Englishpull something off
Meaning: To accomplish something that had appeared difficult to finish or achieve.
Example: “Nobody thought we could stage the play in a week, but we pulled it off.”
Origin: Documented as a noun use of the underlying verb phrase from the 1850s, describing the successful accomplishment of something difficult or unlikely. The precise reasoning behind the specific verb "pull" isn't clearly recorded, though one plausible connection reaches for the physical effort of pulling something stubbornly stuck free — prying a jammed lid off a container, for instance — as a small, everyday parallel for the effort and satisfaction of accomplishing something that resisted easy success. "Pull something off" has been standard colloquial English since at least the second half of the 1800s.
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Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- 虎穴に入らずんば虎子を得ず (Koketsu ni irazunba koji wo ezu) You can't achieve anything great without taking risks.
- 果報は寝て待て (Kahō wa nete mate) Once you have done what you can, wait patiently; luck can't be hurried.
- 住めば都 (Sumeba miyako) Wherever you settle, you grow to love it as home.
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