This document defines and provides examples for common English idioms and phrases including "all in your head", "all ears", "born with a silver spoon in your mouth", "by heart", "cry your eyes out", "give someone a hand", "hold your tongue", "in one ear and out the other", "keep your fingers crossed", "on the tip of your tongue", "pick someone's brains", "pull someone's leg", "blow your mind", "cost somebody an arm and a leg", "behind somebody's back", and "neck and neck".

1. All in your head
All in your head
• If something is all in your head, you have
imagined it and it is not real.
Stop thinking that everybody hates you. It’s all in
your head.

2. All ears
All ears
• If you are all ears, you are very interested and
ready to listen to what another person wants
to tell you.
Tell me what happened – I’m all ears.

3. Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
• If you are born with a silver spoon in your
mouth, you are born into a rich family.
Alice doesn’t know what it’s like to be poor. She
was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.

4. By heart
By heart
• If you learn something by heart, you learn it
and later you can say it from memory.
Repetition makes it easier to learn words by
heart.

5. Cry your eyes out
Cry your eyes out
• If you cry your eyes out, you cry a lot and for a
long time.
Alison was so upset, she cried her eyes out.

6. Give someone a hand
Give someone a hand
• If you give someone a hand, you help
someone.
Alison decided to give her grandfather a
hand with the dishes.

7. Hold your tongue
Hold your tongue
• If you hold your tongue, you stop talking.
Try not to speak. Hold your tongue until after
the film has ended.

8. In one ear and out the other
In one ear and out the other
• If something goes in one ear and out the
other, you hear it but you quickly forget it.
Graham never listens to good advice. It goes in
one ear and out the other.

9. Keep your fingers crossed
Keep your fingers crossed
If you keep your fingers crossed, you hope that
things will happen in the way you want them to.
I have my final exam tomorrow. Keep your
fingers crossed for me!

10. On the tip of your tongue
On the tip of your tongue
• If a word is on the tip of your tongue, you
know the word, but you just cannot
remember it at the particular moment.
I know the word but I can’t quite remember it.
It’s on the tip of my tongue.

11. Pick someone’s brains
Pick someone’s brains
• If you pick someone's brains, you ask the
person for advice, suggestions and
information.
I need some ideas. Can I pick your brains?

12. Pull someone’s leg
Pull someone’s leg
• If you pull someone's leg, you make someone
believe something that is not true, usually as a
joke.
Don’t take her seriously. She’s just pulling your
leg.

13. Blow your mind
Blow your mind
• If something blows your mind, it is very
exciting and extraordinary.
The film was amazing. Go and watch it. The 3D
effects will really blow your mind.

14. Cost somebody an arm and a leg
Cost somebody an arm and a leg
• If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very
expensive.
This television set cost me an arm and leg.It
wasn’t cheap at all..

15. Behind somebody’s back
• Behind somebody’s back
If you do something behind someone's back,
you do it without the person knowing, in a way
that is unfair.
• You can’t trust Janet. You never know what
she will say about you behind your back.

16. Neck and neck
• If two competitors are neck and neck, they are
in the same position and have an equal
chance of winning.
The two cyclists were almost neck and neck at
the finish.