“This doesn’t move the dial enough” meaning?

Question

Hi everyone

what does “This doesn’t move the dial enough” mean?

Thank you!

Answer 1

Hi Danial! This is very similar to the more common idiom "moving the needle." When something moves the needle or the dial, it means that it causes a noticeable change. So when you say "it doesn't move the dial enough," that means that it isn't going to cause a noticeable, or big enough, change. "This doesn't move the dial enough" means that whatever action is being discussed isn't going to make enough difference, or be significant enough to matter.

While the original use of the phrase is unclear, it likely came from the first uses of devices like seismographs and polygraphs, which are devices that utilize needles to measure and record readings of earthquakes or human physiological characteristics, respectively. When something "moves the needle," this means that it causes a noticeable change (presumably upwards) in the reading of these measurement machines. Take seismographs for example: when an earthquake is big enough to register on the machine, the seismograph needle will move or jump noticeably. If an earthquake isn't big enough to matter or cause concern, then it won't "move the needle," meaning a small tremor in the needle isn't particularly noticeable. The term is also used frequently in business when discussing returns on investments. People will use the expression to decide whether to take an action or not. If a decision won't "move the needle," meaning it won't make any difference, then the person making the decision should probably not take that particular action.