🗓️ Idiom: Smooth Things Over (v)
💬 Meaning
- To make a problem or disagreement less serious.
- To calm down a difficult situation and make people feel better.
🧠 Example Sentences
- After the argument, she met with the client to smooth things over.
- A good manager knows how to smooth things over between team members.
- We had a small misunderstanding, but we were able to smooth it over quickly.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from the idea of smoothing a rough surface, like using sandpaper to make wood flat. Over time, “smoothing things over” began to mean making a difficult or tense situation feel easier and more comfortable.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The manager held a team meeting to __________ after the mistake.
Answer
smooth things over
2. Choose the correct meaning of “smooth things over”:
A) To make a situation worse
B) To repair a relationship or calm a problem
C) To cancel a meeting
Answer
B) To repair a relationship or calm a problem
3. Rewrite the sentence using the idiom:
“She helped everyone feel better after the disagreement.” → Change the sentence using: smooth things over
Answer
She helped smooth things over after the disagreement.