40 Commonly Used and Popular English Idioms

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

✍ 20 Familiar English Idioms

:black_small_square:A snowball effect
Meaning: Something has momentum and builds on each other, much like rolling a snowball down a hill to make it bigger

:black_small_square:An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Meaning: Apples are healthy and good for you

:black_small_square:Burning bridges
Meaning: Damaging a relationship beyond repair

:black_small_square:Every dog has his day
Meaning: Everyone gets their chance to do something big

:black_small_square:Fit as a fiddle
Meaning: Excellent health

:black_small_square:Go down in flames
Meaning: To fail in a spectacular manner

:black_small_square:Getting a second wind
Meaning: Having energy again after being tired or worn out.