business as usual

See also: business-as-usual

English

Alternative forms

• business-as-usual

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

Noun

business as usual (uncountable)

1. (idiomatic) The normal course of an activity, particularly in circumstances that are out of the ordinary.
   • 2013 April 9, Andrei Lankov, “Stay Cool. Call North Korea’s Bluff.”, in New York Times‎^[1]:

     In other words, it is business as usual on the Korean Peninsula. Perhaps, when the atmosphere cools down, an argument can be made for giving North Korea’s leaders some of the assistance they want, if they are willing to make concessions of their own.

2. (idiomatic) The normal execution of standard functional operations within an organisation, particularly in contrast to a project or program which would introduce change (although that change may itself become business as usual).

Antonyms

• whatever it takes

Translations

The normal course of an activity, in circumstances that are out of the ordinary

• French: comme si de rien n'était (fr)
• German: Tagesgeschäft
• Hungarian: szokásos ügymenet (literally “usual/regular business”), mintha semmi sem történt volna (literally “as if nothing had happened”), mintha mi se történt volna, az élet megy tovább

• Russian: обы́чный поря́док ве́дения дел (obýčnyj porjádok védenija del)
• Spanish: como si nada ocurriera, zona de conflicto

Adjective

business as usual (not comparable)

1. (idiomatic) That is usual, expected, not extraordinary.
   • 1995, Advanced automotive technology : visions of a super-efficient family car.

     This vehicle would be likely to cost about $1,500 more at retail than the business as usual vehicle, which achieves 33 mpg.

See also

• the show must go on

Wikipedia articles on:

• business as usual
• politics as usual