50 Common English Idioms with Examples
Do you want to improve your listening skills and understand movies as well?One of the most helpful ways to listen well is by using idioms, as most English native speakers use them. Sometimes, you watch a movie, but you do not have an idea of what they have said. That is because you are not familiar with the idiom that they use. That's why it is vital to be aware of Idioms.
What is Idiom?
An idiom is a group of words in a fixed order that has a particular meaning that is different from the meaning of each word on its own.
For example, in the phrase, "it's raining cats and dogs". How come it rains cats and dogs? It is illogical. So, you say this phrase when it is raining heavily. In this way, you can find that the actual meaning differs from the literal meaning.
Using idioms also makes learning English so fun. For example, If you say, "the quiz is a piece of cake" instead of "the quiz is easy", it sounds more fun.
Time to learn Idioms
Here is a list of 50 common English idioms with their meanings and examples for five categories (food, work, colour, body, Animals).
Food Idioms
1. Have a sweet tooth
Meaning: like eating sweet food.
Example: She loves Chocolate. She has a sweet tooth.
2. Go bananas
Meaning: go crazy.
Example: She went bananas when the manager asked her to work on Saturday.
3. Piece of cake
Meaning: very easy.
Example: The Math test was a piece of cake.
4. Big cheese
Meaning: very important person.
Example: Her father is a big cheese in one of the most famous companies.
5. Sell like hot cakes
Meaning: bought by many people.
Example: The new model sold like hot cakes on the first day after the release.
6. Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: very relaxed.
Example: He is cool as a cucumber during the interview.
7. Couch potato
Meaning: spend a lot of time watching TV.
Example: Stop being a couch potato! Turn off the TV and go out.
8. Not my cup of tea
Meaning: not what I like or prefer
Example: I don't like this film. Horror movies aren't my cup of tea.
9. Bad egg
Meaning: bad person.
Example: He's a bad egg. Don't believe anything he says.
10. As useful as a chocolate teapot
Meaning: completely useless.
Example: The help he gave me was as useful as a chocolate teapot.
Work Idioms
11. Dead-end job
Meaning: job without a good future
Example: It is hard to support my family with a dead-end job.
12. Get the sack
Meaning: be dismissed from his job.
Example: He got the sack because he lied about his qualifications.
13. On the go
Meaning: very busy.
Example: Yes, I'm on the go all the time.
14. Talk shop
Meaning: talk about work when you are not at work.
Example: Don't talk shop when you are on vacation.
15. Behind the scenes
Meaning: It happens without most people knowing about it.
Example: A lot of hard work has been going on behind the scenes.
16. Out of work
Meaning: unemployed.
Example: Since the company closed, we are out of work.
17. Know the ropes
Meaning: know how to do something.
Example: You won't have to train the new employee; she already knows the ropes.
18. Crunch the numbers
Meaning: to do a lot of calculations.
Example: The computer will the numbers to determine the final score.
19. Have a lot on your plate
Meaning: have a lot of work at the moment.
Example: Marry will not come with us. She has a lot on her plate.
20. Rank and File
Meaning: The ordinary members of an organization
Example: Labor leaders announced that they have agreed to a new contract, but the rank and file still don’t like it.
Colour Idioms
21. Red tape
Meaning: official rules that make it difficult to do something.
Example: There is red tape to be accepted into a university.
22. Be in the red
Meaning: Have a negative amount in your bank balance.
Example: The company has been in the red for the last three quarters.
23. Blue blood
Meaning: belonging to the highest social class.
Example: It is not a surprise he likes to go to the opera. He's got blue blood.
24. Green with envy
Meaning: very envious.
Example: he was green with envy when he saw my new car.
25. Give something the green light.
Meaning: permit something to start.
Example: My boss gave me the green light to start a new project.
26. White-collar workers
Meaning: workers who work in offices, not doing physical work.
Example: White-collar workers do not want to work for a late time.
27. Feel blue
Meaning: feel sad.
Example: I'm feeling blue when I knew she lied to me.
28. Once in a blue moon
Meaning: very rarely.
Example: My mother is very careful about what she eats. It's only once in a blue moon when she eats fast food.
29. Gray area
Meaning: There are no clear rules.
Example: The responsibility for social studies in the college is a grey area.
30. In the pink
Meaning: being healthy.
Example: I'm very glad to hear Tom is in the pink again.
Body Idioms
31. All ears
Meaning: fully listening.
Example: Well, hurry up and tell me. I'm all ears.
32. Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: to be very expensive.
Example: I like this jacket, but it costs an arm and a leg.
33. Give me a hand
Meaning: help me.
Example: Please, give me a hand with carrying this heavy bag.
34. Stand on your own two feet
Meaning: act independently.
Example: You're an adult now; you have to learn to stand on your own two feet.
35. Cold feet
Meaning: fear of doing something.
Example: She accepted the job, but then got cold feet.
36. Give me the cold shoulder
Meaning: react to someone in an unfriendly way or ignore someone.
Example: I thought we were friends, but the last time I saw her, she gave me the cold shoulder.
37. Pull Someone's Leg
Meaning: fool someone.
Example: You don't mean that. You're just pulling my leg.
38. Turn a blind eye to someone/something
Meaning: pretend you do not see something.
Example: The usher turned a blind eye to the kid who sneaked into the theatre.
39. Have a heart of stone
Meaning: be cold and unfriendly.
Example: The villain in the play had a heart of stone. He was cruel to everyone.
40. Have a big mouth
Meaning: to be a person who tells secrets.
Example: Olivia has a big mouth. She told John what I was getting him for his birthday.
Animal Idioms
41. Smell a rat
Meaning: feel that something is wrong.
Example: I don't think this was an accident. I smell a rat. I think Mike has something to do with this.
42. Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: to reveal a secret by accident.
43. Horse around
Meaning: to act in a silly way.
Example: Stop horsing around with your little brother.
44. The lion's share
Meaning: get the largest part of something.
Example: She ate the lion's share of the food.
45. Get someone's goat
Meaning: irritate someone.
Example: Sara's terrible manners get my goat.
46. Busy as a bee
Meaning: very busy and active.
Example: My sister is busy as a bee around Christmastime.
47. Hold your horses
Meaning: wait or be patient.
Example: Hold your horses! Everyone will get a turn.
48. Eager beaver
Meaning: A person who works very hard.
Example: The assistant gets to work very early. She's a real eager beaver.
49. Copycat
Meaning: A person who does or says the same as someone else.
Example: Don't tell Sara about your ideas. She is just a copycat.
50. At a snail's pace
Meaning: very slowly.
Example: Hurry up! You walk at a snail's pace.
After you learn the 50 Common English idioms with their meaning and examples, do not stop here. Work on your idiom list and try to expand it. In this way, you will have a good command of English Idioms.
Related Article: 10 ways to improve your English speaking skills
Related Article: Word Stress in the English Language
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