As you learn English, you’ll hear lots of things that don’t seem to make sense: Is it actually raining cats and dogs? No, it’s not, but that phrase in English means that it’s raining really hard.
Part of learning any language includes learning common phrases and sayings — and English has a lot of them! These phrases are called idioms, and, as you learn English, you’ll hear more of them every day. Learn how to use these English language idioms to sound more like a fluent English speaker.
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What is an idiom in English?
The word idiom comes from the Greek word idiōma, which means “a particular phrase.” It describes a phrase that doesn’t literally mean what it says.
For example, the idiom It costs an arm and a leg doesn’t mean that you have to pay someone your arm and your leg. It means that something costs a lot of money.
Every language has its own idioms. But because English includes words and phrases from many other languages, including French, German, and Spanish, it has a lot of idioms in its everyday language. The more idioms you learn, the easier learning English will be!
10 Common English idioms
Although there are hundreds of common idioms in English, there are a few that you will probably hear more often than others. Learn all about the most common American idioms that come up in everyday conversation.
1. Break the ice
To break the ice describes making someone feel relaxed in a new situation. Jokes or games that help strangers get to know each other are often called ice breakers for this reason. You’ll probably hear this idiom on the first day of a class or when you meet someone for the first time.
- The teacher broke the ice with a joke on the first day of school.
- Let’s break the ice at the party with a fun game.
2. The early bird gets the worm
The idiom The early bird gets the worm means that starting something early gets you a bigger reward. It might refer to waking up early in the morning or beginning a homework assignment before other people.
- I woke up at 6:00 a.m. because the early bird gets the worm.
- Get to work early because the early bird gets the worm.
3. Every cloud has a silver lining
Every cloud has a silver lining means that even though a situation looks bad, there’s something good about it. You’ll hear this idiom when someone is trying to make you feel better about something.
- I lost my job, but now I have more time for school. Every cloud has a silver lining.
- Even though Josh didn’t win the contest, he knew that every cloud has a silver lining.
4. Grasping at straws
The idiom Grasping at straws describes someone trying hard to find a way to be right when they’re most likely wrong. People will say You’re grasping at straws when you’re making a bad argument.
- Mike was grasping at straws to get the teacher to change his grade.
- Ann was grasping at straws to convince her friends that she was right.
5. Hit the nail on the head
When someone says You hit the nail on the head, they mean “You got it exactly right.” It refers to a hammer hitting a nail perfectly. You might hear this idiom when people agree with you or when you get an answer correct in class.
- Nancy hit the nail on the head when she said I was feeling lonely.
- Anyone who chose answer A hit the nail on the head.
6. It takes two to tango
A tango is a kind of ballroom dance between two people. If someone says It takes two to tango, it means that a problem is caused by both people in the situation. You’ll usually hear It takes two to tango when someone means “This is your fault, too.”
- Bill tried to blame Mark for the accident, but it takes two to tango.
- It takes two to tango, so we both apologized.
7. Out of the blue
The idiom Out of the blue means that something is very sudden and surprising. It refers to something dropping out of the sky. People say that an event came out of the blue when they mean they did not know it would happen.
- The news about my sister came out of the blue.
- June’s award came out of the blue and surprised us all.
8. Spill the beans
If someone spills the beans, they’re revealing a secret or something they shouldn’t tell. You’re most likely to hear this idiom when someone didn’t keep a secret or ruined a surprise.
- Don’t spill the beans about Dad’s surprise party.
- I found out about Jack’s surgery because David spilled the beans.
9. Turn a blind eye
The English word blind means “not able to see.” If someone says I turned a blind eye, they don’t mean they can’t actually see. It means that they’re choosing not to recognize or acknowledge something.
- The teacher turned a blind eye to the late students in her classroom.
- I’ll turn a blind eye to how fast you were driving.
10. Under the weather
When you hear someone say I’m feeling under the weather, they mean they’re not feeling well. This idiom refers to someone feeling sick or unhappy.
- Johnny can’t come to the game because he’s feeling under the weather.
- I’m under the weather, so I won’t be at work today.
15 love idioms in English
As you learn English, you’ll hear a lot of idioms that refer to love. Being in love means “having strong romantic feelings about someone” in a way that’s more than friends. But that’s not the only way to describe those feelings of love!
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| apple of my eye | my favorite person | Laura is the apple of my eye. |
| broke up | not in a relationship anymore | Tommy and I used to date, but we just broke up. |
| from the bottom of my heart | very deeply | I love you from the bottom of my heart. |
| have a crush | To have romantic feelings | Millie has a crush on her friend Eddie. |
| head over heels | deeply in love | We fell head over heels in love last year. |
| hit by Cupid’s arrow | to fall in love quickly | Pete was hit by Cupid’s arrow when he saw Cynthia. |
| love is blind | you don’t notice everything when you’re in love | I know my boyfriend isn’t perfect, but love is blind. |
| match made in heaven | people who are in love | Joe and Karen are a match made in heaven. |
| my better half | the person you’re in a relationship with | I’d like you to meet my better half, Olivia. |
| old flame | a person you used to date | Hannah is my old flame, but now I’m dating Zoe. |
| pop the question | to ask someone to marry you | Fred just popped the question to Marie! |
| puppy love | young people in love | Georgia and Mike are high schoolers in puppy love. |
| tie the knot | to get married | My sister and her husband tied the knot last year. |
| wear your heart on your sleeve | to show your feelings | I wore my heart on my sleeve when I told Dan I loved him. |
15 English idioms about food
When English idioms talk about cake, bananas, or eggs, they’re not really referring to food. Learn how common idioms about food can mean different things depending on the food you’re talking about.
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| a piece of cake | very easy | That test was a piece of cake. |
| cool as a cucumber | relaxed | He felt as cool as a cucumber on his first day. |
| crying over spilled milk | upset about small things | I got a bad grade, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk. |
| have your cake and eat it too | have two things at the same time | Drew wants to have his cake and eat it, too. |
| easy as pie | very easy | Learning a new language can be as easy as pie. |
| forbidden fruit | something you can’t have | Candy is forbidden fruit to little kids. |
| go bananas | to act wild or crazy | My boss will go bananas when he sees this report. |
| in a nutshell | to only give the main points | In a nutshell, this is the best job I’ve ever had. |
| sour grapes | saying something is bad because you can’t have it | Maya has sour grapes about my new car. |
| spice things up | to make things more exciting | Let’s spice things up and go to a new restaurant. |
| take with a grain of salt | don’t believe something easily | Take everything Viktor says with a grain of salt. |
| that’s so corny | something old-fashioned or silly | My dad loves corny jokes. |
| putting all your eggs in one basket | to plan on something happening before you’re sure | Adam put all his eggs in one basket and applied to only one job. |
| two peas in a pod | two people who are very close | Matt and Shelley are two peas in a pod. |
| walk on eggshells | to be careful in a situation | We have to walk on eggshells when my grandpa is sleeping. |
15 sports idioms in English
You’ll hear lots of sports idioms in English, too! Basketball, poker, and baseball all appear in everyday conversations as sports idioms.
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| the ball is in your court | it’s up to you | I called Tim and left a message, so the ball is in his court now. |
| chip in | to give money to help pay for something | Can you chip in for Joanna’s present? |
| drop the ball | to make a mistake | I dropped the ball when I forgot to call you back. |
| get a head start | to begin something early | Let’s get a head start on this homework assignment. |
| got it in the bag | to have something for certain | Joe was nervous about the interview, but he had it in the bag. |
| hit it out of the park | to do a great job | You hit it out of the park at work today! |
| jump the gun | to start something too quickly | He jumped the gun and called too early. |
| keep your eye on the ball | to stay focused | Just keep your eye on the ball, and you’ll get a good grade. |
| no sweat | very easy | This homework assignment was no sweat. |
| off base | not correct | The teacher was off base when he accused me of cheating. |
| on thin ice | in a dangerous situation | We’re on thin ice with our parents this week. |
| out of left field | something unexpected | This news came out of left field. |
| red flag | a warning sign | His controlling behavior was a red flag to Bernice. |
| take a rain check | to do something at a later time | I can’t go out today, so let’s take a rain check for dinner. |
| throw in the towel | give up | My class is hard, but I don’t want to throw in the towel. |
15 clothing idioms in English
Lots of English idioms refer to pieces of clothing that you wear. Learn what these common idioms mean in English and how to use them in a conversation.
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| airing dirty laundry | telling people your secrets | Don’t air our dirty laundry to people you don’t know. |
| at the drop of a hat | quickly, without warning | I can’t change my schedule at the drop of a hat. |
| big shoes to fill | needing to do as good a job as the person before you | My new boss has big shoes to fill because my old boss was great. |
| cut from the same cloth | very similar | Greg and his brother are cut from the same cloth. |
| dressed to kill | dressed very well | You’re dressed to kill tonight! |
| fly by the seat of your pants | to do something without planning | Kim doesn’t have a plan, so she’ll fly by the seat of her pants. |
| hot under the collar | very angry | Hank got hot under the collar when he heard the bad news. |
| knight in shining armor | someone who helps you a lot | The man who helped me is my knight in shining armor. |
| knock your socks off | to impress someone | Reiko’s speech knocked my socks off. |
| off the cuff | to speak without thinking | His rude comment was off the cuff. |
| pull yourself up by your bootstraps | to work hard without help from others | My grandfather pulled himself up by his bootstraps when he was young. |
| put on your thinking cap | to focus on a solution | Put on your thinking caps for this lesson. |
| roll up your sleeves | to get to work | Let’s roll up our sleeves and get this job done. |
| tighten your belt | to spend less money | We need to tighten our belt this month. |
| wolf in sheep’s clothing | a bad person pretending to be good | Don’t trust Nestor. He’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing. |
15 animal idioms in English
Many English idioms compare people to animals and animal behavior. Add these animal idioms to your English vocabulary to sound like a native English speaker!
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| ants in your pants | moving around a lot or fidgeting | Anna has ants in her pants and can’t sit still. |
| butterflies in my stomach | feeling nervous | I had butterflies in my stomach before my date. |
| cat got your tongue | not talking very much | You’re being quiet. Cat got your tongue? |
| chicken out | to lose your courage | Umberto chickened out and didn’t say anything. |
| curiosity killed the cat | don’t be too curious about other people | Don’t ask questions about her personal life. Curiosity killed the cat. |
| elephant in the room | something people aren’t talking about | Petra’s decision to move was the elephant in the room. |
| hold your horses | don’t rush, wait for me | Hold your horses and wait for me! |
| kill two birds with one stone | do two things in one action | I killed two birds with one stone when I did two jobs at once. |
| let the cat out of the bag | to reveal a secret | Shawn let the cat out of the bag when he told me about the surprise. |
| pig out | to eat a lot | The teens pigged out on pizza and soda at the party. |
| queen bee | a leader of a group | Marcy is the queen bee of her friends. |
| raining cats and dogs | raining a lot | Bring an umbrella because it’s raining cats and dogs out there. |
| straight from the horse’s mouth | heard news from the person involved in a situation | I heard the news straight from the horse’s mouth. |
| until the cows come home | until very late at night | We studied until the cows came home last night. |
| wild goose chase | a task without a solution | Searching for my lost phone was a wild goose chase. |
15 British English idioms
Many American idioms come from British English, but some British idioms aren’t commonly used in the United States. Learn these English idioms to feel at home when you’re speaking British English.
| Idiom | Meaning | Sentence |
| Bob’s your uncle | there you have it | Choose your meal, order at the counter, and Bob’s your uncle, you’ve got lunch! |
| chuffed to bits | pleased | My grandparents were chuffed to bits when I won an award. |
| cream crackered | very tired | We were cream crackered after a busy day. |
| codswallop | that’s nonsense | Jim said I don’t eat pizza, but that’s codswallop. |
| fancy someone | to be in love | I really fancy Terri, but I’m afraid to tell her how I feel. |
| gone pear-shaped | went badly | Our plans went pear-shaped when my car wouldn’t start. |
| have a chinwag | to have a conversation | Let’s sit down and have a chinwag while we wait. |
| have a gander | to take a look | Have a gander at those cute puppies! |
| full of beans | wild or energetic | That kid is full of beans and keeps running around. |
| lost my bottle | not brave enough | I tried to talk to my boss, but I lost my bottle. |
| on the blink | not working | We couldn’t finish our homework because our computer’s on the blink. |
| over-egg the pudding | exaggerating a story too much | Aram always over-eggs the pudding when he talks. |
| nosy parker | an overly curious person | My aunt is a nosy parker about other people’s lives. |
| not my cup of tea | I don’t like it | That reality show is not my cup of tea. |
| take the biscuit | to be very stupid | Quincy’s bad decisions take the biscuit. |
Knowing English idioms makes learning English easier
Some people think English is hard to learn because of the many idioms and sayings that don’t mean what they say. But once you know how to put them in a sentence, English idioms are fun to use — and they make you sound like a fluent English speaker!
Learn how to speak English with grammar basics and examples. Follow a guide to common English words that you’ll hear every day on your learning journey, and you’ll be speaking English in no time.
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