🗓️ Idiom: Keep the Ship Afloat (verb)
💬 Meaning
- To keep a project, business, or team running despite problems.
- To prevent failure or collapse.
🧠 Example Sentences
- During the crisis, the team worked hard to keep the ship afloat until help arrived.
- The finance department cut costs to keep the ship afloat during a slow sales season.
- Strong teamwork kept the ship afloat while the company searched for a new CEO.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from sailing. A ship that takes on too much water will sink, so sailors had to work together to keep it afloat. Over time, the phrase was adopted in business and teamwork to describe keeping an organization or project going, even under stress.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The new manager introduced strict cost controls to __________ during the economic downturn.
Answer
keep the ship afloat
2. Multiple choice:
What does “keep the ship afloat” mean?
a) To plan a new project
b) To stop something from failing
c) To expand into new markets
Answer
b) To stop something from failing
3. Change the sentence using “keep the ship afloat”:
The team made sure the company didn’t collapse during the crisis.
Answer
The team worked hard to keep the ship afloat during the crisis.
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