Nelly Min

Reader's question:

Could you explain “pick up the slack”?

My comments:

"Pick up the slack," or "take up the slack," is an American expression meaning "to do the work that someone else has stopped doing, but which still needs to be done."

Examples:

When Sue starts going to work, Bob and the kids will have to pick up the slack and help more at home.

With our best player injured, other players picked up the slack.

** One of the definitions of "slack":

A spell of inactivity or laziness

Related stories:

length and breadth of

get up to speed on something

Borrowed time

On a shoestring

Shake a leg

Sing to a new tune

Truth lies somewhere in the middle

For all intents and purposes

Kick sth.when it's down

Opening credits

God only knows

Speak of the devil

Hold a candle to

Jump the gun

Be possible if not probable

Draw a line in the sand

That's saying a lot

Come hell or high water

Right on cue

Bull's-eye

Quote unquote

Pull one's weight

Lower 48 states

Ink-on-dead-trees

本文僅代表作者本人觀點，與本網(wǎng)立場無關。歡迎大家討論學術問題，尊重他人，禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。

About the author:

Nelly Min?is a journalist at the China Daily website.