Idioms to enrich your English language and vocabulary

1. Idiom Examples
T O E N R I C H Y O U R L A N G U A G E
Conie Ilie

2. The basisc about
the idioms
English language often uses idioms: stable, inseparable
phrases which have figurative meaning.
Idioms are template phrases that describe certain situations.
It is useless to translate them word for word, so you just need
to learn them.
There are already more than 1,000 English idioms... and
counting.
Let´s see some of them.

3. on cloud nine feeling very happy
Meaning

4. bite the bullet
decide to do something
that is difficult or
unpleasant, but
necessary
Meaning

5. speaking of
the devil
when the person you
are talking about
appears
unexpectedly
Meaning

6. left out
in the cold
to be ignored
Meaning

7. snug as
a bug in a rug
cozy and warm
Meaning

8. shoot from
the hip
to speak bluntly or
rashly without
thinking carefully
Meaning

9. born with a
silver spoon
in one’s mouth
someone who was
born in a wealthy
and successful
family
Meaning

10. it takes two
to tango
only one person is
not enough to make
something happen
Meaning

11. to hit the
books
study hard
Meaning

12. the elephant
in the room
an obvious problem
that people do not
want to talk about
Meaning

13. smell a rat
to suspect someone
is a traitor or
behaving illegally
Meaning

14. wouldn't be
caught dead
dislike or
would never do
something
Meaning

15. swan song
the last piece of
work of an artist
before his/her death
Meaning

16. boil the ocean
taking up an almost
impossible or overly
ambitious project
Meaning

17. hit the road
to leave somewhere
or start a journey
Meaning

18. hold your
horses
wait a moment/
slow down
Meaning

19. so far
so good
things are going
well
Meaning

20. steal someone's
thunder
to take attention or
praise away from
someone else’s
accomplishments by
outdoing them with
your own
Meaning

21. to have bigger
fish to fry
to have more
important things
to do
Meaning

22. at the eleventh
hour
complete something
at the very last
minute before it’s too
late
Meaning

23. add insult
to injury
to make a bad
situation worse
Meaning

24. it’s the best
thing since
sliced bread
it’s really,
really good
Meaning

25. take it with
a pinch of salt
don’t take it
too seriously
Meaning

26. don’t cry over
spilt milk
do not cry over the
situation which can
not be fixed
Meaning

27. to get your
wires crossed
to misunderstand another
person particularly
because you thought that
they were talking about
one thing when they were
actually talking about
another
Meaning

28. cut someone
some slack
to avoid being
critical or
judgmental of
someone
Meaning

29. a bolt from
the blue
a sudden,
unexpected event
Meaning

30. by the skin
of your teeth
to just barely get by
or make it
Meaning

31. crying wolf
to ask for help when
you don’t actually
need it
Meaning

32. to be left
in the dark
when someone doesn’t
receive all the
appropriate
information that tells
the whole story
Meaning

33. a blessing
in disguise
a good thing that
seemed bad at first
Meaning

34. looking to
your laurels
not being lost in your
achievements and
losing the sight of
what is supposed to
happen
Meaning

35. hit the sack go to sleep
Meaning

36. beat around
the bush
to avoid talking
about what’s
important
Meaning

37. call it a day
stop working
on something
Meaning

38. it’s raining
cats and dogs
raining very hard
Meaning

39. a stone's throw
something is very
close or near
Meaning

40. couch potato
a person who doesn’t
do much exercise and
spends a lot of time on
the sofa watching TV
Meaning

41. full of beans
someone who is
energetic or
enthusiastic
Meaning

42. not one's
cup of tea
something you don’t
like or are not
interested in
Meaning

43. shed light on
to reveal information
about something or to
clarify something
Meaning

44. bell the cat
to undertake a risky
or dangerous task
Meaning

45. get your
act together
get organized and
do things effectively
Meaning

46. pull someone’s
leg
to play a practical joke
Meaning

47. as right
as rain
perfect, amazing
Meaning

48. take a rain
check
to postpone a plan
Meaning

49. go cold turkey
suddenly quit addictive
or dangerous behavior
such as smoking or
drinking alcohol
Meaning

50. one-trick pony
a person with only
one talent or area of
expertise
Meaning

51. to get a taste
of your own
medicine
to be treated the way
you’ve treated others
Meaning

52. to go down in
flames
to fail miserably at
something
Meaning

53. bite off more
than one can
chew
trying to do something
which is too difficult
for you
Meaning

54. don't run
before
you can walk
a warning not to try
something difficult
before you
understand the basics
Meaning

55. ignorance is
bliss
sometimes it’s better
not to know all the
facts about something
Meaning

56. leave no stone
unturned
to do everything you
can to achieve
something
Meaning

57. up in arms
being angry about
something
Meaning

58. see eye
to eye
to agree completely
Meaning

59. face the music
deal with the reality of
the situation and
accept all the
consequences, whether
good or bad
Meaning

60. read the riot
act
to reprimand someone
for behaving badly,
with the intention of
improving that
person’s behavior
Meaning

61. cost a bomb
something very
expensive
Meaning

62. heard it
on the grapevine
to hear news about
something from
someone else, not
directly
Meaning

63. jump ship
to leave or abandon
a difficult situation
Meaning

64. sit tight to wait patiently
Meaning

65. call a spade
a spade
to speak the truth
even if it’s unpleasant
Meaning

66. take a back
seat
choosing not to be
in a position of
responsibility
Meaning

67. draw first
blood
the first point or
advantage gained in
a contest
Meaning

68. your guess is
as good as mine
do not know
something
Meaning

69. sell like
hot cakes
to be bought quickly
and in large numbers
Meaning

70. eat like a horse eating too much
Meaning

71. between a rock
and a hard place
to be in a difficult
situation where both
options are bad
Meaning

72. lose your
marbles
to go insane
Meaning

73. back against
the wall
stuck in a difficult
situation with no
escape
Meaning

74. under the
weather
to feel ill
Meaning

75. the ball is in
your court
it is up to you
Meaning

76. spill the beans to give away a secret
Meaning

77. go down in
flames
to fail spectacularly
Meaning

78. down for the
count
giving up
Meaning

79. barking up
the wrong tree
to be wrong or
misguided about the
reason for something
Meaning

80. don't give up
the day job
a humorous way to tell
someone they’re not
very good at
something
Meaning

81. pigs might fly
something that will
never happen
Meaning

82. sleep on it
to delay making a
decision for a short
period of time
Meaning

83. spanner in
the works
something that
prevents or disrupts
an event from
happening
Meaning

84. egg on
your face
look stupid and face
embarrassment
because of something
you’ve done
Meaning

85. ring a bell
it reminds you of
something, but you
cannot remember
exactly what it is
Meaning

86. good things come
to those who wait
to have patience
Meaning

87. sat on the fence to be undecided
Meaning

88. through thick
and thin
to be loyal no matter
what
Meaning

89. once in a blue
moon
very rarely
Meaning

90. come rain or
shine
no matter what
Meaning

91. you can say
that again
that’s true
Meaning

92. jump on the
bandwagon
following a trend
Meaning

93. miss the boat too late on something
Meaning

94. blow hot
and cold
alternate
inconsistently
between moods and
actions
Meaning

95. keep an ear to
the ground
staying informed
and updated about
everything
Meaning

96. to hit the nail
on the head
to do or say exactly
the right thing
Meaning

97. to be as right
as rain
to feel healthy
or well again
Meaning

98. a penny
for your thoughts
say what's in your
head
Meaning

99. in full swing
something that is
currently in process
and moving efficiently
along
Meaning

100. third time’s
a charm
to describe that the
first two times did not
work, but it will work
on your third try
Meaning

101. steal one’s
thunder
to take credit for
someone else’s work
or achievements
Meaning

102. back to the
drawing board
to start over
Meaning

103. all ears
eager to listen
to someone
Meaning

104. Bob's your
uncle
to say that a set of
instructions or task is
simple
Meaning

105. cut to the
chase
to get directly to the
point when speaking
Meaning

106. green fingers
to be good at
gardening
Meaning

107. the final straw
the last in a series of
bad things to happen
Meaning

108. cross that bridge
when come to it
to deal with something
when it happens rather
than worrying about it
before
Meaning

109. wild goose
chase
a hopeless pursuit
Meaning

110. over my dead
body
to do everything you
can to prevent
something
Meaning

111. in the same
boat
two or more persons
are in the same
difficult situation
Meaning

112. the pot calling
the kettle black
used to convey that the
criticisms a person is
aiming at someone else
could equally well
apply to themselves
Meaning

113. have your heart
in your mouth
feeling extremely
nervous
Meaning

114. not the only
fish in the sea
not the only suitable
thing or person one
can find
Meaning

115. play your
cards right
to behave or work in a
way that gives you an
advantage or improves
your odds of success
Meaning

116. a black sheep
taking a different
approach
Meaning

117. fish out of
water
to be out of your
comfort zone
Meaning

118. rain on
someone’s
parade
to spoil a moment
Meaning

119. cry for the
moon
to ask for something
that is rather difficult
Meaning

120. read between
the lines
understanding the
real message behind
something
Meaning

121. a cold day
in July
something that will
never happen
Meaning

122. scrape the
barrel
making the most of the
worst situations
because you can’t do
anything about it
Meaning

123. burn your
boats/bridges
destroy all possible
ways of going back to
that situation
Meaning

124. break fresh/
new ground
doing something that
has never been done
before
Meaning

125. run around in
circles
putting efforts into
something that is not
a worthwhile result
Meaning

126. throw caution
to the wind
to take a risk
Meaning

127. a sandwich
short of a picnic
a humorous way of
saying someone is
stupid or a bit crazy
Meaning

128. call a spade
a spade
to state the truth
about something
even if it’s unpopular
or unpleasant
Meaning

129. Chinese
whispers
information or rumors
that have been passed
on by many people and
are no longer reliable
Meaning

130. straight from
the horse’s
mouth
directly from the
person involved
Meaning

131. look before
you leap
calculate the risks
before advancing
towards a possibility
Meaning

132. ignorance is
bliss
better off not knowing
some things
Meaning

133. cut corners
to do something lazily,
cheaply, and in a way
that is dangerous or
imprudent
Meaning

134. a snowball
effect
a situation which
grows rapidly out of
control
Meaning

135. like two peas
in a pod
two people who are
very alike
Meaning

136. taste of one's
own medicine
when someone does
something unpleasant
and the same is
wished on him/her
Meaning

137. the ball is in
your court
to take the initiative
or make the next
move
Meaning

138. the best of
both words
all the advantages of
two different situations
and none of the
disadvantages
Meaning

139. beside yourself
with joy
to be extremely
happy
Meaning

140. play devil’s
advocate
to argue against the
prevailing or accepted
view to ensure
everything is covered
Meaning

141. the whole
nine yards
everything,
all the way
Meaning

142. break a leg good luck
Meaning

143. fair and square being direct or fair
Meaning

144. give it a whirl to give something
a try
Meaning

145. step up
your game
to start performing
better
Meaning

146. play by the ear to improvise
Meaning

147. blow off steam
experiencing strong
feelings like anger or
stress
Meaning

148. bear a grudge
to continue to feel
angry or unfriendly for
someone or something
because of a particular
past incident
Meaning

149. Thank You
F O R G E T T I N G H E R E