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Idioms

Common English idioms used in daily life, at work, and in exams, explained with meanings and examples.

106 expressions found

A piece of cake

Something that is very easy to do.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Break a leg

Used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Call it a day

To stop working on something for the rest of the day.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Under the weather

Feeling slightly ill.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Once in a blue moon

Very rarely.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Break the ice

To do or say something to make people feel more relaxed in a social situation.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Hang in there

To not give up despite a difficult situation.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Keep your chin up

To stay positive in a difficult situation.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Hit the sack

To go to bed.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Hit the hay

To go to bed.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Go with the flow

To accept a situation as it is instead of trying to change it.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
So far, so good

Used to say that a situation has been going well up to now.

B1 Fixed Expression Daily Essentials
Time flies

Time seems to pass very quickly.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Better late than never

It is better for someone to arrive or do something late than not at all.

B1 Proverb Daily Essentials
Not my cup of tea

Something that is not to one's taste or liking.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
In a nutshell

In a few words; briefly.

B1 Fixed Expression Daily Essentials
Long story short

Used to summarize a story briefly, leaving out the details.

B1 Fixed Expression Daily Essentials
Out of the blue

Happening suddenly and unexpectedly.

B1 Idiom Daily Essentials
Spill the beans

To reveal secret information.

B2 Idiom Communication
Let the cat out of the bag

To reveal a secret carelessly or by accident.

B2 Idiom Communication
Beat around the bush

To avoid talking about something directly.

B2 Idiom Communication
Speak of the devil

Said when a person being talked about suddenly appears.

B1 Idiom Communication
See eye to eye

To agree with someone.

B1 Idiom Communication
Give someone the cold shoulder

To deliberately ignore or be unfriendly toward someone.

B2 Idiom Communication
Spill your guts

To tell someone everything about a situation, especially personal feelings.

B2 Idiom Communication
Keep someone at arm's length

To avoid becoming too friendly or close with someone.

B2 Idiom Communication
Straight from the horse's mouth

Directly from the person who has firsthand knowledge.

B2 Idiom Communication
Make a long story short

To summarize something briefly.

B1 Fixed Expression Communication
Read between the lines

To understand a hidden meaning that is not directly stated.

B1 Idiom Communication
Get straight to the point

To say what you mean directly, without wasting time.

B1 Idiom Communication
Your guess is as good as mine

Used to say that you have no idea about something.

B1 Fixed Expression Communication
Bite your tongue

To stop yourself from saying something you want to say.

B1 Idiom Communication
Mind your own business

Used to tell someone not to interfere in matters that don't concern them.

B1 Idiom Communication
Give someone the benefit of the doubt

To trust what someone says even though you're not completely sure it's true.

B2 Idiom Communication
Play devil's advocate

To argue against an idea just to test it, not because you actually disagree.

B2 Idiom Communication
Actions speak louder than words

What a person actually does matters more than what they say they'll do.

B1 Proverb Communication
It takes two to tango

Both people involved in a situation share responsibility for it.

B2 Proverb Communication
On the same page

In agreement, understanding a situation the same way.

B1 Idiom Communication
On top of the world

Feeling extremely happy.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
On cloud nine

Extremely happy.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Get cold feet

To suddenly become too nervous to do something you had planned.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Lose your temper

To suddenly become very angry.

B1 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Keep your cool

To stay calm in a stressful situation.

B1 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Blow off steam

To release stress or anger, often through physical activity.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Pull yourself together

To calm down and behave normally after being upset.

B1 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Drive someone up the wall

To annoy someone very much.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Get out of hand

To become difficult to control.

B1 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
In the same boat

In the same difficult situation as someone else.

B1 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Walk on eggshells

To be very careful about what you say or do so as not to upset someone.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Have a change of heart

To change your opinion or decision about something.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Rain on someone's parade

To spoil someone's plans or happiness.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Rock the boat

To do or say something that disturbs a stable situation.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
The elephant in the room

An obvious problem that everyone notices but no one wants to talk about.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
The last straw

The last in a series of unpleasant events that makes a situation unbearable.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Add insult to injury

To make a bad situation even worse.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
A blessing in disguise

Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good.

B2 Idiom Feelings & Relationships
Bite the bullet

To face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage.

B2 Idiom Decisions & Challenges
Go the extra mile

To make more effort than is expected.

B1 Idiom Decisions & Challenges
Take the bull by the horns

To deal with a difficult situation in a direct and confident way.

B2 Idiom Decisions & Challenges
Leave no stone unturned

To try every possible way to achieve something.

B2 Idiom Decisions & Challenges

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