🗓️ Idiom: A Balancing Act(n)
💬 Meaning
- A situation where someone must manage competing demands or responsibilities carefully.
- Trying to satisfy different goals or groups without failing in any area.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Running a business and protecting the environment is a balancing act.
- The company faces a balancing act between making profits and supporting social causes.
- Working parents often perform a balancing act between their job and family life.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the world of physical performance, such as circus acts or tightrope walking. A “balancing act” is a performance that requires great skill to keep from falling — it now describes situations that need careful control to avoid failure.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Managing both financial success and ethical standards is often ________.
Answer
a balancing act
2. Multiple choice:
What does “a balancing act” mean?
a) A simple routine
b) A risky performance
c) A situation where different demands must be managed carefully
Answer
c) A situation where different demands must be managed carefully
3. Rewrite the sentence:
“The company must handle many responsibilities at the same time.”
Answer
The company is facing a balancing act.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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.
