🗓️ Idiom: Run a Tight Ship (verb)
💬 Meaning
- To manage a team, project, or business with strict rules and discipline.
- To make sure everything is organized and efficient.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The project manager runs a tight ship, so deadlines are always met.
- In our office, the supervisor runs a tight ship, and everyone knows their role.
- To succeed during the merger, the CEO had to run a tight ship and cut out waste.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the navy, where a “tight ship” meant a vessel with no leaks and a disciplined crew. Over time, it came to mean any organization that is managed with strong control and efficiency.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The new department head is known to __________, making sure everyone follows the rules.
Answer
run a tight ship
2. Multiple choice:
What does “run a tight ship” mean?
a) To relax workplace rules
b) To manage with discipline and order
c) To start a new company
Answer
b) To manage with discipline and order
3. Change the sentence using “run a tight ship”:
“The manager is very strict and makes sure the office is well organized.”
Answer
The manager runs a tight ship.
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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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