🏋️♂️ Bending Over Backwards: The Contortionist’s Quest to Please Others 🤸♀️
Definition: To exert oneself enormously, to go to a great deal of trouble to satisfy or please someone.
- Synonyms: Go to great lengths, go out of one’s way, break one’s back, put oneself out.
- Antonyms: Make no effort, ignore, neglect, overlook, dismiss.
Origin:
Originating in the United States about 1920, this expression, with its image of straining to do a backbend, is well on its way to cliché status.
Related Phrases and Expressions:
- Jump through hoops: To go through a lot of trouble or difficulties, typically to please someone.
- Go the extra mile: To go beyond what is expected.
- Move heaven and earth: To do everything you possibly can to achieve a result.
Humor-filled Quotes:
- “I bend over backwards so much I could get hired at Cirque du Soleil.”
- “Doing gymnastics just to make someone happy? That’s flexibility I’d rather save for yoga class!”
Proverbs and Wisdom:
- “The path to heaven is strewn with invisible bricks.”
(Means the road to success or satisfaction often involves unseen or unappreciated hard work.) - “You cannot please everyone, so you’re better off pleasing yourself.”
— Literary classic: Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice”
References in Literature, Songs, and Movies:
- Literature:
“Bend Sinister” by Vladimir Nabokov – Nabokov’s work often explores the lengths to which people go to find validation. - Songs:
“I Would Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That)” by Meat Loaf – Illustrates the limits and conditions of doing anything for love. - Movies:
“Yes Man” starring Jim Carrey – A man changes his life by saying “yes” to everything, showing the hilarious and chaotic lengths he goes to please others.
Inspirational, Thought-Provoking Farewell
Remember, while bending over backwards for others can sometimes bring joy and satisfaction, don’t forget to place value on your own worth and comfort. True balance lies in treating others with kindness while respecting your own limits.
### Choose the phrase that means exerting oneself to great lengths:
- [x] Bending over backwards
- [ ] Standing on your head
- [ ] Sitting in a tree
- [ ] Walking through walls
> **Explanation:** "Bending over backwards" is the correct expression, symbolizing making extraordinary efforts to please someone.
### Which idiom means to do something extra to achieve a goal?
- [ ] Digging in a hole
- [x] Moving heaven and earth
- [ ] Swimming with dolphins
- [ ] Dancing on the roof
> **Explanation:** "Moving heaven and earth" means doing everything possible to achieve a result.
### True or False: "To jump through hoops" means to ease up and relax.
- [ ] True
- [x] False
> **Explanation:** "To jump through hoops" means to go through effort or trouble, typically for someone’s benefit, NOT relaxing.
