🗓️ Idiom: Walk on Eggshells (v)
💬 Meaning
- To be very careful about what you say or do to avoid upsetting someone.
- To act cautiously around a sensitive person or situation.
🧠 Example Sentences
- Since the manager started receiving complaints, everyone has been walking on eggshells around him.
- The customer was so angry that the support team had to walk on eggshells during the call.
- After the project failed, the team walked on eggshells in meetings to avoid more conflict.
🏛️ Origin
The phrase “walk on eggshells” dates back to the 1800s. It describes how fragile eggshells break easily, just as certain situations or people require delicate handling. Over time, it became a common idiom for being cautious in speech or behaviour.
📝 Practice Exercises
1. Fill in the blank:
The staff had to _______ around the client after he complained about the delay.
Answer
walk on eggshells
2. Multiple choice:
To “walk on eggshells” means:
a) To act carefully to avoid upsetting someone
b) To take a strong stand and argue a point
c) To make a formal complaint about a problem
Answer
a) To act carefully to avoid upsetting someone
3. Change the sentence using “walk on eggshells”:
“Everyone is extremely careful when they talk to the boss after any customer complaints.”
Answer
Everyone walks on eggshells when they talk to the boss after any customer complaints.
ℹ️ Other Useful Pages
📚 Learning Resources
👉 Idioms for Complaints
👉 Business English Idioms List
👥 Support Spaces
👉 Student Space
👉 Tutor Toolkit
⭐️ Extras
📫 Get a Daily Idiom
🚀 Build a Business with AI
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.
Leave a Reply