Idioms

Common Idioms

1. A blessing in disguise Meaning: A good thing that initially seemed bad
2. A dime a dozen Meaning: Something that is very common, not unique
3. Adding insult to injury Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse
4. Beat around the bush Meaning: Avoid sharing your true viewpoint or feelings because it is uncomfortable
5. Bite the bullet Meaning: To get an unfavorable situation or chore over with now because it will need to get finished eventually
6. Best of both worlds Meaning: The choice or solution has all of the advantages of two contrasting things at the same time
7. Biting off more than you can chew Meaning: Committing to do something that you don’t really have the time, resources or ability to do
8. Don’t judge a book by its cover Meaning: Don’t judge someone or something by how it looks
9. Doing something at the drop of a hat Meaning: Doing something at a moment’s notice
10. Caught between a rock and a hard place Meaning: Making a choice between two unpleasant choices
11. Cutting corners Meaning: Taking risky shortcuts to save time and/or money
12. Devil’s advocate Meaning: To argue for the other side in an argument in order to encourage further debate
13. Getting a taste of your own medicine Meaning: Being treated the (usually negative) way that you have been treating others
14. Giving the benefit of the doubt Meaning: Believing someone’s story without proof even though it may seem unbelievable
15. Hitting the nail on the head Meaning: To be exactly right
16. Letting someone off the hook Meaning: Not holding someone responsible for something
17. No pain, no gain Meaning: You have to suffer to see results
18. On the ball Meaning: Attentive and doing a good job
19. Once in a blue moon Meaning: Something that doesn’t happen very often
20. Speak of the devil Meaning: When the person you have just been talking about arrives
21. The last straw Meaning: The last act that makes an entire situation unbearable
22. Your guess is as good as mine Meaning: I have no idea
23. Dead ringer Meaning: Someone who looks extremely similar to someone else
24. The whole nine yards Meaning: Everything. All of it
25. Get down to brass tacks Meaning: Get down to business
26. Burning bridges Meaning: Damaging a relationship beyond repair
27. Fit as a fiddle Meaning: Excellent health
28. Go down in flames Meaning: To fail in a spectacular manner
29. He/She is off their rocker Meaning: Someone who is acting crazy or not thinking rationally
30. It’s always darkest before the dawn Meaning: Things always get worse before they get better
31. It takes two to tango Meaning: One person usually isn’t the only responsible party
32. Like riding a bike Meaning: Something that you never forget how to do
33. Through thick and thin Meaning: Everyone experiences hard and good times
34. Time is money Meaning: Work faster or more efficiently

Food Idioms

1. Can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs Meaning: You can’t make everyone happy
2. Like two peas in a pod Meaning: Two people who are always together
3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away Meaning: Apples are healthy and good for you
4. Heard it through the grapevine Meaning: Hearing rumors about someone or something
5. Piece of cake Meaning: A task or job that is easy to complete
6. Bread and butter Meaning: Something you do or use to survive or thrive in a situation
7. Bring home the bacon Meaning: Make money, specifically money to live on
8. Crying over spilled milk Meaning: Worrying about the past or things that are already done or settled
9. Not my cup of tea Meaning: Something that you don’t like
10. Take it with a grain of salt Meaning: Believe it at your own risk
11. Top banana Meaning: The most powerful or important person in a group or organization
12. Bad apple Meaning: A troublemaker
13. Bad egg Meaning: Like a troublemaker but worse; someone who seems fundamentally dishonest or otherwise ill-behaved
14. Good egg Meaning: The opposite of a bad egg; someone who is honest and trustworthy
15. Bigger fish to fry Meaning: More important things to do
16. Cool as a cucumber Meaning: Calm, especially under pressure
17. Couch potato Meaning: A sedentary person who spends a lot of time seated, often watching TV
18. Can’t cut the mustard Meaning: Can’t keep up with the competition
19. Hard nut to crack Meaning: Something or someone that’s difficult to figure out
20. Big cheese Meaning: The person in charge
21. Bun in the oven Meaning: Pregnant
22. Apple of someone’s eye Meaning: To be loved and adored
23. Buttering someone up Meaning: Being super-nice to someone because you want something from them
24. Egg someone on Meaning: Encourage someone to do something, typically something that they shouldn’t be doing
25. In a nutshell Meaning: To sum things up
26. Spill the beans Meaning: Divulge secret info

Animal Idioms

1. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch Meaning: Not to count on something happening until after it’s already happened
2. Going on a wild goose chase Meaning: Doing something that is pointless
3. Killing two birds with one stone Meaning: Accomplishing two different tasks in the same undertaking
4. The elephant in the room Meaning: An issue, person, or problem that someone is trying to avoid
5. Straight from the horse’s mouth Meaning: Reading or hearing something from the source
6. Letting the cat out of the bag Meaning: Sharing information that was intended to be a secret
7. Beating a dead horse Meaning: Giving time or energy to something that is ended or over
8. You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink Meaning: You can’t force someone to make what is seemingly the right decision
9. Every dog has his day Meaning: Everyone gets their chance to do something big
10. A leopard can’t change its spots Meaning: People don’t change
11. Wag the dog Meaning: Divert attention from something important to something trivial
12. The birds and the bees Meaning: Sex education
13. Ants in one’s pants Meaning: Being nervous and unable to sit still
14. Chicken out Meaning: To decide not to do something, usually at the last minute
15. Clam up Meaning: Stop talking
16. The cat’s got someone’s tongue
17. Meaning: That person is oddly quiet
18. Have a cow Meaning: Get extremely upset, usually about something that’s not worth it
19. Hold your horses Meaning: Be patient
20. Pig out Meaning: To eat a lot of food
21. Take the bull by the horns Meaning: To show initiative
22. Until the cows come home Meaning: Forever, or at least a mighty long time
23. Smell a rat Meaning: To suspect that somebody’s up to no good.
24. Nest egg Meaning: Sum of money saved for later
25. Raining cats and dogs Meaning: Raining heavily
26. Get the lion’s share Meaning: Get the biggest portion

Weather Idioms

1. Feeling under the weather Meaning: Not feeling well, or feeling sick
2. Stealing someone’s thunder Meaning: To take attention away from someone by doing or sharing something before that person can do so
3. Clouds on the horizon Meaning: Trouble is coming or is on its way
4. Run like the wind Meaning: To run really fast
5. Weather the storm Meaning: Enduring a trial or hardship
6. Getting a second wind Meaning: Having energy again after being tired
7. A snowball effect Meaning: Something has momentum and builds on each other, much like rolling a snowball down a hill to make it bigger
8. Throwing caution to the wind Meaning: Being reckless or taking a risk

Body Idioms

1. Having your head in the clouds Meaning: Day dreaming, not paying attention
2. By the skin of your teeth Meaning: Just barely making it
3. Costs an arm and a leg Meaning: Something that is overpriced or very expensive
4. Giving someone the cold shoulder Meaning: Ignoring someone
5. Pulling someone’s leg Meaning: Joking with someone
6. Cold feet Meaning: Getting nervous before a big event, to the point of backing out
7. Face the music Meaning: Face the consequences of your actions
8. Get something off your chest Meaning: Vent or complain
9. Head over heels Meaning: In love
10. Makes my blood boil Meaning: Makes me extremely angrily
11. Rule of thumb Meaning: A basic rule or principle
12. Stick your neck out Meaning: Support someone or something, even if it may have negative consequences for you
13. Wash your hands of something Meaning: Abandon a problem or responsibility
14. See eye to eye Meaning: Agree
15. Neck of the woods A location and its immediate surroundings