Accounting Idioms

balance the books

- to check that all the money in a business is accounted for

The accountant spent several days trying to balance the books of his company.

bean counter

- an accountant

We asked the bean counters to look at the figures in the new budget.

bottom line

- the total, the final figure on a balance sheet, the results (of a business)

After we examined the bottom line of the company we decided not to invest in it.

break even

- to have expenses equal to profits

After three months the company was able to break even and begin to make a profit.

budget crunch/squeeze

- a situation where there is not enough money in the budget

There is a severe budget squeeze at our company.

carry over figures/numbers/costs

- to transfer a figure or number or cost from one column or time to another

Our company will carry over last year's losses to this year.

close the books

- to stop taking orders, to end a bookkeeping period

The company will close the books at the end of December.

crunch numbers

- to do mathematical calculations

The accountant loves to crunch numbers and he is one of the top managers in our company.

figure out (something) or figure (something) out

- to find an answer by thinking about something

Everybody is trying to figure out what our boss is going to do with the new equipment.

go over the books

- to check and analyze the accounting records of a company

We hired an outside accountant to go over our books.

In the black

- to be successful, to be making money, to be profitable

The new company has been in the black for many years.

in the red

- to be losing money, to be unprofitable

The company has been in the red since the price of oil began to rise rapidly.

keep books

- to keep records of money that is gained or spent

The new sales manager does not know how to keep books and he makes many mistakes.

a number cruncher

- an accountant, someone who works with numbers

Our company president is a good number cruncher and he understands the finances of our company.

red ink

- debt (the red ink on a financial statement)

The automobile company has much red ink because of the bad economic conditions.

saddled with debt

- to be burdened with debt

Our company is saddled with debt and must do something about it quickly.

write off (a debt/loan)

- to remove a debt/loan from a business record, to cancel a debt

It was impossible for the bank to collect the money so they were forced to write off the loan.

Advertising Idioms

bang for the buck

- value for the money spent

We were able to get much bang for the buck when we advertised on the Internet.

plug a product

- to promote a product

The soccer star makes a lot of money when he agrees to plug a product.

run an ad

- to place or put an advertisement in a publication

The government will run an ad to tell the public about the new gas tax.

word-of-mouth advertising

- orally from one person to another, a form of advertising where a satisfied customer tells friends about a particular product

The new shampoo is doing very well because of word-of-mouth advertising.