Put a Square Peg in a Round Hole


🗓️ Idiom: Put a Square Peg in a Round Hole (v)


💬 Meaning

  • To try to fit someone or something into a role that doesn’t suit them.
  • It means forcing a tool, person, or idea into a place where it doesn’t belong.

🧠 Example Sentences

  • Using that old CRM with our new tools is like putting a square peg in a round hole.
  • Assigning a creative developer to repetitive coding tasks felt like putting a square peg in a round hole.
  • Their platform isn’t made for this type of integration. It’s a square peg in a round hole.

🏛️ Origin

The idiom comes from the idea that a square object doesn’t fit into a round space. In modern business and IT, it describes poor fits between tools, systems, or people and roles.


📝 Practice Exercises

1. Fill in the blank:

Trying to use a mobile app designed for iOS on an Android system is like __________.

Answer

putting a square peg in a round hole

2. Choose the correct meaning of “put a square peg in a round hole”:

A) To create a smooth upgrade
B) To apply a perfect match
C) To force a bad fit between tools or roles
D) To test a new feature

Answer

C) To force a bad fit between tools or roles

3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

“That outdated plugin doesn’t work with the new system.” → Change the sentence using: put a square peg in a round hole

Answer

Using that outdated plugin is like putting a square peg in a round hole.


ℹ️ Other Useful Pages

📚 Learning Resources
👉 Software and IT Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List

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