lost in the sauce	lacking direction and a clear job definition
to shoot the puppy	to take an unpopular action
to talk turkey	to converse in a serious way
to roll the tortoise	to increase resources to accelerate an otherwise slow-moving project
to put socks on an octopus	to attempt an impossible task
to touch base	to get in contact with or update
to hold all the aces	to have an advantage
to keep your powder dry	to hold back information or any other leverage for use at a later date
to carry the ball	to be responsible for a project or a business deal