steady hand on the tiller
- idiom
- Informal
:
mano firme en el timón
- The new CEO brought a steady hand on the tiller during the company's financial crisis.
Examples
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With a steady hand on the tiller, she guided her team through the challenging project.
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In times of political uncertainty, voters seek leaders with a steady hand on the tiller.
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The captain showed a steady hand on the tiller during the storm.
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In times of crisis, we need a steady hand on the tiller.
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The manager's steady hand on the tiller during the crisis helped the company navigate through challenges smoothly.
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In a storm, a steady hand on the tiller is essential for keeping the ship on course.
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A steady hand on the tiller is crucial for any leader to guide their team through difficult times.
Synonyms
7
3.8
A calm, careful way of guiding movement or people in difficult situations
Antonyms
Surface Forms
Morphology
steady + hand + on + the + tiller
The phrase is a straightforward composition: 'steady' (calm), 'hand' (the person or body part doing the controlling) and 'tiller' (the steering handle) together yield the literal image of a calm person steering, which directly maps onto 'calm and skillful control or management.' This nautical metaphor is transparent and predictable from the constituents (and is common cross-linguistically), so a B1 learner who knows the component words can infer the intended meaning.
Etymology
Steady hand on the tiller creates a clear picture: a steady hand holding the boat's steering handle, the tiller, so the boat keeps its course in rough seas. That's why it means 'calm and skillful control' in difficult situations.