Common English Idioms
40 essential English idioms used in everyday conversation, writing, and standardized tests. Learn the meaning and real-world usage of each expression.
All Cards in This Deck
Question
What does "Break the ice" mean?
Answer
To do or say something to relieve tension or awkwardness in a social situation.
Question
What does "Bite the bullet" mean?
Answer
To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage.
Question
What does "Beat around the bush" mean?
Answer
To avoid getting to the main point; to talk indirectly about something.
Question
What does "Burn bridges" mean?
Answer
To permanently damage a relationship or opportunity.
Question
What does "Cut corners" mean?
Answer
To do something in the easiest or cheapest way, sacrificing quality.
Question
What does "Hit the nail on the head" mean?
Answer
To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
Question
What does "Let the cat out of the bag" mean?
Answer
To accidentally reveal a secret.
Question
What does "Piece of cake" mean?
Answer
Something that is very easy to do.
Question
What does "Under the weather" mean?
Answer
Feeling slightly ill or unwell.
Question
What does "Spill the beans" mean?
Answer
To reveal secret or hidden information.
Question
What does "Once in a blue moon" mean?
Answer
Something that happens very rarely.
Question
What does "Kick the bucket" mean?
Answer
An informal way to say someone has died.
Question
What does "The ball is in your court" mean?
Answer
It is now your responsibility to take the next action.
Question
What does "Hit the sack" mean?
Answer
To go to bed and sleep.
Question
What does "Bite off more than you can chew" mean?
Answer
To take on more responsibility than you can handle.
Question
What does "Costs an arm and a leg" mean?
Answer
Something that is extremely expensive.
Question
What does "Jump on the bandwagon" mean?
Answer
To join a popular trend or activity.
Question
What does "Miss the boat" mean?
Answer
To miss an opportunity; to fail to take advantage of something.
Question
What does "Pull someone's leg" mean?
Answer
To joke or tease someone.
Question
What does "Sit on the fence" mean?
Answer
To avoid making a decision or committing to a side.
Question
What does "Speak of the devil" mean?
Answer
Said when someone appears just as you were talking about them.
Question
What does "Add fuel to the fire" mean?
Answer
To make a bad situation even worse.
Question
What does "Back to the drawing board" mean?
Answer
To start something over from the beginning after a failure.
Question
What does "Barking up the wrong tree" mean?
Answer
Looking for a solution in the wrong place or blaming the wrong person.
Question
What does "Blow hot and cold" mean?
Answer
To keep changing one's opinion or attitude about something.
Question
What does "Caught red-handed" mean?
Answer
Discovered in the act of doing something wrong.
Question
What does "Don't judge a book by its cover" mean?
Answer
Don't form an opinion about something based on appearance alone.
Question
What does "Every cloud has a silver lining" mean?
Answer
Every difficult situation has a positive aspect.
Question
What does "Get a taste of your own medicine" mean?
Answer
To experience the same unpleasant treatment you gave to others.
Question
What does "Go back to square one" mean?
Answer
To start over completely from the beginning.
Question
What does "Hit two birds with one stone" mean?
Answer
To accomplish two things with a single action.
Question
What does "In the same boat" mean?
Answer
To be in the same difficult situation as others.
Question
What does "Keep your chin up" mean?
Answer
Remain cheerful and optimistic in a difficult situation.
Question
What does "Leave no stone unturned" mean?
Answer
To try every possible course of action to achieve something.
Question
What does "No pain, no gain" mean?
Answer
You have to work hard and suffer to achieve something worthwhile.
Question
What does "On the tip of your tongue" mean?
Answer
You know something but cannot quite remember it right now.
Question
What does "Pull yourself together" mean?
Answer
To calm down and behave normally after being upset.
Question
What does "The last straw" mean?
Answer
The final problem in a series that makes you lose patience.
Question
What does "Throw in the towel" mean?
Answer
To admit defeat; to give up on something.
Question
What does "Under someone's thumb" mean?
Answer
Completely controlled or dominated by another person.