IdiomDaily Life
Swedish
Swedishkratta manegen
Meaning: To prepare the ground or circumstances to make it easier for someone to accomplish a task.
Literally: To rake the arena
Example: “Hennes föregångare hade krattat manegen för reformen.” — Her predecessor had paved the way for the reform.
English equivalent: To pave the way
Equivalents in other languages
Italian: preparare il terreno Literally: To prepare the ground
English: pave the way
Origin: Manegen is the sand-covered ring of a circus, which is raked smooth before the performers come on. Raking the ring for someone is preparing the ground so that they can perform easily. Swedish Wiktionary records the phrase only from the late 1990s.
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