Idiom: Jump through hoops
Meaning
Look at the picture and try to guess the meaning of the idiom 'jump through hoops.'
Jump through hoops: to do a series of difficult or unpleasant things in order to get something you want or something you need to do.
Notes:
As you can see in the picture above, one of the men is directing the other man to jump through a hoop—just like they train animals to jump through hoops at the circus.
That is the metaphor of this idiom—a person having to jump through hoops like a circus animal.
Examples
— I had to jump through hoops to get to my flight. First, I took the bus, then the subway, then another bus to the airport, then a shuttle bus to the terminal and a tram to the gate!
— We went through hoops to get a new hotel after our travel agent had booked us into a noisy hotel that was undergoing renovations.
— I went through hoops getting to this appointment through the snow and ice and you're telling me that the doctor didn't come in today? Why didn't you call me earlier!
— I jumped through hoops to get you a job so you're going to do it whether you like it or not!
— Your father had to jump through hoops to get you tickets to the concert so I hope you really show him how much you appreciate the effort he made for you.
— Susan is the worst boss I ever had—I was constantly jumping through hoops for her.
— If you want to be an actor be prepared to jump through a lot of hoops to get work.
— I heard she got tired of jumping through hoops and moved back home a week ago.
— We had to go through a lot of hoops to bring our dog with us over to Europe but we couldn't imagine living a year abroad without her.
— Our school is trying to get accreditation with the Department of Education and it seems like all we are doing is jumping through hoops.
— Your wife has you constantly jumping through hoops. That would make me go crazy.
— I'll jump through as many hoops as I have to in order to get a job with Apple.
— My husband jumped through hoops to get my son into private school and he got expelled the second day!
— Working in the private sector is amazing—I used to have to go through hoops just to get a new pen and notebook.
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