Idiom
go the extra mile
Meaning
To make an extra effort; to do a particularly good job.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“She always goes the extra mile to help her friends.”
“Our waiter went the extra mile by bringing us a free dessert for our anniversary.”
“The architect went the extra mile to ensure every detail of the building reflected the client's unique vision.”
Examples
simple
“She always goes the extra mile to help her friends.”
contextual
“Our waiter went the extra mile by bringing us a free dessert for our anniversary.”
complex
“The architect went the extra mile to ensure every detail of the building reflected the client's unique vision.”
Origin
This comes from the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:41: if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. The line has a concrete legal backdrop. Under Roman rule a soldier could compel a civilian to carry his pack for a fixed distance, a Roman mile, and no further. Jesus tells his listeners to carry it twice as far, doing freely and generously what was demanded of them grudgingly.
The original force of the saying is about turning a coerced obligation into a voluntary act, exceeding the minimum on purpose. Over time the Roman-soldier context faded and only the arithmetic survived: one mile required, a second offered.
To go the extra mile now means to do more than is asked or required, to put in effort beyond the bare duty. The phrase has lost its edge of protest and become plain praise for conscientiousness.
Key words
Related idioms
Stories
The Life & Teachings of Jesus · See all Biblical origin
The Gospels and the Sermon on the Mount.
the salt of the earth — Good, honest, dependable people who lack pretension.
a wolf in sheep's clothing — A dangerous or hostile person who hides behind a harmless, friendly appearance.
cast the first stone — To act self-righteously in accusing another person, believing oneself to be blameless.
turn the other cheek — To accept punishment or injury without retaliating.
the blind leading the blind — A situation in which someone incompetent is guiding others who are equally incompetent.
the eye of a needle — A standard for something so difficult it is all but impossible to pass or achieve.
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