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Pick up the slack

Idiomatic Phrase
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

To assume responsibility for tasks or duties that others have neglected or failed to complete; implies stepping in to maintain momentum or balance when others fall short of their obligations.

Detailed Definition
Pick up the slack means to take on neglected work, responsibility, or effort when someone else has failed, withdrawn, or cannot continue. In poetry, the idiom can illuminate caregiving, teamwork, family duty, labour, and unequal emotional burdens. The slack image suggests looseness in a rope or system that must be tightened by another’s effort. A poet may use it to honour practical support or expose exploitation. It is useful for showing how communities survive when hidden workers compensate for others’ absence.
Example
Example in poetry:
A family poem might show the eldest child picking up the slack when illness empties the mother's chair; In a theatre poem, the chorus picks up the slack when the lead forgets her line; The phrase means to do extra work when others cannot or do not; A poet can use it for duty, teamwork, or resentment.
Additional Notes
Pick up the slack means take on neglected work or compensate for another’s failure. The phrase may come from ropes, where slack must be tightened to restore function. In poetry, it can reveal hidden labour, family duty, workplace inequality, friendship, and resentment. Students should ask who repeatedly picks up the slack and who benefits from that effort. It pairs well with ropes, teams, burdens, and unacknowledged responsibility.
Also Known As
take responsibility
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