PhrasesHub

Whip round

    Definitions

      • collect money
        To gather funds from a group of people for a specific purpose, often for a gift or charitable cause

      • quick action
        To act promptly or swiftly in response to a situation or task

    Examples of Whip round

    • The staff decided to whip round a gift for their colleague who was getting married.

      In this example, 'whip round' is used as a phrase meaning to collect money or items from a group of people, usually informally or in a casual setting. In this case, the staff members decided to organize a spontaneous fundraiser to surprise their co-worker who was getting married.

    • Our team is planning a whip round to buy a birthday gift for our project manager.

      In this example, 'whip round' is again used in its literal sense of gathering funds, but here it is being used within the context of the workplace, where the team is coming together to purchase a gift for their project manager.

    • After the fire, the community whipped round to provide aid and support to the affected families.

      'Whip round' can also be used to describe communal efforts in response to crises or emergency situations. In this example, the idiom is used to describe the collective action taken by a community to generate resources that can be utilized to help those who have been impacted by the fire.

    • The students whipped round to buy gifts for their teacher's birthday.

      Here, 'whip round' is again used in a school context to convey the students' decision to organize a small fundraiser in order to purchase gifts for their teacher.

    • The sales team decided to whip round and gather some funds for their colleague's medical treatment.

      In this example, 'whip round' is used as a phrasal verb meaning to collect money informally and quickly from a group of people. The sales team wanted to help their colleague in need, so they decided to ask their peers to contribute some money for the medical expenses. This process of collecting money is called 'whipping round'.

    • The department head organised a whip round during the monthly meeting to collect some funds for a charitable cause.

      Here, 'whip round' is used as a noun, meaning a quick and informal gathering of money from a group of people, usually for a specific purpose. The department head wanted to create awareness and collect some funds for a social cause during the meeting, and asked everyone present to contribute money to the 'whip round'.

    • The office colleagues whipped round to surprise their retiring colleague with a farewell gift.

      This example shows the use of 'whip round' as a phrasal verb denoting a quick and informal process of collecting money among a group of people to gift something special to someone. In this case, the colleagues wanted to send their retiring colleague off with a memorable farewell gift, so they started a 'whip round' to gather enough money.

    • The school students planned to whip round for their teacher's birthday, as a way of showing their gratitude.

      Here, 'whip round' is used as a phrasal verb to denote a quick and informal method of collecting money among a group of people for a specific purpose. In this case, the students wanted to prepare a surprise for their teacher's birthday, using the money they gathered through a 'whip round'. This shows the use of 'whip round' in a more formal setting, like the school, where students come together to collect funds for a cause.


    Conclusion

    The idiom "whip round" can be used to refer to both collecting money from a group of people for a specific purpose and taking quick action in response to a situation. It is often used in informal or casual settings, such as among friends or colleagues, to initiate a collection of funds or to prompt swift action.

    Origin of "Whip round"

    The origin of the idiom "whip round" is not entirely clear, but it is believed to have originated in British English. The term "whip" in this context may refer to the swift or quick movement of a whip, indicating the prompt action or quick gathering of funds. The word "round" may refer to the circular or collective nature of the collection, as it involves gathering contributions from multiple individuals. Over time, the idiom has become widely used in informal settings to denote both collecting money and taking quick action. Examples of its usage can be found in literature, such as in British novels or plays, as well as in everyday conversations among English speakers.