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Definition:
b) to go beyond the limits
German translation:
push the envelope = Grenzen überschreiten
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GOOGLE INDEX
push the envelope: approximately 500,000 Google hits
Sample text:
Olympic sports are getting more dangerous said Olympic historian Dr. Bruce Mallon, "Because we keep PUSHING THE ENVELOPE and trying for higher and higher speeds."
(CBS News)
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Clearly Google is still PUSHING THE ENVELOPE with all these new additions," said Rob Hof, Silicon Valley editor of Business Week.
(BBC News)
Did you know?
push the envelope
idiom
- to move beyond the limit of what has usually been done or was the accepted standard
(Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms)
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This expression was first used in the field of mathematics and eventually adopted by aircraft test pilots, whose job it is to take planes beyond safe limits to determine exactly what they are capable of. The envelope refers to the limits of factors such as speed, engine power, manoeuvrability and altitude. By pushing the envelope, test pilots can discover where the boundaries of safety are.
The phrase was popularized in the mainstream by Tom Wolfe's best-selling 1979 novel "The Right Stuff," which told the story of a group of American test pilots. The figurative use of "pushing the envelope," meaning to stretch the boundaries, dates from the late 1980s.
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SYNONYMS
exceed the limits, stretch the boundaries, go beyond the fringe
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"A business often has to push the envelope in order to achieve success."
Thanks to Christopher for suggesting today's word!
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And now...
Today's Learning Tip (11):
LEARN OPPOSITES
Many words have natural opposites (antonyms) - rich/poor, heaven/hell, boom/bust,... by also checking opposites you are completing your understanding of the concept and filling-in gaps in your personal wordpool.
more learning tips
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