🗓️ Idiom: Keep Your Chin Up (verb)
💬 Meaning
- To stay positive in a difficult situation.
- To remain confident and hopeful even when things are hard.
🧠 Example Sentences
- After the client rejected the proposal, the manager told the team to keep their chins up and prepare for the next opportunity.
- During restructuring, employees were encouraged to keep their chins up and focus on new possibilities.
- The sales leader reminded her staff to keep their chins up despite missing their monthly targets.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase keep your chin up started in the 19th century, especially in American English. It comes from the idea of holding your head high as a sign of pride, strength, and confidence. Over time, it became a common expression to encourage people to stay positive and not lose hope.
📝 Practice Exercises
<p><strong>1. Fill in the blank:</strong><br>
Even after several failures, he tried to __________ and keep going.</p>
<details><summary>Answer</summary><p>keep his chin up</p></details>
<p><strong>2. Multiple choice:</strong><br>
What does “keep your chin up” mean?<br>
a) To look up at the sky<br>
b) To stay positive in difficult times<br>
c) To avoid speaking in public</p>
<details><summary>Answer</summary><p>b) To stay positive in difficult times</p></details>
<p><strong>3. Change the sentence using keep your chin up:</strong><br>
She stayed hopeful while waiting for good news.</p>
<details><summary>Answer</summary><p>She kept her chin up while waiting for good news.</p></details>
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
📚 Learning Resources
👉 Idioms for Motivation & Perseverance
👉 Business English Idioms List
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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.
