IDIOMS

An idiom is a common phrase or expression whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of the
individual words.
Idioms are often culturally specific, meaning they make sense to native speakers but may confuse others.
They are used to express ideas more creatively or colorfully.

The following are commonly used idioms and their meanings.

1. Break the ice 22. Jump the gun
To start a conversation in a social setting. To do something too early or before the right time.
"He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting." "Don’t jump the gun—wait for the instructions."
2. Hit the sack 23. The early bird catches the worm
To go to bed or go to sleep. People who act quickly or early have an advantage.
"I'm so tired, I'm going to hit the sack." "She always arrives early—no wonder she gets the
3. Under the weather best seats!"
Feeling sick or unwell. 24. Let sleeping dogs lie
"She didn’t come to school because she was feeling Don’t bring up old problems.
under the weather." "Just let sleeping dogs lie and don’t mention the
4. Piece of cake argument."
Something very easy to do. 25. On the same page
"The exam was a piece of cake." To agree or have the same understanding.
5. Let the cat out of the bag "Let’s meet first to make sure we’re on the same
To reveal a secret. page."
"He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise 26. Cry over spilled milk
party." To be upset about something that can't be changed.
6. Bite your tongue "It’s done now—don’t cry over spilled milk."
To stop yourself from saying something. 27. Pull someone’s leg
"I wanted to complain, but I bit my tongue." To joke or tease someone.
7. Spill the beans "Relax, I was just pulling your leg!"
To tell a secret or reveal the truth. 28. Throw in the towel
"Come on, spill the beans! What happened?" To give up or stop trying.
8. Raining cats and dogs "He threw in the towel after failing the test twice."
Raining very heavily. 29. Keep an eye on
"We canceled the trip because it was raining cats and To watch carefully.
dogs." "Please keep an eye on my bag while I go to the
9. Cost an arm and a leg restroom."
To be very expensive. 30. Bend over backwards
"That new phone costs an arm and a leg!" To make a great effort to help someone.
10. The ball is in your court "She bent over backwards to help her friend pass the
It’s your turn to make a decision or take action. exam."
"I’ve done my part, now the ball is in your court." 31. Back to the drawing board
11. Hit the nail on the head To start again after a failure.
To say exactly the right thing or do something "Our plan didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing
perfectly. board."
"You hit the nail on the head with your answer." 32. Burning the candle at both ends
12. Kick the bucket Working too hard without rest.
To die (informal and humorous). "He’s burning the candle at both ends with two jobs."
"The old man finally kicked the bucket at 98." 33. A dime a dozen
13. Burn the midnight oil Very common and easy to get.
To stay up late working or studying. "Plastic toys are a dime a dozen."
"She burned the midnight oil to finish her report." 34. Go the extra mile
14. A blessing in disguise To do more than what is expected.
Something that seems bad at first but ends up good. "She always goes the extra mile to help her students."
"Losing that job was a blessing in disguise." 35. In a nutshell
15. Once in a blue moon In summary or in a few words.
Something that happens very rarely. "In a nutshell, we need more time."
"We only see each other once in a blue moon." 36. It takes two to tango
16. Hit the books Both people are responsible for a situation.
To study hard. "Don’t blame only her—it takes two to tango."
"Exams are coming. Time to hit the books!" 37. Let your hair down
17. In hot water To relax and enjoy yourself.
In trouble. "It’s the weekend—time to let your hair down!"
"He’s in hot water for skipping class again." 38. On thin ice
18. Add fuel to the fire In a risky or dangerous situation.
To make a bad situation worse. "He’s on thin ice with his boss after being late
"Yelling at her only added fuel to the fire." again."
19. On cloud nine 39. Put all your eggs in one basket
Very happy. To rely on only one plan or idea.
"She was on cloud nine after winning the contest." "Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—apply to
20. When pigs fly other schools too."
Something that will never happen. 40. Read between the lines
"He’ll clean his room when pigs fly." To understand the hidden meaning.
21. Cold feet "She didn’t say it directly, but I read between the
To get nervous before doing something important. lines."
"He got cold feet before his wedding."
 41. Break a leg 49. Put your money where your mouth is
Good luck (often used before a performance). Back up your words with actions.
"Break a leg in your play tonight!" "If you really believe in this cause, donate—put your
42. Hit the road money where your mouth is."
To leave or begin a journey. 50. Rain on someone’s parade
"It’s getting late—we should hit the road." To spoil someone’s happy moment.
43. Blow off steam "I don’t want to rain on your parade, but that idea
To release anger or stress. might not work."
"He goes jogging to blow off steam after work." 51. Speak of the devil
44. Caught red-handed Used when someone you were just talking about
Caught in the act of doing something wrong. appears.
"She was caught red-handed taking money." "Speak of the devil—there’s John now!"
45. Have a sweet tooth 52. Take it with a grain of salt
To love eating sweet things. Don’t take it too seriously.
"He has a sweet tooth and eats cake every day." "He exaggerates, so take what he says with a grain of
46. Jump on the bandwagon salt."
To join something popular or trending. 53. The last straw
"Everyone is using that app now, so I jumped on the The final problem that causes someone to give up.
bandwagon." "Her rude comment was the last straw—I quit!"
47. Kill two birds with one stone 54. Throw someone under the bus
To accomplish two things at once. To betray someone for personal gain.
"By biking to work, I save money and get exercise— "He blamed me to save himself—totally threw me
two birds with one stone." under the bus."
48. Out of the blue 55. Up in the air
Suddenly and unexpectedly. Uncertain or undecided.
"He showed up out of the blue after two years!" "Our vacation plans are still up in the air."

Additional Idioms
− pass away means to die − tripped up means made a mistake
− break off means to put an end − in stitches means laughing hard
− cut down means diminish in amount − out of the blue means unexpectedly
− stand out means to be distinguished − make waves means cause trouble
− hand out means to distribute − down in the dumps means depressed
− break in means to train, tame, discipline − serve one right means deal with one as he
− put down means to record deserves
− lay up means to save − sound a person out means find out his
− hand over means to give up the possession intention
of anything − commit to memory means learn by heart
− fall out means to quarrel − bury the hatchet means forgive and forget
− soared like an eagle means glided along − cry over spilled milk means useless regrets
high in the air − follow the crowd means believe as most
− raining cats and dog means raining very people do
hard − kills two birds with one stone means
− lost her cool means got angry accomplishes two things at a time
− tied the knot means got married − serve one right means deal with one as he
− foot the bill means pay for deserves
− highly spirited means energetic and − sound a person out means find out his
enthusiastic intention
− no good means of no use − commit to memory means learn by heart
− took place means exchanged places − bury the hatchet means forgive and forget
− get on in life means continue working − cry over spilled milk means useless regrets
− look after means to take care − follow the crowd means believe as most
− under the weather means ill people do
− wear thin means becomes dull − kills two birds with one stone means
− burns up means makes us angry accomplishes two things at a time