the top of the ladder | the highest position in one's profession | |
down-and-out | person with no job or home | |
live rough | live under unpleasant conditions | |
as poor as a church mouse | very poor | |
from rags to riches | from being very poor to being very rich | |
up-and-coming | likely to become successful | |
right hand man | close and trusted assistant | |
call the shots | make the important decisions | |
the jest set | group of rich and fashinable people | |
the slippery slope | sth that is difficult to stop and which usually ends badly | |
have (got) several irons in the fire | have a several options/projects at the same time | |
at full stretch | using all one's energy to do sth | |
a dead end | sth which leads nowhere and has no future | |
adopt a low profile | to avoid public attention | |
take a back seat | take position of lower importance | |
the rat race | the struggle for success | |
the big guns | important and poweful people | |
have time on one's hands | have spare time | |
do one's own thing | do whatever one wants | |
keep up with the Joneses | be in a competition with other people to achieve sth | |