Foresight & Prudence: English Vocabulary List

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

"He has an ace up his sleeve."

"The negotiator revealed an ace up his sleeve, a previously undisclosed piece of information that shifted the entire discussion."

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

"He lied to cover his ass."

"The politician made a public statement to cover his ass after the scandal broke and public opinion turned against him."

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

"I will cover your back in the meeting."

"Don't worry about the presentation; I'll cover your back if any difficult questions arise during the meeting."

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

"It is time to cut your losses and sell."

"The smart investor decided to cut his losses and sell the falling stock before it became worthless."

a time of financial difficulty or a period of challenge

"Save this for a rainy day."

"My grandmother always saves some money for a rainy day because you never know when an emergency might happen."

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

"He has an eye for the main chance."

"The ambitious young man always has an eye on the main chance to get ahead."

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

"We nipped it in the bud."

"We need to nip this problem in the bud before it grows into something much bigger and harder to fix."

to prevent something from developing into something worse

"We need to stop the rot before it gets worse."

"The new manager took drastic action to stop the rot in the failing department."

to take action while the opportunity exists

"Strike while the iron is hot."

"You should strike while the iron is hot and apply for the job before the deadline passes."

to carefully examine a situation before making a final decision

"He took stock of his life after the accident."

"Before making any major life changes, it is important to take stock of your current situation and future goals."

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

"We need to see which way the wind blows."

"Before making any decisions, the manager wanted to find out which way the wind was blowing among the employees."

to think about something very carefully before doing it

"You should think twice before deciding."

"I always think twice before making any major financial decision that could affect my future."