Idioms Flashcards
1
Q
A blessing in disguise
A
a good thing that seemed bad at first
2
Q
A dime a dozen
A
Something common
3
Q
Beat around the bush
A
Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
4
Q
Better late than never
A
Better to arrive late than not to come at all
5
Q
Bite the bullet
A
To get something over with because it is inevitable
6
Q
Break a leg
A
Good luck
7
Q
Call it a day
A
Stop working on something
8
Q
Cut somebody some slack
A
Don’t be so critical
9
Q
Cutting corners
A
Doing something poorly in order to save time or money
10
Q
Easy does it
A
Slow down
11
Q
Get out of hand
A
Get out of control
12
Q
Get something out of your system
A
Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do so you can move on
13
Q
Get your act together
A
Work better or leave
14
Q
Give someone the benefit of the doubt
A
Trust what someone says
15
Q
Go back to the drawing board
A
Start over
16
Q
Hang in there
A
Don’t give up
17
Q
Hit the sack
A
Go to sleep
18
Q
It’s not rocket science
A
It’s not complicated
19
Q
Let someone off the hook
A
To not hold someone responsible for something
20
Q
Make a long story short
A
Tell something briefly
21
Q
Miss the boat
A
It’s too late
22
Q
No pain, no gain
A
You have to work for what you want
23
Q
On the ball
A
Doing a good job
24
Q
Pull someone’s leg
A
To joke with someone
25
Pull yourself together
Calm down
26
So far so good
Things are going well so far
27
Speak of the devil
The person we were just talking about showed up!
28
That's the last straw
My patience has run out
29
The best of both worlds
An ideal situation
30
Time flies when you're having fun
You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun
31
To get bent out of shape
To get upset
32
To make matters worse
Make a problem worse
33
Under the weather
Sick
34
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it
Let's not talk about that problem right now
35
Wrap your head around something
Understand something complicated
36
You can say that again
That's true, I agree
37
Your guess is as good as mine
I have no idea
38
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
What you have is worth more than what you might have later
39
A penny for your thoughts
Tell me what you're thinking
40
A penny saved is a penny earned
Money you save today you can spend later
41
A perfect storm
the worst possible situation
42
A picture is worth 1000 words
Better to show than tell
43
Actions speak louder than words
Believe what people do and not what they say
44
Add insult to injury
To make a bad situation worse
45
Barking up the wrong tree
To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place
46
Birds of a feather flock together
People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively)
47
Bite off more than you can chew
Take on a project that you cannot finish
48
Break the ice
Make people feel more comfortable
49
By the skin of your teeth
Just barely
50
Comparing apples to oranges
Comparing two things that cannot be compared
51
Costs an arm and a leg
Very expensive
52
Do something at the drop of a hat
Do something without having planned beforehand
53
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you
Treat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule"
54
Don't count your chickens before they hatch
Don't count on something good happening until it's happened.
55
Don't cry over spilt milk
There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed
56
Don't give up your day job
You're not very good at this
57
Don't put all your eggs in one basket
What you're doing is too risky
58
Every cloud has a silver lining
Good things come after bad things
59
Get a taste of your own medicine
Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative)
60
Give someone the cold shoulder
Ignore someone
61
Go on a wild goose chase
To do something pointless
62
Good things come to those who wait
Be patient
63
He has bigger fish to fry
He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now
64
He's a chip off the old block
The son is like the father
65
Hit the nail on the head
Get something exactly right
66
Ignorance is bliss
You're better off not knowing
67
It ain't over till the fat lady sings
This isn't over yet
68
It takes one to know one
You're just as bad as I am
69
It's a piece of cake
It's easy
70
It's raining cats and dogs
It's raining hard
71
Kill two birds with one stone
Get two things done with a single action
72
Let the cat out of the bag
Give away a secret
73
Live and learn
I made a mistake
74
Look before you leap
Take only calculated risks
75
On thin ice
On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.
76
Once in a blue moon
Rarely
77
Play devil's advocate
To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument
78
Put something on ice
Put a projet on hold
79
Rain on someone's parade
To spoil something
80
Saving for a rainy day
Saving money for later
81
Slow and steady wins the race
Reliability is more important than speed
82
Spill the beans
Give away a secret
83
Take a rain check
Postpone a plan
84
Take it with a grain of salt
Don’t take it too seriously
85
The ball is in your court
It's your decision
86
The best thing since sliced bread
A really good invention
87
The devil is in the details
It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems
88
The early bird gets the worm
The first people who arrive will get the best stuff
89
The elephant in the room
The big issue, the problem people are avoiding
90
The whole nine yards
Everything, all the way.
91
There are other fish in the sea
It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise.
92
There's a method to his madness
He seems crazy but actually he's clever
93
There's no such thing as a free lunch
Nothing is entirely free
94
Throw caution to the wind
Take a risk
95
You can't have your cake and eat it too
You can't have everything
96
You can't judge a book by its cover
This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside
97
A little learning is a dangerous thing
People who don't understand something fully are dangerous
98
A snowball effect
Events have momentum and build upon each other
99
A snowball's chance in hell
No chance at all
100
A stitch in time saves nine
Fix the problem now because it will get worse later
101
A storm in a teacup
A big fuss about a small problem
102
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apples are good for you
103
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure
You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder.
104
As right as rain
Perfect
105
Bolt from the blue
Something that happened without warning
106
Burn bridges
Destroy relationships
107
Calm before the storm
Something bad is coming, but right now it's calm
108
Come rain or shine
No matter what
109
Curiosity killed the cat
Stop asking questions
110
Cut the mustard
Do a good job
111
Don't beat a dead horse
Move on, this subject is over
112
Every dog has his day
Everyone gets a chance at least once
113
Familiarity breeds contempt
The better you know someone the less you like him
114
Fit as a fiddle
In good health
115
Fortune favours the bold
Take risks
116
Get a second wind
Have more energy after having been tired
117
Get wind of something
Hear news of something secret
118
Go down in flames
Fail spectacularly
119
Haste makes waste
You'll make mistakes if you rush through something
120
Have your head in the clouds
Not be concentrating
121
He who laughs last laughs loudest
I'll get you back for what you did
122
Hear something straight from the horse's mouth
Hear something from the person involved
123
He's not playing with a full deck
He's dumb
124
He's off his rocker
He's crazy
125
He's sitting on the fence
He can't make up his mind
126
It is a poor workman who blames his tools
If you can't do the job, don't blame it on others
127
It is always darkest before the dawn
Things are going to get better
128
It takes two to tango
One person alone isn't responsible. Both people are involved.
129
Jump on the bandwagon
Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing
130
Know which way the wind is blowing
Understand the situation (usually negative)
131
Leave no stone unturned
Look everywhere
132
Let sleeping dogs lie
Stop discussing an issue
133
Like riding a bicycle
Something you never forget how to do
134
Like two peas in a pod
They're always together
135
Make hay while the sun shines
Take advantage of a good situation
136
On cloud nine
Very happy
137
Once bitten, twice shy
You're more cautious when you've been hurt before
138
Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Things are going from bad to worse
139
Run like the wind
Run fast
140
Shape up or ship out
Work better or leave
141
Snowed under
Busy
142
That ship has sailed
It's too late
143
The pot calling the kettle black
Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad
144
There are clouds on the horizon
Trouble is coming
145
Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones
People who are morally questionable shouldn't criticize others
146
Through thick and thin
In good times and in bad times
147
Time is money
Work quickly
148
Waste not, want not
Don't waste things and you'll always have enough
149
We see eye to eye
We agree
150
Weather the storm
Go through something difficult
151
Well begun is half done
Getting a good start is important
152
When it rains it pours
Everything is going wrong at once
153
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar
You'll get what you want by being nice
154
You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink
You can't force someone to make the right decision
155
You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs
There's always a cost to doing something
