Behavior & Approach - Foresight & Prudence

Discover how English idioms like "take stock of" and "a rainy day" relate to foresight and prudence in English.

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English idioms related to Behavior & Approach

ace up one's sleeve

[phrase]

a secret advantage that a person can use when the need arises

Ex: The small company survived because it had an ace up its sleeve: loyal customers.

to cover one's ass

[phrase]

to save a person from receiving criticism, punishment, blame, etc.

Ex: She forwarded the warning to her boss to cover her ass.

to cover one's back

[phrase]

to take action in order to save a person from being criticized, punished, blamed, etc.

Ex: The report covered the department's back by showing that the risks had been flagged months earlier.

to cut one's losses

[phrase]

to no longer partake in a failing business, activity, etc. to prevent further damage or losses

Ex: The campaign was going nowhere, so the party cut its losses and changed strategy.

a rainy day

[phrase]

a time of financial difficulty or a period of challenge

Ex: Don't spend the whole bonus; save some of it for a rainy day.

eye on the main chance

[phrase]

a willingness to use any given opportunity or situation to one's advantage

Ex: His charm was real, but there was always an eye to the main chance behind it.

to nip something in the bud

[phrase]

to immediately prevent something, particularly something problematic, before it has time to develop

Ex: If we ignore this small error now, it will grow; let's nip it in the bud.

to stop the rot

[phrase]

to prevent something from developing into something worse

Ex: If we fix the first few leaks, we can stop the rot before the whole system breaks down.

to strike while the iron is hot

[phrase]

to take action while the opportunity exists

Ex: The store offered a big discount for one day only, so we struck while the iron was hot.

to take stock of something

[phrase]

to carefully examine a situation before making a final decision

Ex: It's too early to choose a strategy; we should take stock first.

[know|see|find out] which (way|direction) the wind [blow]

know which way the wind blow

[phrase]

to realize how a situation is about to develop in order to be able to properly prepare for any potential problems or changes that one might encounter

Ex: We need to know which way the wind is blowing before we make plans for next year.

to think twice

[phrase]

to think about something very carefully before doing it

Ex: The heavy fine made drivers think twice about parking there.

Behavior & Approach
Foresight & Prudence	Overreaction	Tact	Being Tactful
Improvisation & Compromise	Behaving Politely	Lack of Care or Consideration	Without Care or Thought
Reacting or Demanding	Conversational Responses	Showing Surprise	Paying or Getting Attention
Not Paying Attention	Offensive Behavior	Jealousy & Competition	Reaction & Response
Harsh & Strict Treatment

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