go the extra mile
go the extra mile
Meaning
- to make an extra effort
- try very hard to achieve something
- to do more than expected
- to make special efforts
Example Sentences
- When it comes to weaker students, the teacher goes the extra mile to help them understand.
- I love staying at that hotel. They go the extra mile to make their guests happy.
- She is a very nice person and is always willing to go the extra mile to help others.
- If you are willing to go the extra mile at work, you are bound to get noticed and grow professionally.
- I was impressed with the way the customer service officer went the extra mile to resolve my problem.
- It is often required to go the extra mile in order to keep a relationship strong and happy.
- He's not a very loyal person. I wouldn't go the extra mile to keep him in our team.
Origin
This phrase is an adaptation of a commandment of Jesus in the Sermon of Mount (Matthew Ch 5 v 41) : "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain." Under the Roman Impressment Law, a Roman soldier passing by a Jew could order him to carry his pack for one mile. Jesus asked his followers to go two miles instead of one.
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3 Thoughts
Yes, Roman soldiers could not require more than a mile, so the law abiding soldier would merely take his pack back after a mile. And going the extra mile for a solder that didn’t follow the law is not resistance. Jesus tells us not to resist the evil person. So, Anon’s interpretation is an outlier.
- John WIL Haus August 12, 2020
The roman soldier was only allowed to order someone to carry his pack 1 mile. By carrying it 2 miles, the soldier would be in violation of the law and could be punished. The phrase was intended to be a passive fight back against an unjust system, not “putting in extra effort”.
- Anon May 6, 2020
Can you add a list of idioms all in a line and be able to click it to see the meaning and everything else?
- Jeff the odd man February 15, 2018