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Glite Dictionary
juggling act

juggling act

4 4.9
A situation where a person manages several important tasks at once, often with difficulty
  • noun
  • /ˈdʒʌɡlɪŋ ækt/
  • Informal
: número de malabarismo
  • Protecting the interests of all three requires a juggling act.

So that is the juggling act and the puzzle we're trying to solve and we'll solve, but I don't know how quickly we will.

Examples

  • Every day is just a juggling act; that's all there is to it.

    Blog text (3)

  • Deciding how to teach one-on-one is like a juggling act.

    Academic text (2003)

  • It's a juggling act just to make my life work.

    The Drowning Pool (1975)

  • When the season gets into play, it becomes more of a juggling act...

    Academic text (2002)

  • It's difficult for a movie to pull that juggling act off, let alone a game.

    Blog text (28)

  • This is the juggling act that the current government and future governments must handle with care.

    Blog text (3)

  • There is a real juggling act taking place for every conductor or coach.

    Blog text (4)

  • It is a bit of a juggling act making sure these guys get their best club opportunities.

    Blog text (31)

  • What gets to be a juggling act is keeping all of the balls in sync: collection, materials handling, economics, and markets.

    Academic text (1998)

  • Managing work, children, and household chores is a real juggling act for many parents.

Synonyms

balancing act
vsjuggling act
  • Informal
23 4.4

A situation of managing two or more important things at the same time, like work and family

is about handling many tasks at once, often under strain

Antonyms

focus
∞ 3.5

Close attention to one subject or activity

simplicity
36 1.7

Being easy to understand and not complicated

How Demanding

crisis
∞ 3.1
juggling act
  • Informal
4 4.9
balancing act
  • Informal
23 4.4
routine
255 1.0

Surface Forms

juggling act singular
juggling acts plural

Morphology

juggle + act

The phrase 'juggling act' is compositionally an 'act' of 'juggling' — with 'juggle' conveying balancing or managing multiple tasks and 'act' marking an instance or performance — so the overall meaning of managing several responsibilities is directly inferable. The metaphor of a juggling performance for handling tasks is common and accessible, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can reliably understand it.

Etymology

The noun juggling act comes from the image of a juggler in a show who keeps several balls or objects in the air at once, since juggling is the skill and an act is a short part of a show. So, a 'juggling act' means trying to manage many tasks or responsibilities at the same time, often with difficulty.