breathing room

breathing room

A sufficient buffer of time, space, or money that allows for freedom of movement or relief from a given source of pressure or stress. My yearly bonus always affords us a little bit of breathing room for the Christmas expenses. Please move back and give us some breathing room here. The professor extended the deadline for our midterm papers, so I've got a bit of breathing room to get it finished.
See also: breathing, room
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
See also:
  • a breathing space
  • breathing space
  • in the money
  • year by year
  • rainy
  • rainy day, a
  • a rainy day
  • gravy!
  • have (one's) money's worth
  • get one's money's worth
References in periodicals archive
The recovery in economic activity in March and the temporary pick-up in CPI could give the CBR some additional breathing room before cutting base rates.
Rosbank- Eco Analysis: Russia: inflation regains its losses, May 7, 2013
"The new space will give us some breathing room and let us actually expand and not just reconfigure our existing floor plan," said Joe Korff, president of Quaker City Castings.
Quaker City Castings acquires additional building
* The Syrian army moved out of Hama as well as several smaller cities, giving the anti-regime protesters breathing room and an arguable victory.
Daybreak: Abbas Lukewarm on Unity Pre-U.N
Ideally, friends are there for each other, but if yours feel like they're expected to be on call 24/7, they may need a little breathing room. Reread your sent texts and imagine receiving them.
Alone
Summary: NEW YORK: An injection of cash that values Facebook at $50 billion will help it delay going public for at least another year, giving the company breathing room to focus on long-term ambition rather than short-term profit.
Investments place value of Facebook at $50 billion
Prices for works in the exhibition, titled Test Sites, range from pounds 200k to pounds 600k for the luminous 3-D aluminium tubing grids, titled Breathing Room III.
Glowing Gormley: Iron Men artist's latest work lights up London
When you get some breathing room in the salary arbitration season, such as we've seen the past two days, it gives you some time to play.
Projected 2010 Player Salaries - New York Yankees
More relaxed schedules allow a little breathing room to reflect, collaborate, plan ahead--or just unwind.
Summer Rejuvenation Guide: 10 Tips to Help You Relax, Reflect, and Recharge for the Coming School Year
But Flenard Whitfield scored the next four points to give Western Michigan breathing room, and the Broncos hit their free throws in the final moments.
Streak goes on for Crusaders; Broncos deal men 6th defeat
Honduras came into the match buoyed by their 4-0 victory over Costa Rica on August 12.Trinidad and Tobago had beaten El Salvador 1-0 on the same night, and hoped to gain a bit more breathing room Saturday in the six-nation final round of qualifying in the region, from which three teams advance directly to the World Cup finals.
Honduras romp 4-1 over Trinidad in World Cup qualifier
On-lookers expected Abdulla to ease to first place, but Ebrahim gave him a scare before finally succumbing to pressure in the late stages and allowing Abdulla some breathing room to secure the winner's trophy.
Abdulla claims trophy
For a more calming experience, try taking a yoga class at the Breathing Room in Maadi.
Extracurricular activities: Not just for kids anymore
The move by Country Coach's majority owner to put the company into involuntary bankruptcy has had the intended effect of getting some breathing room from a major creditor.
BRIEFLY
Tyson said the new deal gives it some breathing room in an industry that has been hit hard by rising costs for chicken teed grain and fuel and a slowing economy that has seen consumers buying less forcing companies to lower prices to sell their products.
Tyson foods pledges assets to secure credit
POLITICIANS must give senior officers "breathing room" to run their forces, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner said today.
Move on, says Sir Ian