hello everyone welcome to idiom 100
where we learn 100 commonly used idioms
by native English speakers
all of the explanations are in English
so it might be challenging for you but
just try to imagine the meanings in your
head and study hard and soon you'll be
able to use these idioms in your
conversations
is everyone ready let's begin hello
everyone today's idiom is off the hook
off the hook
alright so in this situation it's may be
helpful to imagine we are fishing right
and we're fishing and we throw the line
and we catch a fish and the fish is on
the hook right on the hook and the fish
is in for a terrible future right our
plan is to have him for dinner but
suddenly we decide oh no I feel sorry
for this fish so I'll let him off the
hook and he can be free okay so we took
the fish off the hook and he was free so
let's imagine this situation and listen
to some examples that can help us
understand the meaning of off the hook
hey I heard you're in charge of the PTA
at your child's elementary school yeah
but I told the principal it's too
stressful and he let me off the hook all
right so she was on the PTA she was in
charge of the PTA which is a
parent-teacher Association and it's a
big responsibility and she told the
principal it's too much I can't do it
it's too stressful for me so he let her
off the hook yeah
gave her her freedom yeah it's okay you
don't have to do it alright let's listen
to the second example I was supposed to
babysit my nephew this weekend
but my sister-in-law found this great
babysitter so I got off the hook oh
great let's go watch movies like we
planned
all right so he had to babysit he had a
responsibility to babysit but his
sister-in-law found another babysitter
so he was led off the hook
yeah given freedom it's okay you don't
have to do it so to be let off the hook
means to be relieved of your
responsibilities or your duty in a
situation right kind of you had to do
something there was pressure and a sense
of responsibility and all of a sudden
you don't have to do it maybe someone
decided ah it's okay we don't need you
to do it so you're off the hook yeah you
are free from this responsibility all
right and we can also use it in a
situation where someone suspected you of
doing something bad yeah in this case
you're on the hook was you're the
suspect we think you did it and when we
realize oh actually maybe you didn't do
it then you're off the hook yeah ah it
wasn't you never mind it was this guy
yeah you're off the hook okay so let's
try using this phrase mm someone let me
off the hook or I am off the hook okay
to mean you don't have the
responsibility in the situation anymore
and I'll see you next time thank you
you