were able to break through in our efforts to find a solution to the problem.

breakthrough

- a success that comes after overcoming a difficulty

There was a breakthrough in the talks aimed at ending the teacher's strike.

bring (something) off

- to achieve something

We were unable to bring off a deal to buy the new computer system for our company.

bring (someone) to terms

- to make someone agree or do something

It seemed impossible for the two sides to settle their dispute but we were finally able to bring them to terms.

bring up (something)

- to begin a discussion about something, to mention something

I tried to bring up the subject of sales commissions during the meeting.

call off (something)

- to stop/quit/cancel something

We called off the meeting because everybody was busy with other business.

call (someone's) bluff

- to try to make someone prove that they can actually do what they say they can

The government called the union's bluff when the union threatened to go on strike.

call the shots

- to be in charge

During the meeting the vice-president was calling the shots.

cave in to (someone or something)

- to weaken and be forced to give up

The company was forced to cave in to the demands of the workers for more money.

close a deal

- to end a negotiation successfully

We had to work hard but we were finally able to close the deal.

close ranks

- to unite and fight together

During the meeting we closed ranks and refused to compromise on any issue.

come back with an offer

- to return to negotiations with a new offer

We came back with a new offer and the negotiations continued smoothly.

come down in price

- to lower the price of one's product

We decided to come down in price and try and sell our products quickly.

come in low

- to offer a low amount of money for a product or service

The company came in low with an offer for our product.

come to terms

- to reach an agreement

After negotiating all night the government and the company came to terms on an arrangement for the new water system.

come up in a discussion

- to become a subject in a discussion

Nothing related to the issue of quality came up during the meeting.

come up with (an idea or something)

- to produce or find a thought/idea/answer

I was praised by my boss when I came up with some good ideas during the meeting.

common ground

- shared beliefs or interests

There was no common ground between the two sides and the negotiations did not go well.

continue down to the wire

- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining

The negotiations continued down to the wire but they finally ended successfully.

cover ground

- to talk about the important facts and details of something

The number of questions seemed endless and we were unable to cover much ground during the meeting.

cut a deal

- to make an agreement, to make a deal/arrangement

We cut a deal and left the meeting in a positive mood.

cut (someone) off

- to stop someone from saying something, to interrupt someone

My friend cut me off when I was speaking.

down to the wire

- near a deadline, with little time remaining

They were down to the wire but the two sides finally agreed to a new contract.

drag on

- to be prolonged, to continue for a long time

The talks between the company and the lawyers dragged on for several weeks.

drag one's heels

- to act slowly or reluctantly

The government dragged their heels in talks with the union about the new contract.

draw the line

- to set a limit about what will be done or discussed

The union was willing to compromise on the salary issue but they drew the line at talking about health benefits.

draw up (something)

- to put something (a contract or a plan) in writing

The lawyers drew up a contract for the new housing development on the government land.

drive a hard bargain

- to bargain hard and try to make an agreement to one's advantage

The sales manager drives a hard bargain and it is difficult to negotiate with him.

drive at (something)

- to mean something, to want to say something

I could not understand what the other negotiators in the meeting were driving at.

face down (someone)

- to confront someone boldly

The government decided to face down the striking transportation workers.

fall through

- to fail, to be ruined, to not happen

The deal for the new machinery fell through and we will have to look for another supplier.

fifty-fifty

- equally, evenly

We shared the profits with the other company fifty-fifty.

follow through on/with (something)

- to finish an action, to keep a promise

Our boss said that wages would improve soon but he never followed through with his promise.

force (someone's) hand

- to make someone do something that they do not want to do at that time

We decided to force the hand of our opponents because we wanted to finish the negotiations quickly.

get behind (a person or idea)

- to support a person or idea

Although we did not agree with the manager we got behind his proposal at the meeting.

get down to brass tacks

- to begin the work or business that must be done

"Let's get down to brass tacks and begin talking about the new contract."

get down to business

- to start working or doing the business at hand

We decided to get down to business and try to finish our work quickly.

get the ball rolling

- to start/begin an activity or action

I want to get the ball rolling and begin the meeting at once.

get the message

- to understand clearly what is meant by someone

I do not think that the opposite side got the message regarding the direction that the negotiations were heading.

get to first base

- to make a good start, to succeed

We have not been able to get to first base with anyone regarding the terms of the new contract.

get to the bottom of (something)

- to find out the real cause of something

It was very difficult to get to the bottom of the financial problems in the company.

get to the heart of (something)

- to find the most important facts or central meaning of something

We spent the morning trying to get to the heart of the problem with the computer supplier.

give a little

- to compromise during a negotiation

We know that we will be forced to give a little if we want to complete the negotiations.

give and take (give-and-take)

- to share, to give up part of what you want in order to make an agreement

After much give and take we reached an agreement regarding the property transfer.

give ground

- to move back or retreat from one's position

We bargained hard but the other sales representatives refused to give ground.

give in to (someone)

- to do what another person wants rather than to fight and argue against him or her

After eight weeks of negotiations we gave in and agreed to sell the machinery at a discount.

go back on (something)

- to not be faithful or loyal to one's word or an agreement

The company directors went back on their word to give the employees a salary increase.

go back to square one

- to go back to the beginning

The meeting was a failure and we were forced to go back to square one.

go back to the drawing board

- to go back and start something from the beginning

The negotiations failed so we had to go back to the drawing board and start over.

go down to the wire

- to near a deadline, to have little time remaining

The negotiations went down to the wire last night.

go for broke

- to risk everything on one big effort, to try as hard as possible

After going for broke at the meeting we finally reached an agreement.

go over like a lead balloon

- to fail to generate a positive response

The sales manager's proposal went over like a lead balloon at the meeting

go over well

- to be liked or successful

My idea to increase the number of employee evaluations went over well with the new manager.

hammer out (an agreement or a deal)

- to negotiate a deal or agreement by discussion and debate

The negotiations lasted all night but finally we were able to hammer out an agreement.

hang in the balance

- to have two equally possible results, to be uncertain

The outcome of the election was hanging in the balance after the top candidates had an equal number of votes.

hard-nosed

- to be very strict, to be stubborn, to be uncompromising

The negotiatiors were hard-nosed during the talks for a new contract.

have a card up one's sleeve

- to hide something of value

I thought that the negotiations would be unsuccessful but my boss had a card up his sleeve that we did not know about.

have a poker face

- to not show any reaction or emotion

Our boss had a poker face when he told us that our office would soon close.

hold all the aces/cards/trumps

- to have all of the advantages

The management group was holding all the cards during the meeting with the union.

hold out for (something)

- to keep resisting or refuse to give up until you get the desired results

The union is holding out for a better deal and they do not plan to end their strike.

hold out on (someone)

- to refuse information or something to someone who has a right to it

The new manager has been holding out on the company and he will not tell anyone his plans.

horse-trade

- to make a business agreement/deal after careful bargaining and compromise

After several hours of horse-trading we reached an agreement to buy the new computers.

in the bag

- to be certain

The contract for the new insurance policy is in the bag.

iron (something) out

- to solve a problem

We spent several hours ironing out the final details of the contract.

knock down the price of (something)

- to decrease a price

The department store has knocked down the price of many of their products.

lay one's cards on the table

- to be open and honest about one's intentions

Our boss laid his cards on the table during the meeting.

make an offer

- to make a financial or other proposal for a product or service

I plan to make an offer and try to buy the house that I like.

make headway

- to make progress

We have been bargaining hard all week and we are making headway with the new agreement.

meet (someone) halfway

- to compromise with someone

The asking price for the chemicals was too high but we met the salesman halfway and made an agreement.

nail (something) down

- to make certain or sure

We nailed down an agreement to finish the staff room as quickly as possible.

off the record

- to be not published or revealed, to be a secret

I told my boss off the record that I would probably not return after the summer holiday.

paint oneself into a corner

- to get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to escape

The negotiations became easier when the other side painted themselves into a corner over the old insurance policy.

play hardball (with someone)

- to act strong and aggressive with someone

The union played hardball during the contract talks.

play into (someone's) hands

- to do something that another person can use against you

Our manager played into the hands of the other side during the meeting when he became angry.

play one's ace

- to use one's best resources (the ace is the most powerful card), to use all of one's power

I played my ace when I asked my boss for more money.

play one's cards close to one's chest

- to be secretive and cautious about something

My colleague was playing his cards close to his chest when he began to talk to our competitor.

pull (something) off

- to succeed in doing something difficult or impossible

The contract seemed impossible to win but we pulled it off through our skillful negotiating.

pull (something) out of a hat

- to get something as if by magic, to invent something, to imagine something

The problem was difficult but somehow we were able to pull a solution out of a hat.

put one's cards on the table

- to be open and honest about one's intentions

We put our cards on the table and tried to solve the problem.

raise the ante

- to increase what is at stake or under discussion in a dispute or conflict

The small country raised the ante in the trade dispute with the other countries.

a raw deal

- treatment that is not fair

The sales manager received a raw deal when he was forced to give up his former position.

reach a stalemate

- to arrive at a position where no progress is being made

The talks to buy the new computers have reached a stalemate and it will be difficult to start them again.

reach first base

- to make a good start, to succeed

We were unable to reach first base in the discussions.

read between the lines

- to understand the meaning of something by guessing what is not said

The salesman did not say that no products were available but we could read between the lines and knew that there were none.

rock-bottom offer

- the lowest price that one can offer to buy something

The buyer made a rock-bottom offer to buy our product.

a setback

- a delay or handicap

The bad weather was a setback in our efforts to get the material delivered on time.

smooth (something) over

- to make something seem better or more pleasant

We tried to smooth over the problems between the two managers.

stack the deck (of cards) against (someone)

- to trick someone, to arrange things unfairly

The manager stacked the deck against his opponent when he went into the meeting.

stand one's ground

- to maintain and defend one's position

Although the other negotiating team was very aggressive we stood our ground and bargained hard.

start the ball rolling

- to start/begin an activity or action

I will start the ball rolling by making some telephone calls to my co-workers.

stick to one's guns

- to defend an action or opinion despite an unfavorable reaction

We stuck to our guns during the meeting and asked for more time to consider the proposal.

take sides

- to join one group against another in a debate or quarrel

I did not take sides in the discussion about buying a new computer.

talk (someone) into (something)

- to get someone to agree to something, to persuade someone to do something

We were unable to talk the other members of our team into delaying the meeting until next week.

talk (someone) out of (something)

- to persuade someone not to do something

I tried to talk our sales manager out of offering a price that was too low.

talk (something) over

- to discuss something

We asked for some time during the meeting to talk over the new proposal.

throw (someone) a curve

- to mislead or deceive someone

The purchasing manager threw us a curve when he said that he would not need any of our products until next year.

to the letter

- exactly, nothing done wrong or left undone, perfectly

The union representative followed the contract agreement to the letter.

trump card

- something that is kept back to be used to win success if nothing else works

Although we appeared weak during the negotiations we had some new information to use as our trump card.

turn thumbs down on (something)

- to reject something

The other negotiating team turned thumbs down on our wish to postpone the meeting until tomorrow.

under the wire

- at the very last moment

We finished the documents and sent them to the lawyer right under the wire.

undercut (someone)

- to sell your product for less than a competitor

The new discount store is trying hard to undercut other stores in the area.

up the ante