🗓️ Idiom: Bend the Rules (v)
💬 Meaning
- Slightly changing or ignoring rules without fully breaking them
- Acting in a way that stretches the limits of what is officially allowed
🧠 Example Sentences
- The company was accused of bending the rules to speed up the permit process.
- Some employees think it’s harmless to bend the rules, but in compliance, it can be risky.
- The manager bent the rules by not reporting minor breaches to the regulatory body.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom likely developed from the idea of physical bending—changing something without breaking it. In language, it came to mean stretching a rule without fully violating it. It’s often used in discussions of ethics or legal limits.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The legal team warned that __________ could lead to serious compliance issues.
Answer
bending the rules
2. Choose the correct meaning of “bend the rules”:
A) Following all policies exactly
B) Slightly ignoring rules without fully breaking them
C) Creating new laws and procedures
Answer
B) Slightly ignoring rules without fully breaking them
3. Change the sentence using “bend the rules”:
“He adjusted the compliance steps a little to make things go faster.”
Answer
He bent the rules to make things go faster.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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👉 Regulation and Compliance Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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