wiggle room
21
4.1
- noun
- /ˈwɪɡəl ruːm/
- Informal
:
margen de maniobra
- You should always leave a little wiggle room in your plans for unexpected changes.
- leaves no wiggle room
And there's no wiggle room on his beliefs whatsoever.
- And there's no wiggle room on his beliefs whatsoever.
- Because if I go overtime, I've then cut into the wiggle room that I might have had otherwise.
- But if you don't have any wiggle room in your budget, renting might be the best choice for you.
- All right, a million two is the number and there's some wiggle room here or there.
- And so I think you, you probably give yourself a little bit more wiggle room.
- And I want to leave some wiggle room for these natural developments to occur.
- But I'm here for you and I think you should get a little bit of wiggle room.
- And I think that at my worst, I've not allowed for wiggle room when it comes to somebody's outlook or perspective.
- And do I have wiggle room in like, delaying this and putting this off further?
- I don't think they'll necessarily back down because they've given themselves some wiggle room by using that phrase frequent returners.
- I've never worked with a company that has given so much creative wiggle room and control to myself or our group before.
Examples
-
Is there any wiggle room on the price?
-
But if you don't have any wiggle room in your budget, renting might be the best choice for you.
-
There does seem to be some wiggle room on the date of the first.
-
No, we have a little bit of wiggle room at the camp.
-
I like a little wiggle room.
-
I like to leave some wiggle room.
-
We have a little wiggle room there.
-
Probably not about everything, but I think there is some wiggle room in areas.
-
So just having a little bit of excess wiggle room is really helpful.
-
There's some wiggle room on the price.
Synonyms
153
3.6
Ability to change plans or actions easily to fit new situations
37
4.3
Extra room to act and allow small mistakes
30
5.8
Freedom to act or make decisions within limits
1
3.6
Freedom to make decisions and act without strict limits
Antonyms
How Flexible
∞
1.0
30
5.8
37
4.3
- Informal
21
4.1
86
4.6
63
3.5
Surface Forms
Morphology
wiggle + room
The sense 'flexibility or leeway' is a metaphorical extension of the literal parts: 'wiggle' (small movement) + 'room' (space) → a 'space to wiggle' meaning room to maneuver, so a learner who knows both words can often infer the general idea. However, this is a figurative, idiomatic use whose precise pragmatic nuance and register may not be fully predictable to a B1 learner without prior exposure, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Wiggle room comes from a simple image: a small space where you can wiggle and move around in a room. That picture explains why today it means 'flexibility' or 'freedom to change plans'.