Meaning & use
float the boat
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Meaning
phraseidiominformal
to be what someone likes or finds exciting; to please someone.
Grammar: Often used with a negative or in questions. The subject is the thing that pleases someone: 'That film didn't float my boat.'
Patterns
- something floats someone's boat
- something doesn't float someone's boat
I like jazz, but classical music doesn't really float my boat.
Does the idea of a quiet weekend in the country float your boat?
The new design is clever, but it doesn't float my boat.
Common combinations
- really float someone's boat
- A hot cup of tea really floats my boat on a cold morning.
- not float someone's boat
- Horror films don't float my boat at all.
- float someone's boat
- That kind of music floats his boat.
Synonyms and how they differ
- appeal to
- This is more formal and neutral: 'The idea appeals to me' means it seems good, not necessarily exciting.
- tickle someone's fancy
- This is also informal and means to seem appealing or interesting, but it is slightly more old-fashioned.
Commonly confused: float the boat or float a boat?
float the boat vs float a boat
This is the literal meaning: to make a boat stay on water. 'Float the boat' as an idiom means to please someone.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'float the boat' correctly?
Choose one answer.
The idiom means 'to please someone', so 'That new restaurant really floats my boat' is correct. The other options use 'float' literally about a boat on water, which is not the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “float the boat”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.