all in the same boat

to be sharing the same difficult circumstances, often

with others who would normally be competitors

EXAMPLE:

When bad weather discouraged tourists from coming to the popular seacoast resort town, the managers of the different hotels in the town knew they were

all in the same boat and decided to work cooperatively with one another.

Armed to the teeth

equipped with everything one needs for action

EXAMPLE:

The worried company president had full financial statements, sales reports, new product ideas, letters of praise from major customers, and proposals for increased growth when he arrived to make his annual report to the hostile board of directors; he was armed to the teeth.

avant garde

Very modern in style; possibly experimental or self-consciously artistic

FRENCH military term “forward guard,” soldiers who lead an attack

EXAMPLE:

The young employees of the New York advertising agency always wore dramatic, avant garde clothing so their clients would think they were modern and knowledgeable about popular trends.

back to square one

An expression used to mean that it is necessary to stop whatever one has done on a new project and to start again completely.

EXAMPLE:

When our experimental design for a new solar automobile failed totally on the first day of testing, our engineering department knew it was back to square one.

bag of tricks

The total skills, knowledge, and often secret abilities that a person has (a traditional reference to a magician’s bag).

EXAMPLE:

To be a successful in today’s competitive business environment, an executive has to use everything in his bag of tricks.