This document provides definitions for 20 common English idioms and expressions: "Hang in there", "Go the extra mile", "Sold me out", "Blew me away", "Cry wolf", "Couldn't care less", "Comfort food", "Sit on the fence", "Freak out", "Be a catch", "Hit the nail on the head", "Costs an arm and a leg", "Hit the books", "When pigs fly", "You rock", "Miss the boat", "Get it out of your system", "Pull yourself together", "Once in a blue moon", and "Flip the bird". Short explanations are given for the meaning and typical usage of each idiom.

1. MOST COMMON AND USED
EXPRESSIONS…
Take notes!

2. HANG IN THERE: wait and be patient
•I know you’d really like to call him, but I don’t
think that’s the right thing to do now. Just
hang in there and he will call you.

3. GO THE EXTRA MILE: to make a special effort/try very
hard to achieve your goal
•If you want to become proficient in English, you’ll have
to go the extra mile and start learning idioms.

4. SOLD ME OUT: to snitch on someone, or let their
secret out
•I asked you to keep it to yourself! I can’t
believe you sold me out, I trusted you!

5. BLEW ME AWAY: when something blows you away,
you’re extremely impressed by it
•The exhibition just blew me away. I’d never seen
so many beautiful paintings before.

6. CRY WOLF: to call for help when you don’t need it
•Do you think Peter is in trouble or is he just crying
wolf?

7. COULDN’T CARE LESS: used to express total lack of
interest in something
•That man stole a bottle of wine from the shop.
•Oh, really? I couldn’t care less.

8. COMFORT FOOD: food that makes you feel better,
because it reminds you of your childhood
•After a tiring day, it’s so nice to make some
comfort food and settle down with a good book.

9. SIT ON THE FENCE: to stay neutral and not take sides
•Well don’t you think I’m right, he’s been acting
differently hasn’t he?
•I’m sitting on the fence with this one, you’re both
my good friends.

10. FREAK OUT: to become very angry, scared or
excited
•Mum, don’t freak out! I married a guy in Las Vegas.

11. BE A CATCH: be someone worth marrying/having
•John is taking me out tonight. He’s such a catch, I
hope he’ll propose.

12. HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD: used if something
someone says, is precisely correct
•My doctor hit the nail on the head. He knew exactly
what was wrong with me!

13. COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG: when something is very
expensive
•My son wants a Playstation 4 for his birthday, but
it’ll cost an arm and a leg!

14. HIT THE BOOKS: to study very hard
•Do you want to go for lunch somewhere nice?
•No thanks, I’m going to hit the books. I have an
exam coming up soon.

15. WHEN PIGS FLY: this means that something will
never happen
•Aren’t you going to buy that dream house you told
me about?
•Ugh, I will when pigs fly. It’s just so expensive, I
don’t think it’ll happen.

16. YOU ROCK: you are great
•Thanks for the tickets, Rob. You
rock!

17. MISS THE BOAT: when someone has missed their
opportunity to do something
•Have you applied for that job yet?
•No, I think I may have missed the boat. I should’ve
done it last week.

18. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM: to do something you’ve
wanted to do for a long time and don’t want to postpone
•I wasn’t sure how she was going to react, but I had to get
it out of my system, so I told her I had found another
woman.

19. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER: to calm down and
behave normally
•I understand you’ve had a bad day, but pull
yourself together and get on with your job, will
you?

20. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: when something rarely ever
happens
•We used to see him all the time, but now he just
visits us once in a blue moon.

21. FLIP THE BIRD: when you show someone the middle
finger – this is rude!
• He was annoying me too much, I just flipped him