English, baby!

tested the waters

Date: Aug 10 2006

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

“I tested the waters of traveling with my family last year.”

-Jack Johnson, talking about his plan to bring his family on his entire tour with him this year.

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

tested the waters means tried something out before making a commitment to do it for real

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

I just recently bought a house. It was a really big decision to make. Before I bought the house, I decided to live in it for a while.

I tested the waters before I actually decided to purchase the house. In my opinion, it’s smart to test the waters before you do something permanently.

A lot of my friends tested the waters of marriage by living with their boyfriend or girlfriend first.

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

“I wasn’t sure how my parents would react when I told them I wanted to get married. I tested the waters by talking about a friend who had just gotten married.”

“John wanted a promotion at work but was scared to take on a new job. He tested the waters by helping other people do what they did.”

“I tested the waters of living overseas by visiting a friend who lived in Europe for a while. That way I got to see if I liked it there.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

	To try something new and see how it's like. by laeluna07
	It means: I tried what it feels like. I gave it a try, I know what it feels like :) by melirubi
	Sampling something before committing to it. Like when you stick you foot in the pool to make sure it's not too freezing to jump in. by zach666
	tried for the first time, gave a try by katrix