Lena had been preparing for her big presentation at work for weeks. Everything was ready, or so she thought.

Just an hour before the meeting, her boss called and said, “The client moved the meeting to today. You’ll have to present earlier.”
Talk about being thrown under the bus.

Lena had no choice. She took a deep breath and said, “Okay, I’ll play it by ear.”

When she entered the conference room, the projector stopped working. “Great,” she whispered, “when it rains, it pours.”

But Lena didn’t lose her cool. She smiled at the clients and started explaining everything from memory. By the end, everyone was impressed.

Her boss later said, “You really saved the day in there.”

Lena grinned. “Fake it till you make it, right?”

Idioms Used in the Story

1. Thrown under the bus

Meaning: To be blamed or put in a difficult situation by someone (often unfairly).

Examples:
He threw me under the bus to save himself.
She felt thrown under the bus when her boss blamed her.

2. Play it by ear

Meaning: To deal with a situation as it happens, without planning.

Examples:
We’ll play it by ear and see how the day goes.
I don’t know what to expect—let’s play it by ear.

3. When it rains, it pours

Meaning: Problems or difficult situations tend to happen all at once.

Examples:
First I lost my job, then my car broke down. When it rains, it pours.
She failed two exams in one week—when it rains, it pours.

4. Save the day

Meaning: To do something that solves a major problem or prevents failure.

Examples:
The IT guy saved the day when the system crashed.
She saved the day by bringing extra supplies.

5. Fake it till you make it

Meaning: To pretend to be confident or capable until you really are.

Examples:
I didn’t know much about sales, so I just faked it till I made it.
He faked it till he made it in public speaking.