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Welcome to English in a Minute!
Some things, like shoelaces, must be tied up to keep them from becoming undone. But what do you think “tie up loose ends” means as an idiom?
Speaker A: Anna, how is your trip planning coming along?
Speaker B: Great! I just need to tie up a few loose ends, like booking a hotel room.
Speaker A: That isn’t a loose end. That is a major part of trip planning! Please tell me that you booked your flight.
Speaker B: Dan, Dan. It’s on my to-do-list.
To “tie up loose ends” means to do all those little things that come with finishing a big project. Loose ends may be small and not so important. But they still need to get done.
*This article has been edited and reprinted from VOA Learning English with permission from Voice of America (VOA) for use in English language materials.
English 
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