lean and mean
3
5.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
eficiente y competitivo
- We became so lean and mean we could keep up with shareholders' demands for more profit!
- become lean and mean
- get lean and mean
- lean and mean look
I'm, you know, lean and mean and trim and I feel good about that.
- I'm, you know, lean and mean and trim and I feel good about that.
- They get in and they get out fast, clean, lean and mean and don't leave that much of A trace.
Examples
-
In the past decade, the national savings rate soared because Chinese SOEs were forced to get "lean and mean" in order to compete with US multinationals and dump the "iron bowl" social protections that included medical coverage and retirement pensions for workers.
Blog text (3) -
They came into good times lean and mean," according to Joe Altonji of Hildebrandt Inc., a New Jersey-based legal consulting firm.
Academic text (1997) -
Company got lean and mean for the new world order of the 21 st century.
-
Yeah, they would all get lean and mean.
Blog text (25) -
Those were lean and mean times trying to raise a family and survive.
Blog text (34) -
Well, whatever, the point is, I am not prepared to sacrifice any of my staff in order to make your department look lean and mean.
-
What's the secret to staying fresh, lean, and mean when you're a hot tech company on a fast growth trajectory?
Blog text (6) -
In order to stay competitive, the company must remain lean and mean by cutting unnecessary costs.
-
The fitness coach emphasized that his program will make participants lean and mean through rigorous training and proper nutrition.
-
Businesses that are lean and mean often outperform their rivals by maximizing efficiency and minimizing waste.
Synonyms
108
2.5
Thin with little extra fat or money
49
3.9
Gives good results while using little money
31
4.9
Careful about spending money and not wasting things
5
3.8
Gives good results while using little money
Antonyms
How Efficient
Surface Forms
Morphology
The component 'lean' clearly contributes the idea of having minimal resources, which a B1 learner would understand, but 'mean' here uses a colloquial/slang sense of 'tough, effective, or competitive' rather than the common 'unkind' meaning. Because the precise evaluative sense of 'mean' in this fixed pairing may be unfamiliar or ambiguous to learners, the overall idiom is partly predictable from its parts but requires some exposure to settle the intended meaning.
Etymology
Lean and mean may come from the image of a small, powerful machine or athlete with no extra weight, where lean means thin and mean means tough and ready to fight or work hard. So, the phrase now describes being 'efficient and competitive', using little but doing a lot.