idioms using “point”

Earn brownie points

To gain approval for something one has done

“I’m hoping to earn some brownie points with my boss by working over the weekend.”

Point fingers at

To place blame

“No one wants to accept responsibility; they just want to point fingers at each other.”

A sticking point

Something on which the parties cannot agree

“The salary negotiation went quite well; the only sticking point was the number of holidays allowed.”

Sore point

A sensitive subject (due to anger or embarrassment)

“Don’t ask Fukuda-san if she got a salary increase this year; she didn’t, and it is a sore point with her.”

Jumping-off point

The place from which to begin

“ If you want to see Europe but you have a limited budget, a student travel website is a good jumping-off point for your research.”