English Idioms and Phrases: A List with Meanings & Examples

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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.

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

Searchable List of 479 Common English Idioms and Phrases

*Updated: December 2021

Idiom / Phrase	Meaning	Example Sentence	Theme
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.	dogs, animals
a breeze	easy	Riding a tricycle is such a breeze.	weather
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.	animals, cats, clothing
a dime a dozen	common and available anywhere	Corrupt cops are a dime a dozen in this city.	money
a field day	a very enjoyable time	My children had a field day at the carnival.	geography
a hell of a time	a difficult (or exciting) experience	Her grandmother had a hell of a time trying to connect to the internet.	time
a little bird told me	someone told me a secret	A little bird told me that you're getting a divorce.	animals
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.	food
a matter of time	when something is inevitable	It's only a matter of time until they find a cure for cancer.	time
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.	money
a whale of a time	an exciting experience	The family had a whale of a time at the theme park.	time, animals
about time	said to convey impatience	I've been waiting for you for an hour. It's about time you arrived!	time
ace in the hole	a hidden strength or advantage	They'll win the game since their rookie goalkeeper is an ace in the hole.	sports
Achilles heel	someone's weakness	Vodka is his Achilles heel. He only loses his composure when he drinks it.	body
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.	body
ahead of time	earlier than the deadline	Finish your work ahead of time so you can enjoy your hobbies.	time
all ears	listen carefully	Jane asked if I was paying attention. I told her, "I'm all ears!"	body
all hands on deck	everyone's help is needed	We need all hands on deck if we want to reduce carbon emissions.	body
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!	body
an arm and a leg	very expensive	That new car costs an arm and a leg.	body, money
ants in your pants	anxious or nervous	Frank had ants in his pants before taking his exam.	animals, clothing
apple of my eye	an adored person	My precious daughter is the apple of my eye.	food, body, love
around the clock	without stopping	The pharmacy is open around the clock. It never closes.	time
as white as a sheet	very fearful or anxious	Walter went as white as a sheet when he saw Hank get shot.	colors
ask out	ask someone on a date	Bobby asked her out, but she decided to stay home and do laundry.	love
at the drop of a hat	instantly	At the drop of a hat, I called my sister when I heard she was pregnant!	clothing
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.
bad egg	a troublesome person	Bart is the bad egg of the class. He is always throwing paper airplanes.	food
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.	sports
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.	animals
bark up the wrong tree	pursue misguided action	Stop accusing me. I'm innocent. You're barking up the wrong tree!	dogs, animals
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.	love
be nuts about	really enjoy	She is nuts about her new boyfriend.	food, love
beast of burden	someone carries others problems	I will never be your beast of burden. You have got to deal with your own problems.	animals
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!	animals
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.	time
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.	love
beet red	embarrassed or angry	Darren went beet red when he saw the scratch on his car.	colors, food
bell the cat	take on a difficult task	Politicians should bell the cat and start reducing the inflation rate.	animals, cats
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!	time
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.	time
big cheese	an important person	Where is the director? I want to talk to the big cheese.	food
birthday suit	naked	You should try sleeping with your birthday suit on. It's much more comfortable.	clothing
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.	food
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.	food
black and blue	hurt physically or mentally	Both during and after the relationship, I felt so black and blue.	colors
black and white	absolute terms	The contract that you signed is in black and white. You must agree to the terms.	colors
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.	colors
black market	illegal marketplace	A lot of fake cigarettes are sold in the black market.	colors
black out	lose consciousness	She knocked her head on the floor and blacked out!	colors
black sheep	unaccepted group member	Tom was the black sheep of the family and preferred to do things on his own.	colors, animals
black tie event	formal event	Most big award's ceremonies are black tie events.	colors, clothing
blind date	dating someone you have never met	I don't like blind dates because I want to know what she looks like first.	love
blue-collar	manual labor	He got a blue-collar job working as a mechanic.	colors, clothing
born with a silver spoon	from a rich family	Sara was born with a silver spoon, but she became a drug addict.	colors, food, money
born yesterday	inexperienced	Were you born yesterday? You have to pay your credit card quickly to avoid serious debt.	time
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.	time
bread and butter	necessities or main points	Tell me the bread and butter of the article and explain the general idea of it.	food, money
break a leg	good luck	Before the final exam, the teacher told his students to break a leg.	body
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.	weather
bring home the bacon	earn money	Louie brings home the bacon while his wife takes care of the kids.	food, money
Bronx cheer	sarcastic applause	My girlfriend gave me the Bronx cheer when I finally remembered her birthday.	sports
buckle down	work hard	Let's buckle down and finish the assignment.	clothing
bundle of joy	newborn baby	The mother is holding her bundle of joy.	happy
burn a hole in my pocket	spend too much money	I burned a hole in my pocket overpaying on insurance.	clothing, money
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.	body
butter someone up	be really nice to someone	You had better butter me up if you want a raise in salary.	food
by a landslide	by a large margin	The Predators lost by a landslide in game 5. The Penguins beat them by 6 goals!	geography
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.	clothing
by the skin of my teeth	barely or narrowly	I finished the test by the skin of my teeth just before the bell rang.	body
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.	sports
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!	dogs, animals
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.	weather
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.	animals, cats
cat around	sleep with many people	His wife used to cat around while he was working hard at the office.	animals, cats
cat burglar	quick thief	The cat burglar took everything in the house before the cops arrived.	animals, cats
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.	animals
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.	animals, cats
cat nap	a short sleep	My father always takes a cat nap after work.	animals
cat on a hot tin roof	very nervous	I felt like a cat on a hot tin roof waiting for my medical results.	animals, cats
cat's cradle	something overly complicated	There is a cat's cradle of rules that you must follow to board a flight these days.	animals, cats
cat's meow	something wonderful	Her birthday cake was the cat's meow. She ate the whole thing in less than a minute!	animals, cats
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.	animals, cats
catcall	sexually suggestive comment	The construction workers were all catcalling the woman as she walked by.	animals, cats
catch you later	see you later	I have to go home now. Catch you later!	time
catfight	a fight between two women	The catfight was brutal! The other girl scratched her face with her nails.	animals, cats
catnap	a short sleep	My father always takes a catnap after work.	animals, cats
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.	clothing
chase rainbows	attempt something that will never be achieved	You're chasing rainbows if you think you're going to be a rock star.	weather
cheap as chips	very inexpensive	This cup of coffee was only 50 cents. Cheap as chips!	food
cheapskate	a frugal person	He's such a cheapskate. He never buys anything for his girlfriend.	sports, money
chicken out	avoid doing something because of fear	Mary was going to go skydiving, but she chickened out.	animals
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?	sports
clam up	become quiet	Tom always clams up when you ask him about his ex-girlfriend.	animals
cold feet	being nervous or anxious before a big event	She got cold feet before the wedding.	body
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.	food, money
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.	animals, cats
copycat	someone who copies another	You're such a copycat! Do your own work!	animals
copycat	someone who copies another	You're such a copycat! Do your own work!	animals, cats
couch potato	lazy person	Don't be such a couch potato and do some work for once!	food
cream of the crop	the best	The team has the cream of the crop of draft picks. They will probably win the cup soon.	food
crocodile tears	fake tears	Her little daughter always cries crocodile tears to get whatever she wants.	animals
crunch time	a critical period	Crunch time in most sports comes down to the final few minutes of a game.	time
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.	food
cry your heart out	cry a lot	He cried his heart out when his dog died.	body
cup of joe	cup of coffee	Let's get a cup of joe at Starbucks.	food
curiosity killed the cat	curiosity may lead to unwanted circumstances	Don't enter that haunted house. Remember that curiosity killed the cat!	animals, cats
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.	money
cut the cheese	fart	Who cut the cheese? It smells awful in here.	food
cut the mustard	meet expectations	George's work ethic didn't cut the mustard, so he got fired.	food
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.	geography
dirt cheap	very inexpensive	My clothes are dirt cheap, but they still look fashionable.	geography
do time	go to prison	Franky has to do time for all those crimes that he was convicted of.	time
dog and bone	a telephone	She is speaking with her boyfriend on the dog and bone.	dogs, animals
dog and pony show	elaborate presentation	The designer bag showcase was such a dog and pony show.	dogs, animals
dog days	very hot days	The dog days of summer are really humid and uncomfortable.	animals
dog-eared	folded corners of pages in a book	He dog-eared the pages of the book instead of using a bookmark.	dogs, animals, body
dog-eat-dog world	competitive	American political debates are a dog-eat-dog world.	dogs, animals, food
dog-tired	very tired	She was dog-tired after running the marathon.	dogs, animals
dog's bollocks	the best	That new Tesla is the dog's bollocks.	dogs, animals, body
dog's breakfast	very messy	Her mother was upset because her son's room was like a dog's breakfast.	dogs, animals, food
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, animals, food
dogs of war	destruction caused by war	Famine and poverty are unfortunately common dogs of war.	dogs, animals
dogsbody	someone who does all the work	The chef was the dogsbody in the kitchen. Everyone else broke dishes.	dogs, animals
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.	animals
double dating	two couples dating at the same time	My friend always goes on double dates and likes getting attention from both guys.	love
double dog dare	challenge defiantly	She double dog dared me to go hang gliding so I had to do it!	dogs, animals
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.	time
down to earth	natural personality	Alexander is very wealthy, but he is still down to earth.	geography
down to the wire	to the end	The game is coming down to the wire and nobody has scored.	sports
dress to kill	dress in glamorous clothes	She is always dressed to kill when she goes to the bar.	clothing
drink like a fish	drink a lot	Norm drinks like a fish when he goes to the pub.	food, animals
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.	love
drop like flies	die or give up quickly	The other candidates dropped like flies at the end of the election.	animals
eager beaver	someone who is excited about something	She's such an eager beaver when checking updates on Instagram.	animals
early bird	someone who likes to wake up early	Sara is such an early bird. She gets up before the sun rises.	animals
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.	food, animals
egg someone on	to urge or provoke someone	The hockey player tried to egg his opponent on by dropping his gloves.	food
elephant in the room	a sensitive unaddressed issue	The couple's money problem was an elephant in the room. They never talk about finances.	animals
every cloud has a silver lining	be optimistic	She got fired but found a better job she. Every cloud has a silver lining.	colors, weather
every dog has its day	everyone has success eventually	Keep shooting and you will score. Every dog has its day.	dogs, animals, time
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.	body
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.	weather
fat cat	wealthy person	Fat cats get wealthier with inflation while the poor have to pay more for groceries.	animals, cats
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.	colors
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.	animals
fit as a fiddle	good physical health	Look at those abs! You are as fit as a fiddle!	body
fit like a glove	fit perfectly	Those jeans fit her like a glove.	clothing
flesh and blood	family	I can't fire my brother. He's my own flesh and blood.	body
fly in the ointment	annoyance that spoils enjoyment	The wedding crasher was such a fly in the ointment.	animals
foot the bill	pay for something	I'll foot the bill and pay for everyone's meal at the restaurant.	money, body
freeze your buns off	be very cold	You will freeze your buns off in Antarctica.	food, body
front runner	favorite to win	The stallion is the front runner. He'll be hard to beat.	sports
full of beans	energetic	The elementary students are always full of beans.	food
get a head start	start before others	Don always gets a head start and wakes up at dawn.	sports, body
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.	sports, weather
get bent out of shape	get upset	The waiter got so bent out of shape when the customer tipped him a penny.	body
get hitched	get married	We got hitched last month. Didn't you get the wedding invitation?	love
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.	sports
get something off my chest	reveal or confess something	I felt better getting it off my chest by confessing that I stole the money.	body
get the boot	get fired	Bob got the boot last week. He needs to find a new job.	clothing
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.	weather
get with the times	to get up-to-date with the modern era	Time to get with the times and buy an electric car.	time
give a cold shoulder	to deny or ignore	She gave him a cold shoulder when he asked for her phone number.	body
give a hand or lend a hand	help someone	Can you give me a hand with lifting this laundry machine?	body
give a hard time	tease or bother someone	Stop giving your little brother a hard time and help him with his homework.	time
give it your best shot	try your hardest	I know the homework is difficult but give it your best shot.	sports
give no quarter (none asked)	give no mercy	The student asked to take the test again, but the teacher gave no quarter.	money
give someone a fair shake	give someone a chance	He never got a fair shake. He got fired after a week.	sports
give someone a run for their money	try hard to defeat another person	Connor is going to give Floyd a run for his money.	sports, money
give the green light	give permission	She gave her son the green light to join the police academy.	colors
glory hound	someone looking for fortune or fame	He's such a glory hound. He loves the attention from the press.	dogs, animals
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.	geography
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.	love
go to bat for someone	defend someone	His colleague went to bat for her and testified on her behalf.	sports
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.	geography
golden opportunity	a good chance for achievement	He had a golden opportunity to win the game on the penalty shot.	colors
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.	colors
gravy train	high pay for minimal work	Government workers ride the gravy train while sitting at their desks doing nothing.	food, transport, money
green thumb	talent for gardening	Your flowers live so long because of your green thumb.	colors, body
grey area	vague or unclear	The store's return policy is such a grey area. I don't understand their rules.	colors
grin like a Cheshire cat	mischievously satisfied	She was grinning like a Cheshire cat after she had used her boyfriend's credit card.	animals, cats
hair of the dog	drinking alcohol to cure a hangover	The hair of the dog is the best remedy for a hangover.	dogs, animals
handle with kid gloves	handle delicately	Please handle those wine glasses with kid gloves.	clothing
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.	happy
hard nut to crack	difficult to understand or persuade	The criminal was a tough nut to crack. He never revealed any of his accomplices.	food
hat trick	three goals by one player	Ronaldo scored several hat tricks last season.	clothing, sports
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.	food
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.	clothing
have a cow	get upset	Don't have a cow! It's not like I scratched the car on purpose!	animals
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.	body
have the hots for	to be attracted to someone	Mary had the hots for George, so she wrote him a love letter.	love
have the upper hand	have a better chance of winning	The experienced boxer has the upper hand.	sports, body
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.	food
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?	body, geography, weather
head over heels	to be deeply in love	Sarah was head over heels for her new boyfriend.	body, clothing, love
heard it through the grapevine	hear a rumor	I heard it through the grapevine that you were getting nose surgery.	food
heart goes out to	feel sympathy	My heart goes out to Sara. She spent years fighting cancer.	love
heavy heart	sadness	She left him with a heavy heart.	body, love
high time	the right time to accomplish something	It's high time to solve this budget problem.	time
hit a snag	face a sudden problem	We've hit a snag. I don't think we can finish it on time now.	sports
hit below the belt	do something that is unfair	You hit me below the belt when you said that lie about me.	sports, body
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.	transport, geography
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.	sports
hold your horses	wait and be patient	Hold your horses! I'll be ready in a minute.	animals
holy cow	that is surprising	Holy cow! Did she really dye her hair blue?	animals
horse around	play roughly	Stop horsing around kids. You're in the library.	animals
hot dog	show off	What a hot dog! He's stickhandling the puck around every player!	dogs, animals, food
hot potato	a controversial subject	Trump's last Tweet was a hot potato in the news.	food
hot shot or big shot	very confident or successful person	All the hot shots in New York live on the Upper East Side.	sports
I bet	I think so	I bet she's going to arrive late to work again.	money
in a nutshell	to sum up	In a nutshell, she is sick because she drank too much last night.	food
in no time	very quickly	It's so easy. I will be finished the assignment in no time.	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.	body
in seventh heaven	in a state of bliss	The team was in seventh heaven when the captain scored the goal.	happy
in the black	profitable	Facebook has been in the black ever since the company went public.	colors
in the dog house	in trouble	The coach won't let me play. I'm in the dog house.	animals
in the long run	in the long term	She hates doing homework but in the long run it will make her successful.	time
in the nick of time	just in time	He caught the train in the nick of time just before it departed.	time
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.	numbers
joined at the hip	inseparable	Jane and Joe are joined at the hip.	body, love
jump ship	escape	The employees all jumped ship when they heard the company was going bankrupt.	transport
jump the gun	begin too soon	If you jump the gun then you may make a mistake. Go at your own pace.	sports
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.	body
keep something zipped up	keep something a secret	He tried to keep the affair zipped up, but his friend told his wife what happened.	clothing
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.	animals
keep your chin up	stay positive	Keep your chin up. You will win the next game.	body
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.	body, geography
keep your lips sealed	promise to keep a secret	You must keep your lips sealed about your affair.	body
keep your shirt on	stay calm	Keep your shirt on and try to relax. The plane will land soon.	clothing
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.	time
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?	animals, numbers
kitty corner	diagonally across from	Starbucks is kitty corner to the gas station.	animals
know by heart	memorize	Steve knows all of the computer code by heart.	body
know which way the wind blows	know the end result	Nobody knows which way the wind will blow. Just try to be positive.	weather
lazy as a dog	very lazy	I was lazy as a dog last weekend. I stayed in bed on Saturday and Sunday.	dogs, animals
lead a dog's life	unhappy life	Her father lead a dog's life trying to raise her and she never appreciated him.	dogs, animals
learn the ropes	learn new things	I spend the whole morning learning the ropes for the job.	sports
leave at the altar	decide not to marry at the last minute	Her fiance left her at the altar and moved to Fiji.	love
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.	dogs, animals
let the cat out of the bag	reveal a secret	Don't let the cat out of the bag about the birthday party.	animals
let the cat out of the bag	reveal a secret	Don't let the cat out of the bag about the birthday party.	animals, cats
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!	dogs, animals
let your hair down	relax and have fun	You should let your hair down on Saturday night and go dancing.	body
level playing field	equal chance	The team leveled the playing field after the penalty kick.	sports
like herding cats	a difficult task	Getting everyone to take the vaccine is like herding cats.	animals, 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.	animals, cats
lion's share	the majority of something	You took the lion's share of the money. All I got was a couple pennies.	animals, money
live from hand to mouth	live on very little money	During the depression, we had to live from hand to mouth.	money, body
long shot	difficult thing to accomplish	It will be a long shot to finish in the top three positions.	sports
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.	animals, cats
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
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.	love
lovey-dovey	kissing and hugging	Kate really hates it when couples are lovey-dovey in public.	love
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.	geography
make from scratch	make with original ingredients	My wife made me a delicious omelet from scratch.	food
make love	sex	Frank wanted to make love in the tent, but his wife wanted a hotel room.	love
make my blood boil	make very angry	Donald makes my blood boil when he talks.	body
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.	sports
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.	time
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.
monkey see, monkey do	silly people copy each other	Monkey see, monkey do. Your brother spilt ketchup on his shirt too.	animals
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!	animals, cats
my cup of tea	something enjoyable	Musicals aren't my cup of tea. I prefer regular movies.	food
neck and neck	very close	The race cars were neck and neck until the end.	sports, body
neck of the woods	nearby location	The restaurant is in my neck of the woods.	body, geography
nest egg	saved money	She has a huge nest egg, so she doesn't have to work anymore.	animals, money
nice lettuce	nice hair	Donald used to have really nice lettuce when he was younger, but now he is bald.	food, body
no love lost	mutual dislike	There is no love lost between Donald and Hillary.	love
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.	animals, cats
no sweat	no problem	Sara said it would be no sweat to finish the assignment on time.	sports
not have a cat's chance in hell	no chance whatsoever	You don't have a cat's chance in hell of marrying her.	animals, cats
not playing with a full deck	lower mental ability	George isn't playing with a full deck. He forgot to wear his socks.	sports
not up to par	not good enough	If you're not up to par by the end of the month, you're fired.	sports
off one's rocker	crazy	Janet is licking food off the floor. She must be off her rocker.
off the cuff	improvised	The groom made did wedding speech off the cuff.	clothing
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.	body
on a silver platter	whole-heatedly or easily	He was offered the new job on a silver platter, but he didn't take it.	colors, food
on cloud nine	very happy	Elizabeth was on cloud nine when she put on the diamond ring.	love, weather
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.	time
on the ball	ready and able	I'm on the ball today. I finished everything before lunch.	sports
on the can	sitting on the toilet	My uncle always looks sings songs on the can.	sports
on the mend	restore or recover	Their relationship is now on the mend after going to counseling.	love
on the rocks (1)	with ice	Could I have a whisky on the rocks?	food
on the rocks (2)	a romantic relationship near the end	Their relationship is on the rocks. They'll probably break up soon.	love
once in a blue moon	rarely	The truck driver visits his kids once in a blue moon.	geography
out in left field	strange or unconventional	His response was so way out in left field that everyone couldn't stop laughing.	sports
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.	sports
out of the blue	suddenly	Her ex-boyfriend called her out of the blue during her honeymoon.	sports, colors
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.	geography, food
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.	body
over the hill	old age	My boss is over the hill, but he still doesn't want to retire.	body
over the moon	delighted	She was over the moon when he put the ring on her finger.	happy
paint the town red	have fun	It's finally the weekend! Let's paint the town red!	geography
pat on the back	give recognition	You deserve a pat on the back for fixing the furnace.	body
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.	body
pig out	eat a lot	Last night, I pigged out on a bag of potato chips.	food, animals
piss in my cornflakes	to annoy out of spite	She always pisses in my cornflakes because of what I did to her last year.	animals
pitch black	very dark	You should always sleep in a room that is pitch black.	colors
play second fiddle	play a secondary role	The new intern always plays second fiddle to his colleagues.	numbers
play something by ear	let things occur without a rigid plan	Let's play it by ear and see what happens tonight.	body
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.	animals
pop the question	ask someone to get married	He popped her the big question during their vacation.	love
pot calling the kettle black	to hypocritically criticize	Donald says the news is fake but that's like the pot calling the kettle black.	love
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.	time
pull up your socks	try hard	Good job. You pulled your socks up, studied all day, and aced the test.	colors, food
pull your leg	tease or joke around	I'm just pulling your leg. Don't take it too seriously.	clothing
pull yourself together	calm down	You need to pull yourself together and stop screaming at me in public.	body
puppy dog eyes	innocent facial expression	His daughter showed him puppy dog eyes after dropping his ice cream cone.	dogs, animals, body
puppy love	teenager romantic love	It was just puppy love during high school but they broke up in university.	love, animals
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!	flowers
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.	clothing
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.	animals, cats
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.	body, money
put your thinking cap on	concentrate	You put your thinking cap on and created a brilliant ad for the new product.	clothing
put yourself in my shoes	sympathize	Put yourself in the my shoes, then you will understand why I did it.	clothing
question of time	an inevitability or eventuality	It's only a question of time until all cars drive themselves.	time
rags to riches	going from being poor to wealthy	Jake went from rags to riches after he won the lottery.	clothing, money
rain on someone else's parade	infringe on someone's happiness	Stop raining on my parade whenever you get miserable.	weather
raining cats and dogs	raining heavily	It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your umbrella.	weather, animals
raining cats and dogs	raining heavily	It's raining cats and dogs. Remember your umbrella.	animals, cats
raise a white flag	surrender	I decided to raise a white flag and stop arguing with my wife.	animals, colors
rat race	competitive struggle	I escaped the rat race in the office and moved to Hawaii.	animals
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.	weather
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.	animals, colors
red tape	rules which hinder progress	There is a lot of red tape involved with starting a business.	colors, animals
red-letter day	an important day	My graduation was a red-letter day for my parents.	colors
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.	clothing
right as rain	feeling very well or fit	After a walk through the park, I feel as right as rain. My mind feels clear.	weather
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!
rock hound	a geologist	The gold miner is such a rock hound. He is going to be very wealthy.	dogs, animals
roll out the red carpet	greet someone with great respect	They rolled out the red carpet during the President's inauguration.	colors
roll up your sleeves	work hard	You rolled up your sleeves and got the job done.	clothing
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.	body
run a tight ship	be strict	The director runs a tight ship. He never lets his employees leave early.	body
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.	dogs, animals
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.	weather, money
scaredy-cat	someone who is always scared	Are you really afraid of the dark? You're such a scaredy-cat!	animals, cats
screw the pooch	fail	Carl really screwed the pooch on the exam. He's the only one who failed.	animals
see a man about his dog	go to the bathroom	I left the dinner table to see a man about his dog.	dogs, animals
see eye to eye	agree	My wife and eye don't see eye to eye. We're getting a divorce.	body
see red	to be enraged	Bobby saw red when his brother broke his phone.	colors
serve time	spend time in prison	Chuck served time in prison so it is difficult for him to get hired.	time
settle a score	get even	It's time to settle the score. I'm sick of losing against these guys.	sports
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.	time
shoot the breeze	chitchat	Let's grab lunch and shoot the breeze.	weather
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.	animals
shot in the dark	guess	It was a shot in the dark, but her answer was correct.	animals
sick as a dog	very sick	I was sick as a dog on Monday, so I couldn't go to work.	dogs, animals
silver screen	the movie industry	Angelina always wanted to star on the silver screen.	colors
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.	numbers
skate on thin ice	do something risky	He was skating on thin ice when he insulted the boss.	sports, weather
sleep with the fishes	die	Before pulling the trigger, he told the gangster to sleep with the fishes.	animals
smart cookie	an intelligent person	George is one smart cookie. He got 100 percent on all his tests.	food
smell a rat	suspect deception	I smell rat. I know I left my wallet on my desk, but it's gone.	animals
snowed under	having too much work to do	I'm really snowed under now. Can I do the report tomorrow?	weather
so and so	refering to someone's name	I was talking to so and so yesterday and she said the concert was amazing.	animals
spice things up	make more exciting	Sara spiced up her room by hanging paintings on the walls.	food
spill the beans	reveal a secret	Who spilt the beans about my brother's surprise birthday party?	food
start the ball rolling	start something	Let's get the ball rolling and start with some ice breakers.	sports
steal someone's thunder	to take credit for someone else's achievement	Some companies steal another's thunder and ignore copyright laws.	weather
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.	sports
stick your neck out	help someone despite possible consequences for oneself	You should stick your neck out for your teammate.	body
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.	body
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.	weather
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.	weather
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.	animals, body
sweet tooth	love sweet things	Suzie has a sweet tooth. She always eats ice cream after dinner.	food
take a raincheck	reschedule at another time	Can I take a raincheck? I don't have time to hang out tonight.	weather
take my hat off to someone	honor someone	I take my hat off to Frank. He was the best singer of the century.	clothing
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.	animals
take the cake	especially good or outstanding	His slapshot definitely takes the cake. It's the best in the league!	food
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.	food, weather
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.	food
talk a blue streak	talk a lot	Women who are close friends can talk a blue streak on the phone.	colors
the big time	a situation involving fame or success	The actress was ready for the big time when she was nominated for the award.	time
the birds and the bees	sex education	I remember learning about the birds and the bees in middle school.	animals
the cat's pyjamas	the best person or thing	She's the cat's pyjamas. Everyone loves to watch her perform on the stage.	animals, cats, clothing
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.	animals, cats
the eleventh hour	last chance to do something	Just before the deadline, the student submitted the assignment at the eleventh hour.	time, numbers
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.	animals, money
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.	geography, numbers
thick in the head	stupid or foolish	Tommy is so thick in the head. He keeps licking the wall.	body
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.	time, numbers
three dog night	very cold	Looks like it's going to be a three dog night. It's going to minus 40 degrees.	dogs, animals
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.	love
throw it in her	have sex with her	You should throw it in her. I think she really wants you.	love
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.	dogs, animals
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.	transportation
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.	love
time flies	time goes very fast	Our vacation is over already? Time flies!	time
time is money	time is valuable	We can't wait here all day. Time is money!	time, 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
time to run	time to leave	It's time to run. I need to go an pick up my kids from school.	time
time will tell	the outcome will soon be known	Only time will tell what happens to the human race.	time
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.	sports
to fancy someone	to think someone is very attractive	Do you fancy Molly? She likes you too.	love
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!	body
top of the world	extremely happy	He was on top of the world before the Titanic sunk.	happy
true colors	actual character or personality	I saw her true colors when she donated to the local charity.	colors
two-time	cheat or betray	His girlfriend was two-timing him by sleeping with the plumber.	numbers, time
under my thumb	under my control	Mick said the girl was under his thumb. She was the sweetest pet in the world.	body
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.	weather
until the cows come home	for a long time	She can watch Netflix until the cows come home.	animals, time
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.	geography
wag the dog	distract attention from	The politician wags the dog to prevent people from discovering his scandal.	dogs, animals
walk out on someone	to end a relationship	My girlfriend walked out on me, so I drank a bottle of vodka.	love
wash my hands of something	stop dealing with a problem	I'm washing my hands of his troubled past and moving on with life.	body
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.	body, animals
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.	clothing
wear your heart on your sleeve	show emotions openly	You always wear heart on your sleeve and give annual donations to charity.	clothing
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.	weather
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!	animals, cats
whisper sweet nothings	to say romantic things to someone	Sue likes it when I whisper sweet nothings in her ear in bed.	love
white collar	office labor	Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine.	clothing, colors
white elephant	useless possession	My old DVD player is a white elephant. I only watch Netflix now.	colors, clothing
white lie	a harmless lie	She told her boss a white lie when she said she had a doctor's appointment.	colors
white-collar	office labor	Most white-collar workers don't get much sunshine.	clothing, colors
wild goose chase	lengthy undertaking that accomplishes little	Making the playoffs is now a wild goose chase. The team should focus on player development.	animals
win hands down	easy victory	The team one hands down because their opponents had three red cards.	sports, body
work like a dog	work very hard	My boss has me working like a dog.	dogs, animals
yellow-bellied	cowardly	Don't be so yellow-bellied. It's only a small spider!	colors, body
you bet	absolutely or "of course"	Marge told Bart to take out the trash. He said, "Sure, mom. You bet!"	colors, body
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.	sports, numbers

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