40 Commonly Used and Popular English Idioms


● A blessing in disguise

Meaning: A good thing that initially seemed bad

● A dime a dozen

Meaning: Something that is very common, not unique

● Adding insult to injury

Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse

● Beat around the bush

Meaning: Avoid sharing your true viewpoint or feelings because it is uncomfortable

● Beating a dead horse

Meaning: giving time or energy to something that is ended or over

● Bite the bullet

Meaning: To get an unfavorable situation or chore over with now because it will need to get finished eventually

● Best of both worlds

Meaning: The choice or solution has all of the advantages of two contrasting things at the same time

● Biting off more than you can chew

Meaning: Not having the capacity to take on a new assignment or task that is just too taxing

● By the skin of your teeth

Meaning: Just barely making it

● Don’t judge a book by its cover

Meaning: Not judging something by its initial appearance

● Doing something at the drop of a hat

Meaning: Doing something at the moment of being asked

● Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Meaning: Not to count on something happening until after it’s already happened

● Caught between a rock and a hard place

Meaning: Making a choice between two unpleasant choices

● Costs an arm and a leg

Meaning: Something that is overpriced or very expensive

● Cutting corners

Meaning: Not performing a task or duty correctly in order to save time or money

● Devil’s advocate

Meaning: To take the side of the counter-argument, or offer an alternative point of view

● Feeling under the weather

Meaning: Not feeling well, or feeling sick

● Fit as a fiddle

Meaning: Being in good health

● Getting a taste of your own medicine

Meaning: Being treated the way that you have been treating others

● Getting a second wind

Meaning: Having energy again after being tired

● Giving the benefit of the doubt

Meaning: Believing someone’s story without proof even though it may seem unbelievable

● Giving someone the cold shoulder

Meaning: ignoring someone

● Going on a wild goose chase

Meaning: doing something that is pointless

● Heard it on the grapevine

Meaning: Hearing rumors about someone or something

● Hitting the nail on the head

Meaning: Performing a task with exactness

● Killing two birds with one stone

Meaning: Accomplishing two different tasks in the same undertaking

● Letting someone off the hook

Meaning: Not holding someone responsible for something

● Letting the cat out of the bag

Meaning: Sharing information that was intended to be a secret

● No pain, no gain

Meaning: You have to work hard in order to see results

● On the ball

Meaning: Doing a good job, being prompt, or being responsible

● Once in a blue moon

Meaning: Something that doesn’t happen very often

● Piece of cake

Meaning: A task or job that is easy to complete

● Pulling someone’s leg

Meaning: Joking with someone

● Speak of the devil

Meaning: When the person you have just been talking about arrives

● Stealing someone’s thunder

Meaning: Taking credit for someone else’s achievements

● Straight from the horse’s mouth

Meaning: Reading or hearing something from the source

● The last straw

Meaning: The last difficulty or annoyance that makes the entire situation unbearable

● The elephant in the room

Meaning: An issue, person, or problem that someone is trying to avoid

● Throwing caution to the wind

Meaning: Being reckless or taking a risk

● Your guess is as good as mine

Meaning: To not know something

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