pick/take up the slack

idiom

: to provide or do something that is missing or not getting done

The manager has to take up the slack when employees don't do their jobs correctly.

When he didn't get the pay raise he was expecting, he had to take another job to pick up the slack for more money.

Examples of pick/take up the slack in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

When these pathways fail, there aren’t enough to take up the slack, and then those pathways fail as well, resulting in a complete ecological collapse. —Ollie Barder, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025

Fortunately for Volvo, there is a production facility in Ghent, Belgium, that can pick up the slack for export to the United States. —Chad Kirchner, Ars Technica, 26 Feb. 2025

Cliff Gold Fremont Who will pick up the slack for USAID? —Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 7 Feb. 2025

Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and James Harden are among James’ teammates that will have to pick up the slack in his absence. —Christian Babcock, The Mercury News, 16 Feb. 2025