Idiomatic Expressions

A blessing in disguise – Something good that isn’t recognized at first.

A dime a dozen – Very common and not special.
A piece of cake – Something very easy to do.
A slap on the wrist – A mild punishment.
Actions speak louder than words – People’s intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.
Add fuel to the fire – To make a bad situation worse.
All ears – Fully listening.
At the drop of a hat – Without any hesitation; instantly.

Barking up the wrong tree – Looking in the wrong place; accusing the wrong person.
Beating around the bush – Avoiding the main topic.
Bite the bullet – To endure a painful experience.
Break the ice – To initiate conversation in a social setting.
Burst your bubble – To bring someone back to reality.
By the skin of your teeth – Narrowly or barely escaping a situation.

Caught between a rock and a hard place – In a difficult situation with no good options.
Caught red-handed – Caught in the act of doing something wrong.
Cost an arm and a leg – Very expensive.
Cry over spilled milk – Complaining about something that cannot be undone.
Cut to the chase – Get to the point without wasting time.
Devil’s advocate – Someone who argues against something just for the sake of argument.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – Don’t assume something will happen before it does.
Don’t give up your day job – Used to tell someone that they are not very good at something.
Down to earth – Practical and realistic.
Draw the line – Set a limit on what you will accept.
Drop the ball – Make a mistake.

Every cloud has a silver lining – There is something good in every bad situation.

Face the music – Accept the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions.
Feel under the weather – Feel sick.

Get a taste of your own medicine – Get treated the way you’ve been treating others.
Get out of hand – Get out of control.
Get something off your chest – Talk about something that has been bothering you.
Get your act together – Start to organize yourself.
Give someone the cold shoulder – Ignore someone.
Go back to the drawing board – Start over.

Hang in there – Don’t give up.
Hit the nail on the head – Do or say something exactly right.
Hit the sack – Go to bed.
Ignorance is bliss – Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.
In the heat of the moment – Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
It takes two to tango – Actions or communications need more than one person.

Jump on the bandwagon – Join a popular trend or activity.

Keep an eye on – Watch carefully.
Kill two birds with one stone – Accomplish two things with one action.

Last straw – The final problem in a series of problems.
Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret.

Make a long story short – Tell something briefly.
Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity.

No pain, no gain – You have to work for what you want.

On the ball – Doing a good job.
On the fence – Undecided.
Once in a blue moon – Rarely.
Out of the blue – Unexpectedly.

Piece of cake – Very easy.
Pull someone’s leg – Joke or tease someone.
Pull yourself together – Calm down.
Put all your eggs in one basket – Risk everything on one venture.
Put your foot in your mouth – Say something embarrassing.

Raining cats and dogs – Raining very heavily.
Rome wasn’t built in a day – Important work takes time.

See eye to eye – Agree.
Sit on the fence – Remain neutral.
Speak of the devil – The person you’re talking about appears.
Spill the beans – Reveal a secret.
Steal someone’s thunder – Take the credit for someone else’s work.

Take it with a grain of salt – Don’t take it too seriously.
The ball is in your court – It’s your decision.
The best of both worlds – An ideal situation.
The elephant in the room – An obvious problem that people avoid.
The whole nine yards – Everything.
Through thick and thin – Through good times and bad times.
Throw in the towel – Give up.

Under the weather – Sick.
Up in the air – Uncertain.

When pigs fly – Never.

You can’t judge a book by its cover – Don’t judge someone/something based on appearance.

Bite off more than you can chew – Take on a task that is too big.
Break the bank – Be very expensive.
By the book – Exactly as the rules tell you.

Hit the jackpot – Be highly successful, especially unexpectedly.

In the same boat – In the same situation.

Kick the bucket – Die.
Let sleeping dogs lie – Do not disturb a situation as it is.
Make a mountain out of a molehill – Exaggerate a small problem into something big.
Not playing with a full deck – Crazy or not very smart.
Off the record – Not for official or public announcement.
On thin ice – In a risky situation.
Play it by ear – Improvise as one goes along.
Rain on someone’s parade – To spoil someone’s plans.
See the light – Understand or realize something.
Skeletons in the closet – Hidden secrets.

Take a rain check – Postpone a plan.
Take with a grain of salt – View something with skepticism.
The ball is in your court – It’s your turn to make a decision.
The devil is in the details – Small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked.
Throw caution to the wind – Take a risk.
To get bent out of shape – To get upset.
To make matters worse – To make a bad situation worse.

Under the table – Secretive or illegal.

Wipe the slate clean – Forgive or forget past mistakes.

You can’t have your cake and eat it too – You can’t have everything your way.