the sky's the limit
1
5.1
- idiom
:
no hay límites
- In this competition, remember that the sky's the limit if you stay focused on your goals.
Examples
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Now I got fucking money in my pocket, the sky's the limit.
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The sky's the limit, doctor.
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Well, if you play ball with us, why, I tell you, the sky is the limit.
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Brian is proof that if you work hard the sky is the limit here in Bamfield.
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If you have excellent credit, the sky is the limit in terms of how you qualify for financing with interest rates that will not cost you an arm and a leg.
Blog text (12) -
Well, they say the sky's the limit And to me that's really true
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The sky's the limit.
Blog text (12) -
This might make one view the divide cynically... free TV where we allow rules, cable TV where the sky's the limit, but you have to pay for it.
Blog text (12) -
If you put in the effort, then the sky's the limit for your career.
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She believes that with determination and skill, the sky's the limit for what she can achieve.
Surface Forms
Morphology
the + sky's + the + limit
The phrase is a contracted form of 'the sky is the limit' and combines 'sky' and 'limit' so a learner who knows both words can infer a metaphorical meaning that the highest possible boundary is the sky. However, this relies on a cultural/metaphorical mapping (sky = very high/no practical ceiling) rather than strict compositionality, so it is not fully literal or automatically predictable for all B1 learners despite cross-linguistic parallels.
Etymology
The saying the sky's the limit comes from a simple picture: the sky is the highest thing you can see and a limit is a line you cannot cross. So if the sky is the limit, there is 'no limit' to how far you can go.