🗓️ Idiom: Get a Foot in the Door (v)
💬 Meaning
- To take the first step toward achieving a goal, especially in a career or organization.
- It often refers to gaining an initial opportunity that could lead to bigger or better things.
- Getting your first job or experience in an industry.
🧠 Example Sentences
- She took an internship to get a foot in the door at the advertising agency.
- Even a small project with that client could help us get a foot in the door.
- Volunteering can be a great way to get a foot in the door at a company.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from door-to-door sales, where getting one’s foot in the door physically prevented the door from being closed. This allowed the salesperson to make a sales pitch. Over time, it came to mean gaining any initial access or opportunity.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
He accepted a low-paying position just to __________ at the prestigious firm.
Answer
get a foot in the door
2. Choose the correct meaning of “get a foot in the door”:
A) To stop someone from leaving a room
B) To begin a conversation
C) To gain an initial opportunity or entry point
Answer
C) To gain an initial opportunity or entry point
3. Rewrite the sentence using: Get a Foot in the Door:
“She got her first opportunity at the company through a temporary role.”
Answer
She got a foot in the door at the company through a temporary role.
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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.
