🗓️ Idiom: Let Things Slide (phrasal verb)
💬 Meaning
- To ignore mistakes or problems and not take action.
- Allowing tasks or responsibilities to be below standard without addressing them.
🧠 Example Sentences
- You can’t let things slide if you want the project to succeed.
- He tends to let things slide when deadlines aren’t strict.
- Management warned the team not to let things slide during the audit preparation.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase “let things slide” has been used in English since the 16th century. “Slide” here means to move smoothly without intervention. Eventually the expression came to describe allowing situations, mistakes, or responsibilities to go unaddressed.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
We can’t ___________ if we want to maintain quality in our work.
Answer
let things slide
2. Choose the correct option:
If someone “lets things slide,” they:
a) Address every issue immediately
b) Ignore problems or mistakes
c) Work extra hours
Answer
b) Ignore problems or mistakes
3. Change the sentence using “let things slide”:
“He ignored the small errors in the report instead of correcting them.”
Answer
He let things slide instead of correcting the small errors in the report.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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👉 Productivity in the Workplace Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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Rob is a CELTA qualified English teacher with 15 years of international experience. He has a BSc and PGDip from Loughborough and St Andrews universities in the UK. He has taught in Thailand and Saudi Arabia and now works with professionals worldwide.

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