Examples of word expressions

Check out IH Bristol’s extensive list of over 1000 of the most useful expressions in English, available for free for Beginner/Elementary students to Advanced speakers.

Learning English is one of the best ways to improve your life and the prospects of getting a good job. English is used all over the world as the language of education and business and it is becoming normal to expect everybody to be able to speak it. IH Bristol has more than 30 years’ experience of teaching English as a foreign language, of helping students to pass Cambridge Exams, to achieve the right score in IELTS or OET or just to learn to communicate more effectively in the language. Whatever your reasons for learning English, we know the kind of language you need to learn. We want to share our expertise with students of all ages from every corner of the planet. All you need is a desire to be better at speaking or writing in English.

However, not everybody can come to Bristol to learn in person. So, IH Bristol has created hundreds of pages of Useful Expressions in English at three different levels, Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced. These are free to anybody using our website and can help you to improve your English. Check out IH Bristol’s extensive list of over 1000 of the most useful expressions in English.

How to use the Useful Expressions
1. Choose the level you want to work at
2. Click on the expression you are interested in
3. Read the expression and the explanation
4. Try to use the expression in a sentence
5. Use one of our other free online areas to test your English or to practice by doing Grammar or vocabulary exercises: Free Exercises, Phrase of the Day and Test your English level
6. Sign up for one of our Face-to-Face English courses or one of our Online English courses!

We’ve covered a wide range of everyday situations, and for each one there are 10 common phrases with explanations of how or when you would use each one. Context and cultural understanding is important: for example, some phrases are more polite/formal than others, while some are more colloquial and should be used in informal situations with friends. Learning these frequently used expressions and the will help you sound more natural when speaking to native speakers of English.

The more you use them, the more you will improve! IH Bristol offers courses and social events online – contact us for more information, and don’t forget to check out our phrase of the day, too.

You are looking to take your English skills to another level?

English idioms and phrases are the way to do it.

By combining words that have completely different individual meanings, we get idioms.

English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversation and, therefore, essential for language progression.

«An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning…»

Learning new words is not sufficient to become a fluent English speaker but idioms and proverbs can truly boost your knowledge.

In the following lines, you will find some of the most common English idioms with their meanings and sentences:

1. A hard nut to crack

Explanation: usually a person who is very difficult to deal with

Example: I gave my best to be friendly with her, but she is simply a hard nut to crack.

2. All ears

Explanation: very concentrated or keen to listen to the other person who has your full attention.

Example: Children are all ears when the teacher tells them fairytales.

3. A picture is worth a thousand words

Explanation: It’s better to show than to tell; illustration conveys a stronger message than words.

Example: Such a beautiful portrait of a little girl represents how a picture is worth a thousand words. 

4. A piece of cake

Explanation: something easily done, simple task, or work.

Example: Anne said the test would be difficult, but it was a piece of cake. I’ll pass with no problem at all.

5. Better late than never

Explanation: It’s better to arrive late than not to come at all.

Example: We’ve been waiting for you for three hours, but better late than never. 

6. Born with a silver spoon in mouth

Explanation: Someone who is born in a very wealthy family.

Example: He does not need this job as much as I do; he is born with a silver spoon in his mouth. 

7. Bread and butter

Explanation: earnings of a person; indicate when a person earns for a living.

Example: You have to earn your own bread and butter. 

8. Break the ice

Explanation: to try to become friends with someone; to make a start of something.

Example: It’s always easiest to break the ice after I’ve had a few drinks.

9. Break a leg

Explanation: Good luck, best wishes.

Example: You have a test tomorrow? Break a leg!

10. Can judge a book by its cover

Explanation: you can’t judge something just by its appearance.

Example: The candidate doesn’t look very promising, but you can’t judge a book by its cover. 

11. Chasing rainbows

Explanation: to follow your dreams, trying to do something that can’t be achieved.

Example: I understand you want to be a famous singer, but don’t chase rainbows. You are not a good singer!

12. Cool as a cucumber

Explanation: to be very calm and relaxed

Example: How could the murderer be as cool as a cucumber after doing such serious crimes?

Related article: 8 Good Reasons Why English Is Important To Learn

13. Costs an arm and a leg

Explanation: when something costs too much money, it’s way too expensive.

Example: The show is excellent, but the tickets cost an arm and a leg. 

14. Cry over spilled milk

Explanation: to be upset about something that is already done or a mistake that can’t be changed.

Example: It’s no use crying over spilled milk. It was a bad investment. 

15. Draw a longbow

Explanation: to exaggerate, to lie.

Example: Anne is drawing a longbow. Do you believe her at all?

16. Easier said than done

Explanation: not as easy to do as it seems harder than you think.

Example: It’s a lot tougher than that. It’s one of those things that are easier said than done.

17. Eat like a bird

Explanation: to eat very little.

Example: Look at you! You have to eat more. You are eating like a bird. 

18. Feeling under the weather

Explanation: to feel ill, sick, having a hangover.

Example: I have my final test, but I’m feeling under the weather. I think I have a fever. 

19. Find your feet

Explanation: become confident in what you are doing, or familiar with some new situation or experience.

Example: I’m new to this city, so I’m still finding my feet. 

20. Food for thought

Explanation: an idea to think about; think about things that can arise from an event or situation.

Example: My daughter has given me some food for thought about how she organizes her toys.

21. Forty winks

Explanation: sleep a while mainly during the day; take a nap.

Example: My dad always likes to catch forty winks after lunch. 

22. Give a shot

Explanation: to try something you are not quite familiar with.

Example: I’m not prepared for my exam today. I will give it a shot. 

23. Go cold turkey

Explanation: to suddenly stop or quit some bad or addictive behavior, like stop smoking.

Example: He had been trying to quit smoking for a year but couldn’t, so he decided to go cold turkey. 

24. Hit the hay/sack

Explanation: when someone is really tired and wants to go to sleep.

Example: Sorry guys, I have to hit the hay now!

25. Hold one’s peace.

Explanation: be silent.

Example: Just hold your peace if you don’t have anything smart to say.

26. It’s not rocket science

Explanation: It’s not difficult; it’s not complicated.

Example: Driving a car isn’t rocket science. I don’t understand why people don’t drive better.

27. Keep your chin up

Explanation: be brave and courageous in a tough situation.

Example: Don’t let the difficulties intimidate you; keep your chin up. 

28. Kill two birds with one stone.

Explanation: accomplish two different things, jobs, or actions; solve problems at the same time.

Example: Cycling to work kills two birds with one stone. It saves money and gives you some exercise.  

For more expressions, contact Justlearn English tutors and book your first trial lesson.

29. Lose your marbles

Explanation: to go crazy, insane.

Example: I’ve been so bad lately that I thought I’m losing my marbles.

30. Make ends meet.

Explanation: make enough money to survive, to manage expenses.

Example: We need to start saving money in order to make ends meet. 

31. Make a long story short

Explanation: Tell something briefly.

Example: To make a long story short, I had a wonderful time during my vacation.

32. Never in a million years

Explanation: Absolutely never.

Example: Never in a million years would I think to fall in love with him.

33. On cloud nine

Explanation: to be extremely happy or cheerful.

Example: Susan is on cloud nine since she got married.

34. Once in a blue moon

Explanation: something happens very rarely, once after a very long time.

Example: I don’t know why she bought that music system. She uses it once in a blue moon.

35. Out of the woods

Explanation: the hardest part of something is over, but the situation isn’t still good.

Example: The surgery went well, but he’s not out of the woods yet.

36. Penny for your thoughts

Explanation: a way of asking someone else’s thoughts.

Example: You seem so serious. A penny for your thoughts.

Don’t forget to work on learning
new English words every day, not just idioms. 

37. Pull someone’s leg

Explanation: To joke with someone, to trick someone in a humorous way

Example: I think he was just pulling your leg when he said you’ve fallen in the exam.

38. Rain cats and dogs

Explanation: rain heavily, tremendously.

Example: It’s raining cats and dogs when the Monsoon comes.

39. Speak of the devil

Explanation: The person we were talking about showed up.

Example: Did you hear what happened to Anne yesterday? Oh, speak of the devil, there she is.

40. Square peg in a round hole

Explanation: When a person doesn’t fit into society when you find in a surrounding that doesn’t suit you.

Example: That lifestyle really doesn’t suit Sally at all; she’s like a square peg in a round hole. 

41. Takes two to tango.

Explanation: Specific actions can’t be performed alone; it takes two persons to participate; both persons are responsible for an action.

Example: If you want to play that game, you need a partner who plays with you. It takes two to tango. 

42. That’s the last straw

Explanation: Someone’s patience has run out, to be the latest in a sequence of unpleasant things that can’t be accepted.

Example: I’m not going to wait for the last straw. I’ll do something about the problem much sooner than you.

43. To cut corners

Explanation: to do something in an easy and very cheap way; to reduce time, money, expenses.

Example: My mom often had to cut corners when we were kids to feed all of us.

44. To go Dutch

Explanation: When everyone pays his bill.

Example: Last night we had a date, but we went Dutch because I’ve paid for my coffee and he paid his.

45. To have sticky fingers

Explanation: to be a thief.

Example: The manager fired his employee because he had sticky fingers. He stole 100$.

46. To sit tight

Explanation: wait patiently and take no action; stay where you are.

Example: Just relax and sit tight; we’ll solve the problem for you.

47. Up in the air

Explanation: unresolved, undecided about something; full of doubt.

Example: I am not sure what the plans are. Everything was up in the air when I last spoke to him about it. 

48. What goes around, comes around.

Explanation: how you treat and behave to others will eventually come to you, too.

Example: All of his life, he treated his family with no respect, and now his son is doing the same to him. What goes around, comes around.

49. When pigs fly

Explanation: something that will never happen or highly unlikely to happen.

Example: He plans to clean his house every week, but he will probably do it only when pigs fly. 

50. Zip your lip

Explanation: To remain a secret or silent.

Example: I’ll tell you a secret about Marry, but zip your lip about it!

Related article: 20 Idioms With Their Meanings and Sentences (That You Really Need To Know) + PDF

Practice makes perfect

To learn English idioms better, we’ve prepared some exercises that will help you test your knowledge.

Don’t be shy. Try and find out.

Please note that you will not need all listed idioms in the following exercises, so focus and pay attention.

I can’t wait to see you on premiere tomorrow night! __________________ !

I can’t believe that was our test. I think it was easier than some of our homework! It was a ______.

They were discussing the girl who was his new crush when she walked in. ____________________. 

The earthquakes hits _________________ in this part of the earth, we never felt it. 

He showed up for the wedding when they were already cutting the cake. __________________, I suppose. 

To_______________________________, he still stays in the apartment but now it is owned by someone else. 

You can’t be serious about that! Stop ___________________. 

Such a beautiful portrait of a little girl — represents how ________________________. 

I am really tired after all that exercise. I am going to_______________. 

John asked Sarah whether she would go to the movies with him. Sarah replied that would happen __________________. 

It is sad to see that people always wait until ________________before they start to take any action in this country. 

It’s not right to blame only the other woman for his adulterous affair -__________________. 

I have never eaten Mexican food, but I will ______________ .

She has just returned from her vacation, but is feeling _______________and has a sore throat and running nose.

I have to go to the bank, and on the way back, I’ll pick up the groceries also, ____________________. 

He really wants to go to that event. He’s willing to pay __________________ for it. 

When drug addicts go ___________________ they experience a period of extreme suffering.

He has never worked hard for anything because he was________________________. His parents brought everything to him instead. 

Shall we _____________? No, not this time I’m paying the bill.

Peter is still new in his job; give him some time to ______________.

Answers:

9, B. 4, C. 39, D. 34, E. 5, F. 31. G. 37, H. 3, I. 49, J. 42, K. 41, L. 22, M. 18, N. 28, O. 13, P. 23, Q. 6, R. 6, S. 44, T. 19.

List of Common English Idioms:

Idiom	Meaning
Hard to swallow	Difficult to believe
Digging around	Looking for
He’s a really bright spark	He’s an intelligent person
He’s kicked the bucket	He’s died
She’s hitting the books	She’s studying hard
Break a leg!	Good luck!
Set out on a new career	Start a new career
Saunter through life	Live in a relaxed way
Follow in someone’s footsteps	Do something the way another person did it before
One step at a time	Do something slowly and carefully
Career path	The sequence of jobs someone takes that create their career
Milestones	Important events in a person’s life or career
Dead end job	A job that offers no opportunity for advancement
To be at a crossroads	When someone is at a point in life where their decisions will have long term consequences
He’s on the straight and narrow	He’s living in a morally proper way
To walk someone through something	To show someone how to do something
We need to come up with a road map	We need to make a plan
I wouldn’t go down that road if I were you!	I wouldn’t do that if I were you!
Don’t run before you can walk	Don’t try to do something difficult before mastering the basics
Inching forward	When progress on something is being made in small increments
To move at a snail’s pace	To move slowly
To get good mileage out of something	To get a lot of benefits from something
To have your whole life in front of you	To be young and have a lot of years to live
To get on with your life	To make progress in life goals after a difficulty
To tread carefully	To behave or speak carefully to avoid offending or causing problems with someone or something
To be a minefield	When something presents many possible dangers
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it	To wait to worry about one problem at a time
Information superhighway	The internet
Time is money	Time is a valuable resource
A tasty (or juicy) bit of gossip	Very interesting or sensational gossip
To devour someone or something	To consume something very quickly
To add a pinch of salt to something	To acknowledge that someone exaggerates
To chew something over	To think about something before making a decision
To not swallow something	To not accept something as fact
To bite off more than you can chew	When someone makes a commitment that they cannot keep
To eat your wods	When someone has to admit they were wrong
A warm welcome	A friendly welcome
The cold shoulder	An unfriendly welcome
When things heat up between people	When a relationship becomes romantic
To be cold-hearted	To be dispassionate or uncaring
A 24-hour hotline	A phone line that is always active
A very frosty reception	To receive a greeting that makes someone feel unwelcome
The Cold War	War without active fighting between nations
A warm smile and the warm handshake	A welcoming smile and handshake
Cold callers	People who call phones, usually for sales, who don’t have previous contact with the person they’re calling
We took the temperature of the group	Checked the overall opinion of a person or group of people about something
Most people were quite warm about the idea	People have a positive reaction to the idea
You’ll reap the rewards later	To collect the benefits of your work
To prune out	To clear, clean or groom something
Separate the wheat from the chaff	Separate what is useful or valuable from what is worthless
Rooted in	Based on something or connected to a source/cause
To cutback something	To reduce something, usually related to the amount of money spent
To dig deep	To use a lot of your physical, mental or financial resources to achieve something
Great growth	A positive change in the production of goods or services
Root and branch	Completely/utter
Seed money	Money that is used to start a small business or other activity
Bright shoot	Start something new, a new chapter
Plough its own furrow	To follow a plan or course of action independently
Green fingers	Have an ability to make plants grow, to be good at gardening
Build/make a good case	To argue that something is the best thing to do, to explain and give reasons why something should be done
A fabrication	To tell lies about something, completely made-up/invented
To be on solid ground	To be confident about the topic you are dealing with, or because you are in a safe situation
Build on	To use something as a base or foundation to develop something else
Shattered	To break something into a smaller form or into many pieces
Undermine your position	Behave in a way that makes you less likely to succeed
Demolish your arguments	To break down someone’s argument to an extent that it is no longer accurate or correct
Constructive criticism	Criticism that is useful because they can help improve something
Grounds for dismissal	A reason for you to be dismissed from your job, often due to your (negative) behavior
Completely groundless	Not based on any good reason
Grounded in fact	Something that is based on facts
Come to light	To be revealed
Unearthed	To find something that was lost or forgotten
A mine of information/gossip/data	Someone or something that can provide you with a lot of information etc.
Get to the bottom of	Find an explanation, often to a mystery
Digging into	To methodically reveal information
To bury the memory	To try to hide something, such as a memory, the truth etc.
Emerge	Something that is brought to attention
Out in the open	In public view or knowledge, everybody knows
Underground scene	An alternative culture, different from the mainstream of society and culture
Transparency	Something that can be seen by everyone/the public
Crystal clear	Perfectly easy to understand
Put your head in the sand	To ignore or hide from the obvious signs of danger
Bright spark	Someone that is highly intelligent
Enlightenment	To understand something completely
Throw light on something	To reveal something about someone/something, to clarify something
Dull	Something that lacks imagination, boring
Brilliant	Shining brightly, stands out, illustrious
In the dark	A state of ignorance, to not have knowledge about something
Dim-witted	Something/someone that thinks slowly, lacks intelligence
Dark ages	When something was not understood, a time when knowledge was limited
Illuminating	To make something more understandable
Right-wing	A part of a political group that consists of people who support conservative or traditional ideas
Look down upon	To view someone or something as unworthy
Side of the fence	Refers to either side of opposing views or ideas
Political landscape	The current state of things and how they are looking in the future
Look at life	How you observe things that happen, your opinion on daily matters
Behind you all the way	To fully support someone’s actions
Point of view	An opinion on something
Better perspective	A clearer view of something, a more thorough understanding of a situation
Take someone’s side	To support one person’s side of an argument
Where I stand	Your opinion, point of view
Look up to	To respect someone as a role model
Moral high ground	The status of being respected, a position of being ‘more’ moral than others
Sitting on the fence	Undecided on a decision, avoid making a decision on something

A typical ESL student is both fascinated and frustrated by idioms; they give you fluency but are very hard to use accurately because:

• They may change meaning if you forget or change a single word.
• You must use them in the right context – don’t say ‘he’s kicked the bucket’ (died) at a funeral!
• You can’t translate them into, or from, another language. There is no literal translation.

7 Ways to Make English Idioms and Phrases Easier to Understand:

1. Listen to context.

Idioms are unusual expressions. So ask yourself ‘Why is that person using an unusual expression?’ The reasons are likely to be connected with emphasis, exaggeration, or a high state of emotion! So check the context – and the facial expression!

2. Check to see if you understood.

Use expressions like; ‘so you’re pretty angry about that right?’ or ‘OK, you mean that you’re too busy at the moment.’

3. Be honest when you don’t understand.

Try using; ‘I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean.’

4. Never translate idioms.

Idioms from your own language may use the same imagery or concepts (and it is always interesting to notice these similarities) but they are unlikely to translate word-for-word into English expressions.

5. Listen to how native speakers use idioms.

A native English speaker NEVER says ‘it’s raining cats and dogs’ – so why should an ESL student? Listen to what native speakers actually say in a given situation, and copy.

6. Take notes.

Keep a notebook of your favorite expressions in English and add anything new that you hear. Try to use new expressions soon after you learn them, this is called ‘use it or lose it.’

7. Tolerate your mistakes.

You will definitely make mistakes and create confusion when you use idiomatic expressions, so be brave and allow yourself the space to try, fail, and try again.

Learn English Idiomatic Expressions without Memorizing

Most lists of common English idiomatic expressions I see have 2 things wrong with them. They include a lot of out-dated expressions that no one actually uses anymore (it’s raining cats and dogs), and they’re really hard to memorize.

Rather than force you to memorize a list of expressions, we’re going to teach you some tricks that will make it easy to understand English expressions, even if you’ve never heard them before.

Most idiomatic expressions can be divided into a few groups, and these groups have things in common that make them easier to understand. Below you’ll find these groups, with the English expressions in bold.

English Expressions About Life:

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step” – so said Lao Tzu, the founder of Chinese Taoism.

When he said these wise words, he wasn’t just offering encouragement to people who had to walk long distances in Zhou Dynasty China during the 6^th BC, but was talking about every kind of journey in life.

The quotation is generally taken to mean that any undertaking in life – even really big ones – must start with small steps, and that we must not become discouraged by the size of the tasks in front of us. The idea that our tasks, and indeed our lives, can be seen as physical journeys that can be broken down into steps is common in many languages; English is no exception.

So we might set out on a new career, saunter through life without a care, follow in someone’s footsteps or take a difficult task one step at a time.

And just as the physical hikes, strolls or walks that we go on require paths or roads, which can be straight or winding, and sometimes lead to dead ends – so it is with our projects, careers and lives.

This means that some of us want to follow a clear career path, are proud of the milestones we achieve and don’t want to work in a dead end job. When deciding on a course of action we might find ourselves at a crossroads in life, wondering which way to turn, hoping we don’t take the road to ruin!

Examples of idiomatic expressions about life:

• He’s put his criminal past behind him – He’s on the straight and narrow now!
• It’s a difficult system to get used to, so let me just walk you through the first few steps.
• We need to come up with a road map to go forward with these negotiations.
• Being selected for the national team was the first major milestone in my career.
• So you want to invest in his business? I wouldn’t go down that road if I were you!
• I feel like I’m at a crossroads in my career and I’m not sure which way to turn.
• I have tried to follow in Dad’s footsteps and to do the right things.
• I suppose I’ve gone down quite a winding career path – I’ve never done things the easy way!
• Holmes had crossed paths with Moriarty several times before and it had never gone well.
• I know I said you should read a bit more, but War and Peace? Don’t run before you can walk!

Please note that we use the imperial system, rather than the modern metric system, to refer to distances in idioms:

• We are just inching forward with this project at a snail’s pace.
• I think I can get good mileage out of this idea.

Notice the way that prepositions are used to imply movement or direction in life:

• He envied his grandchildren having their whole lives in front of them.
• I always try and put failures behind me and get on with my life.

Also, if we are traveling along a road or pathway, we might expect to find obstacles to our progress and have to handle them in some way:

• We need to tread carefully here because ethnic tensions in the area can be a minefield.
• I don’t know yet what we’ll do if they reject our offer – but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

And please note that idioms involving roads can refer to other things:

• The information superhighway has changed the way we think about the world.

English Expressions About Money:

When Benjamin Franklyn wrote that ‘time is money’ in his Advice to a Young Tradesman in 1746, he meant that time was a commodity which can be treated the same way that we treat money or any other resource. He was right too, from a linguistic perspective anyway, as we have long had this attitude towards time within the English language.

Like money, time is something that we save, waste or spend. We praise good time management, we complain that we don’t have enough time, and we wonder how long our time will last. Let’s look at the way the English language treats the concepts of time and money.

Examples of English Expressions About Money:

Look at these sentences and decide if you can substitute the word ‘time’ for the word ‘money’ (you may have to make a few extra changes):

• We will have to go soon – we are getting short of money.
• I have wasted a lot of time on this project.
• We made some changes at work to save money.
• He is determined to make it work – he’s invested so much time in the business already.
• He worked my shift at work for me – so I guess I owe him some time in return.
• I would like to devote more time to keeping the garden in shape.
• This problem has cost us too much money already!
• We are living on borrowed time.
• I thought I gave him enough money – but he seems to have squandered it all!
• She’s always had better money-management skills than me.

In most of the sentences above you can substitute ‘time’ for ‘money’ without a problem. The context may change, but the sentences themselves still look fine.

Please note that we can replace the actual word ‘time’ with an amount of time – and we can do this with ‘money’ too:

• We spent three weeks there.
• I spent $50 on it.
• It takes half an hour to get there.
• It took $100 to convince him!

English Expressions About Knowledge:

What is the basic unit of knowledge – a fact, a truth, a maxim or a law? Well, from a computing point of view it is called a ‘byte’. In 1956 Werner Buchholz, a computer scientist working at IBM, wanted a term he could use to describe the eight binary digits (bits) needed to encode a single letter, number or symbol on a computer.

He chose the word ‘byte’ – a deliberate misspelling of the word ‘bite’ – and this term now refers to the basic unit of all the information held on all computers, everywhere. When he chose this word, Buchholz was (perhaps unknowingly) using a very common, basic and important idiom in the English language; knowledge (or information) is food.

If you think about it, this idiom is quite easy to understand; information exists in the outside world and must somehow comes inside us so that we can learn and understand it.

This process of bringing information into ourselves can be thought of as eating. So we might hear a tasty bit of gossip or devour a newspaper, we may need to add a pinch of salt to unlikely stories, chew over a difficult subject, or digest information – we may even need to spit information out if required!

Examples of English Expressions about Knowledge:

• He absolutely devours newspapers – he gets about three every morning!
• You have a great appetite for knowledge, and I respect that.
• I won’t give you an answer yet – Let me chew it over for a while.
• Who broke the school window? Come on lad – spit it out!
• I got my dad a subscription to The Reader’s Digest.
• She always exaggerates so if I were you I’d take what she says with a pinch of salt.
• Don’t give them too much information at the start of the course – just bite-sized chunks for now.
• We sat with a bottle by the river ruminating on the meaning of life.
• The exam system is terrible – you just have to regurgitate the textbook, basically.
• Information is food? – I’m not swallowing that!

Please note that idiomatic expressions involving food or eating can express other meanings in English, for example if you bite off more than you can chew, you try to do too much or more than you are able to do; or if you eat your own words, you retract what you said earlier:

• He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to paint the house by himself.
• He’s going to regret saying that – I’m going to make him eat his own words!

Don’t try making a literal translation of those! And choices, for example, have taste:

• I can offer you a couple of tasty options from our new winter collection.
• The delegates are being forced to choose between two unpalatable candidates.

English Expressions About Relationships:

Here is a party game that I used to play with friends and family when I was young (a long time ago!) It involves somebody hiding something, and somebody else searching for it.

Firstly, I would close my eyes or leave the room. Then someone would hide something, some keys perhaps, in some part of the room. After this I would be allowed to look for them and the rest of the players could offer encouragement by saying; ‘You’re getting warmer,’ when I approached the hidden object, or; ‘You’re getting colder,’ when I went in the wrong direction.

When I got really close to the hidden keys, some of the younger children would be shouting ‘You’re really hot now – boiling!’ And finally I would find the keys under a magazine on the coffee table!

The idea that you get warmer when you are closer to something is quite common in English and is particularly strong when applied to our relationships with each other. Heat is a metaphor for how close we feel to someone else, and how well we think they are treating us.

Close relationships are ‘warm’, and unfriendly relationships are ‘cold’. This means that if I say that the receptionist at the hotel greeted me very warmly, you can be sure that she was very friendly and welcoming. Equally, if I tell you that the audience gave me a frosty reception, you will know that my lecture was not a great success!

So we can say that our relationships and feelings have some sort of ‘linguistic temperature!’

Examples of English Idioms about relationships:

• Hello – and a very warm welcome to the show!
• I tried to explain to her but she just gave me the cold shoulder.
• Perhaps you should cool things off with him for a while.
• I think things are heating up between Dave and Mary!
• She was a very cold-hearted mother who never gave us hugs or praise.
• We have set up a 24-hour hotline for anyone who wants more information.
• Well, that was a very frosty reception – I don’t think we’re very welcome here!
• The cold war was a low point in East-West relations in Europe.
• She liked him immediately; it was the warm smile and the warm handshake.
• I can’t stand these cold callers trying to sell me things I don’t want!

Notice that heat can also describe our relationship to ideas:

• We took the temperature of the group as to whether John would be a suitable replacement for Mark and found that most people were quite warm to the idea.

English Expressions About Economics

In Hal Ashby’s excellent 1979 comedy ‘Being There’, Peter Sellers plays the part of a simple-minded gardener who accidentally becomes a top financial adviser in Washington DC.

One of the running jokes in the film is the way that Sellers’ character misunderstands questions about the economy to be questions about his garden – and how businessmen and television presenters mistake his answers and comments about gardening to be sound financial advice!

How can this be? Well, in the English language there are many words and expressions that we use in agriculture and gardening that can also be used to describe the world of economics and business. After all, if a gardener and an economist meet at a party, we can be sure they’ll agree with each other that encouraging growth is a good idea!

Examples of English Expressions About Economics:

• If you work hard now, you’ll reap the rewards later.
• We needed to prune out the deadwood to make the company more competitive.
• The first stage of the interview process is really just to separate the wheat from the chaff – to discount the applicants who are definitely unsuitable.
• Our main business is rooted in this sector.
• There have been sharp staff cutbacks since they lost the contract.
• We will have to dig deep if we want this project to succeed.
• There has been great growth over the second quarter.
• The company was in a terrible state – we needed to make root and branch reform.
• We have invested a lot of seed money in this project.
• After the recession we can now see the first bright shoots of recovery, with several new businesses opening around town.

Please note that many of the above phrases can be used in other contexts; for example, ‘dig deep’ simply means ‘try harder’ and can be used in any situation where more effort is required;

• Liverpool are going to have to dig deep here if they are going to win this match.

Also, some agricultural idioms can be used in non-business contexts:

• The entire university should act as one on this issue, rather than each department trying to plough its own furrow.

And some gardening idioms don’t seem to transfer to other contexts:

• I’ve killed every plant I’ve ever owned. But she has got really green fingers, you should see her garden – it’s beautiful!

Ok, that should really help you with business English.

English Expressions About Opinions

‘The wise man builds his house on the rock,’ – so goes the traditional saying (it’s loosely based on Matthew 7:24-27 in the Bible), but while it is certainly wise to build a house on solid ground, and with the proper materials, this saying is generally taken to be about the foundations of our beliefs.

In fact there has always been a close link between buildings and beliefs; for example, the word ‘church’ originally referred to a group of people who worshipped together (now more commonly called a ‘congregation’), the teachings and philosophy they followed, and the physical building that they used.

Keeping this mind (and checking your dictionary for details) it won’t be surprising for you to find that the word ‘edifice’ refers to an important or imposing building (like a church), ‘edification’ means ‘moral improvement’ and ‘edified’ means ‘educated’ or ‘informed’.

This idiom now has a wider use in the English language so that an idiomatic phrase mentioning construction or foundation can refer to knowledge and ideas generally. So ideas and theories should be grounded in fact or based on truth, an argument should have a clear structure; we can deconstruct a complex idea in order to explain it, or even demolish ideas which we strongly disagree with.

English Expressions About Knowledge:

• With so much supporting evidence, the police can build a good case for conviction.
• He is such an unreliable witness – his entire testimony was a fabrication of lies and half-truths.
• I feel like I am on pretty solid ground when I’m talking about my thesis.
• Our products are strong on reliability and we can build on this foundation in the future.
• His essay was terrible – there was no structure to the argument.
• His reputation has been completely shattered by these baseless accusations.
• If she is taking bribes, it completely undermines her position on corruption.
• She won the debate easily – she just demolished their arguments!
• I welcome any constructive criticisms of my work.

‘Ground’ is the most commonly used word in this context:

• Being rude to customers is grounds for dismissal.
• These allegations are completely groundless and are just intended to disrupt our preparations for the Games.
• Is any of this grounded in fact?

English Expressions About Truth:

In Steven Spielberg’s excellent 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones must find the Ark of the Covenant.

This was a kind of box which was supposed to contain the 10 commandments that were given to Moses. There’s something symbolic in this – if you consider that the commandments represent some kind of universal truth or wisdom, then perhaps you can see the search for the covenant as a search for truth.

I used to work as an archaeologist and watching this excellent movie was more or less compulsory for us ‘diggers’ at the time – we used to joke that Indy was searching for truth itself and that an archaeologist was the ideal person to choose for a search for truth and wisdom!

But you don’t need to get your hands dirty to unearth interesting information, because in the English language, any kind of discovery can be made under the ground.

It often seems that an investigation is an excavation: information may be hidden from us, perhaps buried deep somewhere; it needs to be dug around for, and finally brought to light.

English Expressions About Truth:

• I want you to dig deep into your memories and think about your first day at school.
• The Police have reopened the case after new evidence came to light.
• I’ve been working in the archives for the last few months and have unearthed some interesting stories about him.
• Ask Mary – she’s a mine of information on the subject!
• They have started an investigation and hope to get to the bottom of the problem soon.
• I don’t want the newspapers digging into my private life.
• She had tried to bury the memory of it for years.
• New developments in the scandal emerged over the weekend.
• I think we need to get things out in the open and talk about them honestly.
• The city is home to a vibrant underground music scene.

When a meaning is obvious and easy to understand we use a reversal of the idiom:

• We need new financial transparency regulations.
• I understand you – your message is crystal clear.

Interestingly, if we have an exam to prepare for or a bill to pay, many of us adopt a very interesting strategy – often called the ‘Ostrich method!‘

• This is no way to run a company – whenever there’s a problem you just put your head in the sand and hope it will go away!

English Expressions About Intelligence

Imagine that you are in a college lecture and that your teacher is trying to explain something that the class have been having difficulty with. Maybe a tough equation, a difficult moral problem or a poem that nobody understands.

Finally the teacher shows, proves or says something that finally makes everybody understand; everything now makes sense! Around the room, people nod in agreement; some raise their eyebrows and smile; the mood in the room lifts – as if some new bright light is now shining.

This is called a ‘light-bulb moment’ and it’s the moment when we conceive or understand a (usually good) idea for the first time. It’s quite a common idiomatic expression; The Oxford Dictionary defines it as ‘A moment of sudden realization, enlightenment, or inspiration’ and it is a powerful image.

For example, we often see cartoon characters with light-bulbs above their heads when they have a new idea, or come to understand something.

The idea that understanding (and, as we will see, intelligence) can be expressed as light is very common in English; people have bright, ideas, become brilliant scholars, shine a light on things when they explain them, and achieve enlightenment.

This idiom also works in reverse; in English, darkness often refers to different types of ignorance. We get kept in the dark when people don’t tell us a secret; we make dim-witted mistakes, and we walk out of dull movies.

Examples of English Expressions about Intelligence:

• John came top of his class in all of his tests again – he’s a real bright spark!
• People come from all over the world to find enlightenment at the meditation centre.
• The recent discovery of King Richard’s body has thrown light on his actual cause of death.
• This film is really dull – when is something interesting going to happen?
• He was always a brilliant student and it was no surprise when he won the scholarship.
• New evidence has recently come to light that could lead to further charges in the case.
• Let’s keep Sarah in the dark about it for now – she loves a good surprise.
• I think that his political supporters are pretty dim-witted, they don’t seem to know much about the world.
• These kinds of injuries were more common back in the Dark Ages of NFL concussion awareness.
• Well that was a very illuminating lecture – I think I really get it now!

English Expressions About Opinions

What is a political map and why might we need one? In some countries there seem to be so many different political parties and points of view that things can become rather confusing for voters at election time – so maybe some kind of map would be useful.

But why a map – why not a list, or a diagram?

Perhaps the reason is that we imagine a political landscape where people stand in particular places that indicate their opinions on particular issues. For example, in most democratic parliaments the political parties sit together in particular parts of the room that they meet in.

The prime minister sits in a seat at the front of his grouping with his supporters behind him and with the opposition politicians sitting opposite. The minor parties usually sit according to whether they support the government or not – which side they are on. This is why we can talk about right – or left-wing politics, and how we can take a position on an issue, stand behind someone we agree with, or change sides in an argument.

Interestingly, if I express my opinion by standing in a particular location then this will effect what I can see, what my view of the world is. So I can see things differently from other people, have a positive outlook, look up to – or down on people, or describe my point of view of a situation or issue.

Examples of English Expressions About Opinions:

• I don’t want him to come to dinner – he has very right-wing views.
• I think the royal family look down on us all.
• How are things on your side of the political fence?
• There has always been a complex political landscape in the country.
• Artists and musicians often look at life in new and interesting ways.
• We’ll give you all the support you need – we’re behind you all the way.
• From my point of view, I think that it’s a very good deal.
• We need more information to give us a better perspective of this situation.
• It’s not fair – whenever there’s an argument you always take his side!

Notice that ‘stand’ can be used in both senses:

• From where I stand it looks like the economy is going nowhere.
• Where do you stand on nuclear energy?

Perhaps it’s not surprising to note that altitude affects morals:

• I’ve always looked up to my Mum; she’s been an inspiration to me.
• I think we hold the moral high ground on this issue.

Also, the two sides of an argument are often separated by some kind of barrier:

• He’s always sitting on the fence whenever there’s an argument.

Whether your an ESL student, teacher or just someone curious about the language, we hope you found that helpful! If you keep these concepts in mind, English idiomatic expressions should be easy for you.

If you’ve got any questions, feel free to add them in comments and we’ll respond. If you want to take your English further, try a live, online English class with LOI.

About the Author: Peter Ball has been teaching English for 15 years and has taught in Poland, Thailand, Malaysia, Egypt, Pakistan, Britain and Ireland, he still really enjoys the challenge – each student is unique. Peter has a Cambridge certificate in teaching (CELTA) and a Cambridge diploma (DELTA).

He’s also an FCE and Cambridge examiner. He works with students of all levels from beginner to advanced and has taught professionals from all walks of life. Peter loves teaching pronunciation, explaining grammar, learner-training and better conversation. In his free time he has his own radio show in Connemara, Ireland and he swims, juggles and plays guitar – but not all at the same time!

What is an idiom? An idiom is an expression or phrase whose meaning does not relate to the literal meaning of its words. In other words “Idioms mean something different than the individual words.” Students often confuse idioms with proverbs. However, these are two different things. Proverbs are well-known for stating a piece of advice or general fact. For example, a picture is worth a thousand words is a proverb – a general truth. Let us consider the idiom ‘bite off more than you can chew‘. What you meant is that you are trying to do something that is too hard for you. Read this blog to know 100 useful and common idioms with examples and meanings.

What is an Idiom? – Idioms and Phrases

A set of words, or, to put it another way, a phrase, that has a meaning beyond the words’ literal meanings is known as an idiom. The Cambridge Dictionary defines an idiom as “a group of words in a fixed order that has a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own,” while the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines an idiom as “a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words.”

A set of words that have a different meaning when used collectively than when each word is used individually is referred to as an idiom, according to the Collins Dictionary. A more detailed definition may be found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. They define an idiom as “a statement in the usage of a language that is distinctive to itself either in having a meaning that cannot be deduced from the conjoined meanings of its constituents” (e.g., up in the air for “undecided”) or in its grammatically unconventional word usage (e.g., give way).

Why Use Idioms in Sentences?

Only when they are utilized correctly and in the appropriate contexts can idioms be an effective language tool. The fact that one cannot just rely on the meaning of individual words to grasp what the full phrase means is the sole thing that makes studying idioms a time-consuming process.

Idioms should not be utilised in writing for academic or professional purposes. In a more lighthearted setting, idioms may add personality to your work or speaking. Idioms can also be used to convey sarcasm or puns. You need to utilise idioms carefully, just like you would with any other language feature. The only issue is that it would be meaningless or have no impact to a group of individuals who are unfamiliar with the idiom you are employing. Therefore, you should always make sure that the audience you are utilising idioms with can understand their meaning.

100 Common Idioms with Examples- Idioms and their Meaning

Have to come across commonly used idioms in English while watching American TV series or movies? English expressions, proverbs and idioms play an important role in everyday English both written and spoken. As idioms do not always make literal sense, students should be familiar with their meanings and how to use them. This may appear to be a lot of work, but idioms are fun! It is often called a manner of speaking that sounds more native, so it’s really useful to master some of these expressions.

So, here’s a list of the top 100 common idioms with their meanings and sentence examples:

Idiom	Idioms Meaning
Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about what’s important
Get your act together	Get organized and do things effectively
Hit the sack	Go to sleep
Your guess is as good as mine	I do not know
Good things come to those who wait	To have patience
Back against the wall	Stuck in a difficult circumstance with no escape
Up in arms	Being grumpy or angry about something
Scrape the barrel	Making the most of the worst situations or things because you can’t do anything about it
Burn your boats/bridges	Doing something that makes it impossible to go back to the original state.
Break fresh/ new ground	Doing something that has never been done before
Sell like hot cakes	Quick sellout
Run around in circles	Putting efforts into something that is not a worthwhile result
On cloud nine	Being very happy
Left out in the cold	Being ignored
Blow hot and cold	Alternate inconsistently between moods and actions
Cut corners	Doing something in an easier and least expensive manner
Boil the ocean	Taking up an almost impossible or overly ambitious project
Keep an ear to the ground	Staying informed and updated about everything
Eat like a horse	Eating too excessively
A snowball effect	The aspect of momentum in every event and how they build upon each other

Important Tip to Learn Idioms with Examples and their meanings:
It is comparatively easier to remember words unlike idioms because idioms (phrases) contain 3 or more words. And, remembering a chain of words and then speaking them in the correct sequence is not easy. But, one thing you can do is to repeat the idiom and its meaning a few times loudly and then use it in 2 to 3 different sentences.

21. In for a penny, in for a pound

Meaning: That someone is intentionally investing his time or money for a particular project or task.
Example: When Athlead was booming, Jim was in for a penny and in for a pound, that’s how much dedicated he was. 

22. A bird in the hand is better than two in the bush

Meaning: An opportunity in hand, currently, is better than a prospect in the future, because time never repeats itself.
Example: The detective apprehended 3 criminals and saw another one running but didn’t chase him, because she knew a bird in one hand is better than two in the bush.

23. Chip off the old block

Meaning: A person is similar in behaviour or actions to his parents.
Example: When grandmother saw her grandson collecting coins like her son used to do, she knew he was a Chip off the old block.

24. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Meaning: Treat people the same way you want to be treated.
Example: I felt Peter was a little cold today towards that homeless man, he should do unto others as he would have them do unto him, because who knows about time.

25. Don’t cry over spilt milk

Meaning: Don’t cry over what has happened as it can not be fixed.
Example: Walter failed his examination but his dad came and said just one thing, “Son, Don’t cry over spilt milk.”

26. Every cloud has a silver lining

Meaning: Bad things one day eventually lead to good things.
Example: See, yesterday you were so morose as your phone was stolen but look at you today, you got a promotion. Is it rightly said that every cloud has a silver lining.

27. Beside yourself with joy

Meaning: To be extremely happy.
Example: I can see that you are beside yourself with joy on being selected for the job, congratulations. 

28. Fair and square

Meaning: Being direct or fair.
Example: To tell you fair and square, I did everything that I was meant to do, but I still feel unfulfilled. 

29. Having an Ace up the sleeve

Meaning: Have an advantage that is currently being withheld for future purposes. 
Example: Brian kept quiet at the board meeting, who knew he had an Ace hidden up his sleeve the whole time.

30. A black sheep

Meaning: Being a disgrace for the family.
Example: They don’t talk about Olive anymore, turns out he was the Black sheep for the family, he married someone else while he was still arranged to his fiancé. 

31. Hook, line and sinker

Meaning: Doing something or trying to achieve something with thoroughness and passion.
Example: I have set my mind to go through the spreadsheets by Monday and I am working for it Hook, line and sinker.

32. Looking to your laurels

Meaning: Not be lost in your achievements and losing the sight of what is supposed to happen.
Example: Look to your laurels but do not rest on it. 

33. Bear a grudge

Meaning: To continue to feel angry or unfriendly for someone or something because of a particular past incident.
Example: I Bear a grudge against him for not taking me into confidence.

34. By the skin of your teeth

Meaning: To just barely get by or make it.
Example: Lester made the dance team By the skin of his teeth, you see the audition gates were about to get closed.

Ever thought what it takes to be a fluent speaker? You might have been lured into paying a hearty amount of money to build fluency in the English language. Here’s how to speak fluent English in 30 days.

35. Down for the count

Meaning: Tired; giving up.
Example: My pet dog is down for the count after playing the whole day with the frisbee.

36. Draw the line

Meaning: To stop before a point where something okay gets not okay.
Example: Hey buddy, that’s enough, Draw the line before someone comes and beats you to a pulp.

37. Easier said than done

Meaning: Not as easy as it appears to be.
Example: Listen, losing weight is easier said than done, many people lack commitment. 

38. Break a leg

Meaning: Saying good luck to someone.
Example: Hey Barry, it’s time for you to get on the stage and present your monologue, break a leg.

39. Up a creek without a paddle

Meaning: In an unlucky situation.
Example: Dan tried to dine and dash yesterday at a Chinese place but he was stopped by the waiters, guess he was up a creek without a paddle yesterday.

40. Give it a whirl

Meaning: To give something a try.
Example: I am absolutely terrified of skydiving, but I think once in my life, I will give it a whirl.

41. Fish out of water

Meaning: To be out of your comfort zone.
Example: Tom felt like a fish out of water when his girlfriend took him to a Star Wars convention in LA.

42. In the fast lane

Meaning: A life filled with excitement.
Example: When Chris turned forty, he decided to live his life in the fast lane and quit his job for his hobbies.

Meaning: To make an extra effort.
Example: He was willing to go the extra mile for the love of his life, Mia.

44. Snug as a bug in a rug

Meaning: Warm and cosy.
Meaning: The baby looks as snug as a bug in a rug next to her mother.

45. Step up your game

Meaning: To start performing better
Example: Jennifer better step up her game if she wants to make big in Basketball.

Idioms are used as a figurative language, i.e. the use of words in an imaginative and unusual manner. Take a look at more idioms with examples.

46. To not see the wood for the trees

Meaning: To be so involved in trivial matters that you don’t get the important facts.
Example: He always argues on the silliest topics, it’s like he can’t see wood for the trees.

47. Lose your marbles

Meaning: To go insane.
Example: Our mailman has lost his marbles, every day he drops Mr. Smith’s mail on our door. 

48. Straight from the Horse’s mouth

Meaning: Directly from the person involved.
Example: Listen to the news straight from the horse’s mouth, his factory burned down right in front of his eyes. 

49. Crying Wolf

Meaning: To ask for help when you don’t need it.
Example: You have cried Wolf so many times that no one believes you now.

50. Palm off

Meaning: Pass off something as genuine when it is spurious.
Example: This shopkeeper always palms off old stock to the customers.

51. Has bigger fish to fry

Meaning: Has more important work to do.
Example: Please don’t bother me today with any calls, I have bigger fish to fry.

52. Look before you leap

Meaning: Calculate the risks before advancing towards a possibility.
Example: You can’t just sell all of your shares when the market is low, look before you leap, Trump is coming tomorrow, it is possible the shares will grow.

53. On thin ice

Meaning: In a precarious or risky situation.
Example: Andy played hooky from work for a week saying he was sick, now his boss said that he is on very thin ice.

54. Play devil’s advocate

Meaning: To argue, just for the sake of it.
Example: He was not agreeing to back off, as if he was playing devil’s advocate.

Besides, knowing about various idioms with examples, a good vocabulary can take you to places in competitive exams as well as in life. Here’s our blog on 50 difficult words with meanings for you to master your speaking skills now!

55. Rain on someone’s parade

Meaning: To spoil a moment.
Example: He told his wife that he doesn’t want to rain on her parade, but they had to shift their vacation dates.

56. Take a rain check

Meaning: Postpone a plan.
Example: He asked me whether I would like to have dinner with his family, but I had a thing so I said, rain check.

57. Take it with a grain of salt

Meaning: Don’t take it too seriously.
Example: She tells great tales but we take whatever she says with a grain of salt. 

58. Like a cakewalk

Meaning: So easy task.
Example: Everyone took hours to write the code but Adam did it like a cakewalk.

59. Throw caution to the wind

Meaning: Take a risk.
Example: The caretaker threw caution to the wind by taking a sick baby outside. 

60. Penny-wise and Pound foolish

Meaning: Careful in trivial matters but wasteful or extravagant in large matters.
Example: That man eats Ramen noodles daily for dinner but for his dog, he threw a big party. He is indeed penny-wise and pound-foolish.

61. The whole nine yards

Meaning: Everything, all the way.
Example: I want to know everything there is to know about this merger, the whole nine yards of the deal.

62. The best thing since sliced bread

Meaning: A really good invention.
Example: Bluetooth is officially the best thing since sliced bread. 

It is important to note that idioms themselves do not create complete sentences and they require additional context to give them a sense. Take a look at some more idioms with examples and their meanings:

63. Bite off more than you can chew

Meaning: Take on a difficult work that is beyond your capabilities. 
Example: Andrew told his boss that he will triple the sales but in reality, he bit off more than he can chew and now all of us are in trouble.

64. Play by the ear

Meaning: To improvise.
Example: I just went to Canada and did everything by the ear, no itinerary, no schedules.

65. Ignorance is bliss

Meaning: You are better off not knowing some things.
Example: His wife always asked him what it was he did late at night, turned out, he was insider trading. But she knew nothing about this so she won’t be convicted, sometimes ignorance is bliss. 

66. Put something on ice

Meaning: To put something on hold.
Example: As per the boss’ order, Michael has put his personal matters on ice.

67. You can say that again

Meaning: That’s absolutely true.
Example: “The Earth is bleeding”, you can say that again, pal.

68. Bite the bullet

Meaning: To get something over with because it is inevitable.
Example: Vik was diagnosed with second stage cancer but he didn’t want to get chemotherapy. By the will of his wife, he bit the bullet.

69. Go back to the drawing board

Meaning: Start over.
Example: It is not too late to go back to the drawing board and assess your mistakes.

70. Call it a day

Meaning: Stop working on something.
Example: Ah! So what we didn’t complete the puzzle today, let’s call it a day and come back again tomorrow.

71. Beating Around the Bush

Meaning: To talk about unnecessary things.
Example: When I asked my secretary about the missing file and documents, she was beating around the bush.

72. Be in a Tight Corner.

Meaning: Being in a difficult situation.
Example: Radha’s low grades despite her constant efforts has put her in a very tight corner.

73. At the 11th Hour

Meaning: At the last moment.
Example: While leaving for Shimla, Harshit kept his mobile phone charger in the bag at the 11th hour.

74. Swan Song

Meaning: The last piece of work of an artist before his/her death.
Example: This painting was M.F Hussain’s swan song.

75. Wild Goose Chase

Meaning: Futile Chase
Example: Catching the two thieves together on a jam-packed road was no less than a wild goose chase for the policeman.

76. Bury the Hatchet

Meaning: Ending a quarrel to make peace.
Example: My father buried the hatchet by equally diving the pasta between me and my sister.

77. To Bell the Cat

Meaning: To face a risk.
Example: He belled the cat when he was trying to escape the prison.

78. Turn a deaf ear

Meaning: To ignore what someone is saying.
Example: Whenever her mother complained of her excessive use of mobile phone, Anu turned a deaf ear.

79. At Sea

Meaning: Confused
Example: I was at sea while choosing a lehenga for my sister’s wedding at Manish Malhotra’s store.

80. To be in the doldrums

Meaning: To be in a low spirit
Example: When I got to know about the increasing cases of COVID 19 in my area, I was in the doldrums.

81. Hit the books

Meaning: Going to study
Example: I won’t be able to come for dinner as I have to hit the books for my half-yearly examinations. 

82. Twist someone’s arm

Meaning: To convince someone
Example: I was not planning to come to the party but by remaining me of all the good food you twisted my arm!

83. Stab someone in the back

Meaning: To betray a close person
Example: My uncle trusted his driver so much but he stabbed him at the back when he saw all the money bags.

84. Go cold turkey

Meaning: To quit or stop addictive or dangerous behaviour
Example: No one could believe that my father left eating sweets! He went cold turkey when the doctors told him that he has diabetes. 

85. Ring a bell

Meaning: Sounds familiar
Example: Why does this name ring a bell in my head? Was this girl in my school? 

86. Cut to the chase

Meaning: Getting to the important point
Example: As the submissions were to be made tonight, boss cut to the chase and asked us to start working. 

87. Blow off steam

Meaning: Experiencing strong feelings like anger or stress
Example: Shina went running to blow off steam as she had a huge fight with mother. 

88. Face the music

Meaning: Face the reality
Example: Shikha asked her husband to not run away from the problem and just face the music once!

89. To have sticky fingers

Meaning: Thief
Example: The cashier had a sticky finger, he stole around $2000 and ran away from the bank. 

90. Break the bank

Meaning: To be very expensive
Example: I had to break the bank to but these shoes!

91. Face the music

Meaning: Confront the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions.
Example: We have done it and now it’s time to face the music!

92. It is always darkest before the dawn

Meaning: Things will get better
Example: I know you have gone through the worst, but remember it is always darkest before the dawn.

93. Jump the gun

Meaning: To act on something promptly before the right time
Example: I think I jumped the gun by sending the e-mail before they tell the time.

94. Wear your heart on your sleeve

Meaning: Expressing yourself too openly
Example: She wears her heart on her sleeve and often gets hurt.

95. Cut no ice

Meaning: Fail to make an impact
Example: Your poetry cuts no ice with me.

96. Light at the end of tunnel

Meaning: Seeing signs of improvement in the future
Example: I see the light at the end of the tunnel for my relationship with her.

97. Through thick and thin

Meaning: Through good and bad times
Example: Books and music stay by your side through thick and thin.

98. Cry for the moon

Meaning: To ask for something that is rather difficult
Example: You are crying for the moon for this concert’s tickets!

99. Read between the lines

Meaning: Understanding the real message behind something
Example: If you try to read between the lines, her song is actually about nizagara

100. Pour out one’s heart

Meaning: To express openly
Example: I can’t pour my heart out to you if you are too distracted by everything around you.

Learn the 100 Common Idioms with their Meanings

20 Idioms with their Meanings and Sentences

Here are the most common 20 idioms with their meanings and sentences:

1. A left-handed compliment
   Meaning: Saying something insulting in the form of appreciative words.
   Example: Her words on my blog seem like a left-handed compliment.
2. Once in a blue moon
   Meaning: Not very often
   Example: I visit her place once in a blue moon.
3. Call a spade a spade
   Meaning: Talking frankly
   Example: I will not lie about it and call a spade a spade.
4. Flesh and blood
   Meaning: Referring to someone in family or human nature
   Example: It’s flesh and blood to feel such strong emotions at this time.
5. Jam on the brakes
   Meaning: Press brakes of a vehicle suddenly
   Example: I had to jam on the brakes when I saw the deer.
6. Notch up
   Meaning: To win or create a record
   Example: One Direction notched up the finale with their amazing voice!
7. A slap on the wrist
   Meaning: Just a small punishment
   Example: You will get a slap on the wrist for painting this wall but don’t dare to do it again.
8. Knee Jerk Reaction
   Meaning: A quick response
   Example: The statement was just a knee jerk reaction.
9. Once bitten, twice shy
   Meaning: Afraid of doing something again
   Example: Once bitten twice shy, he can’t ski.
10. Forty winks
    Meaning: A short nap
    Example: I will be just in for forty winks, I promise.
11. Up for grabs
    Meaning: Available for everyone
    Example: This pizza slice is up for grabs!
12. Old as the hills
    Meaning: Someone very old
    Example: The man looks as old as the hills.
13. Back to square one
    Meaning: Start all over again
    Example: Your mistake brought us back to square one.
14. Round the bend
    Meaning: Crazy
    Example: My neighbour is round the bend, don’t try to mess with her.
15. Against the clock
    Meaning: Rushed
    Example: I have to hurry for the meeting, I am against the clock.
16. Black and blue
    Meaning: Something bruised
    Example: What happened? Your eyes look black and blue.
17. Have the blues
    Meaning: Sad
    Example: After meeting her, I am feeling the blues.
18. Be glad to see the back of
    Meaning: Happy when someone leaves
    Example: Tomorrow, I will be glad to see the back of her.
19. Black out
    Meaning: Faint
    Example: I blacked out after two drinks.
20. Get in Shape
    Meaning: To become strong or fit
    Example: I need to make a proper schedule to get in shape before the graduation ceremony.

30 Idioms Examples and their Meaning for Students

Here are the most common 30 idioms with their meanings and sentences:

1. Shoot from the hip
   Meaning: To speak bluntly or rashly without thinking carefully
   Example: Don’t feel bad about what he said. He has a habit of shooting from the hip, but he means no harm
2.  Shoot oneself in the foot
   Meaning: To harm one’s own cause inadvertently
   Example: Foolishly harm one’s own cause, as in He really shot himself in the foot, telling the interviewer all about the others who were applying for the job he wanted.
3.  In cold blood
   Meaning: If you do something violent and cruel in cold blood, you do it deliberately and in an unemotional way.
   Example: In a purposely ruthless and unfeeling manner, as in The whole family was murdered in cold blood. 
4. Draw first blood
   Meaning: If you draw first blood, you cause the first damage to an opponent in a conflict or contest.
   Example: To be the first to gain an advantage or score against an opponent. I drew first blood in the tournament and quickly dispatched my opponent.
5. Ace up one’s sleeve
   Meaning: A secret or hidden advantage that you can use when you need it
   Example: Cheating at a card game by hiding a favourable card up one’s sleeve. I have an ace up my sleeve for this race—my stamina.
6. Play your cards right
   Meaning: To behave or work in a way that gives you an advantage or improves your odds of success.
   Example:  Play your cards right in college and you’ll get a great job after you graduate
7. Egg on your face
   Meaning: If you’ve egg on your face, you look stupid and face embarrassment because of something you’ve done.
   Example: Terry had an egg on his face after boasting that the examinations were really easy, but ended up failing most of his papers.
8. Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs
   Meaning: To destroy something that gives you a lot of money to get immediate returns
   Example:  Tearing down the top attraction in the theme park, “The Haunted House”, would be akin to killing the goose that lays the golden egg.
9. An arm and a leg
   Meaning: If something costs an arm and a leg, it costs a lot.
   Example:  I want to buy a house by the beach, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.
10. Behind one’s back
    Meaning: If you do something behind someone’s back, you do it secretly without their knowledge (used in negative way).
    Example: My colleague is really nice to me but I don’t trust him because I know he talks negatively about me behind my back
11. Stab someone in the back
    Meaning: Harm someone who trusts you.
    Example: Don’t trust George; he’s been known to stab his friends in the back
12. Take a back seat
    Meaning: If you take a back seat, you choose not to be in a position of responsibility or power.
    Example: The founder of the company decided to take a back seat and let the board members run the business.
13.  Back to the drawing board
    Meaning: If you go back to the drawing board, you make a fresh start or try another idea because the earlier one didn’t succeed.
    Example: It looks like my plans to kill the weeds in the garden failed. Back to the drawing board
14. Right off the bat
    Meaning: If you do something right off the bat, you do it immediately.
    Example: Nathan was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so he hopped into his car and bought some fast food. After unwrapping the burger, he took a bite and right off the bat he knew that something was wrong; it didn’t taste right.
15. Heart misses (skips) a beat
    Meaning: If your heart misses a beat, you feel excited or nervous.
    Example: Her heart missed a beat when she heard her name called out in the list of finalists, or When the bear appeared in front of us, my heart skipped a beat, or My heart stands still at the very thought of flying through a thunderstorm
16. Have your heart in your mouth
    Meaning: If you’ve your heart in mouth, you’re feeling extremely nervous.
    Example:  You sure don’t seem relaxed—in fact, it seems like your heart is in your mouth.
17. Not the only fish in the sea
    Meaning: Not the only suitable thing or person one can find
    Example: When Bob walked out on Sally, all we could tell her was that he was not the only fish in the sea , or Bill knew she wasn’t the only pebble on the beach but he was determined to win her over.
18. Not your cup of tea
    Meaning: If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they’re not the kind of person or thing you like.
    Example: We couldn’t decide which movie to watch, so we ended up settling on a comedy. Half-way through the movie, I concluded that its humor was not my cup of tea.
19. A piece of cake
    Meaning: If something is a piece of cake, it’s easy to do.
    Example: The boy found the project to be a piece of cake because it was incredibly easy.
20. Call it a day
    Meaning: If you call it a day, you stop what you’re doing because you’re tired of it or you’ve not been successful.
    Example: I think we have done enough work today, I am feeling tired now, let’s call it a day.
21. The pot calling the kettle black
    Meaning: Accusing someone of faults that you yourself have
    Example: I can’t believe that you are upset because I was late. That is the pot calling the kettle black. Peter called me a liar! That is the pot calling the kettle black.
22. Call a spade a spade
    Meaning: To speak truth even if it’s unpleasant
    Example: That dress made her look fat, let’s call a spade a spade before she goes out wearing it and embarrasses herself. 
23. A bolt from the blue
    Meaning: A sudden, unexpected event
    Example: Let us hope the pandemic disappears. It came as a bolt from the blue in 2020.
24. In the same boat
    Meaning: If two or more persons are in the same boat, they’re in the same difficult situation.
    Example: If you lose your job, I’ll lose mine. We are both in the same boat.
25. Miss the boat/ bus
    Meaning: To miss an opportunity
    Example: He missed the boat when he did not apply for the job in time. 
26. Over my dead body
    Meaning: If you say something will happen your dead body, you mean you dislike it and will do everything you can to prevent it.
    Example: I told John that he could shave his head, over my dead body. 
27. Make one’s blood boil
    Meaning: To make someone extremely angry
    Example: When I hear stories of cruelty to animals, it makes my blood boil.
28. Bounce something off someone
    Meaning: If you bounce something off someone, you discuss ideas or plan with someone to get their view on it.
    Example: I caught the rubber ball when it bounced off the wall. The light bouncing off of that mirror is blinding me—can we close the curtains?
29. Bell the cat
    Meaning: To undertake a risky or dangerous task.
    Example: Someone has to bell the cat and tell the commissioner that his own started the violence
30.  Like a cat on hot tin roof
    Meaning: In an uneasy or nervous state
    Example: She’s waiting for the doctor to call with her test results, so she’s been like a cat on a hot tin roof all day

IELTS Speaking – 7 Idioms for a Band 9 Score

FAQs

Learning idioms with examples and their meaning is the best way to master them and make your writing more engaging. Try to practice idioms with examples of your own. If you wish to seek further guidance on your English-language proficiency test preparation like TOEFL or IELTS and your career, you can check out Leverage Edu today and schedule a free consultation session now.

Quick intro

An idiom is a phrase or group of words that, when taken together, has a meaning that is different from that of each individual word. To put it another way: idioms cannot be understood literally.

For example, ‘Once in a blue moon’ means ‘when something happens rarely’. So the example sentence: ‘I eat McDonalds once in a blue moon’ doesn’t make any sense when the words are taken literally (you only eat McDonalds when there is a blue moon?!). But when you understand the meaning of the idiom, the sentence makes perfect sense (you don’t often eat McDonalds).

Idioms are very important when learning English because they are used a lot in everyday communication and can help you sound more like a native. To speak and understand conversational English better, learning the correct use of idioms is essential. Idioms also help give character to the language; making it more colourful and interesting.

In this study guide, we’re going to walk you through the most common 150 English idioms used today, with their meanings and example sentences. We will also highlight a few outdated idioms that you should avoid, and give you some exercises to practise your understanding.

1. A BLESSING IN DISGUISE

Something that appears bad at first but ends up having good results
Missing that plane turned out to be a blessing in disguise because I got to spend more time with my family.

2. A SANDWICH SHORT OF A PICNIC

A humorous way of saying someone is stupid or is a bit mad
He brought only shorts and t-shirts when he went to Sweden in the winter – I think he might be a sandwich short of a picnic!

3. A STONE’S THROW

Something is very close or near
Luckily the wedding is just a stone’s throw from our hotel so we can walk there.

4. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

What you do is more important than what you say; someone’s words may not be trustworthy
Person A: “John keeps saying he wants to take me out for dinner, but then he never does!”
Person B: “Actions speak louder than words.“

5. ADD FUEL TO THE FIRE

When someone does something to make a bad situation worse
When Sarah started laughing during the argument, it really added fuel to the fire!

6. ADD INSULT TO INJURY

To make a bad situation worse
As if breaking my arm isn’t bad enough, to add insult to injury I have to pay £1,000 in hospital fees as I didn’t have travel insurance!

7. ALL EARS

To be eagerly waiting to hear about something
Person A: “I have to tell you about what happened on our trip to Spain…”
Person B: “I’m all ears!”

8. AT A CROSSROADS

To be at a point in your life when you need to make an important decision
I was at a crossroads when I was offered a job in the US, but my boyfriend wanted to stay in London.

9. BARKING UP THE WRONG TREE

To be wrong or misguided about the reason for something
He thinks the company’s problems can be solved just by firing the sales team, but he’s barking up the wrong tree.

10. BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH

To talk about unimportant things because you’re avoiding a particular topic
Stop beating about the bush! Are you planning to quit university, or not?

11. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

It’s better to do something late than not at all
Person A: “Sorry I missed your birthday! There’s a card in the post.”
Person B: “Don’t worry. Better late than never!”

12. BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

To be in a difficult situation where both options are bad
Person A: “If I go to the wedding mum will be upset, but if I don’t go then I’ll be letting down the rest of the family!”
Person B: “Sounds like you’re caught between a rock and a hard place.”

13. BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW

To do too much or take something on that is too difficult
Person A: “I’m going to start that weekend job at the museum on top of my full-time job because I really need the money.”
Person B: “Sounds like a lot of work! Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

14. BITE THE BULLET

To decide to do something that is difficult or unpleasant, but necessary
You’re going to have to bite the bullet and tell your ex-(girlfriend) that you need the apartment back.

15. BLOW OFF STEAM

To do something that helps you get rid of stress, energy or anger
After my meeting with the boss, I went for a run to blow off steam.

16. BOB’S YOUR UNCLE

To say that a set of instructions or task is simple or easy
To make the salad dressing, you just put oil, vinegar, honey and mustard into a bowl, mix them together and bob’s your uncle!

17. BOG-STANDARD

Something that is very ordinary or basic, nothing special
Despite the excellent reviews, we thought the restaurant was just bog-standard.

When learning idioms in English, you need to watch out for old-fashioned expressions. For example, you probably know the idiom ‘It’s raining cats and dogs’. However, most Brits would never use this expression now. It is outdated. Instead we say: ‘It’s bucketing it down!’, ‘It’s chucking it down!’ or ‘It’s pi*sing it down!’.

18. BOTCH/BODGE JOB

Work that has been done badly, in a clumsy, lazy way
The original builders did such a bodge job of our kitchen that we had to get it completely redone.

19. BUDGE UP

An informal way of asking someone to move to make room for you
Could you budge up a bit so I can sit down?

20. BUILDER’S TEA

Strongly-brewed English breakfast tea with milk
I’ll have a builder’s tea, please.

21.BURY ONE’S HEAD IN THE SAND

To refuse to think about or confront serious issues or situations
Martin just buries his head in the sand when it comes to his financial problems.

22. BUST ONE’S CHOPS

To work very hard on something, or to harass someone
I was busting my chops all night to get that report finished!
Stop busting my chops! I’ll mow the lawn later.

Note: In British English slang, the word ‘chops’ is used to mean ‘mouth’. So the idiom above literally means ‘punch in the mouth’.

23. BY THE SKIN OF ONE’S TEETH

To narrowly succeed in doing something
The traffic was terrible so we only made the plane by the skin of our teeth!

24. CALL A SPADE A SPADE

To state the truth about something even if it’s unpopular or unpleasant
I know he’s your brother, but let’s call a spade a spade: he’s pretty lazy.

25. CALL IT A DAY

To stop working on something
It’s almost 9pm. I think we should call it a day and finish the report tomorrow.

26. CHEAP AS CHIPS

When something is inexpensive or good value for money
It doesn’t look it, but our new sofa was (as) cheap as chips!

27. CHINESE WHISPERS

Information or rumours that have been passed on by many people and are no longer reliable
John and Maggie from the office haven’t actually announced they’re getting a divorce. It’s probably just Chinese whispers.

28. CHIP ON ONE’S SHOULDER

To hold a grudge/be angry about something that happened in the past, or to be arrogant and think too highly of oneself
Whenever we mention his childhood, he gets really angry. He’s got a chip on his shoulder about it.
The new sales guy at the office has a real chip on his shoulder. He’s not even that good!

29. CLAM UP

To become silent or stop talking
When Bill came into the room, Jenny just seemed to clam up. I think she likes him!

30. COLD FEET

To get nervous or to have second thoughts about doing something
He’s getting cold feet about the wedding, but I told him that was perfectly normal.

31. (THE) COLD SHOULDER

To deliberately ignore someone
I got the cold shoulder from Anna at the party. I guess she’s still annoyed with me.

32. COST A BOMB

When something is very expensive
That Italian meal cost a bomb! We won’t be going back there, unless we win the lottery!

33. COST AN ARM AND A LEG

When something is very expensive
The new bar in town was really fancy, but my drink cost an arm and a leg!

34. COUCH POTATO

A lazy person who doesn’t do much exercise and spends a lot of time on the sofa watching television
My husband has turned into a couch potato since he lost his job.

35. COULDN’T CARE LESS

To show indifference to something or a total lack of interest
I couldn’t care less if Harry comes out tonight or not! I don’t really like the guy.

36. CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT

A warning that being inquisitive or curious can get you into trouble
Person A: “Where are you going at this time of night?”
Person B: “Curiosity killed the cat!”

37. CUT A LONG STORY SHORT

To get to the point, to not include unnecessary detail
To cut a long story short, she has to move back to the US until her new visa comes through.

38. CUT CORNERS

To do something in the easiest way possible (usually not very well) in order to save time or money
We had to cut corners to get the project done within our budget and by January.

39. CUT SOMEONE SOME SLACK

To avoid being critical or judgmental of someone (even if they deserve it)
Person A: “Hannah’s late for the second time this week!”
Person B: “Cut her some slack! The traffic’s awful this morning.”

40. CUT TO THE CHASE

To get directly to the point when speaking, to not give unnecessary detail
I have to leave in a minute so can you cut to the chase? What exactly do you want me to do?
 

41. DIG ONE’S HEELS IN

To refuse to do something or change your mind, especially when people are trying to persuade you
I wanted to go on the earlier train, but Mary dug her heels in so we had to get the later one.

42. DOG EAT DOG (ALSO ‘CUT THROAT’)

A situation that is very competitive, where people are willing to harm each other’s interests to get ahead
The music industry is dog eat dog these days.
I’d stay out of the legal sector. It can be a cut throat business.

43. DON’T GIVE UP THE DAY JOB

Used in a humorous way to tell someone they’re not very good at something
Person A: “What do you think of the haircut I gave Hannah?”
Person B: “Don’t give up the day job, mate!”

44. DON’T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET

A warning not to put all your resources or efforts into just one thing
Although you’ve made an offer on this house, I would still visit some others. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket.

45. DON’T RUN BEFORE YOU CAN WALK

A warning not to try something difficult before you understand the basics
If you’re not very good at swimming, I’d stay in the shallow end and keep close to the side. You don’t want to run before you can walk.

46. DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES

In a very challenging situation you need to take extreme actions
She moved to Australia after she found out about her husband’s affair. I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures!

47. EASY DOES IT

To slow down or do something slowly/carefully
Easy does it! Those boxes you’re holding are very fragile.

48.EAT A HORSE

To be extremely hungry
I am so hungry I could eat a horse.

49. (The) ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM

An important and obvious topic that everyone knows needs to be discussed, but that isn’t brought up or mentioned
David leaving the company was the elephant in the room during that meeting – no one wanted to bring it up!

50. EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING (often just: EVERY CLOUD…)

Even a bad situation may have a positive aspect to it
I might have lost my job, but at least I don’t have that awful journey into work every day. Every cloud…!

51. FACE THE MUSIC

To accept responsibility for something bad you have done
I’m meeting Hannah tonight and it’s the first time I’ll have seen her since our argument. I guess I’ll finally have to face the music.

52. FIND ONE’S FEET

To adjust or settle into a new environment or situation
I’ve only been at the new company for a month so I’m still finding my feet.

53. FINGER IN EVERY PIE

To be involved or have influence in many things (often has a negative association)
Person A: “Steve offered to sell me some secondhand TVs and holiday to Spain!”
Person B: “That guy’s got a finger in every pie!”

54. (A) FISH OUT OF WATER

When someone is (or feels) out of place in a situation
Judy was like a fish out of water at the kids’ party. I don’t think she likes children at all!

55. FIT AS A FIDDLE

To be in good physical health
He’s in his 90’s, but he’s fit as a fiddle!

56. FOLLOW IN SOMEONE’S FOOTSTEPS

To do the same as someone else did before you (often a family member)
All the men in my family are doctors so I’ll probably follow in their footsteps and go into medicine too.

57. FREAK OUT

To become very angry, scared or excited (can be negative or positive)
I freaked out when I saw The Rolling Stones perform. I’d wanted to see them my whole life!
That Goth at the club freaked me out a bit because he was dressed like a vampire!

58. FULL OF BEANS

Someone who is energetic, lively or enthusiastic
You’re full of beans this evening! You must have had a good day at work.
 

59. GET OFF ONE’S BACK

When someone won’t stop criticising, bothering or telling you what to do
I wish she would get off my back about the meeting! I know I have to send the agenda out, but I’ll do it in my own time.

60. GET OUT OF HAND

To become difficult to control
The protest got out of hand and the police had to intervene when some demonstrators broke down a fence.

61. GET OVER SOMETHING

To overcome or move on from a difficult situation
Moving out of the city for a while might help you get over Harry. (This could be the breakup of a personal relationship/marriage, or the person’s death)

62. GET SOMETHING OUT OF ONE’S SYSTEM

Do something you have wanted to do so that you can then move on from it
I don’t drink much anymore; I got it out of my system when I was at university!

63. GET UP/OUT ON THE WRONG SIDE OF BED

To wake up in a grumpy or bad mood for no obvious reason
You’re very argumentative today! Did you get up on the wrong side of bed, or something?

64. GET ONE’S ACT/SH*T TOGETHER

To take action in order to be more effective
I haven’t got any work done this morning – I really need to get my act together!

65. GIVE SOMEONE THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT

To believe or trust what someone tells you (even though it might not be true)
Hannah said she missed the exam because her car broke down. I’m not sure that was the case, but let’s give her the benefit of the doubt.

66. GLAD TO SEE THE BACK OF

To be happy that you no longer have to deal with someone
I was very glad to see the back of John because he made the atmosphere in the office so uncomfortable.

67. GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD

Start planning something again because earlier attempts were unsuccessful
The client didn’t like our original concept so let’s go back to the drawing board!

68. GO COLD TURKEY

To suddenly and completely stop using an addictive substance
I gave up smoking by going cold turkey; it was difficult but it was also the only thing that worked for me.

69. GO DOWN THAT ROAD

To take a particular course of action, both literally and figuratively
Let’s not go down that road again! It always leads to an argument.

70. GO THE EXTRA MILE

To make more effort than is expected or necessary
Frank is a great asset to our team as he always goes the extra mile.

71. (The) GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER (ON THE OTHER SIDE)

To mean a person is never satisfied with their own situation, they always think others have it better
I always think the countryside looks nicer than the city, but I guess the grass is always greener…!

72. GREEN FINGERS

To be good at gardening, able to make plants grow
I’ve heard you have green fingers – we’ll have to get your advice about our garden!

73. HANG IN THERE

To persist with something, to not give up
Hang in there! I know it’s tough but you’re almost halfway through the course.

74. HAVE EYES IN THE BACK OF ONE’S HEAD

To be able to see or sense what’s going on all around you, when you can’t physically see everyhing
You need eyes in the back of your head when you have two small children!

75. HEAD OVER HEELS (IN LOVE)

To be extremely in love with someone
They’re head over heels in love with each other!

76. HEARD IT ON THE GRAPEVINE

To hear news about something from someone else, not directly
I heard (it) on the grapevine that you and Alex are splitting up. Is that true?

77. HIT THE BOOKS

To start studying seriously
After dinner I’m really going to hit the books. Not much time left before my exams!

78.HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD

To be completely right or correct about something
I think Lucy hit the nail on the head when she said there’s no such thing as an ideal school. There are pros and cons to all of them.

79. HIT THE ROAD

To leave somewhere or start a journey
It’s getting late so I’m going to hit the road.

80. HIT THE SACK

To go to bed in order to sleep
It’s been a long day so I’m going to hit the sack. Night night!

81. HOLD YOUR HORSES

Another way of saying ‘Wait a moment’ or ‘don’t rush’
Person A: ‘The train’s at 9. Grab the bags, find your shoes and call a taxi!’
Person B: ‘Hold your horses! We’ve got plenty of time.’

In English, there are many ways to say ‘Wait a moment’. Next time you want to express this idea, try one of the following expressions: ‘Wait a sec’ (second), ‘Hang on a tick’ (like of a clock), ‘Give us a mo’ (moment).

82. IGNORANCE IS BLISS

Sometimes it’s better not to know all the facts about something
Person A: “Did you know that cake you just ate was 600 calories?”
Person B: “I didn’t…ignorance is bliss!”

83. IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE

To say something isn’t very complicated
You just need to fill in the form and you’ll get an e-ticket. It’s not rocket science!

84. JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON

To join an activity, trend or opinion that has become popular
Everyone thinks Boris is going to win the election so they’ve jumped on the bandwagon.

85. JUMP SHIP

To leave or abandon a difficult situation
I don’t think the company is going to survive. We should probably jump ship!

86. KEEP ONE’S CHIN UP

To encourage someone to stay positive in a difficult situation
It’s been a difficult month for you but keep your chin up! It will get easier.

87. KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE

To achieve two things at once
I could pick up the dry cleaning on my way the doctors. That way we’d be killing two birds with one stone.
 

88. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED

To do everything you can to achieve something
During firm’s the financial audit they left no stone unturned.

89. LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE (often just: LET IT LIE)

To leave a situation as it is, in order to not make it worse
Don’t bring up what happened at Alison’s party again. You should just let it lie.

90. LET SOMEONE OFF THE HOOK

To avoid being punished for something or to avoid doing something
It was my turn to do the washing-up, but mum let me off the hook because I wasn’t feeling well.

91. LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG

To reveal a secret by accident
Their engagement was meant to be a secret, but Adam let the cat out of the bag!

92. LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS

To look very good, often due to what you’re wearing
You look like a million dollars in that black dress!

93. LOSE ONE’S TOUCH

No longer able to do something as well as you could before
I tried to chat a girl up at the bar the other night, but she just ignored me. I must be losing my touch!

94. MISS THE BOAT

To be slow and not take an opportunity when it’s offered to you
I would call the company back now about the job and not wait until the morning. You don’t want to miss the boat!

95. NIP (SOMETHING) IN THE BUD

To stop something at an early stage, before it has a chance to develop
I’ve noticed that people are starting to arrive late for work. I think we need to have a meeting about it and nip this in the bud before it becomes a real problem.

96. NO PAIN, NO GAIN

You need to suffer or work hard to get what you want or deserve
Person A: “That gym class was so hard I thought I was going to pass out!”
Person B: “No pain, no gain!”

97. NO-BRAINER

An easy decision, something you don’t need to think too hard about
Person A: “Do you think I should get travel insurance before I go to Nigeria?” Person B: “That’s a no-brainer. Of course you should!”

98. NOT ONE’S CUP OF TEA

Something you don’t like or are not interested in
She’s a great cook, but the meal she made really wasn’t my cup of tea. It was far too spicy.

99. OFF ONE’S TROLLEY/ROCKER/NUT/HEAD

Someone who acts very strangely, seems crazy or insane
You must be off your trolley if you think I’m going to climb up there! It’s way too high!

100. OFF THE TOP OF ONE’S HEAD

From memory, without a lot of thought or consideration
Off the top of my head I think we’re expecting about 18 guests for the party, but I’ll check to make sure.

101. ON THE BALL

To be alert, quick to understand and react to things
You really need to be on the ball in this job because it’s fast-paced with lots happening all the time.

102. ON THE PULL

To go out with the intention of finding someone to have sex with
Those lads on the dance floor look like they’re on the pull tonight!

103. ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW

To live in a way that is honest and moral, to stay out of trouble
He was very wild for many years, but he seems to have grown up and he’s on the straight and narrow now.

104.ONCE IN A BLUE MOON

Something that happens rarely
I eat McDonalds once in a blue moon, when I feel like a treat!

105. PIECE OF CAKE

Something that is very easy
My English exam was a piece of cake.

106. (AND) PIGS MIGHT FLY

Something that will never happen or is very unlikely
Person A: “I’m going to play tennis at Wimbledon one day!”
Person B: “And pigs might fly!”

107. PITCH IN

To join in, contribute or help with something
If we all pitch in we can get Charlie a really nice birthday present.

108. PLAY IT BY EAR

To plan something in an improvised way (instead of planning ahead), deciding what to do as the plan develops
Person A: “Shall we have dinner before or after the cinema on Friday?”
Person B: “Perhaps we should just play it by ear – we don’t know how hungry we’ll be.”

109. PULL SOMEONE’S LEG

Tease or joke with someone by saying something that’s not true
You’re pulling my leg! I don’t believe you met Elton John at the pub!

110. PULL ONESELF TOGETHER

To regain control of your emotions after you’ve been upset, to calm down
You need to pull yourself together! Stop worrying about work so much.

111. RAISE ONE’S GAME

To make an effort to improve at something or perform better
You’ll need to raise your game if you’re planning on beating Anna’s time in the half marathon.

112. RING A BELL

When something seems familiar or you’ve heard it before
Person A: “Do you know Hannah Stewart?”
Person B: “That name does ring a bell, but I can’t think why.”

113. ROCK THE BOAT

To do or say something that could cause a problem or disturbance
The kids are all getting along fine at the moment so let’s not rock the boat.

114. RULE OF THUMB

Judging a situation by experience rather than an exact assessment
As a rule of thumb, you should use two cups of water for one cup of rice.
 

115.SCRATCH SOMEONE’S BACK

To do someone a favour in the hope that it will be returned, can relate to corruption (commonly used as: You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours)
My boss got caught taking free holidays from a company client! I think it was a case of “you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours”.

116. SEE EYE TO EYE

To agree with someone
We don’t see eye to eye when it comes to politics, but I do like her as a person.

117. SHED LIGHT ON (SOMETHING)

To reveal information about something or to clarify something
You were in the office on Tuesday when the incident took place so perhaps you could shed some light on it for us?

118. SHOOT FROM THE HIP

To speak honestly and directly or to react to a situation very quickly without thinking it through
Person A: “What do you think we should do about Harry’s poor sales this quarter?”
Person B: “If I can shoot from the hip, I’d say he probably needs to leave.”

119. SIT ON THE FENCE

To adopt a position of compromise, take neither stance on an issue, not yes or no
There are a lot of people still sitting on the fence over Brexit.

120. SIT TIGHT

To wait patiently
Sit tight! The nurse will be with you in just a moment.

121. SLEEP ON IT

To delay making a decision for a short period of time
You don’t have to decide straight away. Why don’t you sleep on it and let us know in the morning?

122. SMELL A RAT

To suspect someone is a traitor, behaving illegally or is up to no good
I thought I could smell a rat when john refused to give me a straight answer about his sales figures! Now we know he’s been stealing from the company.

123. SO FAR, SO GOOD

To express satisfaction with how a situation is progressing
Person A: “How is the building work going?”
Person B: “So far, so good…the house is still standing!”

124. (A) SPANNER IN THE WORKS

Something that prevents or disrupts an event from happening
We had invited everyone round for a BBQ today, but the rain has really thrown a spanner in the works!

125.SPEAK OF THE DEVIL

Said when the person you are talking about appears unexpectedly
Did you hear about what happened to Michael? …Oh speak of the devil, here he is!

126.SPILL THE BEANS

To reveal information that was secret
We are throwing David a surprise birthday party, but please don’t spill the beans!

127.SPLASH OUT

To spend a lot of money on something
We splashed out on new phones for the whole family.

128.STAB SOMEONE IN THE BACK

To betray or hurt someone who trusts you
This industry is so competitive; it’s easy to get stabbed in the back by your closest colleagues.

129.STEAL SOMEONE’S THUNDER

To take attention or praise away from someone else’s accomplishments by outdoing them with your own
My sister is always stealing my thunder – I announce I’m getting married and she tells everyone she’s pregnant!

130.STICK TO ONE’S GUNS

To refuse to change your mind or beliefs about something
I really respect Sarah. She always sticks to her guns, even if others disagree.

131.STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH

Information straight from the person who saw, heard or experienced the event
Person A: “Are you sure Andy is quitting his job?”
Person B: “Positive. I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth!”

132.TAKE THE MICKEY (or TAKE THE PI*S)

To make fun of someone, or to take liberties
Dave’s a laugh, but he always taking the mickey out of you down the pub.
£4 for a cup of coffee? They must be taking the pi*s!

133.TAKE (SOMETHING) WITH A PINCH OF SALT

To doubt the accuracy of what someone is telling you
I would take Sam’s motoring advice with a pinch of salt. He doesn’t actually know much about cars.

134. (A) TASTE OF ONE’S OWN MEDICINE

When someone does something unpleasant and the same is wished on him/her
My boss is a real bully. Someone should give her a taste of her own medicine!

135.THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT

It is up to you to take the initiative or make the next move
I’ve told you how I feel about the wedding so the ball’s in your court now.

136.THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

Where you can enjoy the advantages of two different things at the same time – an ideal situation
He lives in England during the summer and lives in Australia during the winter months so he gets the best of both worlds.

137.THE LAST/FINAL STRAW

The last in a series of bad things to happen, when your patience has run out
When the dog destroyed their antique furniture it really was the final straw. After that, they decided to give poor Rex away.

138.THROUGH THICK AND THIN

To continue to support someone even during difficult times
John and Chloe have stayed together through thick and thin.

139.TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN

When you’re enjoying something time seems to move faster and you don’t notice the passing of time
I can’t believe it’s 10pm already! Time flies when you’re having fun!

140.TWIST SOMEONE’S ARM

To convince someone to do what you want them to
I didn’t want to go out tonight, but Ruth twisted my arm!

141.UNDER THE WEATHER

Not feeling very well, a little sick
Sarah’s not going to come out tonight. She’s had a busy week and is feeling under the weather.

142.UP IN THE AIR

A decision or plan is uncertain or unsure
Person A: “Are they still getting married?”
Person B: “We don’t know as it’s all up in the air at the moment.”

143. WASTE NOT, WANT NOT

If you use what you have to the full, then you won’t desire or need more
Person A: “Are you going to finish those carrots on your plate?”
Person B: “If not, I’ll have them. Waste not, want not!”

144.WE’LL CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE COME TO IT

To deal with something when it happens rather than worrying about it before
Person A: “What if there’s bad traffic on the motorway?”
Person B: “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it“.

145.WILD GOOSE CHASE

A hopeless pursuit, something that is unattainable
We were told that if we searched the library archives we might get some answers, but it turned out to be a wild goose chase.

146.WOULDN’T BE CAUGHT DEAD

Dislike or would never do something
I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing those shoes – they’re so ugly!

147.WRAP ONE’S HEAD AROUND SOMETHING

To understand something that is complicated or shocking
I can’t wrap my head around why Megan would leave London for Rotherham!

148.YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN

To agree with someone
Person A: “It’s absolutely boiling in here!”
Person B: “You can say that again!”

149.YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER

Warning not to judge someone or something just based on appearance
Person A: “I’ve only met Richard a couple of times, but he seems a bit shy.”
Person B: “You can’t always judge a book by its cover. He’s actually a really outgoing guy once you get to know him!”

150.YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE

To have no idea about something
Person A: “Do you think Ivan is going to remember all 150 idioms in this guide?!”
Person B: “Your guess is as good as mine!”
 

Practice exercises: A-Z of English Idioms

Alex Jude —
ESL Specialist & CEO at Online Teachers UK.

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