Idiom Topics
The Ubiquitous Essentials
10- On the other hand
- At the end of the day
- In the long run
- Bear in mind
- A piece of cake
- Keep an eye on
- Out of the blue
- Rule of thumb
- So far, so good
- Behind the scenes
Everyday Casual & Workplace
10- Under the weather
- Call it a day
- Up in the air
- Wrap your head around
- Break the ice
- Get out of hand
- Go the extra mile
- Touch base
- Hit the nail on the head
- Cut corners
Problem Solving & Interaction
10- See eye to eye
- Read between the lines
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Get the hang of it
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- The elephant in the room
- Hit the ground running
- Play it by ear
- Bite the bullet
- Sit on the fence
Decisions & Perspectives
9- Jump on the bandwagon
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- The best of both worlds
- A blessing in disguise
- Once in a blue moon
- Pull someone's leg
- Miss the boat
- Better late than never
- Get your act together
Colorful & Traditional
10- Spill the beans
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Go back to the drawing board
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Actions speak louder than words
- A penny for your thoughts
- Break a leg
- Hit the sack
- Beat around the bush
Academic & Formal Discourse
10- Bear fruit
- Pave the way
- Shed light on
- Go hand in hand
- Tip the scales
- Fly in the face of
- Bring to the table
- Turn a blind eye
- Draw a blank
- State of the art
Emotions & Reactions
10- Over the moon
- Down in the dumps
- On edge
- Blow off steam
- Keep your cool
- Drive someone up the wall
- On cloud nine
- A weight off my shoulders
- At your wits' end
- Thrilled to bits
Effort, Success, & Failure
10- Start from scratch
- Pass with flying colors
- Fall flat
- Go down the drain
- Keep your head above water
- Pay off
- Throw in the towel
- Make headway
- Uphill battle
- Back to square one
Time, Speed, & Urgency
10- Beat the clock
- At the eleventh hour
- Around the clock
- In the nick of time
- Drag your feet
- Time flies
- Make up for lost time
- Call time on
- Ahead of the curve
- On the spur of the moment
Resources, Money, & Value
10- Make ends meet
- Foot the bill
- Break the bank
- Tighten your belt
- Bang for your buck
- A drop in the ocean
- Make a killing
- On a shoestring budget
- Worth your weight in gold
- Pay top dollar
Bring to the table
Learn the meaning, origin, and usage of the idiom "Bring to the table" with five example sentences across different contexts. This idiom is part of ourAcademic & Formal Discourse collection for PTE and IELTS preparation.
Bring to the table
To provide or contribute something useful, such as a skill, asset, experience, or idea, to a discussion, project, or group effort.
History & Origin
The phrase originates from gambling, specifically card games like poker, where players had to physically place their money or chips on the table to prove they had the assets to participate. Over time, it transitioned into business and legal negotiations during the 20th century to describe what value or leverage a party offers. Today, it is widely used in professional settings to refer to any useful skills or resources a person contributes.
Examples
We are thrilled to welcome Sarah to the marketing department, as she brings over a decade of digital strategy experience to the table.
I can help with the cooking for the party, but what are you going to bring to the table?
Each research institution involved in the global climate coalition brings unique data collection capabilities to the table.
The upcoming trade negotiations are expected to stall unless both nations bring more realistic compromises to the table.
As your newly elected representative, I promise to bring transparency, accountability, and real solutions to the table.
Quiz
Which of the following sentences uses the idiom correctly?
A. Because he forgot his notebook, Mark had to bring to the table his laptop from his car.
B. The company hired a new software engineer because she brings valuable expertise in artificial intelligence to the table.
C. If you don't bring to the table your bad behavior, you will be grounded for the weekend.
D. Please bring to the table of contents your ideas so that the book layout is clear.