Idioms Flashcards
A blessing in disguise
Something good that wasn’t recognized as such at first.
A drop in the ocean
A very small amount compared to what is needed.
A piece of cake
Something very easy.
Actions speak louder than words
It’s better to do something than just talk about it.
All ears
Eager to listen.
Ball is in your court
It’s up to you to make the next move.
Beat around the bush
To avoid talking directly about something.
Bite the bullet
To do something difficult or unpleasant.
Break the ice
To start a conversation or relax a tense situation.
Call it a day
To stop working or doing something.
Cost an arm and a leg
To be very expensive.
Cross that bridge when you come to it
To deal with a problem when it happens, not before.
Cut to the chase
To get to the point.
Don’t judge a book by its cover
Don’t form an opinion based on appearance.
Easy does it
Do something slowly and carefully.
Get your act together
To become more organized and efficient.
Give it a shot
To try something.
Hit the books
To study hard.
Hit the nail on the head
To say something exactly right.
Keep your fingers crossed
To hope for good luck.
Let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret accidentally.
Let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid a problem by not bringing it up.
Make a long story short
To summarize a story quickly.
Miss the boat
To miss an opportunity.
Once in a blue moon
Very rarely.
On the ball
Quick-thinking and efficient.
Out of the blue
Unexpectedly.
Pull your socks up
To make an effort to improve.
Raining cats and dogs
Raining heavily.
Speak of the devil
The person you were just talking about arrives.
Take it easy
Relax.
The ball is in your court
It’s your turn to act.
Under the weather
Feeling sick.
Up in the air
Uncertain or undecided.
Water under the bridge
Something that happened in the past and is no longer important.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too
You can’t have everything you want.
You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours
You help me, and I’ll help you.
A penny for your thoughts
What are you thinking about?
Barking up the wrong tree
Accusing the wrong person.
Beat a dead horse
To continue to argue a point that’s already been decided.
Burn the candle at both ends
To work too hard and tire yourself out.
Cry over spilt milk
To worry about something that has already happened.
Hit the sack
To go to bed.
It’s not rocket science
It’s easy to understand.
Jump the gun
To do something too soon.
Let bygones be bygones
To forgive and forget past mistakes.
No pain, no gain
You have to work hard to achieve something.
On cloud nine
Very happy.
Spill the beans
To reveal a secret.
Throw in the towel
To give up.
