Work idioms

Hiring and firing

take on = hire someone: "They're taking on more than 500 people at the canning factory."
get the boot = be fired: "She got the boot for being lazy."
give someone the sack = fire someone: "He was given the sack for stealing."
give someone their marching orders = fire someone: "After the argument, he was given his marching orders."

How do you work?

get your feet under the table = get settled in: "It only took him a week to get his feet under the table, then he started to make changes."
burn the candle at both ends = work day and night at something: "He's been burning the candle at both ends to finish this project."
knuckle under = stop wasting time and start working: "The sooner you knuckle under and start work, the better."
put pen to paper = start writing: "She finally put pen to paper and wrote the letter."
work all the hours that God sends = work as much as possible: "She works all the hours that God sends to support her family."
work your fingers to the bone = work very hard: "I work my fingers to the bone for you."
go the extra mile = do more than is expected of you: "She's a hard worker and always goes the extra mile."
pull your weight = do your fair share of the work: "He's a good team worker and always pulls his weight."
pull your socks up = make a better effort: "You'll have to pull your socks up and work harder if you want to impress the boss!"
put your feet up = relax: "At last that's over – now I can put my feet up for a while."