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THE IDIOM COLLECTION LEARN & PRACTISE

Sit pretty

Understand the meaning. See it in context. Make it yours.

01 / UNDERSTAND

Meaning in plain English

Be in a comfortable or advantageous situation.

02 / SEE IT IN CONTEXT

The expression in a sentence

  1. With the hall booked and all the tickets sold, the club was sitting pretty.

03 / CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING

Quick idiom quiz

Try the question without looking back, then write a sentence of your own. You can retry as often as you like.

Can you recall the expression?

Which expression from this lesson matches this meaning?

Be in a comfortable or advantageous situation.
Show the answer

Sit pretty — Be in a comfortable or advantageous situation.

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Make it yours

Write one sentence using “Sit pretty” about your own life.

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Does your sentence match this meaning?

Be in a comfortable or advantageous situation.

Compare: With the hall booked and all the tickets sold, the club was sitting pretty.

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More ways to understand and use it

When to use it

Use this informal expression when someone is well placed and has relatively little to worry about in the situation being discussed. It can suggest satisfaction or a touch of envy.

More examples in context

  • We’re sitting pretty now that the project has enough funding.
  • The early booking left them sitting pretty while others searched for rooms.

Usage note

The usual form is “be sitting pretty”. “Pretty” stays unchanged here: do not replace it with “prettily”. It describes a favourable position, rather than a person’s appearance.

A short conversation

A: Do we still need more volunteers for Saturday?
B: No, we’re sitting pretty. Every shift is covered.
A: Then we can focus on preparing the materials.

One more practice question

Which team is sitting pretty before an event?

A. A team with no venue and many urgent problems.
B. A team with enough funding, confirmed bookings and covered shifts.

Check your answer

B. The team is in a favourable and comfortable position.

Related lessons

Meaning and usage checked against Cambridge Dictionary. Explanations, examples and conversation are original.

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