stick to business
English
[edit]Verb
[edit]stick to business (third-person singular simple present sticks to business, present participle sticking to business, simple past and past participle stuck to business)
- To concentrate on the important matters which are of present concern; to avoid becoming distracted or sidetracked.
- 1910, Stewart Edward White, chapter 52, in The Rules of the Game:
- "[T]here are more failures in the lumber business than in any other I know anything about. Why is it?"
"Economic waste," put in Merker, who was leaning across the counter.
"Lack of experience," said Bob. […]
"No," said Welton, emphasizing his point with his pipe; "it's not sticking to business! It's not stripping her down to the bare necessities! It's going in for frills! When you get to be as old as I am, you learn not to monkey with the band wagon."
- 1967 November 26, John Rendel, “Afghan Captures 32d Best in Show”, in New York Times[1], retrieved November 27, 2020:
- Desert Wind, an Afghan with all the patrician haughtiness of his breed when sticking to business as a show dog and playful as a puppy afterward, became top dog tonight.
- 2003 February 23, Tim Dahlberg, “Boxing: Tyson wins in just 49 seconds”, in Independent[2], retrieved November 27, 2020:
- Tyson missed a week of training. […] His trainer, Freddie Roach, worried that Tyson would not be in shape if the fight went into the later rounds. It proved not to be a concern. […] "I just told Mike to stick to business. Stop screwing around and fight."
- 2015 April 22, Anne Gearan, “Politics: 5 takeaways from Hillary Clinton’s return to New Hampshire”, in Washington Post[3], retrieved November 27, 2020:
- Clinton sought to stick to business despite what she called political "distractions."