take up the slack
The phrase "take up the slack" is often used in work environments to describe compensating for a lack of resources or effort.
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Definition
B2Work
(informal)To do extra work to cover for someone else's shortcomings.
Example
- When John was sick, his colleagues had to take up the slack to meet the project deadline.
B2Resource Management
(informal)To compensate for a shortage by providing additional resources or effort.
Example
- The government had to take up the slack in funding for public schools.
B2General
(informal)To tighten or adjust something to remove looseness.
Example
- He took up the slack in the rope to make it taut.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "take up the slack":
pick up the slackslacken offslack offtake uptighten uploosen upease uploose offtrim one's sails