Deciding has three parts: not knowing, choosing, and handing the choice to somebody else. English has an idiom for all three, and the one you pick tells people how hard the decision really was.
1. Two flats, one decision
Astrid: Have you chosen?
Ewan: I'm still on the fence. One has light, one has space.
Astrid: Which one did you dream about?
Ewan: The one with light.
Astrid: There's your answer.
2. An answer by tomorrow
Carmen: They want an answer by tomorrow.
Dmitri: Then you have tonight.
Carmen: I could sign now and stop thinking about it.
Dmitri: Sleep on it. You'll know at seven in the morning.
Carmen: I usually do.
Dmitri: Everyone does.
3. Same shoes, two shops
Elif: Same shoes, two shops.
Ned: Same price?
Elif: Same price, but one delivers free.
Ned: That's a no-brainer.
Elif: I ordered before I asked you.
Ned: Why did you ask, then?
4. Two good candidates
Gopal: Have you picked one?
Wilma: It's a tough call. Both interviewed well.
Gopal: Then pick the one you'd want on a bad Monday.
Wilma: That's Ana.
Gopal: That was quick.
Wilma: It was, wasn't it.
5. Refundable or ninety pounds cheaper
Ivan: The cheap ticket is ninety pounds less.
Juno: And if the meeting moves?
Ivan: Then I lose the ninety.
Juno: The meeting moved twice last year.
Ivan: Then I'll play it safe and pay the extra.
Juno: Cheaper than losing it all.
6. The call he keeps not making
Kwame: Have you told the landlord?
Lotte: Not yet.
Kwame: It's been three weeks.
Lotte: I know. I'll bite the bullet and call him tonight.
Kwame: Do it before dinner. You'll eat better.
Lotte: That's oddly good advice.
7. The early price ended on Friday
Rae: Did you book the course?
Nikhil: I was going to do it at the weekend.
Rae: The early price ended Friday.
Nikhil: Then I've missed the boat.
Rae: By two days.
Nikhil: I'll pay full price and remember this.
8. Everything has been sent
Orla: I've sent the offer and the timeline.
Pavel: And they've read both?
Orla: They've read both. The ball's in their court now.
Pavel: How long do you give them?
Orla: A week, then I ask once.
Pavel: Once is right.
Words to know
| on the fence | unable to decide between two choices I'm still on the fence. One has light, one has space. |
| sleep on it | to wait until the next day before deciding Sleep on it. You'll know at seven in the morning. |
| a no-brainer | a decision so obvious that it needs no thought That's a no-brainer. |
| a tough call | a hard decision between two good options It's a tough call. Both interviewed well. |
| play it safe | to choose the option with less risk Then I'll play it safe and pay the extra. |
| bite the bullet | to finally do the unpleasant thing you have been avoiding I know. I'll bite the bullet and call him tonight. |
| miss the boat | to lose a chance by acting too late Then I've missed the boat. |
| the ball is in your court | it is now the other person's turn to decide or act They've read both. The ball's in their court now. |
Quick practice
Complete each sentence with an idiom from the conversations above. Change the form if you need to.
1. One flat has light and the other has space, so Ewan is still ________.
(unable to decide)
2. Dmitri told Carmen not to sign tonight but to ________.
(wait until the next day)
3. Same shoes, same price, and one shop delivers free. Ned called it ________.
(an obvious decision)
4. Both candidates interviewed well, which made it ________.
(a hard decision between two good options)
5. The meeting had already moved twice, so Ivan decided to ________ and buy the refundable ticket.
(choose the lower risk)
6. The early price ended on Friday and Nikhil planned to book at the weekend, so he ________.
(lost the chance by acting too late)
Show the answers
1. on the fence 2. sleep on it 3. a no-brainer 4. a tough call 5. play it safe 6. missed the boat
Common mistakes
Not: It's a big decision — let me sleep it on.
Say: It's a big decision — let me sleep on it.
The word order is fixed: sleep on it. Many two-word verbs let the object move (turn it off), but this one does not, because on it is the thing you are sleeping on.
Not: Free delivery for the same price? That's a no-brain.
Say: Free delivery for the same price? That's a no-brainer.
The word is no-brainer, with -er — a thing that needs no brain. No-brain would describe a person, and not kindly.
Not: I've sent everything, so the ball is in your field.
Say: I've sent everything, so the ball is in your court.
Court, from tennis. The ball has crossed the net and is on your side now. Field is a different sport and breaks the picture the idiom is built on.
Your turn
Say each answer aloud first. Decisions are easier to talk about in the past, so use a real one you have already made where you can.
- Think of a decision you are on the fence about right now. Write the two choices in one sentence each.
- Describe a decision that was a no-brainer. Why was it so obvious?
- Write two sentences about a time you had to bite the bullet. How long did you put it off first?
- Have you ever missed the boat on something — a price, a job, a flat? Say what it cost you.
- You have given someone all the information they asked for. Write one sentence telling them the ball is in their court.
Quick review
Put these on a line from hardest to easiest. A tough call is the hardest: two good options, and choosing one means losing the other. On the fence is the state you are in while you decide, and sleep on it is the cure for it. Play it safe and bite the bullet are opposite answers to risk — one avoids the painful thing, the other walks into it on purpose. A no-brainer is the easiest of all. And two are about what happens outside your control: miss the boat is deciding too slowly, and the ball is in your court is the polite way to say you have done your part and are now waiting.