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Tag: Competition and Risk Management Idioms

  • Play it Cool

    🗓️ Idiom: Play It Cool (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To stay calm and not show strong emotion, especially in a difficult or risky situation.
    • To act relaxed and in control to avoid making a situation worse.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • During the intense meeting, she played it cool and let the others talk first.
    • Even though he was nervous, he played it cool and answered the investor’s questions calmly.
    • You need to play it cool when negotiating. Don’t show how badly you want the deal.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from slang in the early 1900s, especially in jazz and pop culture. “Cool” meant calm, relaxed, and confident. “Play it cool” became a way to describe someone acting calm and collected in a situation that could be stressful.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Even though the project was behind schedule, he decided to __________ and not panic.

    Answer

    play it cool

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “playing it cool”:

    A) Acting nervous
    B) Showing frustration
    C) Staying calm and not showing strong emotions

    Answer

    C) Staying calm and not showing strong emotions

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “She stayed calm and didn’t show how stressed she was.” → Change the sentence using: play it cool

    Answer

    She played it cool and didn’t show how stressed she was.

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  • Tighten Your Belt

    🗓️ Idiom: Tighten Your Belt (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To spend less money than usual because of financial difficulty.
    • To reduce costs and live more carefully during hard times.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • After the budget cuts, everyone had to tighten their belts at work.
    • We’ll need to tighten our belts this quarter to stay profitable.
    • When sales dropped, the company tightened its belt and paused hiring.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the idea that when people have less money, they may eat less, and so they can literally tighten their belts. Over time, it became a common phrase for saving money or reducing spending in hard times.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Due to lower profits this year, the company had to __________ and cut extra costs.

    Answer

    tighten its belt

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “tighten your belt”:

    A) Increase spending
    B) Save money and spend less
    C) Ask for more funding

    Answer

    B) Save money and spend less

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “We had to reduce spending to stay within the budget.” → Change the sentence using: tighten our belts

    Answer

    We had to tighten our belts to stay within the budget.

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  • Play Devil’s Advocate

    🗓️ Idiom: Play Devil’s Advocate (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To argue against an idea or plan, even if you don’t disagree with it, in order to test its strength.
    • To question something to help others think more deeply or see risks.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • During the meeting, she played devil’s advocate to help the team find weaknesses in the plan.
    • I don’t really disagree, but let me play devil’s advocate for a moment.
    • He often plays devil’s advocate so we can prepare for possible objections.

    🏛️ Origin

    The phrase comes from the Catholic Church in the 1500s. A person called the “Devil’s Advocate” was chosen to argue against the case for someone becoming a saint. This helped test the facts more carefully. Now it means to argue a different view to help others think more clearly.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    She didn’t disagree, but she decided to __________ to see if the idea was strong.

    Answer

    play devil’s advocate

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “play devil’s advocate”:

    A) Support all ideas without question
    B) Argue only for personal gain
    C) Question an idea to test how strong it is

    Answer

    C) Question an idea to test how strong it is

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “He asked difficult questions to help us think more clearly.” → Change the sentence using: play devil’s advocate

    Answer

    He played devil’s advocate to help us think more clearly.

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  • Roll the Dice

    🗓️ Idiom: Roll the Dice (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To take a risk and hope for a good result.
    • To try something uncertain, knowing it might fail.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The team rolled the dice by launching the product early.
    • We had to roll the dice and hope the client would accept our offer.
    • Starting a new business is always a roll of the dice, but it can pay off.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from games of chance, where rolling dice means you don’t know what number will appear. You take a risk and hope for a good outcome. In business and life, “roll the dice” means making a decision with uncertain results.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    They knew it was risky, but they decided to __________ and expand into a new country.

    Answer

    roll the dice

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “roll the dice”:

    A) To avoid risk
    B) To take a risk and hope for the best
    C) To wait for someone else to act

    Answer

    B) To take a risk and hope for the best

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The company took a risk by trying something new.” → Change the sentence using: roll the dice

    Answer

    The company decided to roll the dice by trying something new.

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  • High-Stakes Game

    🗓️ Idiom: High-Stakes Game (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • A situation where a lot can be gained or lost.
    • A risky situation with serious rewards or consequences.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • Expanding into a new market is a high-stakes game, but it could bring huge profits.
    • The negotiations were a high-stakes game that could affect the company’s future.
    • In the world of tech startups, every decision can feel like a high-stakes game.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from gambling. “Stakes” are the amount of money risked in a game. A “high-stakes game” means playing for a large amount of money, so the risk and reward are both big. The phrase is now used in business and politics for any risky situation with big results.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Taking on a global project is a __________ with a lot of risk and reward.

    Answer

    high-stakes game

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “high-stakes game”:

    A) A situation with no risks
    B) A situation with big risks and possible big rewards
    C) A small, fun project

    Answer

    B) A situation with big risks and possible big rewards

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “Launching the new product was very risky but could lead to big success.” → Change the sentence using: high-stakes game

    Answer

    Launching the new product was a high-stakes game.

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  • A Safe Bet

    🗓️ Idiom: A Safe Bet (n)

    💬 Meaning

    • Something that is very likely to succeed or be true.
    • A choice with little or no risk.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • In this market, investing in energy is usually a safe bet.
    • Hiring her for the project is a safe bet. She always delivers good results.
    • It’s a safe bet that demand will rise during the holiday season.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from gambling. A “bet” is a risk you take when you hope to win. A “safe bet” means there’s little chance of losing. Over time, people started using it outside of gambling to describe good or low-risk decisions.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Choosing the most experienced supplier is usually __________.

    Answer

    a safe bet

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “a safe bet”:

    A) A decision that is risky
    B) A choice with little risk
    C) Something you avoid completely

    Answer

    B) A choice with little risk

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “It’s very likely that this option will work well for us.” → Change the sentence using: a safe bet

    Answer

    This option is a safe bet for us.

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  • Keep Your Options Open

    🗓️ Idiom: Keep Your Options Open (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To avoid making a final decision too early.
    • To stay flexible by not choosing one path or offer right away.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • She didn’t sign the contract yet because she wants to keep her options open.
    • When job hunting, it’s smart to keep your options open in case a better role appears.
    • We’re keeping our options open until we see how the market changes.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom began to appear in English in the 1800s. “Options” means choices, and “keeping them open” means not closing off other chances. It became common in business and personal decision-making when people wanted to stay flexible.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    Instead of accepting the first offer, she decided to __________ and wait a little longer.

    Answer

    keep her options open

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “keep your options open”:

    A) Refuse all offers
    B) Decide quickly
    C) Stay flexible and not choose too early

    Answer

    C) Stay flexible and not choose too early

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “We didn’t make a final decision because we wanted to wait and see other choices.” → Change the sentence using: keep our options open

    Answer

    We didn’t make a final decision because we wanted to keep our options open.

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  • Play it Safe

    🗓️ Idiom: Play It Safe (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To avoid taking risks.
    • To make careful choices to prevent problems or failure.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The company is playing it safe by sticking to well-known markets.
    • She decided to play it safe and delay the launch until everything was ready.
    • We’re playing it safe with this deal to protect our reputation.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from everyday English. “Play” refers to making a move or decision, and “safe” means without danger. People started saying “play it safe” to mean choosing the option with the lowest risk. It’s common in business, sports, and daily life.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    We didn’t want to take a big risk, so we decided to __________ and stick to our usual plan.

    Answer

    play it safe

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “playing it safe”:

    A) Making a risky decision
    B) Avoiding problems by being careful
    C) Acting quickly without planning

    Answer

    B) Avoiding problems by being careful

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “The team avoided risk by choosing the easiest option.” → Change the sentence using: play it safe

    Answer

    The team played it safe by choosing the easiest option.

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  • Cover All Your Bases

    🗓️ Idiom: Cover all Your Bases (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To prepare for all possible problems or situations.
    • To take steps to make sure everything is under control.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The manager asked us to double-check everything, just to cover our bases.
    • By preparing two backup plans, she was covering her bases.
    • The legal team reviewed every detail to cover all their bases before the launch.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from the sport of baseball. In the game, players must protect all the bases to stop the other team from scoring. In business, it means preparing for all parts of a situation, so nothing is missed or goes wrong.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    To make sure there were no surprises during the presentation, he double-checked his notes to __________.

    Answer

    cover all his bases

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “covering all your bases”:

    A) Focusing only on one thing
    B) Getting ready for every possible problem
    C) Ignoring minor details

    Answer

    B) Getting ready for every possible problem

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “We prepared extra supplies in case anything went wrong.” → Change the sentence using: cover all our bases

    Answer

    We prepared extra supplies to cover all our bases.

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  • Hedging Your Bets

    🗓️ Idiom: Hedging Your Bets (v)

    💬 Meaning

    • To protect yourself by trying several options instead of only one.
    • To reduce risk by not depending on a single plan or decision.

    🧠 Example Sentences

    • The company is hedging its bets by investing in both traditional and new energy sources.
    • She hedged her bets by applying for jobs in different industries.
    • Investors often hedge their bets to avoid losing all their money.

    🏛️ Origin

    This idiom comes from gambling. “Hedging” means protecting yourself, and “bets” are what you risk in a game. By hedging your bets, you place more than one bet to avoid losing everything if one fails. Over time, it came to mean protecting yourself in any risky situation.

    📝 Practice Exercises

    1. Fill in the blank:

    To avoid losing money, the investors decided to __________ by choosing different stocks.

    Answer

    hedge their bets

    2. Choose the correct meaning of “hedging your bets”:

    A) Taking a big risk on one option
    B) Protecting yourself by trying several options
    C) Ignoring risks completely

    Answer

    B) Protecting yourself by trying several options

    3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:

    “She avoided risk by working on two projects instead of one.” → Change the sentence using: hedging your bets

    Answer

    She was hedging her bets by working on two projects instead of one.

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