give sb the boot	fire sb
a lame duck	sb who is a failure
feel the pinch	have financial problems
be in the red	in debt
be in the black	make profit
hit rock bottom	reach the lowest level
play with fire	take dangerous risk
step into sb's shoes	replace sb
a firm hand	control and discipline
pay dividends	bring advantages in the future
a small fortune	a lot of money
mean business	be serious about what one says
get sth off the ground	start a business
bear fruit	produce good results
live on a shoestring	manage with very little money
burn the midnight oil	work very late at night to achieve sth
be rolling in it	be rich
keep one's head above water	survive despite financial problems
money down the drain	money wasted
tighten one's belt	live on a smaller budget