Idioms about Jobs! The following article provides a useful list of idioms relating to job in English with their meaning and examples.
List of 60+ Useful Sayings & Idioms about Jobs in English
(as) patient as Job
Meaning: Extremely patient, calm, composed, and dutiful. Job is a character in the Bible who quietly endures many trials and tribulations to prove his faith in and devotion to God.
Example: Kristen is patient as Job, so I think she’d make an excellent tutor for these kids.
(as) poor as Job
Meaning: Very poor; having little or no money. An allusion to the biblical character Job, whose possessions and well-being were taken away by God as a test of faith.
Example: He’s poor as Job now because he squandered his inheritance on lavish, unnecessary purchases.
(as) poor as Job’s turkey
Meaning: Very poor; having little or no money. An allusion to the biblical character Job, whose possessions and well-being were taken away by God as a test of faith.
Example: We’ve become poor as Job’s turkeys ever since the bank raised the interest rates on our mortgage.
a good job/thing too
Meaning: Used to indicate that something one just said is especially welcome, appropriate, or necessary.
Example: Patrick has to cancel our plans for Saturday? Whew, and a good job, too, because I am so broke right now!
a good job/thing…
Meaning: An expression of praise for having done something well. (It can also be used sarcastically to mean the opposite.)
Example: It’s a good job he was here. We couldn’t have moved the piano without him.
a job of work
Meaning: A required job or task; a job that requires a substantial amount of effort.
Example: There was a job of work waiting for him that he was not looking forward to.
a Job’s comforter
Meaning: A person who, in trying to offer help or advice, says something that simply adds to the distress.
Example: Though he was a Job’s comforter, I thanked him all the same. I knew he meant well.
a put-up job
Meaning: something that is secretly arranged or decided at an earlier time in order to trick or deceive someone
Example: It’s been suggested the kidnapping was a put-up job.
a snow job
Meaning: a deception or concealment of one’s real motive in an attempt to flatter or persuade.
Example: The entire presentation was a snow job.
a whale of a
Meaning: a very great amount of something or a very good thing
Example: The kids had a whale of a time at the theme park.
a/the devil of a (something)
Meaning: an extremely difficult or serious type of something
Example: We had the devil of a job/time trying to find this place!
a/the devil of a job, nuisance, fellow, etc.
Meaning: a difficult or an unpleasant example of something
Example: We had the devil of a job/time trying to find this place!
All In A Day’s Work (Excl.)
Meaning: That’s what I’m here for; although I have accomplished something, it is part of what I’m expected to do.
Example: Jim, you really did well on that presentation! – Oh, all in a day’s work!
an inside job
Meaning: a crime committed by or with the assistance of a person living or working on the premises where it occurred.
Example: An Inside Job A local authority was called out to a feral cat problem at the local prison.
asleep on the job
Meaning: To not be working as hard as one should; to be shirking one’s responsibilities.
Example: A window washer working on a downtown Nashville high-rise building apparently fell asleep on the job, authorities say.
Bang-up job
Meaning: Good, superior, excellent. He’s doing a bang up job.
Example: I expect that by looking at just a few problems, the TA will be able to do a bang-up job with the grading.
be (as) poor as Job
Meaning: Extremely poor, destitute.
Example: This may all seem obvious, but banks do a poor job of explaining their purpose.
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be just the job
Meaning: to be exactly what you want or need
Example: This could be just the job for her – and it would generate some new income to replace what we’ve lost.
be sleeping on the job
Meaning: falling asleep while one is not supposed to
Example: If the boss finds out you’ve been sleeping on the job like, you’re going to end up getting fired!
Burn the Candle at Both Ends
Meaning: Work very long hours
Example: They like to enjoy life and often burn the candle at both ends.
come to the job with
Meaning: To provide or offer a useful skill or attribute
Example: He comes to the job with years of leadership experience.
cushy job
Meaning: too easy, needing little effort (in a way that seems unfair to others)
Example: Since I got this cushy job managing a toy store, I’ve gotten to sit around playing with toys all day.
Day job
Meaning: a person’s regular job and main source of income, typically as contrasted with a more enjoyable occupation or hobby.
Example: My day job for the last five years has been as a systems analyst for a cyber-security firm, but I write articles for video game websites in my spare time.
Dead-end job
Meaning: one where you don’t see any opportunity for growth
Example: I wish you would realize your true potential instead of wasting your talents in this dead-end job.
demolition job
Meaning: to attack someone very strongly, or to defeat them completely
Example: The movie critic did a real demolition job on the new film in last week’s paper.
devil of a job
Meaning: to manage to do something, but only after a lot of difficulty
Example: We had a devil of a job trying to get the carpet clean again.
do a bad job
Meaning: to do something poorly
Example: Please paint carefully. If you do a bad job, you’ll be stuck with it.
do a demolition job on (someone or something)
Meaning: to attack someone very strongly, or to defeat them completely
Example: The movie critic did a real demolition job on the new film in last week’s paper.
full-time job
Meaning: The total number of working hours for a full-time worker is between 32 to 40 hours per week
Example: Fostering is a full-time job and you should carefully consider how it will fit into your career.
Get the Sack/ Be Sacked
Meaning: To be fired
Example: I just got the sack, and so did 20 other people. I have three hours pack up my things and leave the office.
Give Someone The Old Heave-Ho
Meaning: Fire someone, remove someone from a group or team
Example: Linda hasn’t done a bit of work in months. I think it’s time we gave her the old heave-ho.
Glass ceiling
Meaning: the way in which unfair attitudes and practices can prevent women, or other groups, from getting the best jobs in a particular area of work, an organization, etc
Example: Many people believe that a glass ceiling exists within the tech industry because not many women hold prominent positions in the field.
Golden handshake / golden parachute
Meaning: the employee is not allowed to open a competing business for a specified period of time after they are terminated
Example: After some bad management decisions he was dismissed, but with a golden handshake of 500,000.
great job
Meaning: a fortunate fact or circumstance
Example: I don’t think it’s such a great job – and that’s not just sour grapes because I didn’t get it.
Hanging by a Thread
Meaning: In great danger of elimination or failure
Example: The player’s career is hanging by a thread after this latest injury to his knee.
Hatchet job
Meaning: a fierce written attack on someone or their work.
Example: The press did a very effective hatchet job on her last movie.
Hatchet man
Meaning: a person employed to carry out controversial or disagreeable tasks, such as the dismissal of a number of people from employment.
Example: Network hatchet man also brings a secondary action.
Inside job
Meaning: a crime committed by or with the assistance of a person living or working on the premises where it occurred.
Example: An Inside Job A local authority was called out to a feral cat problem at the local prison.
Laid off / lay-off
Meaning: the act of ending a worker’s job, sometimes temporarily, usually because there is not enough work to do
Example: I heard General Electric is going to lay off 1,000 workers this week.
Learn the Ropes
Meaning: Become more familiar with a job or field of endeavor; be trained
Example: They must learn the ropes before they can assert themselves.
Move Up in the World
Meaning: Become more successful
Example: The Robinsons really moved up in the world after they won the lottery.
Nice going!
Meaning: An expression of praise for having done something well
Example: Nice going ! However, you should strike while the iron is hot.
nice job
Meaning: An expression of praise for having done something well
Example: I had one really nice job, playing with a kid called Mike.
Nine-to-five
Meaning: From 9 AM to 5 PM, considered the standard office hours for most workers. Can be used as an adjective before a noun, in which case the phrase is hyphenated.
Example: She’d had a typical nine-to-five job in the civil service before she worked in the theatre.
Off the Hook
Meaning: Free from blame or responsibility to do something
Example: The phone has been ringing off the hook with offers of help.
Out of Work
Meaning: Unemployed
Example: Gill had been out of work for a year and was getting very despondent.
patient as Job
Meaning: Extremely patient, calm, composed, and dutiful. Job is a character in the Bible who quietly endures many trials and tribulations to prove his faith in and devotion to God.
Example: Kristen is patient as Job, so I think she’d make an excellent tutor for these kids.
Pink Slip
Meaning: A layoff notice; loss of a job, typically because of layoffs
Example: He was in total disbelief when he received a pink slip from his boss today, as he had worked at the company for over a decade.
plum job
Meaning: A job or position that is especially enviable or desirable.
Example: My body just can’t do all this manual labor anymore, so I’ve set my sights on one of those plum jobs in the office.
political hack job
Meaning: A malicious or underhanded attempt to harm, destroy, or undermine someone or something as a part of a political agenda.
Example: Their attempt to shut down the nonprofit group associated with the candidate is the clearest example of a political hack job you’re likely to see.
poor as Job’s turkey
Meaning: Very poor; having little or no money. An allusion to the biblical character Job, whose possessions and well-being were taken away by God as a test of faith.
Example: He’s poor as Job’s turkey now because he squandered his inheritance on lavish, unnecessary purchases.
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Rank and File
Meaning: The ordinary members of an organization
Example: The scandal appears to go beyond rank-and-file officers all the way to the heads of the police force.
Sacked / get the sack
Meaning: to be dismissed suddenly from a job
Example: She got the sack for always being late.
sleeping on the job
Meaning: falling asleep while one is not supposed to
Example: If the boss catches you sleeping on the job like that again, you’ll definitely get fired.
snow job
Meaning: A form of manipulation that involves lying or flattery to persuade someone.
Example: Which brings us to the snow job piling up around the budget negotiations themselves.
soft job
Meaning: A job that is easy and stress free.
Example: He’s got a pretty soft job – he hardly seems to do anything all day.
take (something) and shove it
Meaning: A rhetorical exhortation used to emphasize one’s rejection of or contempt for something. Often followed by a reference to the buttocks or anus.
Example: A: “Perkins! I told you not to drink coffee at your desk!” B: “You know what, boss? I’m sick of you and your ridiculous rules. You can take this job and shove it!”
To balance the books
Meaning: to make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received
Example: All supply people dreamed of a way to balance the books once and for all-without all that trading and shuffling.
To bring home the bacon
Meaning: supply material support.
Example: Men were supposed to bring home the bacon.
wall job
Meaning: A car repair or service job performed by a mechanic in which the car in question is left parked by a wall without any work actually being performed on it.
Example: The brothel charges $20 for a wall job, or $50 for a session in a private room.
way to go
Meaning: Good job! Congratulations!
Example: There was still a long way to go. Nonetheless, some progress had been made.
Work-to-rule
Meaning: A job action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of a workplace in order to cause a slowdown.
Example: Most work-to-rules are done as a protest against low pay or bad working conditions.
you had one job
Meaning: A phrase used to express one’s frustration that someone or something has failed at the main or sole task they were responsible for, especially when that task seems very easy or fundamental.
Example: This curtain doesn’t keep any light out at all. It’s like, come on, you had one job!
