🗓️ Idiom: Pushing the Envelope (v)
💬 Meaning
- To go beyond normal limits.
- It means trying new and risky things to achieve more.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The developers are pushing the envelope with their AI-powered features.
- Our design team loves pushing the envelope to create unique user experiences.
- By pushing the envelope, the company became a leader in innovation.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from aviation, where “the envelope” refers to the safe limits of an aircraft’s performance. Pilots who tested new speeds or heights were “pushing the envelope.” In business and tech, it now means testing limits and trying bold ideas.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
By __________ in product design, we created something truly original.
Answer
pushing the envelope
2. Choose the correct meaning of “pushing the envelope”:
A) Staying within safe limits
B) Taking bold risks to try new things
C) Repeating old methods
D) Ignoring feedback
Answer
B) Taking bold risks to try new things
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“Their team always tries new and risky ideas in software development.” → Change the sentence using: push the envelope
Answer
Their team is always pushing the envelope in software development.