Entrepreneur = A person who sets up a business, taking on financial risks in the hope of profit.

• Many entrepreneurs say that the new taxation policy of the government will act against the innovative initiatives of the business community.

Intrapreneur = (1) a manager within a company who promotes innovative product development and marketing. (2) an employee of a large corporation who is given freedom and financial support to create new products, services etc.

• Now modern companies incur quite a large amount of money on infrastructural facilities and training of the personnel for promoting intrapreneurship  among the workers.

Abstention = refusal to vote, abstaining

• In the election to the local council, there were three abstentions.
• There were ten votes in favour, three against and two abstentions.
• Political parties are expecting high levels of abstention in the forthcoming elections.

Abstinence = the practice of restraining oneself from indulging in something, typically alcohol or sex; teetotalism; temperance; self-restraint etc.

• He started drinking after ten years of abstinence.
• She observed two days of abstinence from food and drink as penance for wrongdoing.
• Among birth control methods , abstinence from sex is equally effective as artificial contraceptive devices.
• Abstinence can be resorted to against unwanted pregnancies.

Come/spring to mind = (of a thought) occur to someone.

• The idea of global warming comes to mind when we see what is happening.
• A : Have you any suggestion?
• B: Nothing springs to mind, I am afraid.
• A: Just say whatever comes to mind, it doesn’t matter.
• Say the word “Australia” and a vision of beaches and blue seas immediately springs to mind.

A train of thought = someone’s pattern of thinking or sequence of ideas; what one was just thinking about.

• When the phone rang, it derailed my train of thought.  I totally forgot what I was talking about.
• Please don’t interrupt my train of thought when I am writing.
• My train of thought is probably not as clear as it should be.

The shape of the things to come = an indication of what is likely to become popular in the future.

• E-commerce seems to be the shape of things to come.
• “The shape of the things to come” is a work of science fiction by H.G.Wells, published in 1933, which speculates on future events from 1933 until the year 2106.

Blow hot and cold = react in different , unpredictable ways , so people are confused about how you really feel.

• He has been blowing hot and cold about the trip to Brazil.
• He keeps blowing hot and cold on the question of moving to the country.
• He blows hot and cold about this.  I wish he would make up his mind.

Get wind of something = hear about something secret.

• I don’t want my colleagues to get wind of the fact that I’m leaving.
• I don’t want the press to get wind of our plans at this stage.
• He got wind of the invasion in August 1942.

See how/which way the wind is blowing = to see how a situation develops before making up your mind about it ;  to know other people’s opinion.

• I think I will see which way the wind is blowing before I vote at the Board meeting.
• Those politicians know which way the wind is blowing among their voters.
• Sam failed to see how the wind was blowing and got himself caught up in an argument.

The salt of the earth = a very good and honest person.

• You will be fine working for someone like him.  He’s the salt of the earth.
• Don’t worry ,even with all his success Robin is still the salt of the earth.  He donates most of salary to charity and volunteers weekly at the hospital.
• Frank’s mother is the salt of the earth.  She has five children of her own and yet fosters three others.

Go to the ends of the earth = do anything possible.

• She’d go to the ends of the earth to save her child.
• After failing the CLAT exam twice already, he would go to the ends of the earth to pass  it.
• We would go to the ends of the earth to please her.

To fall on stony ground= be ignored or badly received.

• Unfortunately, my advice fell on stony ground.
• Her speech about the need for a peaceful solution to the crisis fell on stony ground.
• Alan’s charming smile fell on stony ground with her.
• Some initiatives have already fallen on stony ground.

Go/run like clockwork = it happens exactly as planned and without problems.

• The party went like clockwork.
• Everyday he comes here for a cup of coffee at 3.00 p.m like clockwork.
• He soon had the household running like clockwork.
• The journey to the tourist destination went like clockwork.

Start from scratch = go right back to the beginning and start again.

• He built his own computer company from scratch.
• My template got deleted so now I have to write the whole report from scratch.
• Building a home from scratch can be both exciting and challenging.

Once and for all ( or once for all) = finally and definitely.

• The government should do something to solve the problem of illegal drugs once and for all.
• We have to resolve the matter once and for all.
• We have to decide , once and for all, whether we want to ask Dad for money.
• The president is hoping to silence critics once and for all with the latest law.

Off-the-cuff =without preparation.

• I hadn’t prepared a speech so I just said a few words off-the-cuff.
• It was just an off-the-cuff remark.
• I am not very good at making speeches off-the-cuff.

Small talk = polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters ,especially as engaged in on social occasions.

• It was just small talk really.
• I don’t enjoy parties where I have to make small talk with complete strangers.

In the same breath = more or less at the same time, or at once.

• You say he treats you badly but in the same breath you tell me how much you love him.
• She says the treatment is safe , and then in the same breath says that patients should be warned about the possible side-effects.

In a word = briefly ; ( said when you are about to give your opinion in a short ,direct way).

• In a word, she’s lying.
• A:  Shouldn’t he be given the leading role?
• B:  In a word – No.

Small/fine print = the rules , restrictions and conditions which are often written in very small letters and they are usually printed smaller than the rest of the text.

• Don’t sign anything until you have read the small print.
• Read the small print in your contract to find out exactly what you are insured for.
• It is important to read the small print before parting with your money.

A tall order = a task, job ,request or favour which is not reasonable.  A tall order is hard to accomplish , and it might even be impossible.

• Even for a bodybuilder , lifting 500 pounds is a tall order.
• Building the bridge in time for Olympics will be a tall order.
• To score four goals in one game is a tall order, even for him.

Lingua franca = a language used for day-to-day public communication, which is not the speakers’ own language.

• English is a lingua franca in a lot of countries nowadays.
• English is the lingua franca of the literate in India.

Jog someone’s memory = cause someone to remember something suddenly.

• I tried jogging mom’s memory , but she couldn’t remember Joe’s phone number either.
• I tried to jog Bill’s memory about our childhood antics.
• Maybe this photograph will jog your memory.

In/within living memory = within or during the time that is remembered by people still alive.

• The worst recession in living memory.
• There hasn’t been a blizzard like this in living memory.
• These are the worst floods in Kerala within living memory.