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minimum
/ˈmɪn.ɪ.məm/
When used as an adjective, "minimum" usually comes before the noun it describes (e.g., "minimum wage"). When used as a noun, it is often used in the phrase "to a minimum," which means to keep something as small as possible.
💬Casual Conversation
🎬Tuesday afternoon, Maya is checking on Ryan's progress regarding a group project.
Maya
You're barely scraping by. You need to do the minimum for this slide or you'll tank your grade.
Ryan
bet, i got it
💡
Maya uses the phrasal verb 'scraping by' (barely managing to survive or succeed) and the word 'tank' (to fail miserably). She is stressing that Ryan must at least meet the 'minimum' requirements of the assignment to avoid failure, reflecting her role as the disciplined 'mom' of the group contrasted with Ryan's oblivious nature.