C1idiominformalcommunicationIELTS-friendly
read the room
USUK
to understand the mood of a group and behave in a suitable way
Modern and very common, often as a criticism: 'Read the room!'
In context
Telling jokes after the layoffs was a mistake; he really can't read the room.
A good teacher reads the room and changes the lesson when students are tired.
More idioms about communication
- a bone of contentiona subject that people keep arguing about
- a broken recordsomeone who keeps repeating the same thing in an annoying way
- a heart-to-heartan honest, private conversation about personal feelings
- a moot pointUK: a question still open to argument. US: a question that no longer matters in practice.
- a red herringa fact or idea that takes attention away from the real issue