Idioms — Set 40

Set 40 of Idioms covers 5 idioms: sleep on it, knock it out of the park, walk a fine line, call the shots, let bygones be bygones. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. sleep on it · idiom/slip ɔn ɪt/

   to take time to think about something before deciding

   I can’t decide yet. Let me sleep on it.

   Origin: From the 1500s — old wisdom that a night's sleep gives clearer perspective to difficult decisions in the morning.

2. knock it out of the park · idiom/nɑk ɪt aʊt əv ðə pɑrk/

   to do something exceptionally well, especially in sports or performance

   His performance was amazing—he really knocked it out of the park!

   Origin: From American baseball — a home run that flies completely out of the stadium is the most impressive hit.

3. walk a fine line · idiom/wɔk ə faɪn laɪn/

   to maintain a difficult balance between two opposing things

   She has to walk a fine line between being a boss and being a friend to her employees.

   Origin: From tightrope walking — staying on a thin line between two extremes requires constant careful balance.

4. call the shots · idiom/kɔl ðə ʃɑts/

   to be in control and make important decisions

   As the team leader, he gets to call the shots on major decisions.

   Origin: From American pool/billiards — a player calls which ball to hit before each shot, controlling the game.

5. let bygones be bygones · idiom/lɛt ˈbaɪɡɔnz bi ˈbaɪɡɔnz/

   to forgive and forget past conflicts

   They decided to let bygones be bygones and move on from their past arguments.

   Origin: Used in English since the 1500s — 'bygones' are things gone by, urging acceptance of the past as past.