like a lemming off a cliff
- idiom
- Informal
:
como un lemming que se lanza por un acantilado
- Sometimes, people rush to buy the latest gadget like a lemming off a cliff, just because everyone else does.
Examples
-
He invested all his savings in the startup like a lemming off a cliff, without proper research.
-
When the company introduced the new policy, employees accepted it like a lemming off a cliff.
-
Don't invest your money like a lemming off a cliff!
-
Many people followed the trend like a lemming off a cliff.
-
Many people started exercising like a lemming off a cliff after the celebrity endorsed it, without considering if it was right for them.
-
She signed up for the course like a lemming off a cliff, simply because her friends were doing it.
-
Everyone began voting for the popular candidate like a lemming off a cliff, neglecting to research their policies.
Synonyms
59
4.4
Without thinking or planning, often leading to mistakes
30
4.6
In a way that shows no care about danger or the results
Antonyms
How Independent
984
2.3
8
6.7
175
2.8
6
6.0
295
1.6
- Informal
Surface Forms
Morphology
like + a + lemming + off + a + cliff
The phrase evokes the literal image of a lemming going off a cliff, so a learner who knows 'lemming', 'off' and 'cliff' can partly infer a meaning of following others into danger. However, it relies on a cultural/mythical assumption about lemming behaviour and uses that image as an idiomatic metaphor, so the exact sense of blind, reckless conformity is not fully predictable for a B1 learner without prior exposure.
Etymology
Like a lemming off a cliff comes from a popular story about small animals called lemmings that were said to run together and jump off a cliff. People imagined them following each other to their harm, so the phrase means 'to follow others blindly, even to your own harm'.