Meaning & use
do the trick
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
to have the result you want, especially when a simple action is enough
Grammar: Used as an intransitive phrase: the subject is the thing that works, not a person.
Patterns
- something does the trick
- that should do the trick
- a little ... does the trick
A short nap usually does the trick when I feel tired.
I loosened the screw a little, and that did the trick.
If the door still sticks, a bit of oil should do the trick.
Common combinations
- should do the trick
- A quick phone call should do the trick.
- that did the trick
- He changed the battery, and that did the trick.
- just do the trick
- A simple 'sorry' might just do the trick.
- do the trick nicely
- The small table does the trick nicely in that corner.
Synonyms and how they differ
- work
- More neutral and formal; 'work' is the plain verb, while 'do the trick' is informal and suggests a simple solution.
- be effective
- Formal; use it in reports or essays where 'do the trick' would sound too casual.
Commonly confused: do the trick or turn the trick?
do the trick vs turn the trick
A rare variant with the same meaning; learners should stick to 'do the trick', which is far more common.
Practice
The room was cold, so I closed the window, and that ___.
Choose one answer.
'Did the trick' is the fixed idiom meaning it solved the problem. The other verbs do not form this idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “do the trick”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.