Quote
1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.
“I think our Western society is very much about, tuck your head in; make sure you’re safe. Don’t rock the boat.”
Actress Cate Blanchett, talking about Western culture (BrainyQuote)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
say or do something to change a situation; cause trouble
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
Are you the type of person that follows the rules? Do you live your life like everyone else or try to be different? In English, we have a term for someone who likes to cause trouble or who likes to challenge the norm. The expression is rock the boat.
To rock the boat means to say or do something to change a situation. When you don’t agree with rules in the office, you probably rock the boat in order to get what you want.
Actress Cate Blanchett thinks Western society doesn’t like people who rock the boat. She says that people are told to keep their heads down and follow the rules. She likes to rock the boat so that she can get ahead in the movie business.
Examples
1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.
“John was fired for rocking the boat at the office.”
“Juan gets in trouble at work everyday because he rocks the boat at every meeting. “
“My father always told me not to rock the boat too much at school.”