100 Commonly Used English Idioms
- Break the ice – start a conversation
- Hit the nail on the head – say something exactly right
- Once in a blue moon – very rarely
- Piece of cake – very easy
- Under the weather – feeling ill
- Spill the beans – reveal a secret
- Cost an arm and a leg – very expensive
- Beat around the bush – avoid the main topic
- On cloud nine – extremely happy
- The ball is in your court – it’s your decision
- Burn the midnight oil – work late at night
- Call it a day – stop working
- In hot water – in trouble
- Pull someone’s leg – joke or tease
- Back to square one – start again
- Cut corners – do something cheaply or poorly
- Get cold feet – become nervous
- A blessing in disguise – something good that seemed bad
- Keep an eye on – watch carefully
- Out of the blue – unexpectedly
- Learn the ropes – learn how something works
- Get the ball rolling – start something
- Think outside the box – think creatively
- On the same page – agree or understand equally
- Go the extra mile – do more than required
- Raise the bar – increase standards
- In the long run – over a long period
- Pull your weight – do your share of work
- Ahead of time – earlier than expected
- By the book – according to rules
- Up in the air – undecided
- Make ends meet – manage financially
- At the drop of a hat – immediately
- Read between the lines – understand hidden meaning
- Take it with a grain of salt – don’t believe fully
- On thin ice – in a risky situation
- Get the hang of it – learn how to do something
- Bite off more than you can chew – take too much responsibility
- Burn bridges – ruin relationships
- Call the shots – be in control
- Over the moon – very happy
- Down in the dumps – sad
- At your wits’ end – extremely frustrated
- See eye to eye – agree
- Have mixed feelings – uncertain emotions
- Lose your temper – become angry
- Get something off your chest – talk about a problem
- Jump to conclusions – assume too quickly
- Bend over backwards – try very hard
- Keep your cool – stay calm
- Face the music – accept consequences
- Let the cat out of the bag – reveal a secret
- Hit the roof – become very angry
- On edge – nervous or anxious
- Feel under pressure – stressed
- Take it easy – relax
- In high spirits – cheerful
- Bottle up emotions – hide feelings
- At peace with – accept something
- Lose heart – become discouraged
- Make a good impression – be liked at first meeting
- Steal the show – get all the attention
- In someone’s shoes – in another person’s situation
- A hard nut to crack – difficult problem/person
- The tip of the iceberg – small visible part of a big problem
- Get a taste of your own medicine – be treated the same way
- Throw in the towel – give up
- Keep your fingers crossed – hope for good luck
- On the right track – doing well
- Miss the boat – lose an opportunity
- Take the bull by the horns – face a problem bravely
- Go down in history – be remembered
- At the end of the day – finally / in conclusion
- Get something out of your system – release emotions
- A double-edged sword – has both good and bad effects
- Jump on the bandwagon – follow a trend
- Make waves – cause disturbance or change
- Get the short end of the stick – be treated unfairly
- Keep your head above water – survive a difficult situation
- Turn a blind eye – ignore intentionally
- Time flies – time passes quickly
- In the nick of time – just in time
- Behind the scenes – secretly
- Down to earth – practical and realistic
- Hit the jackpot – achieve great success
- Money doesn’t grow on trees – money is limited
- Penny for your thoughts – what are you thinking?
- Save for a rainy day – save for future problems
- Live hand to mouth – barely survive financially
- Pay through the nose – pay too much
- Come rain or shine – no matter what
- The best of both worlds – enjoy two advantages
- On the dot – exactly on time
- All ears – listening carefully
- Under your nose – very close
- Make a long story short – summarize
- Take something to heart – be deeply affected
- Pull yourself together – calm yourself
- Practice makes perfect – improvement comes with practice
- Actions speak louder than words – actions matter more than promises
