It’s the beginning of Golden Week in Japan. This is a famous holiday season in Japan which allows the very hard-working people of this country to take a well-deserved break for about five days. So, in the spirit of holiday, I’d like to write about an idiom which has to do with relaxation: “to take a load off”. We can also say “to take a load off one’s feet”. This idiom means for someone to sit down and relax. Let me give you some examples:
You’ve been working so hard all day. Please sit down and take a load off your feet. I’ll get you a drink.
I’m so tired right now. I need to find a place where I can sit down and take a load off.
Please come in and take a load off your feet. I’ll be with you just as soon as I’ve finished cooking dinner.
So, with this expression, the “load” is a person’s own body weight. When we sit down, we no longer have to support the weight of our own bodies; therefore we take that load (weight) off our feet. This expression is only used in casual situations.
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