Common English Idioms

English idioms are important because they add humor and depth to the language. They allow speakers to express complex ideas and emotions in a concise and memorable way. Idioms can also help non-native speakers understand the nuances and cultural references within the English language. Furthermore, idioms are often used in literature, movies, and other forms of media, making them an integral part of English-speaking culture. Idioms contribute to the richness and diversity of the English language and enhance communication and understanding among its speakers. Check out these short idioms. You can quickly use in any conversation!

Idiom	Meaning	Usage	Example
A blessing in disguise	Something good that seemed bad at first	As part of a sentence	You falling down was a blessing in disguise because you found a million dollars on the floor.
A dime a dozen	Something common	As part of a sentence	These shirts are a dime a dozen.
A piece of cake	Something very easy	As part of a sentence	Completing that puzzle was a piece of cake.
Break the ice	To initiate a conversation in a social setting	As part of a sentence	I tried to break the ice at the party by telling a joke.
Hit the hay	Go to bed	As part of a sentence	After a long day, I was ready to hit the hay.
Bite the bullet	Face a difficult situation with courage	As part of a sentence	I had to bite the bullet and confront my fears.
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	As part of a sentence	Buying that designer bag would cost an arm and a leg.
Jump on the bandwagon	Join others in doing something popular	As part of a sentence	Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon and trying the new trend.
Burn the midnight oil	Work late into the night	As part of a sentence	I had to burn the midnight oil to finish the project on time.
Caught between a rock and a hard place	In a difficult situation with no good options	As part of a sentence	I felt caught between a rock and a hard place when making that decision.
Cry over spilled milk	Waste time worrying about things that have already happened	As part of a sentence	There's no use crying over spilled milk; let's find a solution.
Cut to the chase	Get to the main point	As part of a sentence	Let's cut to the chase and discuss the most important issues.
Devil's advocate	Argue against something for the sake of argument	As part of a sentence	I'll play devil's advocate and present the opposing viewpoint.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch	Don't make plans based on uncertain events	As part of a sentence	I won't celebrate yet; let's not count our chickens before they hatch.
Elephant in the room	An obvious problem that everyone ignores	As part of a sentence	Let's address the elephant in the room and discuss the issue openly.
Every cloud has a silver lining	There's something positive in every negative situation	As part of a sentence	Even though I lost my job, every cloud has a silver lining; I have more time for my hobbies.
Face the music	Accept the consequences of one's actions	As part of a sentence	I know I made a mistake, and I'm ready to face the music.
Add fuel to the fire	Worsen a situation	As part of a sentence	Bringing up her ex-boyfriend added fuel to the fire of their argument.
All ears	Listening intently	As part of a sentence	I'm all ears; tell me about your exciting adventure.
Bite off more than you can chew	Take on a task that is way too big	As part of a sentence	I think I bit off more than I can chew with this complex project.
Burn bridges	Sever relationships	As part of a sentence	By gossiping about colleagues, she unknowingly burned bridges in the office.
Cast in stone	Permanent and unchangeable	As part of a sentence	The decision to move abroad was cast in stone after receiving the job offer.
Curiosity killed the cat	Being too inquisitive can lead to trouble	As part of a sentence	I wouldn't ask too many questions; curiosity killed the cat, you know.
Fit as a fiddle	In excellent physical condition	As part of a sentence	After months of training, he's now fit as a fiddle and ready for the marathon.
Grain of salt	Don't take something too seriously	As part of a sentence	Take his promises with a grain of salt; he tends to exaggerate.
Hit the nail on the head	Describe exactly what is causing a situation	As part of a sentence	You really hit the nail on the head with your analysis of the problem.
Jump through hoops	Go through a lot of effort or difficulty	As part of a sentence	I had to jump through hoops to secure that job interview.
Kick the bucket	To die	As part of a sentence	He's afraid he'll kick the bucket before fulfilling his dreams.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret	As part of a sentence	I can't believe you let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party!
Mum's the word	Keep a secret	As part of a sentence	I won't say a thing; mum's the word.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire	Go from a bad situation to a worse one	As part of a sentence	Leaving the toxic job felt like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Pay the piper	Face the consequences of one's actions	As part of a sentence	You can't avoid paying the piper forever; eventually, your actions catch up with you.
Quick on the draw	Reacting quickly	As part of a sentence	In emergencies, it's crucial to be quick on the draw to make effective decisions.
Raining cats and dogs	Heavy rain	As part of a sentence	We canceled the picnic because it started raining cats and dogs.
Spill the beans	Reveal a secret	As part of a sentence	I can't believe she spilled the beans about the surprise party!
Throw in the towel	Give up or surrender	As part of a sentence	After hours of trying to fix the computer, he decided to throw in the towel.
Under the weather	Feeling unwell or sick	As part of a sentence	I won't be at the meeting; I'm a bit under the weather today.
Vanish into thin air	Disappear without a trace	As part of a sentence	The magician made the rabbit vanish into thin air.
Walk on air	Feel elated or euphoric	As part of a sentence	After receiving the promotion, she felt like she was walking on air.
X marks the spot	A specific location	As part of a sentence	The treasure is buried here; X marks the spot on the map.
Year in and year out	Consistently over a long period	As part of a sentence	He's been delivering top-notch performances year in and year out.
Zip one's lip	Be quiet or keep a secret	As part of a sentence	If you know what's good for you, zip your lip about the surprise party.
Cut to the chase	Get to the main point	In a business meeting	Let's cut to the chase and discuss the budget projections.
Close ranks	Unite or come together	During a crisis	In tough times, we need to close ranks to overcome challenges.
Bottom line	The ultimate result or conclusion	In a business report	The bottom line is that our quarterly profits have increased significantly.
Ballpark figure	An approximate estimate	Discussing budget	Can you give me a ballpark figure for the project's total cost?
Break the ice	Initiate conversation in a formal setting	At a networking event	Let's break the ice and discuss potential collaboration opportunities.
Red tape	Excessive bureaucracy	Discussing government regulations	We need to cut through the red tape to expedite the approval process.
Raise the bar	Set higher standards	During a performance review	We aim to raise the bar and achieve excellence in our upcoming projects.
Play hardball	Use tough or aggressive tactics	In a negotiation	If they won't compromise, we might have to play hardball to secure a favorable deal.
Behind the eight-ball	In a difficult or unfavorable position	Discussing project delays	Due to unforeseen challenges, we're behind the eight-ball on this project.
Dot the i's and cross the t's	Pay attention to every detail	Before finalizing a contract	Make sure to dot the i's and cross the t's before signing the partnership agreement.

How to improve your English with the easy English news articles on Learn With Text:

Reading:

Read two news stories every day. All short news stories are written for quick readability and learning.
Read the news stories from the day before and check if you remember all new words.
If the main story is hard to understand, consider reading the simplified version instead.

Listening:

Listen to today's short news while simultaneously reading the text.
Listen to the news from today without reading the text.
Go through the vocabulary words to identify which ones you heard.

Writing:

Answer the questions under each story.
Try, if possible, to use the vocabulary words in your answers.

Speaking:

Try to summarize the story out loud.
Attempt to paraphrase the sentences you found difficult.

Using Our Tools:

Use the Random Conversation Generator to practice everyday conversation in English.
Play the Story Dice game to generate ideas and create your own stories. This also helps to improve your creativity!
Utilize the Speaking Trainer to practice talking about surprise topics and overall fluency.