to throw things at the wall and see what sticks
- idiom
- Informal
:
probar diferentes ideas
- Marketing can sometimes mean you just throw things at the wall and see what sticks.
Examples
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The team decided to throw things at the wall and see what sticks to solve the persistent problem.
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When starting a novel, some authors throw things at the wall and see what sticks before settling on a plot.
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Let's throw things at the wall and see what sticks!
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He decided to throw things at the wall and see what sticks during the brainstorming session.
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To find the best approach for the project, we will throw things at the wall and see what sticks during our meeting.
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In order to come up with a creative solution, we often throw things at the wall and see what sticks.
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When brainstorming new ideas, it's common to throw things at the wall and see what sticks before choosing a direction.
Synonyms
229
2.8
To test something to see how it works
2
7.7
To try different ideas to find which ones work
To try many different ideas to find one that works
Try many different ideas to see which one works
Antonyms
How Experimental
- Informal
55
3.8
1
1.6
Surface Forms
Morphology
throw + thing + at + the + wall + and + see + what + stick
The phrase uses a vivid physical metaphor — literally throwing things at a wall and checking which ones stick — which maps onto the idea of trying many ideas to see which succeed. Because understanding requires mapping that physical image onto an abstract trial-and-error strategy rather than directly composing the literal meanings, it is partially predictable but not fully transparent for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Throw things at the wall and see what sticks comes from the image of someone literally throwing different things at a wall to see which ones stick. So it means 'try many ideas and keep the ones that work'.