'To push someone to their limits'

[Mehrgan]

Hi all,

Does the idiom suggest anything negative meaning to put pressure on someone?

How about 'try to push past/beyond your limit'?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Yes, it suggests a negative.

 

[emsr2d2]

I disagree somewhat with Mike. Some people really enjoy being pushed to their limits. A friend of mine regularly takes part in races involving obstacle courses, wading through mud, freezing water, clambering over high walls - the races are incredibly tough, tiring and hard on the body. She readily admits that she is pushed to her limit each time but she enjoys every second of it and has a huge sense of achievement at the end.

I would say that the phrase certainly makes it clear that something will be difficult or challenging, but I don't think that makes it negative.

 

[Tdol]

I would say that pushing someone beyond their limit(s) is almost always negative, but I agree with Emsr2d2 about to the limit.

 

[Tarheel]

It can be a negative, but it can also be a positive. As Ems illustrated, it depends on whether the person wants to be pushed to their limits. (Another example is Navy SEALS, who undergo gruelling training, but they volunteer for that stuff.)

 

[MikeNewYork]

The phrase in question was "past their limits/beyond their limits".

 

[emsr2d2]

The phrase in question was "past their limits/beyond their limits".

Good point. However, I would say that if you push someone else past/beyond their limits, it could be seen as negative. If someone pushes themselves past/beyond their limits, it's not necessarily negative.

 

[MikeNewYork]

Agreed.