jump through hoops
To put forth great effort to meet requirements, usually arbitrary, set by someone.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I have to jump through hoops to get this permit.”
“You often jump through hoops to please your difficult boss.”
“The bank made us jump through hoops just to approve our small business loan.”
“I had to jump through hoops to get my medical records transferred to the new clinic before my appointment.”
“The insurance company is making her jump through hoops by asking for the same documents three different times.”
“Despite his impressive qualifications, the candidate was forced to jump through hoops before the committee would even consider his application.”
The idiom derives from the 19th-century circus ring, where animals were trained to leap through wooden or metal rings to demonstrate their obedience. The performance of such repetitive and artificial tasks served as a public display of the trainer's control over the creature's natural instincts. This circus imagery settled into the English lexicon to describe the execution of numerous arduous or unnecessary requirements to satisfy an authority.
- 01
go jump in the lake
Used to tell someone to go away, or that their request will not be met.
- 02
go jump off a building
Used to tell someone to go away, or that their request will not be met.
- 03
go jump off a cliff
Used to tell someone to go away, or that their request will not be met.
- 04
jump at
To accept something enthusiastically. Usually an opportunity, or chance, or job etc.
- 05
jump at the chance
To immediately accept an offer; to seize an opportunity.
- 06
jump at the opportunity
To immediately seize a particular opportunity.
- 07
jump before one is pushed
to perform an action before being forced to do so.
- 08
jump down someone's throat
To criticise with excessive and unexpected harshness.
Last updated August 10, 2026