🗓️ Idiom: Keep Your Options Open (v)
💬 Meaning
- To avoid making a final decision too early.
- To stay flexible by not choosing one path or offer right away.
🧠 Example Sentences
- She didn’t sign the contract yet because she wants to keep her options open.
- When job hunting, it’s smart to keep your options open in case a better role appears.
- We’re keeping our options open until we see how the market changes.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom began to appear in English in the 1800s. “Options” means choices, and “keeping them open” means not closing off other chances. It became common in business and personal decision-making when people wanted to stay flexible.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Instead of accepting the first offer, she decided to __________ and wait a little longer.
Answer
keep her options open
2. Choose the correct meaning of “keep your options open”:
A) Refuse all offers
B) Decide quickly
C) Stay flexible and not choose too early
Answer
C) Stay flexible and not choose too early
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“We didn’t make a final decision because we wanted to wait and see other choices.” → Change the sentence using: keep our options open
Answer
We didn’t make a final decision because we wanted to keep our options open.
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