Fill in the blanks to form an idiom related to negotiations and disagreements. The idioms used in this exercise are listed after the practice activity. It may be a good idea to study the list of idioms before trying the exercise.
Also see the Idioms Builder for practice with hundreds of idioms (including the idioms in this exercise).
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- Review
- Question 1 of 30
1. Question
1. We are very different people, and we almost never see eye to _____.
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eye
- Question 2 of 30
2. Question
2. I’m the only one in my department who has to work late today. It looks like I got the short end of the _____.
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stick
- Question 3 of 30
3. Question
3. I don’t think being indirect will work. Let’s lay our _____ on the table and tell them exactly what our demands are.
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cards
- Question 4 of 30
4. Question
4. That’s not what I said at all. Don’t go putting words in my _____.
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mouth
- Question 5 of 30
5. Question
5. Tyler’s a tough lawyer with a reputation for _____ hardball in the courtroom.
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playing
- Question 6 of 30
6. Question
6. We’ve bent over _____ to ensure we’re offering good customer service.
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backwards
- Question 7 of 30
7. Question
7. I was _____ the fence about whether to accept the offer. After several days, I finally decided to accept it.
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on
- Question 8 of 30
8. Question
8. We could argue about this until we’re _____ in the face, but I don’t think we’re going to change each other’s minds.
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blue
- Question 9 of 30
9. Question
9. I know you were angry, but mentioning his recent divorce was hitting below the ____.
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belt
- Question 10 of 30
10. Question
10. Which country do you think has the upper _____ in the peace talks?
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hand
- Question 11 of 30
11. Question
11. I think you need to put your _____ down and tell them you’re not willing to take on any new projects right now.
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foot
- Question 12 of 30
12. Question
12. Public officials stood their _____ and refused to give in to the union’s demands.
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ground
- Question 13 of 30
13. Question
13. I have a _____ to pick with Mark. He searched for files on my computer without my permission.
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bone
- Question 14 of 30
14. Question
14. Kevin has a terrible temper. He has a reputation for flying off the _____ when things don’t go his way.
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handle
- Question 15 of 30
15. Question
15. It’s a big decision. Why don’t you go home and _____ on it. You can tell me your decision in the morning.
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sleep
- Question 16 of 30
16. Question
16. I listened to his argument, but I knew there was no way he was going to ____ my mind.
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change
- Question 17 of 30
17. Question
17. I know we’ve had our share of disagreements, but that’s all water under the _____ now.
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bridge
- Question 18 of 30
18. Question
18. You can file a complaint if you want, but you don’t have a _____ to stand on. It’s your word against his — no one else was there.
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leg
- Question 19 of 30
19. Question
19. We’ve made Conrad an offer. Now all we can do is see if he accepts it. The ball is in his ____ .
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court
- Question 20 of 30
20. Question
20. I was really angry, but I managed to ____ my tongue and not say anything in front of the rest of the team. (two possible answers)
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hold
bite - Question 21 of 30
21. Question
21, I have a tendency to overanalyze things and I often second _____ myself when I make an important decision.
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guess
- Question 22 of 30
22. Question
22. I think we can easily resolve this disagreement if you compromise with us and _____ us halfway.
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meet
- Question 23 of 30
23. Question
23. Our leaders failed to reach an agreement. It seems they didn’t have any _____ ground to stand on.
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common
- Question 24 of 30
24. Question
24. We made small talk about soccer and the weather before getting down to _____ and discussing the deal.
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business
- Question 25 of 30
25. Question
25. I like the idea, but I’m not the one who calls the _____ around here. You’ll have to ask Stan.
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shots
- Question 26 of 30
26. Question
26. I’m willing to travel internationally, but relocating is _____ of the question. I don’t want to live in another country.
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out
- Question 27 of 30
27. Question
27. If we play our _____ right, this could be a very profitable deal for us.
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cards
- Question 28 of 30
28. Question
28. You’re not going to be able to convince her to change. She’s going to stick to her _____ and continue with the plan.
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guns
- Question 29 of 30
29. Question
29. I wasn’t going to go to the party, but Mike convinced me to go. I’m glad he talked me _____ it because it was actually a lot of fun.
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into
- Question 30 of 30
30. Question
30. I was going to confront Katherine about it, but my manager talked me ____ of it. He told me it would be better to just let it go.
Correct
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out
Idioms Related to Negotiations and Disagreements
bend over backwards
To bend over backwards means to do everything possible to achieve something.
call the shots
To call the shots means to be in charge and be the one who makes the decisions.
change one’s mind
To change one’s mind means to change one’s decision.
common ground
Common ground refers to mutual understanding between two parties.
fly off the handle
To fly off the handle means to lose one’s temper very suddenly.
get down to business
To get down to business means to stop making small talk and talk about the topic at hand.
have a bone to pick with someone
If someone has a bone to pick with someone, it means that they need to talk to someone about something the person has done wrong.
hit below the belt
To hit below the belt means to say something to unfairly hurt someone.
hold/bite one’s tongue
to hold/bite one’s tongue means to remain silent.
lay one’s cards on the table
To lay one’s cards on the table means to be honest about one’s motivations, intentions, etc.
meet someone halfway
To meet someone halfway means to make a compromise with someone.
not have a leg to stand on
If someone doesn’t have a leg to stand on, they don’t have a valid argument.
on the fence
Someone on the fence about something is unable to decide.
out of the question
If something is out of the question, it is not worthy of consideration because of difficulty or an unwillingness to do it.
play hardball
To play hardball means to be ruthless and aggressive.
play one’s cards right
To play one’s cards right means to make the right moves to get what is desired.
put one’s foot down
To put one’s foot down means to take a firm stand.
put words in someone’s mouth
To put words in someone’s mouth means to incorrectly say what someone means.
second guess
To second guess someone means to question or criticize something that has already been done.
see eye to eye
If people see eye to eye, they are in agreement about an issue.
short end of the stick
Someone who gets the short end of the stick has been treated unfairly and has gotten the worse part of an agreement, deal, assignment, etc.
sleep on it
If someone sleeps on it, they wait until the next day to make a decision.
stand one’s ground
To stand one’s ground means to maintain one’s position and not give in.
stick to one’s guns
To stick to one’s guns means to remain firm and not change one’s mind or decision.
talk someone into something
To talk someone into something means to convince someone to do something.
talk someone out of something
To talk someone out of something means to convince someone not to do something.
the ball is in one’s court
If the ball is in someone’s court, it means it is their turn to decide or act.
until someone is blue in the face
Until someone is blue in the face communicates that someone can say something over and over again but won’t change the other person’s mind.
upper hand
The person with the upper hand has a position of control or advantage over someone else.
water under the bridge
Water under the bridge refers to problems or disagreements in the past that are no longer relevant now.
Also see the Idioms Builder for practice with hundreds of idioms (including the idioms in this exercise).