Let us look at the most common and favorite idioms and their meanings. An idiom is a phrase whose meaning isn’t obvious from looking at the individual words.
Breathe life into your spoken English with some of our favorite idioms!
According to Wikipedia, an idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase.
Idioms frequently occur in all languages. In English alone, there are an estimated twenty-five thousand idiomatic expressions.
Common Idioms and Their Meanings
Here are common English idioms and their meanings. Everyone should know these idioms and how they are used:
Idiom: Bite the bullet.
Meaning: To get something over with because it is inevitable.
Idiom: Cut somebody some slack.
Meaning: Don’t be so critical.
Idiom: Easy does it.
Meaning: Slow down.
Idiom: Get your act together.
Meaning: Work better or leave.
Idiom: Hit the sack.
Meaning: Go to sleep.
Idiom: Your guess is as good as mine.
Meaning: I have no idea.
Idiom: To drive someone up the wall.
Meaning: To make someone very upset.
Idiom: To add insult to injury.
Meaning: To make a bad situation worse.
Idiom: It’s not rocket science.
Meaning: It’s not complicated.
Idiom: To bite off more than you can chew.
Meaning: To take on a project you cannot finish.
Idiom: To have bigger fish to fry.
Meaning: To have bigger things to take care of.
Idiom: To cry over spilt milk.
Meaning: To complain about something that can’t be fixed.
Idiom: Let someone off the hook.
Meaning:Â To not hold someone responsible for something.
Idiom: Miss the boat.
Meaning: It’s too late.
Idiom: On the ball.
Meaning: Doing a good job.
Idiom: Speak of the devil.
Meaning: The person we were just talking about showed up!
Idiom: Under the weather.
Meaning: Sick.
Idiom: To get bent out of shape.
Meaning: To get upset.
Idiom: You can say that again.
Meaning: That’s true, I agree.
Idiom: Wrap your head around something.
Meaning: Understand something complicated.
English Idioms and Expressions
To perfect your written and spoken English, you need to become confident in using idioms.
Here are some of the frequently encountered idiomatic expressions:
Idiom: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
Meaning: What you have is worth more than what you might have later.
Idiom: A penny for your thoughts.
Meaning: Tell me what you’re thinking.
Idiom: A picture is worth 1000 words.
Meaning: Better to show than tell.
Idiom: Barking up the wrong tree.
Meaning: To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place.
Idiom: Break the ice.
Meaning: Make people feel more comfortable.
Idiom: By the skin of your teeth.
Meaning: Just barely.
Idiom: Costs an arm and a leg.
Meaning: Very expensive.
Idiom: To do something at the drop of a hat.
Meaning: To do something without having planned beforehand.
Idiom: Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
Meaning: Don’t count on something good happening until it’s happened.
Idiom: Every cloud has a silver lining.
Meaning: Good things come after bad things.
Idiom: Go on a wild goose chase.
Meaning: To do something pointless
Idiom: He’s a chip off the old block.
Meaning: The son is like the father.
Idiom: It ain’t over till the fat lady sings.
Meaning: This isn’t over yet.
Idiom: Kill two birds with one stone.
Meaning: Get two things done with a single action.
Idiom: Live and learn.
Meaning: I made a mistake.
Idiom: On thin ice.
Meaning: On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.
Idiom: Play devil’s advocate.
Meaning: To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument.
Idiom: You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
Meaning: You can’t have everything.
Idiom: Throw caution to the wind.
Meaning: Take a risk.
Idiom: The elephant in the room.
Meaning: The big issue, the problem people are avoiding.
Idiom: Take it with a grain of salt.
Meaning: Don’t take it too seriously.
Familiar Idioms and Their Meaning
Your selection of familiar idioms and their meanings are presented below.
Idiom: You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs.
Meaning: There’s always a cost to doing something.
Idiom: When it rains, it pours.
Meaning: Everything is going wrong at once.
Idiom: Through thick and thin.
Meaning: In good times and in bad times.
Idiom: Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Meaning: People who are morally questionable shouldn’t criticize others.
Idiom: There are clouds on the horizon.
Meaning: Trouble is coming.
Idiom: Snowed under.
Meaning: Busy.
Idiom: Once bitten, twice shy.
Meaning: You’re more cautious when you’ve been hurt before.
Idiom: Like two peas in a pod.
Meaning: They’re always together.
Idiom: To jump on the bandwagon.
Meaning: Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing.
Idiom: A storm in a teacup.
Meaning: A big fuss about a small problem
Idioms From Other Origins
Below is a selection of the best idioms and their meanings from other origins other than English.
We hope you learned something new.
What idiom do you love the most? Let us know using the comment section below. My favorite is: “Your guess is as good as mine.” It’s used in the place of ‘I don’t know or ‘I have no idea.’
Did you know this before now?
Do you know any other idiom? Please share with us below. Thank you.