tick all the boxes
To fulfill all the requirements, especially as itemized in a list; to have all the needed characteristics; to complete all the steps in a process in an orderly manner.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“This new apartment ticks all the boxes for me.”
“Does this software tick all the boxes for your project?”
“The candidate was perfect for the job because she ticked all the boxes regarding experience and technical skills.”
“We decided to book the hotel because it ticks all the boxes, including a central location, a reasonable price, and a gym for our morning workouts.”
“Although the proposal initially seemed ambitious, it ultimately ticked all the boxes required by the committee to secure the necessary funding for the project.”
From the late 20th century, the idiom draws upon the practice of marking a checklist with check marks to confirm that each required condition has been met. The term functions as a linguistic shortcut for the physical act of verifying an inventory, recording the completion of a sequence through a series of discrete, administrative strokes.
- 01
box clever
To act wisely.
- 02
box oneself into a corner
To create a predicament or problem for oneself; to do something that leaves one with no good alternatives or solutions.
- 03
box seat
A favorable vantage point.
- 04
box someone's ears
To slap someone on the side of the head, usually as an informal punishment.
- 05
box the compass
To make a complete reversal in stance or opinion.
- 06
come from a Cracker Jack box
To obtain or retrieve something that is useless, cheap or fake.
- 07
get one's shine box
Used as an insult.
- 08
idiot box
Television.
Last updated August 10, 2026