🗓️ Idiom: To Tick Boxes (v)
💬 Meaning
- To perform actions just to meet formal requirements.
- To follow rules or procedures without genuine engagement or effort.
🧠 Example Sentences
- The team wasn’t focused on real improvement, they were just ticking boxes to satisfy the auditors.
- Some companies tick boxes during compliance training but don’t change their behaviour.
- We don’t want to just tick boxes—we want to build a strong ethical culture.
🏛️ Origin
This idiom comes from completing checklists or forms by ticking boxes. In a regulatory context, it can imply meeting formal requirements without deeper engagement or real understanding.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
Our goal is meaningful compliance, not just __________.
Answer
ticking boxes
2. Choose the correct meaning of “to tick boxes”:
A) To ignore formal rules
B) To follow procedures without real commitment
C) To create new policies
Answer
B) To follow procedures without real commitment
3. Change the sentence using “to tick boxes”:
“The company completed all the training, but only to meet the minimum standards.”
Answer
The company ticked boxes by completing all the training.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
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👉 Regulation and Compliance Idioms
👉 Business English Idioms List
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