English Idioms
Comprehensive resource for understanding and mastering English idioms
A tall order
Meaning
The idiom "a tall order" means a difficult or challenging task that requires a great deal of effort to accomplish. It often refers to something that is too big or overwhelming to handle, especially when it comes to personal or emotional matters.
- Literal Meaning A tall order refers to a large amount of food or drink that someone orders at a restaurant.
- Figurative Meaning In contemporary language, "a tall order" is used to describe something that is very difficult or challenging to accomplish. It can be used in various contexts such as work, personal life, or relationships.
Usage
- The CEO gave me a tall order to increase profits by 20% within the next quarter.
- My daughter asked me to bake her favorite cake for her birthday, which is always a tall order for me since I'm not a great baker.
- When my sister broke up with her boyfriend, she turned to me for emotional support, which was quite a tall order for me as we don't have a close relationship.
- The gym instructor gave us a tall order during our workout session when he asked us to complete all the exercises in one hour without taking any breaks.
- My friend asked me to help him move to a new city, which is quite a tall order for me since I live far away from there.
Roots and History
The origin of "a tall order" is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have been used in the early 20th century in the context of food and drink orders at restaurants. It may have evolved over time to refer to more general challenges or difficulties that people face. In contemporary language, the idiom has become more common and is used in a variety of contexts. The meaning of "a tall order" has remained relatively consistent over time, but it has become more popular as a way to describe difficult challenges in various aspects of life.
Synonyms in English
- A daunting task
- A challenging mission
- A formidable challenge
- A Herculean feat
- A monumental undertaking
Synonyms in other languages
- French: Une tâche arduse (a difficult task)
- Spanish: Una tarea difícil (a difficult task)
- German: Eine herausfordernde Aufgabe (a challenging task)
- Italian: Un'impresa difficile (a difficult task)
- Chinese: 一件困难的任务 (one difficult task)