🗓️ Idiom: At Odds With Someone or Something (v)
💬 Meaning
- To disagree or be in conflict with someone or something.
- To be at variance or not in harmony with an idea, decision, or person.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The two departments are at odds with each other over the project’s budget.
- He was at odds with his manager about the best way to resolve the client complaint.
- The new policy is at odds with the company’s earlier commitment to work–life balance.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the notion of “odds,” which refers to chance or probability. By the 1600s, “at odds” began to be used to mean being opposed or conflicting. As if two sides are pitted against each other like in a bet.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Our team is ________ with management about what the deadline should be.
Answer
at odds
2. Choose the correct answer:
If you are “at odds with” someone, you:
a) Work closely together
b) Disagree strongly
c) Ignore each other
Answer
b) Disagree strongly
3. Change the sentence using “at odds with”:
“The marketing strategy does not match the company’s long-term goals.”
Answer
The marketing strategy is at odds with the company’s long-term goals.
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