🗓️ Idiom: Play It Safe (v)
💬 Meaning
- To avoid taking risks.
- To make careful choices to prevent problems or failure.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The company is playing it safe by sticking to well-known markets.
- She decided to play it safe and delay the launch until everything was ready.
- We’re playing it safe with this deal to protect our reputation.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from everyday English. “Play” refers to making a move or decision, and “safe” means without danger. People started saying “play it safe” to mean choosing the option with the lowest risk. It’s common in business, sports, and daily life.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
We didn’t want to take a big risk, so we decided to __________ and stick to our usual plan.
Answer
play it safe
2. Choose the correct meaning of “playing it safe”:
A) Making a risky decision
B) Avoiding problems by being careful
C) Acting quickly without planning
Answer
B) Avoiding problems by being careful
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“The team avoided risk by choosing the easiest option.” → Change the sentence using: play it safe
Answer
The team played it safe by choosing the easiest option.
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