English Dictionary

pick up the slack

動詞

To tighten something that is slack so that it is taut. / To do work that would otherwise be left undone. / To provide extra needed resources.

日本語の意味

緩んでいる状態を引き締める、または整えること。 / 通常なら放置されるか未処理となる作業を代わりに行うこと。 / 必要な追加の資源を補充する、または提供すること。

Before the storm arrived, she had to pick up the slack in the tent ropes so they would stay taut.

嵐が来る前に、彼女はテントのロープのたるみを引き締めて張りを保たなければならなかった。

意味（1）

To tighten something that is slack so that it is taut.

In such cases even a four-to-one multiplying reel is much too slow to pick up the slack, and a single-action fly reel is hopelessly inadequate.

意味（2）

To do work that would otherwise be left undone.

But, to the extent that he remained insecure about his caregiving, particularly in settings outside the safe confines of home, Belinda had to pick up the slack. And the more she picked up the slack, the more he backed off and deferred to her.

意味（3）

To provide extra needed resources.

In a city financed largely by user fees, government coffers have little to spare for subsidies. Voluntary contributions could pick up the slack.

意味（4）

(mathematics) To act as a slack variable, converting an inequality into an equality.

We call them slack variables because they pick up the slack, so to speak; that is, they take on whatever values are necessary to create equalities (notice that each slack variable must be nonnegative).

意味（5）

To consume something that would otherwise go to waste.

If a person couldn't sell their (choose one) poetry, play, sculpture, or painting on the open market, why should the taxpayers pick up the slack for the poet, artist, or playwright whose talents would be better utilized in, say, a car wash?

picks up the slack （ present singular third-person ）

picking up the slack （ participle present ）

picked up the slack （ participle past ）

picked up the slack （ past ）