Idioms Flashcards
Bite the bullet
Face a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and determination
Caught between a rock and a hard place
Being in a situation where you have to choose between two equally difficult options
Cost an arm and a leg
Something is very expensive
Hit the nail on the head
To accurately or precisely describe or identify something
Let the cat out of the bag
To accidentally reveal a secret or surprise
In hot water
Being in trouble or facing difficulties
The ball is in your court
It is someone’s turn to take action or make a decision
To have a chip on one’s shoulder
To seem angry all the time because you think you have been treated unfairly or you feel you are not as good as others
To go the extra mile
Put in additional effort or do more than what is expected
To let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid bringing up old conflicts or stirring up trouble
A dime a dozen
Something very common and easy to get
Bite off more than you can chew
Take on a task that is way too big
Cut to the chase
To get to the main point without wasting time
Hit the hay
To go to bed or to go to sleep
Straight from the horse’s mouth
Information or news that comes directly from the original or authoritative source
Burn the midnight oil
To work late into the night
On the ball
To be alert, competent, and effective
To be in high spirits
To be cheerful and optimistic
Fine-tooth comb
To examine or search something very thoroughly
Pearls of wisdom
Valuable pieces of advice or knowledge
First order of business
A situation or subject that must be dealt with before anything else
To beat around the bush
To avoid talking about something directly
To burn bridges
To damage relationships or make it impossible to go back to the previous state
To miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
To take it with a grain of salt
To not completely believe or trust something
To be as keen as mustard
To be very enthusiastic or eager
To have one’s head in the clouds
To be out of touch with reality or to be daydreaming
To have the world at one’s feet
To have all the opportunities and possibilities in the world
To cast pearls before swine
To offer something valuable to someone who does not appreciate it
To paint the town red
To go out and have great time, indulging in lively activities
To go the way of the dodo
To become extinct or obsolete
To be a fish out of water
To feel uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation
To have a skeleton in the closet
To have a hidden or secret shameful fact or history
To be a drop in the ocean
To be a very small or insignificant part of something larger
To be as right as rain
To be completely correct or accurate
A change of scenery
Moving to a new place to experience something different
Hit the road
To begin a journey usually by a car or other means of transportation
The world is your oyster
To have many opportunities or possibilities available to you
Throw caution to the wind
To act without worrying about potential consequences
At the crack of dawn
Very early in the morning
Buckle down
To prepare for something challenging or unexpected
Go off the grid
To disconnect from internet and social media while traveling
Red-eye flight
A flight that departs late at night and arrives early the next morning
In the middle of nowhere
At a place far away from cities, towns are people
Go off the beaten path
Not popular, not known to many people
Take the scenic route
To choose a longer path while traveling to enjoy the view or experience
Leaving out of a suitcase
Traveling often and staying in places for a short time
Travel on a shoestring
To go on trips with a small amount of money
