English Idioms and Phrases: A List with Meanings & Examples

Order your copy of the books on Amazon!

⭐ 4.7 star rating on Udemy

Search for English Idioms and Phrases with Meanings and Examples

This page features a complete list of common English idioms and phrases for language learners and teachers. The meanings for each expression are provided, along with example sentences to clarify the meanings in context.

Discover Common English Phrases and Their Meanings in Context

Learn phrases in English with meanings and examples.

Use the search box to find the expression that you are looking for.

The idioms and phrases list will adjust to the expressions that you enter in the box.

You can also change the number of expressions that appear on the page. Simply select “show entries” at the top of the table to suit your preferences.

Customize Your Own Idiom List

Since the phrases list is in a table format, it provides you with a variety of other options:

Save your sorted list as a PDF with the expressions that you want.
Copy and paste the information into a spreadsheet on your computer.
Edit the spreadsheet to create customized idiom activities for your students.
Create your own example sentences using the expressions.
Print the content and create matching exercises to test understanding.
Keep the content on your computer for future reference.

New Idiom Themes: Download Worksheets, Games, and Printable PDFs

Are you looking for more English idioms and phrases with meanings and examples? PDF files for learning the expressions are free to download.

Check out the new sections and lists devoted to unique idiom themes.

For each theme category, you can download free PDFs, including idiom worksheets for ESL students and fun idiom games for the classroom.

More themes are coming soon!

Search the complete list of idioms and phrases in the table below…

Searchable List of 489 Common English Idioms and Phrases

*Updated: February 2024

Idiom / Phrase	Meaning	Example Sentence
a barking dog never bites	a person who constantly threatens never acts	Don't worry about his vocal threats. He won't hurt you physically.
a breeze	easy	Riding a tricycle is such a breeze.
a cat in gloves catches no mice	being too careful can result in failure	You need to tell her how you really feel if you want to marry her. Remember that a cat in gloves catches no mice.
a dime a dozen	common and available anywhere	Corrupt cops are a dime a dozen in this city.
a field day	a very enjoyable time	My children had a field day at the carnival.
a hell of a time	a difficult (or exciting) experience	Her grandmother had a hell of a time trying to connect to the internet.
a little bird told me	someone told me a secret	A little bird told me that you're getting a divorce.
a lot on my plate	very busy	I've got a lot on my plate tonight. I don't think I won't finish until midnight.
a matter of time	when something is inevitable	It's only a matter of time until they find a cure for cancer.
a penny for your thoughts	ask for advice	Could I have a penny for your thoughts? I don't know how to solve this problem.
a whale of a time	an exciting experience	The family had a whale of a time at the theme park.
about time	said to convey impatience	I've been waiting for you for an hour. It's about time you arrived!
ace in the hole	a hidden strength or advantage	They'll win the game since their rookie goalkeeper is an ace in the hole.
Achilles heel	someone's weakness	Vodka is his Achilles heel. He only loses his composure when he drinks it.
actions speak louder than words	judge what someone does rather than what they say	He said he was faithful, but he always comes home late at night. His actions certainly speak louder than words.
add insult to injury	worsen an unfavorable situation	She added insult to injury by picking her little brother's ice cream off the dirty floor and sticking it in his mouth.
ahead of time	earlier than the deadline	Finish your work ahead of time so you can enjoy your hobbies.
all ears	listen carefully	Jane asked if I was paying attention. I told her, "I'm all ears!"
all hands on deck	everyone's help is needed	We need all hands on deck if we want to reduce carbon emissions.
all the rage	popular	Those new shoes are all the rage these days.
all thumbs	clumsy	I'm all thumbs today. I keep dropping my phone!
an arm and a leg	very expensive	That new car costs an arm and a leg.
ants in your pants	anxious or nervous	Frank had ants in his pants before taking his exam.
apple of my eye	an adored person	My precious daughter is the apple of my eye.
around the clock	without stopping	The pharmacy is open around the clock. It never closes.
as white as a sheet	very fearful or anxious	Walter went as white as a sheet when he saw Hank get shot.
ask out	ask someone on a date	Bobby asked her out, but she decided to stay home and do laundry.
at the drop of a hat	instantly	At the drop of a hat, I called my sister when I heard she was pregnant!
at the wheel	in control	She felt saver at the wheel working as a freelance writer.
back to the drawing board	begin something all over again	It was back to the drawing board after the team failed to make the playoffs.
backseat driver	someone who gives unwanted advice	The teenager told the banker to buy a cryptocurrency that dropped 90 percent. What a backseat driver!
bad egg	a troublesome person	Bart is the bad egg of the class. He is always throwing paper airplanes.
bad news travels fast	negative news is shared fast	Everyone knows she's in the hospital. Bad news travels fast.
ball is in your court	the decision is up to you	We offered him an extra million dollars. The ball is in his court if he wants to sign the contract.
bark up the wrong tree	look in the wrong place or falsely accuse	He asked me if I broke his laptop. I said he was barking up the wrong tree.
bark up the wrong tree	pursue misguided action	Stop accusing me. I'm innocent. You're barking up the wrong tree!
basket case	erratic or panicky	She became such a basket case when she discovered her ex was at the party.
be an item	be a couple	Apparently, Tiffany and Tim are an item. I always see them together.
be nuts about	really enjoy	She is nuts about her new boyfriend.
beast of burden	someone carries others problems	I will never be your beast of burden. You have got to deal with your own problems.
beat a dead horse	dwell on a topic beyond resolution	I told you several times that I won't do it. Don't beat a dead horse!
beat around the bush	avoid talking about something specifically	Stop beating around the bush! Get to the point already!
beat the clock	finish something before the deadline	The paperwork was piled high, but she manages to beat the clock and finish it all.
beauty is in the eye of the beholder	everyone has different preferences for what is attractive	Ella likes guys with big beards. Her girlfriends say to her that beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.
beet red	embarrassed or angry	Darren went beet red when he saw the scratch on his car.
bell the cat	take on a difficult task	Politicians should bell the cat and start reducing the inflation rate.
best of both worlds	enjoy two different opportunities	Joe got the best of both worlds when he married Amy who was his best friend and a supermodel.
better late than never	doing something late is better than not doing it	You finally visited the dentist. Better late than never!
bide your time	relax and take your time doing something	Bide your time and take a look through the restaurant menu. There are no other customers.
big cheese	an important person	Where is the director? I want to talk to the big cheese.
birthday suit	naked	You should try sleeping with your birthday suit on. It's much more comfortable.
bite off more than one can chew	take on more responsibility than what is manageable	He was multitasking and getting stressed, so I told him not to bite off more than he could chew.
bite the bullet	to endure an unpleasant and unavoidable situation	Rebecca hated her job, but she bit the bullet and completed her contract.
bite the dust	die or fail	The hunter fired his gun and the deer bit the dust.
bitter pill	something unpleasant that must be accepted	Awarding the trophy to her enemy was a bitter pill to swallow.
black and blue	hurt physically or mentally	Both during and after the relationship, I felt so black and blue.
black and white	absolute terms	The contract that you signed is in black and white. You must agree to the terms.
black hole	some place or situation in which things are lost	Never take hard drugs. It's a black hole you can't escape from.
black market	illegal marketplace	A lot of fake cigarettes are sold in the black market.
black out	lose consciousness	She knocked her head on the floor and blacked out!
black sheep	unaccepted group member	Tom was the black sheep of the family and preferred to do things on his own.
black tie event	formal event	Most big award's ceremonies are black tie events.
blind date	dating someone you have never met	I don't like blind dates because I want to know what she looks like first.
blue-collar	manual labor	He got a blue-collar job working as a mechanic.
born with a silver spoon	from a rich family	Sara was born with a silver spoon, but she became a drug addict.
born yesterday	inexperienced	Were you born yesterday? You have to pay your credit card quickly to avoid serious debt.
borrowed time	an uncertain length of time that may end suddenly	Everyone is living off of borrowed time. Enjoy every day as if it is your last.
bread and butter	necessities or main points	Tell me the bread and butter of the article and explain the general idea of it.
break a leg	good luck	Before the final exam, the teacher told his students to break a leg.
break the bank	go bankrupt	She broke the bank after buying the Ferrari.
break the ice	doing something first in a social setting	Let me break the ice and buy everyone a drink.
bring home the bacon	earn money	Louie brings home the bacon while his wife takes care of the kids.
Bronx cheer	sarcastic applause	My girlfriend gave me the Bronx cheer when I finally remembered her birthday.
buckle down	work hard	Let's buckle down and finish the assignment.
bundle of joy	newborn baby	The mother is holding her bundle of joy.
burn a hole in my pocket	spend too much money	I burned a hole in my pocket overpaying on insurance.
burn the midnight oil	work late into the night	The student burned the midnight oil in order to pass the test.
bust my chops	say something insulting	She always busts my chops about my low salary.
butter someone up	be really nice to someone	You had better butter me up if you want a raise in salary.
by a landslide	by a large margin	The Predators lost by a landslide in game 5. The Penguins beat them by 6 goals!
by the seat of your pants	achieve instinctively or quickly	That was impressive. You did your graduation speech by the seat of your pants without any preparation.
by the skin of my teeth	barely or narrowly	I finished the test by the skin of my teeth just before the bell rang.
call it a day	finish work	Let's call it a day. It's time to go home.
call the shots	make the decisions	The new coach is calling the shots.
call your dogs off	stop criticizing or attacking	I paid you all of the money. I don't owe you anything. Call your dogs off!
calm before the storm	a peaceful period before mayhem	The teacher is enjoying the calm before the storm. All of the students will arrive soon.
cash in the chips	selling something	He cashed in the chips and went on a world tour.
cat and mouse	playfully deceive	The boss kept playing cat and mouse with me and never gave me the raise.
cat around	sleep with many people	His wife used to cat around while he was working hard at the office.
cat burglar	quick thief	The cat burglar took everything in the house before the cops arrived.
cat got your tongue	said when someone doesn't speak	What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You haven't said a word since we arrived.
cat got your tongue	said when someone doesn't speak	What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? You haven't said a word since we arrived.
cat nap	a short sleep	My father always takes a cat nap after work.
cat on a hot tin roof	very nervous	I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for my medical results.
cat's cradle	something overly complicated	There is a cat's cradle of rules that you must follow to board a flight these days.
cat's meow	something wonderful	Her birthday cake was the cat's meow. She ate the whole thing in less than a minute!
cat's paw	someone being exploited	Poorer citizens are usually the cat's paw of politicians. They use them only to get votes and never follow through on promised policies.
catcall	sexually suggestive comment	The construction workers were all catcalling the woman as she walked by.
catch you later	see you later	I have to go home now. Catch you later!
catfight	a fight between two women	The catfight was brutal! The other girl scratched her face with her nails.
catnap	a short sleep	My father always takes a catnap after work.
caught with your pants down	unprepared	Don't get caught with your pants down at a red light. Be ready to drive when it turns green.
chase rainbows	attempt something that will never be achieved	You're chasing rainbows if you think you're going to be a rock star.
cheap as chips	very inexpensive	This cup of coffee was only 50 cents. Cheap as chips!
cheapskate	a frugal person	He's such a cheapskate. He never buys anything for his girlfriend.
chicken out	avoid doing something because of fear	Mary was going to go skydiving, but she chickened out.
chink in one's armor	vulnerable area	Bob was a great teacher, but the chink in his armor was his fear of public speaking.
chip in	donate money or time	Why don't you chip in and support the refugees?
clam up	become quiet	Tom always clams up when you ask him about his ex-girlfriend.
cold feet	being nervous or anxious before a big event	She got cold feet before the wedding.
commit Harry Carry	commit suicide	Unfortunately, some of the world's greatest singers committed Harry Carry.
cook the books	dishonest accounting	Let's cook the books so we can avoid paying higher taxes.
cool cat	a hip or cool person	He was such a coot cat. He was respected by his peers and the girls all loved him.
copycat	someone who copies another	You're such a copycat! Do your own work!
copycat	someone who copies another	You're such a copycat! Do your own work!
couch potato	lazy person	Don't be such a couch potato and do some work for once!
country mile	a long way	We drove a country mile to the other side of the country.
cream of the crop	the best	The team has the cream of the crop of draft picks. They will probably win the cup soon.
crocodile tears	fake tears	Her little daughter always cries crocodile tears to get whatever she wants.
crunch time	a critical period	Crunch time in most sports comes down to the final few minutes of a game.
cry over spilled milk	get upset over something insignificant or about something irreversible	I know you forgot your phone, but there is no need to cry over spilt milk. You can live without it for an hour.
cry your heart out	cry a lot	He cried his heart out when his dog died.
cup of joe	cup of coffee	Let's get a cup of joe at Starbucks.
curiosity killed the cat	curiosity may lead to unwanted circumstances	Don't enter that haunted house. Remember that curiosity killed the cat!
curtains	finished, the end	I knew it was curtains for their marriage when they signed the prenuptial agreement.
cut corners	reduce spending	The family had to cut corners in order to put food on the table.
cut the cheese	fart	Who cut the cheese? It smells awful in here.
cut the mustard	meet expectations	George's work ethic didn't cut the mustard, so he got fired.
cut the rug	dance	I love this song! Let's go on the dance floor and cut the rug!
dig deep	look hard for information or try hard	Walt had to dig deep to find a solution to the chemistry problem.
dirt cheap	very inexpensive	My clothes are dirt cheap, but they still look fashionable.
do time	go to prison	Franky has to do time for all those crimes that he was convicted of.
dog and bone	a telephone	She is speaking with her boyfriend on the dog and bone.
dog and pony show	elaborate presentation	The designer bag showcase was such a dog and pony show.
dog days	very hot days	The dog days of summer are really humid and uncomfortable.
dog-eared	folded corners of pages in a book	He dog-eared the pages of the book instead of using a bookmark.
dog-eat-dog world	competitive	American political debates are a dog-eat-dog world.
dog-tired	very tired	She was dog-tired after running the marathon.
dog's bollocks	the best	That new Tesla is the dog's bollocks.
dog's breakfast	very messy	Her mother was upset because her son's room was like a dog's breakfast.
doggy bag	food taken home after a restaurant meal	My girlfriend barely ate her dinner so she asked the waiter for a doggy bag.
dogs of war	destruction caused by war	Famine and poverty are unfortunately common dogs of war.
dogsbody	someone who does all the work	The chef was the dogsbody in the kitchen. Everyone else broke dishes.
don't count chickens before they hatch	don't plan for something that may not happen	Zoe bought the dress, before anyone asked her to the prom. I told her not to count her chickens before they hatch.
double dating	two couples dating at the same time	My friend always goes on double dates and likes getting attention from both guys.
double dog dare	challenge defiantly	She double dog dared me to go hang gliding so I had to do it!
double take	look a second time	When she walked by in those heels, all the guys did a double take.
down time	relaxing time	You need to have some down time after a long day at work.
down to earth	natural personality	Alexander is very wealthy, but he is still down to earth.
down to the wire	to the end	The game is coming down to the wire and nobody has scored.
dress to kill	dress in glamorous clothes	She is always dressed to kill when she goes to the bar.
drink like a fish	drink a lot	Norm drinks like a fish when he goes to the pub.
drive someone crazy	make someone annoyed or feel madly in love	She drives me crazy. I don't know if I should buy her another diamond or get a divorce.
drive up the wall	make someone crazy	Her loud little dog was driving him up the wall.
drop like flies	die or give up quickly	The other candidates dropped like flies at the end of the election.
eager beaver	someone who is excited about something	She's such an eager beaver when checking updates on Instagram.
early bird	someone who likes to wake up early	Sara is such an early bird. She gets up before the sun rises.
easier said than done	easier to speak words than to perform actions	The government low tax policy is easier said than done.
easy come, easy go	something that happens easily can just as easily be taken away
eat like a horse	eat a lot	You eat like a horse. There is nothing left at the buttet.
egg someone on	to urge or provoke someone	The hockey player tried to egg his opponent on by dropping his gloves.
elephant in the room	a sensitive unaddressed issue	The couple's money problem was an elephant in the room. They never talk about finances.
every cloud has a silver lining	be optimistic	She got fired but found a better job she. Every cloud has a silver lining.
every dog has its day	everyone has success eventually	Keep shooting and you will score. Every dog has its day.
every nook and cranny	everyone possible place	I looked in every nook and cranny, but I couldn't find what I was looking for.
everything but the kitchen sink	almost everything imaginable	The team threw everything but the kitchen sink at the goalie, but they couldn't score a goal.
face the music	deal with unpleasant consequences	The man confessed to the crime and faced the music in prison.
fair-weather friend	a person who is only a friend in good times	I try to avoid fair-weather friends. They aren't very sincere.
fat cat	wealthy person	Fat cats get wealthier with inflation while the poor have to pay more for groceries.
fat chance	unlikely	It's a fat chance that the war will end this year.
feel blue	feel sad	Barbara felt blue after breaking up with her boyfriend.
fine-tooth comb	in detail	The detective analyzed the crime scene with a fine-tooth comb.
fishy	strange or suspicious	Something fishy is going on. He takes his wedding ring off when he leaves.
fit as a fiddle	good physical health	Look at those abs! You are as fit as a fiddle!
fit like a glove	fit perfectly	Those jeans fit her like a glove.
flesh and blood	family	I can't fire my brother. He's my own flesh and blood.
fly in the ointment	annoyance that spoils enjoyment	The wedding crasher was such a fly in the ointment.
foot the bill	pay for something	I'll foot the bill and pay for everyone's meal at the restaurant.
freeze your buns off	be very cold	You will freeze your buns off in Antarctica.
front runner	favorite to win	The stallion is the front runner. He'll be hard to beat.
full of beans	energetic	The elementary students are always full of beans.
get a head start	start before others	Don always gets a head start and wakes up at dawn.
get a second wind	have new energy after an attempt	I was exhausted after 3 kilometers of running, but I got a second wind after I passed the beach.
get bent out of shape	get upset	The waiter got so bent out of shape when the customer tipped him a penny.
get hitched	get married	We got hitched last month. Didn't you get the wedding invitation?
get into the full swing	be comfortable doing something after some time	It took her a month to get into the full swing of things. Now she is the best employee.
get something off my chest	reveal or confess something	I felt better getting it off my chest by confessing that I stole the money.
get the boot	get fired	Bob got the boot last week. He needs to find a new job.
get wind of something	overhear something about someone or something (often gossip)	Sherry got wind that her ex-boyfriend was coming to the same bar, so she went home.
get with the times	to get up-to-date with the modern era	Time to get with the times and buy an electric car.
give a cold shoulder	to deny or ignore	She gave him a cold shoulder when he asked for her phone number.
give a hand or lend a hand	help someone	Can you give me a hand with lifting this laundry machine?
give a hard time	tease or bother someone	Stop giving your little brother a hard time and help him with his homework.
give it your best shot	try your hardest	I know the homework is difficult but give it your best shot.
give no quarter (none asked)	give no mercy	The student asked to take the test again, but the teacher gave no quarter.
give someone a fair shake	give someone a chance	He never got a fair shake. He got fired after a week.
give someone a run for their money	try hard to defeat another person	Connor is going to give Floyd a run for his money.
give the green light	give permission	She gave her son the green light to join the police academy.
glory hound	someone looking for fortune or fame	He's such a glory hound. He loves the attention from the press.
glutton for punishment	someone who always takes on unpleasant tasks	Debby is such a glutton for punishment. I think she enjoys being in bad relationships.
go downhill	get progressively worse	His health started to go downhill when he started smoking again.
go Dutch	split the bill	The couple always likes to go Dutch and share their living expenses.
go overboard	do more than needed	Don't go overboard or you'll get stressed out. Just do one page.
go steady	date each other	I asked her to go steady, but she dated Joe instead.
go to bat for someone	defend someone	His colleague went to bat for her and testified on her behalf.
go with the flow	go along with what everyone else does without conflict	Nancy just goes with the flow at her work and doesn't cause any interference.
golden opportunity	a good chance for achievement	He had a golden opportunity to win the game on the penalty shot.
grass is always greener on the other side	others always have it better	Whenever she complains about her hometown, I remind her that the grass is always greener on the other side.
gravy train	high pay for minimal work	Government workers ride the gravy train while sitting at their desks doing nothing.
green thumb	talent for gardening	Your flowers live so long because of your green thumb.
grey area	vague or unclear	The store's return policy is such a grey area. I don't understand their rules.
grin like a Cheshire cat	mischievously satisfied	She was grinning like a Cheshire cat after she had used her boyfriend's credit card.
hair of the dog	drinking alcohol to cure a hangover	The hair of the dog is the best remedy for a hangover.
handle with kid gloves	handle delicately	Please handle those wine glasses with kid gloves.
hang in there	be patient and stay optimistic	I told Joe to hang in there when I found out that his wife was sick again.
happy camper	a contented person	He looks like a happy camper eating his birthday cake.
hard nut to crack	difficult to understand or persuade	The criminal was a tough nut to crack. He never revealed any of his accomplices.
hat trick	three goals by one player	Ronaldo scored several hat tricks last season.
have a blast	have a good time	We all had a blast at the party!
have a bun in the oven	be pregnant	Mary has a bun in the oven so she can't drink alcohol.
have a card up your sleeve	have a secret plan	You had a card up your sleeve and you won the match by distracting the goalkeeper.
have a cow	get upset	Don't have a cow! It's not like I scratched the car on purpose!
have eyes in the back of your head	perceptive	You must have eyes in the back of your head. You always know what your boyfriend is doing when he's away.
have the hots for	to be attracted to someone	Mary had the hots for George, so she wrote him a love letter.
have the upper hand	have a better chance of winning	The experienced boxer has the upper hand.
have your cake and eat it too	want more than you need	Frank is married but he also wants to date other women. He wants to have his cake and eat it too.
have your head in the clouds	to be unaware or oblivious	You always have your head in the clouds. Do you have any idea what's happening?
head over heels	to be deeply in love	Sarah was head over heels for her new boyfriend.
heard it through the grapevine	hear a rumor	I heard it through the grapevine that you were getting nose surgery.
heart goes out to	feel sympathy	My heart goes out to Sara. She spent years fighting cancer.
heavy heart	sadness	She left him with a heavy heart.
high time	the right time to accomplish something	It's high time to solve this budget problem.
hit a snag	face a sudden problem	We've hit a snag. I don't think we can finish it on time now.
hit below the belt	do something that is unfair	You hit me below the belt when you said that lie about me.
hit the nail on the head	to be precisely accurate or correct	I couldn't have said it better myself. You really hit the nail on the head.
hit the road	leave	When the bell rang, the teacher told the students to hit the road.
hit the sack / sheets / hay	go to sleep	I'm so tired. It's time to hit the sack.
hold all the aces	expected to win	The home team holds all the aces. I don't think the other team will win.
hold your horses	wait and be patient	Hold your horses! I'll be ready in a minute.
holy cow	that is surprising	Holy cow! Did she really dye her hair blue?
horse around	play roughly	Stop horsing around kids. You're in the library.
hot dog	show off	What a hot dog! He's stickhandling the puck around every player!
hot potato	a controversial subject	Trump's last Tweet was a hot potato in the news.
hot shot or big shot	very confident or successful person	All the hot shots in New York live on the Upper East Side.
I bet	I think so	I bet she's going to arrive late to work again.
in a nutshell	to sum up	In a nutshell, she is sick because she drank too much last night.
in no time	very quickly	It's so easy. I will be finished the assignment in no time.
in over your head	trying something that is much too difficult for one's ability	You're in over your head. You can't beat the computer at chess.
in seventh heaven	in a state of bliss	The team was in seventh heaven when the captain scored the goal.
in the black	profitable	Facebook has been in the black ever since the company went public.
in the dog house	in trouble	The coach won't let me play. I'm in the dog house.
in the long run	in the long term	She hates doing homework but in the long run it will make her successful.
in the nick of time	just in time	He caught the train in the nick of time just before it departed.
it takes two to tango	it takes more than one person	There is now way she robbed the store alone. It takes two to tango. Someone helped her break in.
joined at the hip	inseparable	Jane and Joe are joined at the hip.
jump ship	escape	The employees all jumped ship when they heard the company was going bankrupt.
jump the gun	begin too soon	If you jump the gun then you may make a mistake. Go at your own pace.
just what the doctor ordered	desirable result	It's going to be sunny all weekend. Just what the doctor ordered!
keep an eye on	watch carefully or take care of	Please keep an eye on the kettle. It will boil soon.
keep something zipped up	keep something a secret	He tried to keep the affair zipped up, but his friend told his wife what happened.
keep the wolves at bay	ward off poverty or hunger	He needed a part-time job to keep the wolves at bay and to avoid serious debt.
keep your chin up	stay positive	Keep your chin up. You will win the next game.
keep your head above water	try not to fall behind	It's hard to keep your head above water when you are already down by 3 goals.
keep your lips sealed	promise to keep a secret	You must keep your lips sealed about your affair.
keep your shirt on	stay calm	Keep your shirt on and try to relax. The plane will land soon.
kick the bucket	die	I hope I can travel the world before I kick the bucket.
kill time	pass time aimlessly	Most people kill time by swiping through their iPhone apps.
kill two birds with one stone	accomplish two things at once	Why not kill two birds with one stone and brush your teeth in the shower?
kitty corner	diagonally across from	Starbucks is kitty corner to the gas station.
know by heart	memorize	Steve knows all of the computer code by heart.
know which way the wind blows	know the end result	Nobody knows which way the wind will blow. Just try to be positive.
lazy as a dog	very lazy	I was lazy as a dog last weekend. I stayed in bed on Saturday and Sunday.
lead a dog's life	unhappy life	Her father lead a dog's life trying to raise her and she never appreciated him.
learn the ropes	learn new things	I spend the whole morning learning the ropes for the job.
leave at the altar	decide not to marry at the last minute	Her fiance left her at the altar and moved to Fiji.
let sleeping dogs lie	avoid interfering in something that may create trouble	Don't bring up old arguments. It's best to let sleeping dogs lie.
let the cat out of the bag	reveal a secret	Don't let the cat out of the bag about the birthday party.
let the cat out of the bag	reveal a secret	Don't let the cat out of the bag about the birthday party.
let the dog see the rabbit	remove unnecessary obstructions	It's time to let the dog see the rabbit. Bring the batter up to the big leagues!
let your hair down	relax and have fun	You should let your hair down on Saturday night and go dancing.
level playing field	equal chance	The team leveled the playing field after the penalty kick.
like herding cats	a difficult task	Getting everyone to take the vaccine is like herding cats.
like the cat got the cream	satisfaction with some kind of achievement	After proving her innocence, she smiled at the police officer like the cat got the cream.
lion's share	the majority of something	You took the lion's share of the money. All I got was a couple pennies.
live from hand to mouth	live on very little money	During the depression, we had to live from hand to mouth.
live out of a suitcase	live or travel somewhere temporarily	He decided to live out of a suitcase and travel for a year.
long shot	difficult thing to accomplish	It will be a long shot to finish in the top three positions.
look what the cat dragged in	someone unwelcome has arrived	Look what the cat dragged in. We told you to stay home and talk to your therapist.
lose it	lose control	If you forget to tip the waiter again, he is going to completely lose it.
love is blind	love makes someone blind to their partner's imperfections	Love is certainly blind. Tom is very attracted to a girl who eats on the toilet.
love rat	someone who cheats on their partner	Hank is such a love rat. This is the tenth girl I've seen him with this week.
lovey-dovey	kissing and hugging	Kate really hates it when couples are lovey-dovey in public.
make a mountain out of a molehill	to overemphasize small problems	The car only got a tiny dent. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.
make from scratch	make with original ingredients	My wife made me a delicious omelet from scratch.
make love	sex	Frank wanted to make love in the tent, but his wife wanted a hotel room.
make my blood boil	make very angry	Donald makes my blood boil when he talks.
make the cut	chosen to be part of a group	I don't think I made the cut. Other people will probably get hired instead.
make up for lost time	to catch up with something after disregarding it for a long time	Let's make up for lost time and hang out all week.
method to my madness	having a purpose despite some disorganization	I know my desk is a mess, but there is a method to my madness. It makes everything easier to access.
miss the boat	lose an opportunity	He missed the boat after discovering that his friend got the job instead.
monkey see, monkey do	silly people copy each other	Monkey see, monkey do. Your brother spilt ketchup on his shirt too.
more than one way to skin a cat	more than one way to succeed	There's more than one way to skin a cat. Let's quit our jobs and start a business by the beach!
my cup of tea	something enjoyable	Musicals aren't my cup of tea. I prefer regular movies.
neck and neck	very close	The race cars were neck and neck until the end.
neck of the woods	nearby location	The restaurant is in my neck of the woods.
nest egg	saved money	She has a huge nest egg, so she doesn't have to work anymore.
nice lettuce	nice hair	Donald used to have really nice lettuce when he was younger, but now he is bald.
no love lost	mutual dislike	There is no love lost between Donald and Hillary.
no room to swing a cat	very small place	There's no room to swing a cat in this apartment. I can almost touch the two walls with both hands.
no sweat	no problem	Sara said it would be no sweat to finish the assignment on time.
not have a cat's chance in hell	no chance whatsoever	You don't have a cat's chance in hell of marrying her.
not playing with a full deck	lower mental ability	George isn't playing with a full deck. He forgot to wear his socks.
not up to par	not good enough	If you're not up to par by the end of the month, you're fired.
off one's rocker	crazy	Janet is licking food off the floor. She must be off her rocker.
off the beaten track	unusual route or destination	We went off the beaten track and discovered an ancient temple in the forest.
off the cuff	improvised	The groom made did wedding speech off the cuff.
off the hook	escape obligation	The boss let him off the hook and said he didn't have to work today.
old hand	experienced person	Peter is an old hand when analyzing the stock market.
on a silver platter	whole-heatedly or easily	He was offered the new job on a silver platter, but he didn't take it.
on cloud nine	very happy	Elizabeth was on cloud nine when she put on the diamond ring.
on my watch	during my time on duty	I told the workers that they couldn't sleep on my watch. They can sleep when they get home.
on the ball	ready and able	I'm on the ball today. I finished everything before lunch.
on the can	sitting on the toilet	My uncle always looks sings songs on the can.
on the mend	restore or recover	Their relationship is now on the mend after going to counseling.
on the rocks (1)	with ice	Could I have a whisky on the rocks?
on the rocks (2)	a romantic relationship near the end	Their relationship is on the rocks. They'll probably break up soon.
once in a blue moon	rarely	The truck driver visits his kids once in a blue moon.
out in left field	strange or unconventional	His response was so way out in left field that everyone couldn't stop laughing.
out of my league	not as good as someone else	She's way out of my league. There's no way she'll go out with me.
out of the blue	suddenly	Her ex-boyfriend called her out of the blue during her honeymoon.
out of the woods	clear of a dangerous situation	The Lakers aren't out of the woods yet. They still have to play one more quarter.
out to lunch	crazy or distracted or confused	That guy is so out to lunch. He is difficult to get business done with.
over my dead body	to do anything to prevent something from happening	My son wanted to get a face tattoo, but I told him over my dead body.
over the hill	old age	My boss is over the hill, but he still doesn't want to retire.
over the moon	delighted	She was over the moon when he put the ring on her finger.
paint the town red	have fun	It's finally the weekend! Let's paint the town red!
pat on the back	give recognition	You deserve a pat on the back for fixing the furnace.
pay a king's ransom	pay a lot of money	The team had to pay a king's ransom for the superstar.
penny pincher	a frugal person	Victor is such a penny pincher. He never buys anything for anyone.
piece of cake	very easy	The final exam was a piece of cake.
pig out	eat a lot	Last night, I pigged out on a bag of potato chips.
piss in my cornflakes	to annoy out of spite	She always pisses in my cornflakes because of what I did to her last year.
pitch black	very dark	You should always sleep in a room that is pitch black.
play second fiddle	play a secondary role	The new intern always plays second fiddle to his colleagues.
play something by ear	let things occur without a rigid plan	Let's play it by ear and see what happens tonight.
plenty of other fish in the sea	there are many other available partners	Don't worry. You'll find another girl. There are plenty of other fish in the sea.
pop the question	ask someone to get married	He popped her the big question during their vacation.
pot calling the kettle black	to hypocritically criticize	Donald says the news is fake but that's like the pot calling the kettle black.
pour money down the drain	waste money	Betting on an injured horse is like pouring money down the drain.
preach to the choir	attempt to convince someone about an issue that they already support	You're preaching to the choir when you say that sugar is bad for your health.
pressed for time	having limited time available	The doctor was really pressed for time, so he misdiagnosed the illness.
pull up your socks	try hard	Good job. You pulled your socks up, studied all day, and aced the test.
pull your leg	tease or joke around	I'm just pulling your leg. Don't take it too seriously.
pull yourself together	calm down	You need to pull yourself together and stop screaming at me in public.
puppy dog eyes	innocent facial expression	His daughter showed him puppy dog eyes after dropping his ice cream cone.
puppy love	teenager romantic love	It was just puppy love during high school but they broke up in university.
pushing up daisies	die	You'll be pushing up daisies if you don't quit smoking.
put a sock in it	stop talking	Put a sock in it and listen to the teacher!
put all of the eggs in one basket	rely on one thing	He dedicated all of his time to baseball. If he puts all of his eggs in one basket, he may not have an alternative career to rely on.
put in my two cents	give my opinion	Can I put in my two cents? I have something important to say.
put on ice	postpone	Let's put this problem on ice and get back to it tomorrow.
put the cat among pigeons	an action that causes problems	You really put the cat among pigeons when you brought up those bill payments again.
put your money where your mouth is	stop talking and start acting upon something	You should put your money where your mouth is and start your new business idea.
put your thinking cap on	concentrate	You put your thinking cap on and created a brilliant ad for the new product.
put yourself in my shoes	sympathize	Put yourself in the my shoes, then you will understand why I did it.
question of time	an inevitability or eventuality	It's only a question of time until all cars drive themselves.
rags to riches	going from being poor to wealthy	Jake went from rags to riches after he won the lottery.
rain on someone else's parade	infringe on someone's happiness	Stop raining on my parade whenever you get miserable.
raining cats and dogs	raining heavily	It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your umbrella.
raining cats and dogs	raining heavily	It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your umbrella.
raise a white flag	surrender	I decided to raise a white flag and stop arguing with my wife.
rat race	competitive struggle	I escaped the rat race in the office and moved to Hawaii.
ray of hope	a slight chance that something positive will occur	She still had a ray of hope that she would get into medical school.
red herring	something that draws attention away from an important topic	The President's gambling addiction was just a red herring for the pipeline problems.
red tape	rules which hinder progress	There is a lot of red tape involved with starting a business.
red-letter day	an important day	My graduation was a red-letter day for my parents.
ride my coattails	do nothing and let others do all the work	She has been riding my coattails all year and I don't get any credit for my effort.
right as rain	feeling very well or fit	After a walk through the park, I feel as right as rain. My mind feels clear.
ring a bell	cause recollection or something	That song rings a bell, but I still can't remember the singer's name.
rise and shine	wake up or get out of bed	Rise and shine! Breakfast is ready!
road less traveled	unconventional choices	She took the road less traveled and decided to join the circus.
rock hound	a geologist	The gold miner is such a rock hound. He is going to be very wealthy.
roll out the red carpet	greet someone with great respect	They rolled out the red carpet during the President's inauguration.
roll up your sleeves	work hard	You rolled up your sleeves and got the job done.
rub the wrong way	annoy	That guy really rubs me the wrong way. I can't stand being around him.
rule of thumb	general rule	As a rule of thumb, you should get 8 hours of sleep per night.
run a tight ship	be strict	The director runs a tight ship. He never lets his employees leave early.
run with the big dogs	compete with the top performers	It's time to run with the big dogs when you play in the Premier League.
save for a rainy day	save money in case something unfortunate happens	You should save for a rainy day. You could get injured or become unemployed.
scaredy-cat	someone who is always scared	Are you really afraid of the dark? You're such a scaredy-cat!
screw the pooch	fail	Carl really screwed the pooch on the exam. He's the only one who failed.
see a man about his dog	go to the bathroom	I left the dinner table to see a man about his dog.
see eye to eye	agree	My wife and eye don't see eye to eye. We're getting a divorce.
see red	to be enraged	Bobby saw red when his brother broke his phone.
serve time	spend time in prison	Chuck served time in prison so it is difficult for him to get hired.
settle a score	get even	It's time to settle the score. I'm sick of losing against these guys.
shake it off	recover	Don't worry about the poor test result. Shake it off and try again.
ship has sailed	a lost opportunity	Jack was thinking of marrying Jane but that ship has sailed. She married Zack instead.
shoot the breeze	chitchat	Let's grab lunch and shoot the breeze.
shooting fish in a barrel	easy or not challenging	For my brilliant little brother, setting up the Wifi connection is like shooting fish in a barrel.
shot in the dark	guess	It was a shot in the dark, but her answer was correct.
sick as a dog	very sick	I was sick as a dog on Monday, so I couldn't go to work.
silver screen	the movie industry	Angelina always wanted to star on the silver screen.
simmer down	calm down	The kids have been screaming all day. Tell them to simmer down.
six of one and half a dozen of the other	equivalent alternatives	The bus and subway arrive at the same time. It's six of one and half a dozen of the other.
skate on thin ice	do something risky	He was skating on thin ice when he insulted the boss.
sleep with the fishes	die	Before pulling the trigger, he told the gangster to sleep with the fishes.
smart cookie	an intelligent person	George is one smart cookie. He got 100 percent on all his tests.
smell a rat	suspect deception	I smell rat. I know I left my wallet on my desk, but it's gone.
snowed under	having too much work to do	I'm really snowed under now. Can I do the report tomorrow?
so and so	refering to someone's name	I was talking to so and so yesterday and she said the concert was amazing.
spice things up	make more exciting	Sara spiced up her room by hanging paintings on the walls.
spill the beans	reveal a secret	Who spilt the beans about my brother's surprise birthday party?
start the ball rolling	start something	Let's get the ball rolling and start with some ice breakers.
steal someone's thunder	to take credit for someone else's achievement	Some companies steal another's thunder and ignore copyright laws.
step up to the plate	take responsibility	Yuna is going to step up to the plate and admit that her team's decision was wrong.
stick your neck out	help someone despite possible consequences for oneself	You should stick your neck out for your teammate.
stick-in-the-mud	a dull or unadventurous person	Jerry is such stick-in-the-mud. He never wants to go out with his friends.
storm in a teacup	make a small problem bigger than it is	Don't make a storm in a teacup. We can go to another restaurant that doesn't require reservations.
storm is brewing	an indication that something bad could occur	A feel like a storm is brewing and the stock market is about to crash.
straight from the horse's mouth	directly from the source	The boss said we're bankrupt. The news came straight from the horse's mouth.
sweet tooth	love sweet things	Suzie has a sweet tooth. She always eats ice cream after dinner.
take a raincheck	reschedule at another time	Can I take a raincheck? I don't have time to hang out tonight.
take my hat off to someone	honor someone	I take my hat off to Frank. He was the best singer of the century.
take no prisoners	ruthlessly agressive	To be successful in business, you need to take no prisoners and beat the competition.
take the bull by the horns	be brave and face a challenge	If you want to be rich, take the bull by the horns and work harder.
take the cake	especially good or outstanding	His slapshot definitely takes the cake. It's the best in the league!
take the wind out of my sails	to feel deflated	You really took the wind out of my sails when you laughed at my new invention.
take with a grain of salt	don't believe it is completely accurate	I always take whatever I read in the news with a grain of salt.
talk a blue streak	talk a lot	Women who are close friends can talk a blue streak on the phone.
the big time	a situation involving fame or success	The actress was ready for the big time when she was nominated for the award.
the birds and the bees	sex education	I remember learning about the birds and the bees in middle school.
the cat's pyjamas	the best person or thing	She's the cat's pyjamas. Everyone loves to watch her perform on the stage.
the cat's whiskers	the best person or thing	Do you think you're really the cat's whiskers? Anybody can parallel park with car sensors now.
the eleventh hour	last chance to do something	Just before the deadline, the student submitted the assignment at the eleventh hour.
the home stretch	near the end	We're on the home stretch now. We'll be there in a few minutes.
the lion's share	the majority	She was upset because her sister got the lion's share of the inheritance.
the tip of the iceberg	a small part of a bigger problem	The tax evasion was just the tip of the iceberg. The company has committed countless other crimes.
the whole nine yards	everything	We covered the whole nine yards in the meeting. There's nothing left to do.
thick in the head	stupid or foolish	Tommy is so thick in the head. He keeps licking the wall.
third time's a charm	the third time is usually successful	I tried unlocking the door twice already. I hope the third time's a charm.
three dog night	very cold	Looks like it's going to be a three dog night. It's going to minus 40 degrees.
through thick and thin	in good and bad times	He loved his wife through thick and thin.
throw caution to the wind	to let go of all responsibilities and have fun	Let's throw caution to the wind, quit our jobs, and go on vacation!
throw in the towel	give up	Rocky never threw in the towel during his fighting career.
throw it in her	have sex with her	You should throw it in her. I think she really wants you.
throw the baby out with the bath water	removing something good while trying to remove something bad	Keep writing your novel. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Most of what you have written is great.
throw to the dogs	allow someone to be attacked	Why did you throw me to the dogs yesterday? I couldn't defend myself.
throw under the bus	sacrifice someone as a scapegoat	The player threw the goaltender under the bus saying he was the reason they lost the game.
tick for tack	retaliation	The team lost the first game, but won the second. Tick for tack.
tie the knot	get married	Are you ever going to tie the knot? You aren't getting any younger.
time flies	time goes very fast	Our vacation is over already? Time flies!
time is money	time is valuable	We can't wait here all day. Time is money!
time of your life	an enjoyable time of your life	Did you have the time of your life when you were a teenager?
time to run	time to leave	It's time to run. I need to go an pick up my kids from school.
time will tell	the outcome will soon be known	Only time will tell what happens to the human race.
to be off base	not making a fair statement	Mandy was off base when she said that I needed a hair transplant to get the acting role.
to fancy someone	to think someone is very attractive	Do you fancy Molly? She likes you too.
tongue in cheek	not meaning what one is saying	When I said to fly to Hawaii, I was speaking tongue in cheek. I didn't actually think you would book a ticket!
top of the world	extremely happy	He was on top of the world before the Titanic sunk.
travel light	travel will minimal luggage	Remember to travel light because airline's charge fees for extra luggage now.
true colors	actual character or personality	I saw her true colors when she donated to the local charity.
two-time	cheat or betray	His girlfriend was two-timing him by sleeping with the plumber.
under my thumb	under my control	Mick said the girl was under his thumb. She was the sweetest pet in the world.
under the table	concealed or by secret	We should keep this under the table until we know it's safe to tell everyone.
under the weather	feel sick	Sorry, I can't come to work today. I'm feeling a bit under the weather.
until the cows come home	for a long time	She can watch Netflix until the cows come home.
up the creek	in trouble	If I don't wash the dishes tonight, I'll be up the creek. Mom said to wash them two days ago.
wag the dog	distract attention from	The politician wags the dog to prevent people from discovering his scandal.
walk out on someone	to end a relationship	My girlfriend walked out on me, so I drank a bottle of vodka.
wash my hands of something	stop dealing with a problem	I'm washing my hands of his troubled past and moving on with life.
water off a duck's back	a harmful remark that has no effect on someone	She insulted me but I didn't care. It was like water off a duck's back.
water under the bridge	a past problem that no longer affects the present	He cheated on her 10 years ago, but that is water under the bridge now.
wear the pants	be in charge	She wears the pants in the family. Her husband stays home and sleeps all day.
wear your heart on your sleeve	show emotions openly	You always wear heart on your sleeve and give annual donations to charity.
when it rains, it pours	many misfortunes often occur all at once	Last week, my dog died and I broke my leg. When it rains, it pours.
while the cat's away, the mice will play	people will misbehave when there is no authority figure	They never do any work when the boss is out of the office. While the cat's away, the mice will play!
whisper sweet nothings	to say romantic things to someone	Sue likes it when I whisper sweet nothings in her ear in bed.
white collar	office labor	Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine.
white elephant	useless possession	My old DVD player is a white elephant. I only watch Netflix now.
white lie	a harmless lie	She told her boss a white lie when she said she had a doctor's appointment.
white-collar	office labor	Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine.
wild goose chase	lengthy undertaking that accomplishes little	Making the playoffs is now a wild goose chase. The team should focus on player development.
win hands down	easy victory	The team one hands down because their opponents had three red cards.
work like a dog	work very hard	My boss has me working like a dog.
yellow-bellied	cowardly	Don't be so yellow-bellied. It's only a small spider!
you bet	absolutely or "of course"	Marge told Bart to take out the trash. He said, "Sure, mom. You bet!"
you can say that again	that is definitely true	"This movie is so boring," she said. "You can say that again," her friend replied with a yawn.
zero-sum game	either win or lose	In the playoffs, overtime is a zero-sum game. Only one team can win.

Suggest New Idioms and Phrases for the List

Send us a message if you have any expressions or idiom themes that you would like to see.

The idiom phrases list will be updated regularly with new content.

Your ideas could be added to the lists in the next update.

View English Idioms and Phrases Playlist on YouTube:

More Idiom Resources Online for Teachers and Students:

More Materials for Teaching English:

Free Printables for Teachers and Students

Other ESL Activities for Developing Core Skills:

Other Interactive ESL Activities and Games:

- ESL Board Games
- ESL Vocabulary Games

Need more ideas for your lessons?

View the complete collection of ESL activities for kids and adults on the main page.