HANDLUNG & UMSETZUNG 

es gibt Handlungsbedarf = we need/have to act now; now it’s time to act; we have to do this job with a sense of urgency; the boss added a sense of urgency to the issue; the company is facing a renewed sense of urgency; we’ve gotta shake things up; we have to bite the bullet and force the issue; when push comes to shove we have to act on the matter; it’s time to step into/be spurred into action; something’s got to (gotta) give; stop dithering and dallying and get cracking/put a move on; the diplomatic standoff calls for/requires immediate/urgent action; the incident prompted management to swing/spring into action; our precarious financial situation needs to be addressed; they need to follow up/through on the matter; we should pull no punches on need for action; what we need in our company is a can-do attitude/ mentality; we need to grasp the nettle of this unpleasant task 

in manchen Firmen legt man keinen Wert auf Handlungsbedarf  = in this company we still lack/don’t have/don’t see the necessary sense of urgency/desperation     

er/sie/Firma hat nicht konsequent genug reagiert = don’t become/get complacent/be self-congratulatory because the issue seems to be lacking urgency; the company sees no urgency to respond/act     

Person/Mannschaft wird in die Pflicht genommen = the ball is now in our/your court; the manager put the supervisor on the spot and told him to get the job done; the onus to deliver is on/lies with all our staff; our employees need to demonstrate they can deliver better outcomes; management is now on the spot to deliver/produce the goods; the supervisor told him/her to toe/walk the line; team manager calls out his players and urges them to lift their game/get their act together         

etwas brennt jemandem auf den Nägeln = the heat is on the car makers now, so they need to act quickly on the diesel affair; the climate issue/question/effort gains/assumes urgency; that puts the spot on our department, so we have an obligation to act

jetzt sollen wir nicht kleckern/wollen wir uns nicht lumpen lassen, sondern klotzen = let’s cut the crap/bulshit and start surpling/thinking big-time now/reach for the stars; you’d better focus/zero in on the big picture now; no brakes on spending/investing in overseas ventures as corporation starts thinking big/big time; let’s have fun tonight big time; I used to be a small time/bush league punter/an also-ran at horse races, but now I bet big time/dig deep; she is no longer a little fish in a big pond; let’s act like a big spender and splash out/splurge a lot of money on/ for an exclusive holiday/a big dinner; there is more political grandstanding afoot as some politicians begin splurging/splashing cash on their pet projects; the newly-married couple really went to town on their honeymoon; big-picture planning needs to take place  

um sich was Schönes zu gönnen, muss man tief in die Tasche greifen =  some experiences  require a deep pocket

nachdem er viel Geld gespart hatte, entschied er zu klotzen, indem er sich einen First-Class Flug zu einem Sehnsuchtsziel leistete/ gönnte = after saving a lot of money, he decided to go the whole hog/to shoot the works/to dig deep, so he treated himself to a first class ticket to a  go-to destination 

er kleckert nur = he is just a small-time/small-scale businessman; he’s penny wise but pound foolish

es war ein kleiner Schritt, aber nicht der große Wurf = it was a small step but no game changer   

sich ins Zeug legen/sich reinhängen = man up and go all out; we have to lean into this task; the whole department came on like gangbusters /knuckled down/was in there pitching to get the job done 

Regierung will/muss Reformen unbedingt durchziehen = the Government is hellbent on pushing through/carrying through its reforms in the housing area; the Government needs to go the extra mile in order to fix the long-standing rental/housing crunch/crisis

hier spielt die Musik = this is where it’s at/where the action is

das ist ein anderes Kaliber  = that’s a different kettle of fish       

in der Bringschuld sein = it’s their turn to make a move now; the ball is in their court now

sich für etwas/jemanden einsetzen = he made/presented/stressed a case for his scheme/project; the Country Party keeps espousing/ pressing its cause/pushing for better digitized health services in rural areas; nowadays women more than ever stick up/stand up for their rights; the lack of qualified craftsmen/handymen helps make a strong/compelling business case for migration; he needs to go to bat/dig in his heels for his family; the government needs to advance/push through/pursue economical policies designed/intended to shore up the middle class and low paid workers; I think politicians should come out in favor of sweeping reforms in our taxation system; the Greens are waging/are locked in a valiant battle to protect our environment; it’s about time political parties come/jump to the defense of/stick up for our poorer citizens; students always seem to be pushing for/advocating for/crusading for/championing for a fairer world; many environmentally-savvy people today are putting their heart and soul into a campaign to rid our cities from heavy pollution; we should come together/create a sense of community feel and help/trust each other

sich etwas auf die Fahne schreiben = the government is committed to meeting the highest environmental goals in our nation’s history; the Labor Party is championing/trumpeting tax cuts for the needy and vulnerable citizens; environmentalists are on a mission/crusade to rid  the seas/oceans of plastic litter/trash; the political party is pledging/pushing for change in the aftermath of the scandal; our ultimate goal is /we plea to keep supporting the poor/hard-pressed and vulnerable individuals of our nation; airline/airport doubles down on its quest to be the best in the industry; the Christian Church is making a strong case to stay woke against social injustice and all types of discrimination (“woke” oder “stay woke”ist ein neue Bezeichnung, die für jene Person/Institution verwendet wird, die sich stark für die Rechte von Minderheiten sowie für Opfer von Diskriminierung einsetzt);   nowadays many civil/human rights activists display wokeness (i.e. they are willing to tackle social problems such as discrimination and inequality as well as  make up for historical grievances inflicted on racial/ gender groups) 

sich an etwas die Zähne ausbeißen = no matter how hard I tried all my efforts to crack the code were to no avail/in vain/fruitless; the whole scheme turned out to be an exercise in futility; you’re just wasting your breath because he won’t listen to your proposition;  I’m still sweating on this puzzle, because I still can’t solve it; this task is a tough call/a hard nut to crack

denk bloß nicht, dass es leicht war (es zu schaffen)  = don’t even dare think it was easy (to get the job done)

der Firmenbesitzer hat Tabula rasa gemacht = the company’s owner cleaned house when he fired a lot of staff

hier müsste man ansetzen = right here is where we should focus on/act on; we need a few quick fixes right here;  here is where we/I would draw the line   

kein Problem, wir werden dafür Sorge tragen/wir kümmern uns drum; wir werden es erledigen/abarbeiten = no worries, we’ll look after/ take care of/handle that/the issue; no big deal, we will chase up the matter; no worries, he'll see to it; we'll get it covered  

du sollst deine Hausarbeit richtig machen = you’ll have to do your own due dilligence

ich habe noch ein paar Sachen zu erledigen = I still have a couple things to chase up/ square away 

Kannst du dich drum kümmern? Could you chase it up?

ich muss ein Rezeptbuch für meine Frau besorgen = I need to chase up a recipe book for my wife

ich habe andere Sachen zu tun = I have other matters to attend/look after

wir haben es wie damals gemacht = we just did it old school; we could kick this/it the old way 

wir müssen etwas zusammenbasteln = we need to knock/throw something together

nichts ist unmöglich = nothing is off the cards 

wir müssen unseren Plan umsetzen = we need to go ahead with/execute/implement/ kickstart the plan; we have to put our plan in place/ into motion

wir sollten die Änderungen/Empfehlungen auf den Weg bringen = we should adopt/embrace the changes/recommendations

er meint es ernst =  he is fair dinkum (AUS for genuine/serious)/legit about his intentions to purchase a house/travel overseas; he's upfront about his real intentions 

Probieren geht über Studieren = the proof of the pudding is in the eating

ich muss die Wunschliste abarbeiten = I need to tick off/check off/strike off the action list 

wir sind/ich bin noch nicht durch/fertig =  we’re not done yet; we’re not over the hump yet; I'm not through yet; it ain’t over until the fat lady sings; it ain’t over till it’s over 

die Kuh ist noch nicht vom Eis; wir sind (noch) nicht aus dem Schneider = we’re not out of the woods yet; we haven’t turned the corner/are not over the hill/hump on the issue; the/this monkey is not yet off our back; we’re just about to nudge the monkey from one’s shoulders

einen Spagat/eine Gratwanderung hinlegen/machen = many women need to juggle between work and private life/personal commitments; housewives have to perform a juggling act between dealing with home duties and work; married women have to juggle children and career; the show treads a fine line between comedy and drama; there/it can be a fine line between success and survival/failure or between bravery and stupidity; you need to do/perform a fine balancing act if you want to succeed in the corporate world; it can’t hurt if you strike a balance between various interests/alternatives; it is a very difficult juggling act to walk/tread a tightrope/on eggs between two equal options; you’re skating/walking on thin ice/sitting dangerously on/straddling the fence; he/she is performing a daring/precarious high wire act

er/sie hat einen Drahtseilakt vollbracht = weathering the crisis was a high-wire act for the prime minister   

wir müssen vorsichtig vorgehen = it’s always advisable to tread lighter on a rocky road; for him it’s just another step along the tightrope; you are treading on hallowed ground; if you err, do it on the side of caution

wir sind wahrscheinlich gut beraten, wenn wir uns nicht über dieses heikles Thema äußern =  we'd probably be better off if we/we'd (had) better refrain from making any ill-advised/ill-judged comments on this delicate subject   

man soll etwas mit Augenmaß tun; immer Augenmaß walten lassen = exercise discretion/caution/pull your punches when you drive at night/visibility is low; applying common/good sense is the right way to approach many delicate issues; I keep telling my kids to watch TV in moderation; urge caution/prudence but don’t get complacent; one should approach a matter in a proportionate and sensible manner 

man soll nicht mit Kanonen auf Spatzen schießen = no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut

das war ein Schnellschuss, wir haben zu schnell gehandelt = don’t jump the gun on this issue; don’t get stung into action by some misleading press statement; that was a knee-jerk reaction on our part

er hat aus der Hüfte geschossen = he jumped/went off the deep end; he just shot from the hip

sie hat blitzschnell/so schnell wie Kai aus der Kiste reagiert/die Fragen beantwortet = his reaction was like nobody's business/lickety-split/lightning-fast; she answered all the questions right off the bat/with a lightning-like quickness   

in die Puschen/zu Potte kommen; wir/sie arbeiten mit Hochdruck  =  let’s get down to business; let’s get (this) going; they are under the gun to get the job done; we/they have to keep the pedal to the metal; let’s get cracking/moving; let’s crank it up tonight; let’s give it a try; let’s give it a go; we need to shift/go/kick into overdrive/to fire on all cylinders to get the work done; let’s set the wheels in motion/get the ball rolling/work in overdrive; we should get our plan underway now; the new security precautions have already kicked in; we need to gear up our planning process; he’s getting stuck into his new job; shovel out the equipment and round up the drivers; our project is starting to hit on all cylinders

einer unserer Top-Manager wird dabei sein, um den ganzen Prozess/die ganze Entwicklung von A bis Z zu verfolgen = one of our top executives will be there every step of the way

neue Maßnahmen ergreifen = the government decided to take steps to resolve the corporate tax evasion impasse

wir werden einschreiten, wenn es soweit ist = we will do so as/when appropriate

jemand ergreift/zeigt Initiative = the large pharmaceutical corporation is leading/sparking the way in finding a new method to treat cancer; the city council set the pace/parameters to showcase the region’s attractions; the major newspapers are leading the charge/pack/ parade in the campaign against government corruption; upstart companies are often trend pacesetters; region mounts campaign to woo     wannabe tourists   

um das Ziel zu erreichen, hat sie alle Register ihres Könnens gezogen/alle Hebel in Bewegung gesetzt =  she used every trick in the book/ went the extra mile/ went out of her way to get the job done; she pulled all the stops/called on every weapon in her arsenal to achieve her goal   

schwere Geschütze auffahren = it’s time we pulled out all the big guns; the company brought in the heavy artillery/ammunition to implement the new system; come on, shape up, Rome wasn’t built in one day; we need to buckle down/beaver away to get this project off the ground before the deadline; we are fighting with all our armory to avoid the crisis; the government should now drop the hammer on the tax evaders/police corruption 

mit harten Bandagen/der Brechstange vorgehen = the government is taking a tough stance/hard line on tax evasion/fraud schemes; the teacher has been slammed/criticized for his heavy-handed style in the classroom; the local cops are getting hard/toughening their line on violent crime in our neighborhood; police uses/use a sledgehammer tactics when dealing with real criminals; sometimes it doesn’t always pay to take a first-hit and talk-later approach; the taxation office will conduct disciplinary proceedings and impose/slap sanctions on corporations, where applicable; the government throws the book at/is leaning on/dropping the hammer on tax evaders/fraudsters

Angriff ist die beste Verteidigung = people sometimes decide that attack is the best form of defense; there is a common belief that the best defense is a good offense; the best line/form of defense is attack 

der Weg wird geebnet = the demonstrations helped pave the way/set the stage/set the table/clear the decks for a new democratic government; with the new/fresh appointments the corporation is putting the wheels in motion/clearing the decks/greasing the wheels for a new management style; the large budget surplus sets the stage/sets the table/sets the scene for tax deductions; the freshly appointed CEO sets a high bar for the company’s goals/ambitions; with its expansion the company laid the groundwork for more job opportunities

Voraussetzungen werden erfüllt/geschaffen = measures/conditions/criteria/ requirements/prerequisites/prerogatives have been put in place for this huge project/venture   

Nägel mit Köpfen machen = it’s time to get down to business; let’s cut to the chase; the company should put its money where its mouth is; we need to/have to/gotta get this job done; we’ve gotta to lay it on the line; they are finally getting down/coming down to brass tacks/to the nitty gritty; we should step into action as soon as possible; let’s get the ball rolling on this issue; let’s give it the finishing touches; my supervisor has taken it upon himself to go out there and do it 

sie/er hat sich durchgesetzt  = in spite of plenty of opposition/against all odds she held her own/ground against all other candidates; the concept/strategy works out for all interested parties; in the end he was able to bring home the bacon/deliver the goods; in the run-up to the key nomination the female candidate prevailed over the more experienced male contenders; after promising a victory, the captain of the team came through with a great game/flying colors on Friday night

sie müssen/er muss sich jetzt durchsetzen = now they need to/got to (gotta) call the shots; no matter/regardless of what happens, he’s hell bent on getting elected  

Hat er/sie sich durchgesetzt? = Did he/she prove/make his/her case? Was she/he able to cut it?

sollte er sich durchsetzen, dann sieht es schlecht aus für uns =  if he has his way, we’ll be in deep trouble/up the creek/we're cooked 

für uns sieht es momentan schlecht aus = right now we're in for a bumpy ride/things are getting out of hand for us 

mach Platz, lass mich jetzt mal ran = move over, let me do it now

er/sie kann es richten = he/she is the right person to get the job done; he/she has the muscle to pull off the deal; no doubt, hands down he’ll /she'll pick up the slack

nicht mehr auf Schmuse-/Kuschelkurs  = no more go-softly approach; we are in for a rough ride; management is playing hardball with the union/will no longer bow easily to union’s demands   

Gewehr bei Fuß stehen = it’s all systems go (e.g. for the plan/project/vacation); the army is ready to strike; the troops/guys are at the ready  /standing by

das ist kein Wunschkonzert  = this is no picnic/no bed of roses/no holiday/not just hugs and kisses; winning the championship is no walk/ stroll in the park/not a piece of cake; this job is no bowl of cherries/not a cinch/not a breeze; it’s not all fun and sunshine

es wird sehr viel abverlangt; dies ist kein Kinderspiel, man muss sich warm anziehen  = this is a bone-breaker/ball-buster/a bitch of a job; the deck is stacked against the mega-project; this task will be a steep/big hill/mountain to climb; it’s not all beer/porter/ale and skittles; this won’t be an easy ride/run; writing this report in two hours is a tough call/pretty tall order/uphill task/battle/quest; this job is a big/tough ask; get ready for a rude awakening 

jeden Tag (nur) malochen/schuften/sich abrackern/ranklotzen = I am tired of working hard/burning the candle at both ends/plugging away/grinding every single day; he’s the kind of person who busts his butt for the well-being of his family; at the steel plant/factory immigrants/migrants slave/work till they drop; I bend over backwards to graft out a life; he works his tail off day in day out; this daily grind/drudgery/repetitive tedium harms my health; my job is hard yakka (AUS)   

er/sie reißt sich den Arsch auf = he/sie works his butt off/tail off/ass off (slightly vulgar) 

im Büro muss ich immer die Schwerstarbeit machen = I always have to do the heavy lifting/back-breaking work at the office

wir rackern uns ab bis zum Umfallen = we shall/will fight to the last man standing; no way we will relent now; sometimes people just work till they drop     

wer hart arbeitet, wird belohnt = if you keep your nose to the grindstone you could get a promotion; you if want to make it in the business world you have to work your tail off

nach diesem tollen Urlaub muss ich wieder ins Büro = after this great vacation it’s back to the salt mines   

man arbeitet viel, kommt aber nicht weiter = in his job my dad is stuck in a rut/groove; many workers feel trapped in a consumer treadmill

es gibt heute Leute, die wollen nicht mehr von 9 bis 5 arbeiten = nowadays many ordinary people attempt to get off the 9 to 5 treadmill  Wann machst du Feierabend? = What time do you knock off work? 

wir tun unser Bestes im Interesse der Kunden; wir bemühen uns sehr, mit allen Situationen fertig zu werden  = our staff goes to great lengths to ensure their efforts are rewarded; pulling out all the stops/going out of one’s way is a great way to fulfill/align to clients requirements; leave no stone unturned/turn over every stone to get the job done; give it your best shot; she usually puts in a great effort/ scrambles to offer excellent service; we have to push the envelope/the boundaries/the limits in search for a solution to this dilemma; pull no punches when you deal/negotiate with the big banks; sometimes you need to sing a little harder for your supper; the company pursues every possible avenue to satisfy its customers; an all-out effort by our team is needed to win the coveted award; the newspaper is digging deeper into the corruption affair; the corporation took great pains to explain why it was almost on the brink of bankrupcy; the company decided to cut corners on social issues due to union-addled inertia

lass uns in die Arbeit stürzen = let's get to it; let’s get stuck/sink our teeth into our work/the task at hand

dieser Job hat ihm viel abverlangt = this job has taken a toll on the manager’s health/performance  

eine Schippe drauflegen = the company is upping the ante in/doubling down on the takeover war; topping off the distress, residents of the damaged building were forced to leave their temporary hotel accommodation over previous commitments; team is shifting/ kicking/ slipping into overdrive; after the historical defeat the merciless press added/rubbed salt into/to the political party’s deep wounds; we need to work with a vengeance if we want to get the job done 

ich habe/er hat viel um die Ohren = I’m tied up today; this week I’m flat out; I’m snowed under with work; he is very busy with her work; my hands are literally full at the moment; I’m up to my ears/I’m drowning in work; this week he has been absolutely flat out/flat out like a lizard drinking (AUS); this morning I’m stretched (to the limit)

in einem Abwasch/Aufwasch erledigen = he did both things in/at one fell swoop

hier geht die Post ab = it seems all hell is breaking loose; let’s paint the town red tonight

wir lassen es krachen/wollen loslegen = we’ll let her/it rip tonight in the disco; last weekend they just let it loose/fly; come on, let’s live it up /let off some steam tonight at the party; he was out on the tear the other day; as soon we arrived in town for our holidays we were ready to rip/started firing/hitting on all cylinders; How about stirring things up a bit/raising a little hell tonight?

ich ziehe es durch = I’ll definitely see it through; I'm going to (gonna) pull this off

so wird’s gemacht = That’s the way to do it/you should do it!

Wer übernimmt den Fall/kümmert sich drum? = Who’s on the case?