🗓️ Idiom: A Sounding Board (n)
💬 Meaning
- A person you can talk to in order to test ideas or get feedback.
- Someone who listens and helps you think through problems or plans.
🧠 Example Sentences
- I needed a sounding board for my presentation, so I asked my colleague to listen.
- She’s a great sounding board when I’m unsure about how to handle a client complaint.
- During the new project launch, the team leader acted as a sounding board for everyone’s suggestions.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from architecture. A “sounding board” was originally a curved surface placed above a stage or pulpit to help project sound. Over time, it came to mean a person who helps “reflect” ideas or thoughts, just like a board reflects sound.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Before finalising the strategy, I used my mentor as __________ to check if my ideas made sense.
Answer
a sounding board
2. Choose the best answer:
What does it mean if someone is “a sounding board”?
a) They criticise all your ideas
b) They help you reflect on your ideas
c) They avoid giving feedback
Answer
b) They help you reflect on your ideas
3. Change the sentence using “a sounding board”:
“She helped me think clearly by listening to all my ideas and giving gentle advice.”
Answer
She acted as a sounding board by listening to all my ideas and giving gentle advice.
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