loose ends
unfinished things, things still needed to be done or explained
TRANSLATION
loose ends = nicht abgeschlossene Tätigkeiten, unvollendete Arbeit --- GOOGLE INDEX loose ends: approximately 6,000,000 Google hits
STATISTICS
IN THE PRESS
A hearing is scheduled for Monday to deal with LOOSE ENDS.
(Washington Times)
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Some of the other LOOSE ENDS in the SAC investigation were starting to be tied up on Friday.
(Reuters news service)
(Washington Times)
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Some of the other LOOSE ENDS in the SAC investigation were starting to be tied up on Friday.
(Reuters news service)
Did you
know?
loose ends
idiom
- things that still need to be done or explained
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
Have you ever prepared to leave the office and go home and realized that your to-do list is still very long? Do you have countless post-it notes plastered on your refrigerator reminding you of things you need to take care of? Do you suffer from anxiety attacks in the middle of the night thinking about the myriad activities that await you in the morning? Then you have loose ends.
This expression is thought to derive from the loose threads that result from weaving materials into rugs and carpets for instance. These threads have to be tied or bound together at the end of the material in order to produce a smooth edge. Knitters have to do the same thing for certain patterns that leave loose pieces of yarn on the edges.
That's why we also say that we have to "tie up the loose ends" if we want to take care of unfinished business. In this context business is used in the general sense of tasks or activities and not what a company does to make money.
And if you are "at loose ends" (note the addition of the preposition), then you have nothing to do or you have no occupation or plan. It can also mean that you feel unsettled or uncertain.
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SYNONYMS
unfinished business, to-do's
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SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I have to tie up some loose ends before I leave work."
---
Thanks to Volker for suggesting today's word!
idiom
- things that still need to be done or explained
(Cambridge Dictionary)
---
Have you ever prepared to leave the office and go home and realized that your to-do list is still very long? Do you have countless post-it notes plastered on your refrigerator reminding you of things you need to take care of? Do you suffer from anxiety attacks in the middle of the night thinking about the myriad activities that await you in the morning? Then you have loose ends.
This expression is thought to derive from the loose threads that result from weaving materials into rugs and carpets for instance. These threads have to be tied or bound together at the end of the material in order to produce a smooth edge. Knitters have to do the same thing for certain patterns that leave loose pieces of yarn on the edges.
That's why we also say that we have to "tie up the loose ends" if we want to take care of unfinished business. In this context business is used in the general sense of tasks or activities and not what a company does to make money.
And if you are "at loose ends" (note the addition of the preposition), then you have nothing to do or you have no occupation or plan. It can also mean that you feel unsettled or uncertain.
---
SYNONYMS
unfinished business, to-do's
---
SMUGGLE OWAD into today's conversation
"I have to tie up some loose ends before I leave work."
---
Thanks to Volker for suggesting today's word!
