to step into the breach
2
7.3
- idiom
- Informal
:
intervenir
- Public officials, however, are often reluctant to step into the breach created by the private individual's lack of standing, for in many instances the perpetrator of the nuisance fulfills other social or economic objectives of perceived greater importance, thus inhibiting intercession on the part of the state.
Examples
-
This prompted museums and other arts institutions to step into the breach and build up their education departments.
Academic text (1999) -
Meanwhile, some states and municipalities have stepped into the breach.
Academic text (2006) -
So the more interesting calculation is, when are the young guys going to step into the breach?
Blog text (14) -
That there's always another agent waiting to step into the breach.
-
Doppler, ever the showman, stepped into the breach.
-
But the Hawkeye coaches don't seem all that concerned, probably because they have experienced players ready to step into the breach.
Blog text (4) -
Lloyd Perryman stepped into the breach opened by Nolan's exit.
Blog text (6) -
John had stepped into the breach to prevent the final resting place of one of his ancestors from becoming a forgotten, weed-choked garbage dump.
Blog text (12) -
The Turkish government has taken advantage of this to step into the breach left by the Bush administration's refusal to deal with Syria, successfully brokering indirect negotiations between Damascus and Jerusalem.
Academic text (2009) -
When the team leader fell ill, the assistant was ready to step into the breach and take charge of the project.
Synonyms
240
3.2
To get involved to help or take someone's place
182
3.7
Take action and accept responsibility for a task or problem
146
3.1
Volunteer to help or take responsibility
79
3.2
To start guiding a group or activity and make the main decisions
32
4.6
To take responsibility and act when a difficult situation happens
4
8.2
To step forward and help in a difficult situation when others cannot or will not
To offer to take charge of a group or task
Antonyms
How Responsible
862
3.1
- Informal
2
7.3
115
3.5
240
3.2
- Informal
486
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The literal parts ('step' = move into, 'into' = entering, 'breach' = an opening or gap) give a clear image of entering a gap, so learners can guess a sense of entering a problematic situation. However, the specific sense of taking responsibility or acting on behalf of someone else is a metaphorical extension (military origin) that is not directly predictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner who knows the words but has not seen the phrase will likely not infer the full idiomatic meaning.
Etymology
The phrase step into the breach comes from an old battle image: when an enemy makes a breach (a gap in a wall or defence) someone must step into that gap to fight and protect others. So, today it means 'to take responsibility or action' when someone else cannot.