Looking for a list of idioms with their meaning? 40 of the common idioms encountered in everyday English are listed along with their meanings. Improve your use of idiomatic expressions with some of the best idioms that are properly explained to ensure that you always know when to use common idioms and phrases. Check out our idioms list here.
What are idioms?
Idioms are a collection of words, phrases, or sentences that portray a different meaning than the literal meanings of the words or the phrase itself. Most of the common idioms used in the English language are made up of five to 8 words and they are used as emotional expressions, warnings or used as a means to describe certain situations without saying it directly.
Many of the famous idioms are made up of short and incomplete sentences. When an idiom is composed of long or even complete sentences, it is called a proverb.
Here we have compiled a list of idioms and their meanings when used in most situations.
- Speak of the devil
Meaning: This is used when a person that is being talked about at the moment suddenly appears.
Example: “…and he never talked about it again. Oh! Speak of the devil. I was just telling jerry about the other day at the beach.”
- A blessing in disguise
Meaning: This is used to refer to something that was initially perceived as being bad that then turns out to be good.
Example: “I guess John’s girlfriend getting pregnant in high school was a blessing in disguise. Their son is the best thing that has happened to them.”
- A hot potato
Meaning: This is used to describe an issue or even a person that is currently being talked about and is surrounded by a lot of controversies.
Example: “World War III is suddenly a hot potato in 2020.”
- Back to the drawing board
Meaning: it is usually used to mean starting over again, especially when everything else has failed.
Example: “After Jenny’s startup failed, she had to go back to the drawing board.”
- Beating around the bush
Meaning: This means avoiding the main topic or situation by saying or doing something else.
Example: “Quit beating around the bush and tell me exactly what happened to my money.”
- Beating a dead horse
Meaning: trying to add energy to revive a situation that is hopeless or dead.
Example: “Trying to get Angela back is like trying beating a dead horse, she is already married to that tech billionaire guy.”
- Bite more than you can chew
Meaning: This means to take on more challenges or responsibilities than you can handle.
Example: “Hey, John, you have so much work on your hands already, do not bite more than you can chew by taking on more responsibility.”
- Judge a book by its cover
Meaning: This means judging a person or situation on the first encounter or how they appear.
Example: “Bella is not a bad person just because of how she dresses, you are just judging a book by its cover.”
- Through thick and thin
Meaning: This means in Good and bad situations.
Example: “His wife stuck with him through thick and thin, it is no wonder he loves her so much.”
- Weather the storm
Meaning: This means to endure hardship or a difficult situation.
Example: “I am sure that things will get better for you, all you have to do is weather the storm till it’s over.”
- Stir the hornets’ nest
Meaning: This means doing something that you know can get you in trouble or make someone angry.
Example: “Driving your wife’s car to work on a Monday is like stirring the hornets’ nest, I hope you are ready for what comes next.”
- Head over heels
Meaning: This means to be completely in love with someone.
Example: “Jessica is head over heels in love with her neighbor, I hope she gets to marry her.”
- Keep at arm’s length
Meaning: This means avoiding a person or a situation by staying away from them.
Example: “I am a very quiet person, and this is why keep Ben at arm’s length.
- Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: This means to follow a wrong course or take the wrong action that might end badly for you.
Example: “If you are saying all these lies about me just to provoke me, stop now because you are barking up the wrong tree.”
- A chip off the old block
Meaning: This means that the person being referred to is similar to their parent or a mentor in some distinct way.
Example: “Musa is a chip off the old block, you can tell by how he talks.”
- An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree
Meaning: This means the character of a person is expected to resemble or be similar to that of one’s parents.
Example: “I actually Rebecca would be different from her mum, but then an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
- Once in a blue moon
Meaning: This means the situation being talked about rarely happens.
Example: “Getting praise from my father is something that happens once in a blue moon.”
18. Best of both worlds
Meaning: This is used to say a situation has the advantages of two unrelated things.
Example: “if you get this item, you get to spend less on a product that is also of high quality, it is the best of both worlds really!”
- Burn the Midnight Oil
Meaning: This means working late into the night to get something done.
Example: “She burned the midnight oil on multiple occasions to makes sure that she got this deal. She clearly deserved it.”
- Don’t count your chickens before your eggs have hatched.
Meaning: This is used to tell someone to avoid making plans for something that has not happened yet, or might not happen.
Example: “Really, you went out and bought a car when your client has not paid. I thought you knew better than counting your chickens before they have hatched.”
- Cut somebody some slack
Meaning: This is used to say, you should go easy on somebody or stop being so critical about a person’s performance.
Example: “Hey, John, could you at least cut peter some slack, at least we can all see that he is trying his best to impress you.”
- Put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: This is used to mean a person is depending on a single source of income, or an opportunity, or depending on a single thing for support when they could have more.
Example: “Ruby has been miserable since she lost her day job, she has no other source of income because she put all her eggs in one basket.”
- Feel a bit under the weather
Meaning: This is used to mean a person or thing is feeling slightly ill.
Example: “I had to stay home yesterday because my cat was feeling a bit under the weather.”
- Hanging by the skin of your teeth
Meaning: This is means you are barely hanging on in a situation.
Example: “Tabita doesn’t like this new job, she is just hanging by the skin of her teeth.”
- Caught between a rock and a hard place
Meaning: This is used to say there is no easy choice or that you have to choose between two hard choices.
Example: “Telling your Indian mother that you are gay or telling her that you are quitting med school is hard. It seems like you are caught between a rock and a hard place.”
- Fit as a fiddle
Meaning: being in a very good state of health.
Example: “Even at 50 years of age, my father is as fit as a fiddle.”
- Give the cold shoulder
Meaning: Ignoring a person or a thing.
Example: “I tried talking to my girlfriend yesterday, but she gave me the cold shoulder.”
- Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: This means being correct or precise.
Example: “When he said the problem of my community is bad governance, he hit the nail on the head.”
- Let a person or thing off the hook
Meaning: letting go of wrongdoing or not holding someone responsible for a situation.
Example: “I thought Jackson’s mum would kill him after that stunt he pulled, but she let off of the hook.”
- Keep your eye on the ball
Meaning: This is used to tell someone to stay focus or keep their eyes on the prize and work hard.
Example: “You can’t give up just after one try, you need to keep your eyes on the ball.”
- Steal a person’s thunder
Meaning: Taking credit for someone else’s work or stealing the spotlight from a person.
Example: “Even though Rahim made the drone work, Janet stole his thunder and said she did it all by herself.”
- The last straw that broke the camel’s back
Meaning: The last action or event that makes an already difficult situation totally unbearable.
Example: “I could live with her wanting to keep the dog beside the bed in the room, but her wanting to adopt four dogs was the last straw that broke the camel’s back.”
- You guess is as good as mine
Meaning: This is used to say a person knows just as much as the next person knows.
Example: “…hey don’t look at me like I know anything about what happened, your guess is as good as mine.”
- Every dog has his day
Meaning: everyone gets a stroke of good luck no matter how bad they might have had it, or everyone gets to do something important once in a while.
Example: “don’t take this as anything meaningful, every dog has his day, and this one is yours.”
- Heads in the clouds
Meaning: not paying attention because a person is lost in their own thoughts.
Example: “Of course, you did not hear me, since you had your heads in the clouds.”
- At the drop of a hat
Meaning: To do something immediately.
Example: “That cop is a very good man, whenever I call for help, he arrives at the drop of a hat.”
- Taste of your own medicine
Meaning: This is used to say a person is being treated the same way they used to treat others (it usually has a negative meaning).
Example: “When I saw Lilly being bullied, I was glad she was getting a taste of her own medicine.”
- Spill the beans
Meaning: To tell a secret.
Example: “This suspense is killing me, Jane, just spill the beans already.”
- A slap on the wrist
Meaning: Getting less punishment than a person deserves.
Example: “Even though Wale had been stealing meat from the pot for ages, all he got was a slap on the wrist when he got caught.”
- All bark and no bite
Meaning: used to describe a person as non-threatening. It is also used to mean a person that can only talk but not do.
Example: “You have nothing to be worried about, Melissa is all bark and no bite.”
What is the major difference between popular idioms and common proverbs?
Answer: Proverbs are mostly used as wise sayings, and they employ the use of generally accepted concepts in society. While idioms are not usually wise sayings nor always made up of generally accepted concepts, idioms are usually just used to get the point across with emphasis placed on the meaning of the idiom.
Comments
User 1: Please, what does it mean when someone says “make no bones about it, I want to hear everything”?
User 2: I think this means that the person wants you to keep no secret, just say it as it is.
User 1: Thank you, that was so helpful.
User 3: make no bones about something means you should say exactly what you feel about a situation. It basically means to speak your mind.
User 1: Thanks for your help.
User 4: I love how they add examples to the idioms explained on this website, it makes it easier to grasp.
User 5: This helped a lot… thanks.
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