Hi everyone! Today’s phrase of the day comes from a situation where a guy was working two part-time jobs. At the same time, he was also in college trying to finish his degree, and he also had a dog, and he had a girlfriend. He described his life as a juggling act. What does that mean?
A juggling act is when you have multiple different tasks and responsibilities, and it’s difficult to maintain them all at the same time. The verb juggle literally refers to when you have 3 or more balls and you keep them all in the air by throwing and catching them in turns. It’s difficult to keep all the balls in the air without letting them drop to the ground; you need to have perfect timing and focus.
In a similar way, when you have multiple responsibilities -like the guy with two jobs, college, a dog, and a girlfriend -it can be hard to take care of everything, handle all the different elements. This is why we use the expression a juggling act to describe this situation.
Another example is when you have adults, let’s say around 40 years old, who have both young children (who need a lot of help/time) AND elderly parents (who also need a lot of help/time). Taking care of everyone’s needs can be a juggling act.
I hope this phrase of the day is now clear for you. Thanks for watching, and tune in tomorrow for another video!