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Pick up the slack

[ 2010-10-18 09:40]     字号 [] [] []  
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Pick up the slack
Nelly Min

Reader's question:

We've all heard or read about the decline of newspapers in print. Newspaper owners are cutting workers and printing skimpier newspapers. As newspapers cut back on its coverage of the news, one thing is picking up the slack: the local neighborhood news blog.

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

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About the author:

Nelly Min is a journalist at the China Daily website.

 

 
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