To pass this unit, please study the 20 vocabulary words below.
- above board
- backdoor
- be in the ballpark
- bean counter
- blow
- bull market
- close of play
- cooked the books
- downsize
- drill down on
- hold fire
- like herding cats
- loophole
- make ends meet
- meat-and-potatoes
- on the fritz
- PBC (Prepared by Client)
- rip-off
- well-off
- went bust
USA
UK
USA
UK
in a legal and proper manner
USA
UK
"We are not worried about the audit as everything was prepared above board."
USA
UK
USA
UK
dishonest, unethical or illegal
USA
UK
"The company was fined when the tax authority realized that their return had been prepared in a backdoor way."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to estimate with reasonable accuracy
USA
UK
"They didn't know the exact figure and guessed at 500,000 which turned out to be in the ballpark."
USA
UK
USA
UK
a person who is very concerned with small details
USA
UK
"Even as a young boy Peter was a bean counter, so it made perfect sense when he said he wanted to be a financial controller."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to spend a large amount of money (in a wasteful way)
USA
UK
"The new manager didn't know what he was doing and blew the yearly overtime budget in 2 months."
USA
UK
USA
UK
a time when the prices of most shares are rising
USA
UK
"By studying the stock market over a period of time, you can see if we are in a bull market or not."
USA
UK
USA
UK
the end of the working day
USA
UK
"I may be late home tonight as I have to finish this report by the close of play."
USA
UK
USA
UK
changed numbers dishonestly in the accounts of a company
USA
UK
"The financial controller was fired after he was caught cooking the books."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to make smaller by reducing the number of people working in a place
USA
UK
"A lot of companies have had to downsize as a result of the financial crisis."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to study something in great detail
USA
UK
"We really need to drill down on the budget and find out where we went wrong."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to delay, or wait for something before continuing
USA
UK
"They had to hold fire on the accounts preparation, as they were waiting for the client to supply some missing documents."
USA
UK
USA
UK
to be difficult and time consuming
USA
UK
"Dealing with the IRS can be like herding cats as there are so many forms which need to be completed."
USA
UK
USA
UK
a small mistake in an agreement or law which can be abused for benefit
USA
UK
"The contract was carefully written so that there were no loopholes."
USA
UK
USA
UK
have just enough money to pay for things you need
USA
UK
"Most people want more than to make ends meet."
USA
UK
USA
UK
more basic or important than other things
USA
UK
"The company produces many items, but the meat-and-potatoes products are plant pots."
USA
UK
USA
UK
temporarily broken or out-of-order
USA
UK
"I always have a coffee before I go to work as the office coffee machine is usually on the fritz."
USA
UK
USA
UK
Used to show that documents were not prepared by professionals
USA
UK
"The job involves checking PBC documents to make sure they contain no errors."
USA
UK
USA
UK
something which is not worth what you have paid for it
USA
UK
"That new computer was a real rip-off, he could have bought one much cheaper."
USA
UK
USA
UK
wealthy, or having money
USA
UK
"John had always been well-off, but after his investments paid off he became a multi-millionaire."
USA
UK
USA
UK
forced to close because of being financially unsuccessful, to go bankrupt
USA
UK
"When the company went bust over 500 people lost their jobs."