Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
string to one's bow

string to one's bow

1 8.5
An extra skill someone can use later
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : habilidad adicional
  • He decided to study graphic design to add a new string to his bow.

Examples

  • Learning public speaking has given me another string to my bow in my professional life.

  • She sees her language skills as an important string to her bow.

  • Learning Spanish is another string to my bow.

  • She has several strings to her bow, including graphic design.

  • He learned French as another string to his bow to improve his job prospects.

  • Having a degree in computer science is just one string to my bow; I also enjoy graphic design.

  • She considered her cooking skills an important string to her bow when applying for new jobs.

Synonyms

resource
vsstring to one's bow
∞ 2.0

A thing like money, tools or support that you can use when needed

is mainly a personal extra skill or advantage for future use
asset
vsstring to one's bow
770 3.5

A useful quality, skill, or person that helps someone succeed

is a specific extra skill or support kept for possible future use
arrow in someone's quiver
vsstring to one's bow
  • Informal
7.2

An extra skill or resource you can use when needed

is an additional skill or support seen mainly as a future possibility

How Useful

string to one's bow
  • UK
1 8.5
one-trick pony
  • Offensive
4 6.0

Surface Forms

string to one's bow singular
strings to one's bow plural

Morphology

string + to + one + bow

The phrase uses the literal words 'string' and 'bow' but its meaning is a metaphorical extension — like having an extra string on an archer's bow giving you an additional option — rather than a direct compositional meaning. An average B1 learner who knows the words might sense a figurative relation if they recognise the archery metaphor (and many languages have a similar idiom), but the specific sense 'an additional skill or resource' is not fully predictable without prior exposure.

Etymology

String to one's bow may come from archery, where having an extra string for a bow gives an archer another way to shoot. So, it now means 'an extra skill or resource'.