Idioms — Set 31

Set 31 of Idioms covers 5 idioms: pull the wool over someone's eyes, walk on eggshells, put all your eggs in one basket, pull the plug, jump through hoops. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. pull the wool over someone's eyes · idiom/pʊl ðə wʊl ˈoʊvɚ ˈsʌmwʌnz aɪz/

   to deceive or trick someone

   The scammer tried to pull the wool over her eyes, but she spotted the fraud immediately.

   Origin: From the 1800s — refers to pulling a wig (made of wool) down over the eyes of a judge to deceive him.

2. walk on eggshells · idiom/wɔk ɔn ˈɛɡʃɛlz/

   to be very careful about what you say or do to avoid trouble

   Ever since their argument, he has been walking on eggshells around her to avoid making things worse.

   Origin: A 19th-century expression — walking on actual eggshells would require extreme delicacy to avoid breaking them.

3. put all your eggs in one basket · idiom/pʊt ɔl jʊr ɛɡz ɪn wʌn ˈbæskət/

   to risk everything on a single plan or opportunity

   He invested all his savings into one stock, putting all his eggs in one basket.

   Origin: From a 17th-century proverb — if you drop one basket with all your eggs, you lose everything at once.

4. pull the plug · idiom/pʊl ðə plʌɡ/

   to stop an activity or process completely

   Due to lack of funding, the company had to pull the plug on the project.

   Origin: From medical settings in the 1900s — pulling a life-support plug ends artificial life or operation completely.

5. jump through hoops · idiom/dʒʌmp θru hups/

   to go through many complex or difficult procedures to achieve something

   In order to get a visa, he had to jump through a lot of bureaucratic hoops.

   Origin: From the circus — trained animals were forced to jump through small hoops to please audiences, often unnecessarily.