Idioms Flashcards
A Piece of Cake
something easy to accomplish.
Bite the Bullet
to face a challenging situation bravely.
Break a Leg
wishing someone good luck, typically before a performance.
Burn the Midnight Oil
to work late into the night.
Cost an Arm and a Leg
something very expensive.
Cry Over Spilled Milk
wasting time worrying about past mistakes.
Cut Corners
doing something poorly to save time or money.
Hit the Nail on the Head
To be exactly on point
Let the Cat out of the Bag
reveal a secret.
Miss the Boat
to lose an opportunity.
Once in a Blue Moon
something that happens rarely.
The Ball is in Your Court
it’s your decision or responsibility to do something now.
Under the Weather
feeling ill or sick.
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
to take on a task that is too big.
Kill Two Birds with One Stone
to solve two problems with one single action.
Pull Someone’s Leg
to joke or tease someone.
The Best of Both Worlds
to enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.
Speak of the Devil
the person we were just talking about shows up.
Take It with a Grain of Salt
don’t take what someone says too seriously.
You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
don’t judge someone’s worth or value by their appearance.
Beating Around the Bush
avoiding the main topic.
Bite the Dust
to fail or to fall down.
Cut to the Chase
get to the point.
Hit the Books
to study.
Kick the Bucket
to die.
Make a Long Story Short
tell something briefly.
Sit Tight
wait patiently.
Up in the Air
undecided or unresolved.
Give the Benefit of the Doubt
believe someone’s statement, without proof.
Have a Blast
to have a great time.
Lose Your Touch
lose an ability or talent you once had.
Raining Cats and Dogs
raining heavily.
Save for a Rainy Day
save money for a time when it might be needed unexpectedly.
Barking up the Wrong Tree
seeking answers in the wrong place.
Beat a Dead Horse
to waste effort on something that has already been decided.
Close but No Cigar
nearly achieving success, but not quite.
Go Down in Flames
fail spectacularly.
Keep an Eye on
to watch or monitor closely.
Steal Someone’s Thunder
take the attention or praise away from someone else.
Through Thick and Thin
under all circumstances, no matter how difficult.
Whole Nine Yards
everything possible or available.
Bend Over Backwards
to do whatever it takes to help.
Burst Your Bubble
to ruin someone’s happy moment or expectations by bringing negative news.
Can’t Hold a Candle To
not as good as someone else.
Go the Extra Mile
to make a special effort to achieve something.
Keep Your Chin Up
remain positive in a difficult situation.
Spill the Beans
reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly.
Throw Someone Under the Bus
to sacrifice a friend or ally for personal gain.
Turn a Blind Eye
ignore undesirable information.
Beat Around the Bush
avoid talking about the main topic.
Elephant in the Room
An obvious problem or uncomfortable situation that people avoid talking about.
Throw in the Towel
Giving up when facing a difficult situation or challenge.
Take a Rain Check
Decline an offer or invitation but with the hope or promise to accept it at a later date.
Stepping Up to the Plate
Taking responsibility for a task or duty.
Bite Your Tongue
To avoid speaking, often due to a social reason.
The Last Straw
The final problem in a series that makes a situation impossible to tolerate.
Back to Square One
Having to start all over again.
Against the Clock
Rushed and short on time.
At the Drop of a Hat
Without any hesitation, instantly.
In the Heat of the Moment
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
Back to the Drawing Board
When an attempt fails and it’s time to start all over.
The Ball is in Your Court
It is up to you to make the next decision or step.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Accusing the wrong person or pursuing a mistaken or misguided line of thought.
Beat a Dead Horse
To continue a discussion about a topic that has already been resolved.
Be All Ears
To be eager and ready to listen.
Bent Out of Shape
To become greatly upset or offended.
Between a Rock and a Hard Place
In a difficult situation where there are two equally tough options.
Bite the Hand That Feeds You
To treat someone badly who has helped you in some way.
Break the Ice
To initiate a conversation or break down social awkwardness.
Burn Bridges
To destroy one’s path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally.
By the Skin of Your Teeth
Just barely; narrowly.
Caught Red-Handed
To be caught in the act of doing something wrong.
Cold Feet
To have nervousness or fear before a big event.
Cry Over Spilt Milk
To remain upset about a past loss.
Cup of Tea
Something one enjoys or does well.
Cutting Corners
Doing something poorly in order to save time or money.
Down to the Wire
Until the last moment.
Feeling Under the Weather
Feeling sick.
Hit the Nail on the Head
Do or say something exactly right.
In Over Your Head
Involved in a difficult situation that you can’t handle.
Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Solve two problems with one action.
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Reveal a secret.
No Pain, No Gain
You have to work hard for what you want.
On Thin Ice
In a precarious or risky situation.
Pulling Someone’s Leg
Joking or teasing someone.
See Eye to Eye
Agree with someone.
Take with a Grain of Salt
Don’t take what someone says too seriously.
The Ball is in Your Court
It’s your decision or responsibility to do something now.
Up in the Air
Decisions or plans that are not yet finalized.
Bite the Bullet
Face up to unpleasant reality.
Break a Leg
A saying for wishing good luck.
Cross Your Fingers
To hope that things will happen the way you want them to.
From Scratch
From the beginning, starting with no prior preparation or knowledge.
In Hot Water
In trouble.
Keep Your Cool
Stay calm.
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
To take on a task that is way too big.
Call It a Day
Stop working for the day.
Cut Someone Some Slack
Don’t be so critical.
Get Out of Hand
Become unmanageable.
Have Your Work Cut Out
Having a lot of work to do.
Jump to Conclusions
Judge or decide something without having all the facts.
Look on the Bright Side
Look for the positive aspects in a tough situation
Make Ends Meet
Earn just enough money to live on
Out of the Blue
Unexpectedly
Read Between the Lines
Understand the hidden meaning
Ride out the Storm
Get through a difficult situation
See the Light
Realize the truth or understand something you didn’t before
Take a Backseat
Choose not to take an active role
The Ball is in Your Court
It’s your responsibility to make the next move
Up in Arms
Angry and complaining about something
Wild Goose Chase
A hopeless pursuit or search
Kick the Bucket
To die
Take the Bull by the Horns
To face a challenge or problem head-on in a confident or fearless manner
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Visuals can convey what might take lots of text
Go Down in Flames
Fail spectacularly
Bite the Dust
Fail, or be defeated or eliminated
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
Pursuing a misguided course of action
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Avoid stirring up old conflicts
Cast Pearls Before Swine
Offer valuable things to someone who can’t appreciate them
Straight from the Horse’s Mouth
Information directly from the original source
Hit the Hay
Go to bed
Through Thick and Thin
In good times and bad times
Bite Your Tongue
To avoid talking
Cat Got Your Tongue
Asked to a person who is at loss of words
Throw in the Towel
Giving up
Turn Over a New Leaf
Making a fresh start or changing your behavior for the better
Go the Extra Mile
Doing more than what is required or expected
Bark is Worse than the Bite
Someone’s actions are not as bad as their threats
A Piece of Cake
Something that is easy to do
A Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots
People can’t change their essential nature
Head Over Heels
Deeply in love or very excited about something
Chip on Your Shoulder
Having a grudge or grievance about something
Cry Over Spilled Milk
Worry about past mistakes which can’t be changed
A Drop in the Bucket
A very small part of something big or whole
Costs an Arm and a Leg
Something is very expensive
The Last Straw
The last in a series of irritations that finally makes you lose patience
On Cloud Nine
Extremely happy
Once in a Blue Moon
Happens very rarely
When Pigs Fly
Something that will never happen
A Breath of Fresh Air
Something refreshing or new
Cold Feet
To hesitate because of fear or uncertainty
Burning the Midnight Oil
Working late into the night
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Don’t risk everything on the success of one venture
Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining
Every negative situation has the potential to result in or produce something positive or beneficial
Cut to the Chase
Leave out unnecessary details and get to the point
Hold Your Horses
Slow down, be patient
Saved by the Bell
Rescued from a difficult situation at the last moment
Let the Chips Fall Where They May
Let events happen as they will, and not to interfere
Under the Weather
Feeling slightly ill
Bite the Bullet
To endure a painful or difficult situation with courage
Off the Hook
No longer have to deal with a difficult situation
Bent Out of Shape
Upset or offended
A Blessing in Disguise
A good thing that seemed bad at first
Throw in the Towel
Give up
Burning Bridges
Destroy one’s path, connections, reputation, opportunities, etc., particularly intentionally
Up in the Air
Undecided, uncertain, not resolved
Raining Cats and Dogs
Raining very heavily
Beat Around the Bush
Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
Bury the Hatchet
Make peace; end a quarrel, settle one’s differences to become friends again
Pulling Your Leg
Teasing or joking around
Hit the Sack
Go to bed or go to sleep
Kick the Bucket
Die
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
To avoid restarting a conflict
Miss the Boat
It’s too late
No Pain, No Gain
You have to work for what you want
The Real McCoy
The genuine thing; the real deal
Ring a Bell
Sound familiar
Throw Someone Under the Bus
Sacrifice someone else’s interests or blame someone for your own gain
Take It with a Grain of Salt
Don’t take it too seriously, or, it might not be 100% true
Through the Grapevine
Hear about something through gossip or unofficial channels
Under the Radar
Not getting noticed, intentionally or not
The Whole Nine Yards
Everything. All of it
You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
Decisions shouldn’t be made primarily on appearance
A Dime a Dozen
Something very common and not having much value
A Penny for Your Thoughts
A way of asking what someone is thinking
Break a Leg
Good luck (especially in performances)
A Sight for Sore Eyes
Something you’re glad to see
The Ball is in Your Court
It’s up to you to make the next decision or step
Bite Off More Than You Can Chew
Take on more than one can handle
Blessing in Disguise
Something good that seemed bad at first
Burn the Midnight Oil
Work late into the night
Caught Between Two Stools
When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives
Cut Corners
Doing something poorly to save time or money
Devil’s Advocate
To present a counter argument
Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
Diversify your risk by not putting all your resources in one place
Drastic Times Call for Drastic Measures
Extreme circumstances or situations require extreme actions
Elvis has Left the Building
The show or event has come to an end
Every Cloud has a Silver Lining
Even difficult times will lead to better days
Feel a Bit Under the Weather
Feeling slightly ill
Give the Benefit of the Doubt
Believe someone’s statement, without proof
Hit the Nail on the Head
Do or say something exactly right
In the Heat of the Moment
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment
Jump on the Bandwagon
Join a popular trend or activity
Keep Something at Bay
Keep something away
Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Accomplish two different things at the same time
Last but not Least
An introduction for an important point or participant that is coming last
Let Bygones be Bygones
To forget about a disagreement or argument
Miss the Boat
It’s too late
Not a Spark of Decency
No manners
Not Playing with a Full Deck
Someone who lacks intelligence
