to let deadlines slide
- phrasal verb
- Informal
- It's important not to let deadlines slide if you want to keep your clients happy.
Examples
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Sometimes employees let deadlines slide when there are too many projects at once.
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She often lets deadlines slide at work.
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He promised not to let deadlines slide during the next quarter.
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Don't let deadlines slide!
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To maintain a good reputation, it is crucial not to let deadlines slide on important projects.
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If you continue to let deadlines slide, you may risk losing valuable clients and your job.
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Many employees tend to let deadlines slide when they feel overwhelmed with multiple tasks.
Synonyms
To delay doing something you should do because you avoid it
Fail to hand in work by the agreed time
To delay dealing with something until later and make it less important
To delay doing something because you do not want to do it
To be slow on purpose because you do not want to do something
Antonyms
How Punctual
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'let' (allow) + 'deadlines' + 'slide' yield a plausible metaphorical meaning of allowing deadlines to 'slip by' or be ignored, so the sense is partially derivable from the parts. However, using 'slide' in the non-literal sense 'to let pass/leave unaddressed' requires a metaphorical inference that not all B1 learners will make reliably, so it is not fully transparent.
Etymology
Let deadlines slide creates a simple picture: imagine a due date or task like a small object and you let it slide past you instead of catching it. If you do not stop it, it goes away, so to let deadlines slide means to 'fail to meet' or 'ignore' those dates.