pull your weight, sing a different tune, live hand to mouth, take to something like a duck to water, blaze a trail: meanings and examples

Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 100. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.

1. pull your weight · idiom/pʊl jʊr weɪt/

   to do your fair share of work or responsibility

   Everyone needs to pull their weight on this project, or we won’t finish on time.

   Origin: From rowing — every rower must pull their share against the boat's total weight, or progress stops completely.

2. sing a different tune · idiom/sɪŋ ə ˈdɪfrənt tun/

   to change your opinion or attitude completely

   She used to complain about the rules, but now that she’s in charge, she sings a different tune.

   Origin: From the 1500s — describes someone changing their attitude so completely it's as if they were singing a new song.

3. live hand to mouth · idiom/lɪv hænd tu maʊθ/

   to barely earn enough money to survive

   After losing his job, he had to live hand to mouth for months before finding stable work.

   Origin: From the 1500s — extremely poor people ate any food immediately from hand to mouth without storing any for later.

4. take to something like a duck to water · idiom/teɪk tu ˈsʌmθɪŋ laɪk ə dʌk tu ˈwɔɾɚ/

   to learn something very quickly and naturally

   Even though she had never painted before, she took to it like a duck to water and created beautiful artwork.

   Origin: From the 1700s — ducks swim naturally from the moment they hatch, requiring no training or struggle in the water.

5. blaze a trail · idiom/bleɪz ə treɪl/

   to be the first to do something new or groundbreaking

   The tech company blazed a trail by developing the first AI-powered home assistant.

   Origin: From American frontier days — explorers cut marks (blazes) on trees to show the new paths through wild forests.