6 exercises — read sentences from real IT workplace situations and work out the meaning of common English expressions that non-native speakers often misunderstand.
Why these phrases matter
Native English speakers use these expressions constantly in Slack, emails, code reviews, and meetings.
Understanding them in context is essential — literal translation almost never works.
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1 / 6
A senior developer says in a standup:
"This PR has been in review for three days. I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but we're close to the release cut-off."
What does "step on anyone's toes" mean in this context?
"Step on someone's toes" — to offend someone or intrude on their responsibilities or work. Often used when you want to push forward without upsetting a colleague.
How it's used in IT contexts: • "I don't want to step on the DevOps team's toes by changing the pipeline config without asking." • "We need to raise this with procurement — but let's not step on the manager's toes, so CC her in the email."
Related expressions: • override someone — make a decision above someone's head • go over someone's head — escalate past your direct contact to their manager • overstep — act outside the boundaries of your role
Full sentence in plain English: "I don't want to be rude or pressure the reviewer, but we're running out of time before the release."
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During a retrospective, a team member says:
"We keep reinventing the wheel every time we onboard a new engineer. There's no documentation, no runbook — everything lives in people's heads."
What does "reinventing the wheel" mean here?
"Reinvent the wheel" — to waste time and effort doing something that already exists or has already been solved. Implies unnecessary repetition of prior work.
IT context: This phrase is used when: • A team writes custom tooling instead of using a well-known library • A team rebuilds processes (like onboarding) every time without documentation • A team solves a solved problem from scratch without checking existing solutions
In the example: Every time a new engineer joins, the team has to explain everything from memory because there's no runbook or documentation — they keep "solving" the same problem.
Opposite phrases: • stand on the shoulders of giants — build on prior work • reuse existing solutions — use what's already been built • DRY principle — Don't Repeat Yourself (programming concept, but also used metaphorically)
How to use it: "Let's not reinvent the wheel — there's already a Terraform module for this. Let's fork it."
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A product manager sends a message:
"The stakeholders are on the fence about the new pricing model. They want to see the numbers before committing."
What does "on the fence" mean?
"On the fence" — undecided; not yet committed to either side of a decision. The image is of someone sitting on a fence between two fields — not in either one.
IT business contexts: • "The client is on the fence about upgrading to the enterprise tier — the price jump is holding them back." • "We're still on the fence about which cloud provider to standardise on: AWS or GCP." • "Finance is on the fence — they want more data before approving the headcount."
Related expressions: • sit on the fence — deliberately avoid committing to a position • come off the fence — finally make a decision • hedge your bets — keep options open by not fully committing to one path • commit to a decision — formally choose and move forward
Plain English version: "Stakeholders haven't decided yet — they need data first."
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A tech lead emails the team:
"I know everyone has a lot on their plate right now, but this critical bug needs to be patched before Friday's release window."
What does "a lot on their plate" mean?
"Have a lot on one's plate" — to have many tasks, responsibilities, or problems to deal with at the same time. Very common in workplace English.
IT usage: • "I know you have a lot on your plate this sprint, but can you review this PR by EOD?" • "The DevOps team already has a lot on their plate with the migration — let's not add more tickets." • "I put this on your plate — sorry for the last-minute ask."
Related time/workload expressions: • bandwidth — capacity to take on work: "I don't have the bandwidth for this right now." • at capacity — no room for more work • stretched thin — overloaded, doing too much at once • juggling too many things — managing multiple competing priorities • block off time — protect time in the calendar for focused work
Why this phrase matters: Used by managers acknowledging team load before making a request — it softens asks and shows awareness. Responding well: "I'll make room for it — can the deadline move to Monday?"
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In a code review thread, a developer writes:
"This implementation is a bit over-engineered. Let's not boil the ocean here — we need an MVP for Thursday."
What does "boil the ocean" mean?
"Boil the ocean" — to attempt a task that is far too large, overambitious, or comprehensive when a simpler solution would work. The metaphor: boiling the entire ocean is impossible — don't try to solve everything at once.
IT contexts: • "We don't need to boil the ocean — just add basic auth for now and we can refine it later." • "The architecture proposal is boiling the ocean. Let's start with a vertical slice and iterate." • "The MVP doesn't need every feature — don't boil the ocean."
When it's said: • When a developer is over-engineering a solution • When a project scope keeps expanding (scope creep) • When planning takes longer than the actual work
Related phrases: • over-engineer — build something more complex than the problem needs • scope creep — unplanned expansion of project requirements • keep it simple / KISS principle — Keep It Simple, Stupid • MVP — Minimum Viable Product: smallest working solution that delivers value • good enough is good enough — don't perfect what only needs to work
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A manager writes in a project update:
"We need to get everyone on the same page before the client call on Friday. There are still some open questions about scope."
What does "on the same page" mean?
"On the same page" — for everyone to share the same understanding, information, or expectations. It doesn't require agreement — just mutual understanding.
IT usage: • "Let's do a quick sync before the demo to make sure we're all on the same page." • "I want to make sure we're on the same page about performance expectations for this release." • "After the incident retro, the whole team is on the same page about the root cause."
Important distinction — "on the same page" vs. "in agreement": • On the same page = the same understanding of facts/situation • In agreement = everyone accepts or approves the same decision You can be on the same page and still disagree — but at least you're discussing the same thing.
Related expressions: • align / alignment — very common in IT: "Let's align on the architecture before we start coding." • sync up — have a quick meeting to share information • loop someone in — include someone in communication so they stay informed • bring up to speed — give someone missing context