Jump through hoops means going through lots of forms, rules and conditions just to get something simple: a permit, a pass, a refund. The picture is a circus dog leaping through rings. That's why the phrase always sounds annoyed, and make someone jump through hoops is said about whoever sets up the rings.
When would you say jump through hoops?
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have to jump through hoops to do something; make someone jump through hoops
- We had to jump through hoops to reserve the hall for one evening.
- Replacing the lost membership card should not mean jumping through hoops.
- The organizers made every stallholder jump through hoops before confirming a place.
What changed
First versionWe had to jump over hoops to book the community hall.
RevisionWe had to jump through hoops to book the community hall.
You jump over a fence or a puddle, so over feels natural for any jump. But you don't clear a hoop from above: you go right through the middle of it. Swap over for through, and the idiom works.
Red tape is the bureaucracy itself: Red tape slowed everything down. Jump through hoops is what it makes you do: We had to jump through hoops to get the permit. Go the extra mile is choosing to do more than needed, and that's praise, not a complaint.
Your turn
Use the idiom for dealing with numerous difficult requirements: We had to jump ___ hoops to get a replacement pass.
Show the answer
through — You pass through the middle of a hoop, so through. Over would mean leaping above it, and the idiom isn't said that way.
Describe how many steps you had to go through to get something simple, like a certificate, a pass or a refund. Use jump through hoops.
We had to jump through hoops to change the delivery address, including sending the same form to three different teams.
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