100+ Idioms And Their Meanings
An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words alone. Instead, idioms have a figurative meaning that is understood through common use.
They add color and richness to the language, making communication more engaging and dynamic.
A
A blessing in disguise: A good thing that seemed bad at first
A dime a dozen: Something common
A piece of cake: Something very easy
A penny for your thoughts: A way of asking what someone is thinking
Add fuel to the fire: To make a situation worse
All ears: Fully listening
An arm and a leg: Very expensive
At the drop of a hat: Without any hesitation
Actions speak louder than words: What you do is more important than what you say
A slap on the wrist: A mild punishment
B
Bark up the wrong tree: To pursue a misguided course of action
Beat around the bush: Avoiding the main topic
Better late than never: Better to do something late than not at all
Bite the bullet: To endure a painful experience
Break the ice: To start a conversation
Burn the midnight oil: To work late into the night
By the skin of your teeth: Just barely
Back to the drawing board: Start over
Ball is in your court: It’s up to you to make the next decision
Bite off more than you can chew: Take on a task that is too big
C
Call it a day: Stop working on something
Cut corners: Do something the cheapest or easiest way
Catch someone red-handed: Catch someone in the act of doing something wrong
Cost an arm and a leg: Very expensive
Cry over spilled milk: Complaining about a loss from the past
Cut to the chase: Get to the point
Clam up: Stop talking suddenly
Chew the fat: Chat in a relaxed way
Close but no cigar: Almost successful
Come rain or shine: No matter what
D
Don't cry over spilled milk: Don’t worry about things that cannot be undone
Don't count your chickens before they hatch: Don’t assume something will happen until it does
Don’t judge a book by its cover: Don’t judge something based on appearance
Draw a blank: Can’t remember
Drop the ball: Make a mistake
Dead ringer: Exact duplicate
Devil's advocate: Argue against a point for the sake of debate
Down to the wire: Last minute
Dog days of summer: Hottest days of summer
Do unto others: Treat people fairly
E
Elvis has left the building: The show is over
Every cloud has a silver lining: Every bad situation has some good aspect
Easy does it: Slow down
Elephant in the room: An obvious problem
Eager beaver: Someone very excited about something
Eyes bigger than your stomach: Take more food than you can eat
End of the line: Final conclusion
Easier said than done: Not as easy as it appears
Eat your words: Admit you were wrong
Egg on your face: Look foolish
F
Face the music: Accept the consequences
Fair and square: Honest and straightforward
Fit as a fiddle: In good health
Fly off the handle: Become very angry
From scratch: From the beginning
Full of beans: Very lively
Feeling under the weather: Feeling sick
Finger in every pie: Involved in many activities
Fish out of water: Uncomfortable in a situation
Flash in the pan: Brief success
G
Get out of hand: Get out of control
Get your act together: Behave properly
Give the benefit of the doubt: Believe someone’s statement without proof
Go back to the drawing board: Start over
Go the extra mile: Make extra effort
Go out on a limb: Take a risk
Get cold feet: Be nervous
Get in hot water: Get into trouble
Get wind of: Hear news of something
Golden opportunity: Perfect chance
H
Hang in there: Don’t give up
Hit the nail on the head: Do something exactly right
Hold your horses: Be patient
Hit the sack: Go to bed
Have a change of heart: Change your mind
Hit the books: Study hard
Hold your tongue: Don’t speak
Hard nut to crack: Difficult problem or person
Hit the road: Leave
Hold the fort: Take care of things
I
In the same boat: In the same situation
It takes two to tango: Actions require two people
In the nick of time: Just in time
In the long run: Over a long period
In hot water: In trouble
If the shoe fits, wear it: Accept a description of yourself
It’s a small world: Encountering the same people
It’s not rocket science: It’s not difficult
In a nutshell: In summary
Ignorance is bliss: Not knowing is better
J
Jump on the bandwagon: Join a popular trend
Jump the gun: Start before the signal
Jack of all trades: Skilled in many areas
Jump to conclusions: Decide without enough information
Jaws of death: Very dangerous situation
Juggle frogs: Manage many tasks
Jet set: Wealthy and fashionable people
Jump down your throat: React angrily
Jump through hoops: Go through many challenges
Jump ship: Leave a difficult situation
K
Kick the bucket: Die
Keep your chin up: Stay positive
Keep your eyes peeled: Be alert
Kick up your heels: Celebrate
Kill two birds with one stone: Accomplish two tasks with one effort
Keep your fingers crossed: Hope for good luck
Knock on wood: Avoid bad luck
Keep the ball rolling: Maintain momentum
Keep your shirt on: Be patient
Know the ropes: Understand the details
L
Let the cat out of the bag: Reveal a secret
Look before you leap: Consider the consequences before acting
Let sleeping dogs lie: Do not disturb a situation
Lose your marbles: Go crazy
Long in the tooth: Old
Let the chips fall where they may: Allow events to unfold naturally
Leave no stone unturned: Explore every possibility
Low-hanging fruit: Easy target
Lend an ear: Listen carefully
Light at the end of the tunnel: Sign of improvement
M
Make a long story short: Tell something briefly
Miss the boat: Miss an opportunity
Mum's the word: Keep silent
Make waves: Cause trouble
Make ends meet: Manage financially
My cup of tea: Something you like
Make a mountain out of a molehill: Overreact to a small issue
Money talks: Money can influence people
Mind your P's and Q's: Be careful of your behavior
Move mountains: Achieve something difficult
N
Nip it in the bud: Stop something before it grows
Not a spark of decency: No manners
Not playing with a full deck: Mentally deficient
Not rocket science: Simple
Nose to the grindstone: Work hard
Nail it: Do something perfectly
Nuts and bolts: Basic components
No strings attached: No special conditions
No pain, no gain: Effort is required to achieve something
Neck of the woods: Neighborhood
O
Off the hook: Free from blame
On thin ice: In a risky situation
Once in a blue moon: Rarely
Out of the blue: Unexpectedly
Over the moon: Very happy
Out of the frying pan and into the fire: From a bad situation to a worse one
On cloud nine: Very happy
Out of sight, out of mind: Forgotten when not seen
On the ball: Alert and attentive
Open a can of worms: Create a complicated situation
P
Piece of cake: Easy task
Put the cart before the horse: Do things in the wrong order
Pull someone's leg: Joke with someone
Pull yourself together: Calm down
Picture paints a thousand words: Visuals are more descriptive
Put your foot in your mouth: Say something embarrassing
Pay through the nose: Pay too much
Play devil's advocate: Argue against a point for debate
Put on the back burner: Delay something
Pull out all the stops: Do everything possible
Q
Quit cold turkey: Stop completely and suddenly
Quality time: Time spent giving full attention
Quick on the uptake: Understand something quickly
Queer the pitch: Spoil a plan
Quake in your boots: Be very frightened
Quid pro quo: Something given in exchange
Quick fix: Fast solution
Quiet as a mouse: Very quiet
Quirky: Unusual but charming
Quench one's thirst: Satisfy one's thirst
R
Raining cats and dogs: Raining heavily
Ring a bell: Sound familiar
Run of the mill: Ordinary
Rule of thumb: General principle
Run the gamut: Cover a wide range
Read between the lines: Understand the hidden meaning
Rock the boat: Cause trouble
Rub elbows: Socialize
Raise the bar: Increase standards
Right off the bat: Immediately
S
Spill the beans: Reveal a secret
Steal someone's thunder: Take credit for someone else's work
Straight from the horse's mouth: From the original source
Sweat bullets: Be very nervous
Swim against the tide: Go against the majority
Save face: Avoid embarrassment
Sleep on it: Think about something overnight
Swan song: Final performance
Skeleton in the closet: Hidden secret
Stab in the back: Betray someone
T
Take it with a grain of salt: View something with skepticism
Taste of your own medicine: Experience the same bad treatment
The ball is in your court: It’s your decision
Throw in the towel: Give up
Turn a blind eye: Ignore something
Through thick and thin: In good and bad times
Time flies: Time passes quickly
Throw caution to the wind: Take a risk
Tip of the iceberg: Small visible part of a larger problem
Turn over a new leaf: Start afresh
U
Under the weather: Feeling ill
Up in the air: Uncertain
Under the gun: Under pressure
Upset the apple cart: Spoil a plan
Upper hand: Advantage
Up a creek without a paddle: In trouble
Under your nose: Obvious
Use your loaf: Think smart
Uphill battle: Difficult task
Under wraps: Secret
V
Vanishing act: Disappear suddenly
Variety is the spice of life: Differences make life interesting
Vicious circle: Problem causes another problem
Voice of reason: Person who influences others to act sensibly
Vote with your feet: Show disapproval by leaving
Veil of secrecy: Concealed information
Virtue signaling: Displaying moral values
Vested interest: Personal stake in an outcome
Volley of questions: Series of questions
Vent one's spleen: Express anger
W
Wild goose chase: Futile pursuit
Word of mouth: Passed by verbal communication
Wear your heart on your sleeve: Display emotions openly
Water under the bridge: Past events forgotten
Walk a mile in someone's shoes: Understand another's perspective
Waste not, want not: Use resources carefully to avoid need
Wake-up call: Eye-opening event
Wolf in sheep's clothing: Deceptive appearance
Wits' end: Frustrated
With bated breath: Anxiously
Y
Yellow belly: Coward
You can't judge a book by its cover: Don’t judge by appearances
Your guess is as good as mine: No better idea
You can't take it with you: Can't take possessions after death
Yes man: Person who agrees with everything
You reap what you sow: Actions have consequences
Young at heart: Having youthful spirit
Yoke around your neck: Burden
Yearn for: Desire strongly
Yield the floor: Give someone else the chance to speak
Z
Zero tolerance: No acceptance
Zip your lip: Be quiet
Zeal of the convert: Enthusiasm of a new believer
Zone out: Daydream
Zigzag course: Indirect path
Zest for life: Enthusiasm
Zero in on: Focus
Zenith of one's career: Peak of success
Zig when you should zag: Make a mistake
Zany: Crazy