Business English from All Ears English · Lindsay McMahon

It's Water Under the Bridge - How to Accept an Apology at Work

December 11, 2025·18 min·1 clip

Lindsay and Michelle reveal how the idiom 'water under the bridge' can resolve workplace conflicts and improve professional relationships.

This episode explains the English idiom "water under the bridge" and how to use it to accept an apology in a professional setting. Hosts Lindsay and Michelle, American business English coaches, teach this phrase to help global professionals navigate workplace relationships. They position the lesson as a key tool for maintaining clear and effective communication at work. The hosts define the idiom as a way to say a past issue is forgotten and no longer matters. They emphasize its importance for moving past interpersonal conflicts to maintain productive business relationships. Lindsay provides an example where a manager tells an employee, Janelle, that a forgotten file incident is "water under the bridge." Michelle clarifies the idiom is not for minor incidents like bumping into someone but for more significant disagreements. They discuss a scenario where an employee quits angrily and later apologizes, which would be an appropriate time to use the phrase. A key insight is that the expression requires genuine forgiveness and some emotional distance from the original offense. Michelle notes you cannot use it sincerely while still feeling the physical rush of anger. The hosts stress the phrase is a direct response to an apology, not a statement you offer unprompted. They compare it to other common phrases like "don't worry about it," "no hard feelings," and "let's put it behind us." In a role-play, Lindsay demonstrates using multiple reassuring phrases together, like "it's water under the bridge" and "it's in the past," when an apology seems especially earnest. They highlight the importance of reading body language to gauge if someone truly accepts your apology. The episode frames mastering these phrases as essential for professionals who don't want their workplace relationships to suffer due to language barriers. The tone is conversational, educational, and supportive, with the hosts bantering and sharing personal thoughts to illustrate concepts. They structure the lesson with clear definitions, contextual examples, and a practical dialogue. This episode is ideal for non-native English speakers seeking to handle awkward workplace conversations with nuance and confidence. Listeners primarily interested in grammar rules or vocabulary lists might find the focus on soft skills and interpersonal dynamics less immediately useful.

As heard by us

A practical workplace idiom lesson on apology, timing, and saying it only when it really fits.

The episode takes the idiom "water under the bridge" and gives it a clear workplace use: how to accept an apology without forcing the moment. All Ears English keeps the focus on when the phrase fits, who should use it, and why it only works after enough time and distance have…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Learn when "water under the bridge" fits for accepting an apology at work.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Business English from All Ears English