Idiom Meaning Usage
A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first as part of a sentence
A dime a dozen Something common as part of a sentence
Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable as part of a sentence
Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all by itself
Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable as part of a sentence
Break a leg Good luck by itself
Call it a day Stop working on something as part of a sentence
Cut somebody some slack Don't be so critical as part of a sentence
Cutting corners Doing something poorly in order to save time or money as part of a sentence
Easy does it Slow down by itself
Get out of hand Get out of control as part of a sentence
Get something out of your system Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on as part of a sentence
Get your act together Work better or leave by itself
Give someone the benefit of the doubt Trust what someone says as part of a sentence
Go back to the drawing board Start over as part of a sentence
Hang in there Don't give up by itself
Hit the sack Go to sleep as part of a sentence
It's not rocket science It's not complicated by itself
Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for something as part of a sentence
Make a long story short Tell something briefly as part of a sentence
Miss the boat It's too late as part of a sentence
No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want by itself
On the ball Doing a good job as part of a sentence
Pull someone's leg To joke with someone as part of a sentence
Pull yourself together Calm down by itself
So far so good Things are going well so far by itself
Speak of the devil The person we were just talking about showed up! by itself
That's the last straw My patience has run out by itself
The best of both worlds An ideal situation as part of a sentence
Time flies when you're having fun You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun by itself
To get bent out of shape To get upset as part of a sentence
To make matters worse Make a problem worse as part of a sentence
Under the weather Sick as part of a sentence
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Let's not talk about that problem right now by itself
Wrap your head around something Understand something complicated as part of a sentence
You can say that again That's true, I agree by itself
Your guess is as good as mine I have no idea by itself
Common English idioms & expressions
These English idioms are used quite regularly in the United States. You may not hear them every day, but they will be very familiar to any native English speaker. You can be confident using any of them when the context is appropriate.

Idiom Meaning Usage
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush What you have is worth more than what you might have later by itself
A penny for your thoughts Tell me what you're thinking by itself
A penny saved is a penny earned Money you save today you can spend later by itself
A perfect storm the worst possible situation as part of a sentence
A picture is worth 1000 words Better to show than tell by itself
Actions speak louder than words Believe what people do and not what they say by itself
Add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse as part of a sentence
Barking up the wrong tree To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place as part of a sentence
Birds of a feather flock together People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively) by itself
Bite off more than you can chew Take on a project that you cannot finish as part of a sentence
Break the ice Make people feel more comfortable as part of a sentence
By the skin of your teeth Just barely as part of a sentence
Comparing apples to oranges Comparing two things that cannot be compared as part of a sentence
Costs an arm and a leg Very expensive as part of a sentence
Do something at the drop of a hat Do something without having planned beforehand as part of a sentence
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you Treat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule" by itself
Don't count your chickens before they hatch Don't count on something good happening until it's happened. by itself
Don't cry over spilt milk There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed by itself
Don't give up your day job You're not very good at this by itself
Don't put all your eggs in one basket What you're doing is too risky by itself
Every cloud has a silver lining Good things come after bad things by itself
Get a taste of your own medicine Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative) as part of a sentence
Give someone the cold shoulder Ignore someone as part of a sentence
Go on a wild goose chase To do something pointless as part of a sentence
Good things come to those who wait Be patient by itself
He has bigger fish to fry He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now by itself
He's a chip off the old block The son is like the father by itself
Hit the nail on the head Get something exactly right by itself
Ignorance is bliss You're better off not knowing by itself
It ain't over till the fat lady sings This isn't over yet by itself
It takes one to know one You're just as bad as I am by itself
It's a piece of cake It's easy by itself
It's raining cats and dogs It's raining hard by itself
Kill two birds with one stone Get two things done with a single action by itself
Let the cat out of the bag Give away a secret as part of a sentence
Live and learn I made a mistake by itself
Look before you leap Take only calculated risks by itself
On thin ice On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. as part of a sentence
Once in a blue moon Rarely as part of a sentence
Play devil's advocate To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument as part of a sentence
Put something on ice Put a projet on hold as part of a sentence
Rain on someone's parade To spoil something as part of a sentence
Saving for a rainy day Saving money for later as part of a sentence
Slow and steady wins the race Reliability is more important than speed by itself
Spill the beans Give away a secret as part of a sentence
Take a rain check Postpone a plan as part of a sentence
Take it with a grain of salt Don’t take it too seriously as part of a sentence
The ball is in your court It's your decision by itself
The best thing since sliced bread A really good invention as part of a sentence
The devil is in the details It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems by itself
The early bird gets the worm The first people who arrive will get the best stuff by itself
The elephant in the room The big issue, the problem people are avoiding as part of a sentence
The whole nine yards Everything, all the way. as part of a sentence
There are other fish in the sea It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise. by itself
There's a method to his madness He seems crazy but actually he's clever by itself
There's no such thing as a free lunch Nothing is entirely free by itself
Throw caution to the wind Take a risk as part of a sentence
You can't have your cake and eat it too You can't have everything by itself
You can't judge a book by its cover This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside by itself

1. Under the weather
What does it mean? To feel ill

How do you use it? In England we love to talk about the weather and will do so often, but don’t be fooled by this common phrase. If someone says they’re feeling under the weather, your response should be ‘I hope you feel better!’, not ‘Would you like to borrow my umbrella?’.

2. The ball is in your court
What does it mean? It’s up to you

How do you use it? It’s your move now, but this idiom refers to life rather than a sport. If you’ve got the ‘ball,’ the decision is yours and someone is waiting for your decision.

3. Spill the beans
What does it mean? To give away a secret

How do you use it? If you told someone about their own surprise party, you’d have ‘spilled the beans’ or even ‘let the cat out of the bag’. The secret is out.

4. Break a leg
What does it mean? To wish someone luck

How do you use it? This idiom is not at all threatening. Often accompanied by a thumbs up, ‘Break a leg! ’is an encouraging cheer of good luck. It originates from when successful theater performers would to bow so many times after a show that they would break a leg.

5. Pull someone’s leg
What does it mean? To play a practical joke

How do you use it? This is the perfect phrase to learn if you’re a fan of practical jokes. ‘Pull their leg’ is similar to ‘wind someone up’. Use it in context: ‘Relax, I’m just pulling your leg!’ or ‘Wait, are you pulling my leg?’.

6. Sat on the fence
What does it mean? To be undecided

How do you use it? If you’re sat on the fence, you’ve not decided which side of an argument you agree with. ‘I’m on the fence about hot yoga classes,’ translates as ‘I’m not sure whether I enjoy yoga in a sauna yet.’

7. Through thick and thin
What does it mean? To be loyal no matter what

How do you use it? Often used to describe families or BFFs, ‘through thick and thin’ means that you’re by each other’s side no matter what happens, through the bad times, as well as the good.

8. Once in a blue moon
What does it mean? Rarely

How do you use it? This charming phrase is used to describe something that doesn’t happen often. Example: ‘I remember to call my parents from my study abroad trip once in a blue moon.’

9. It’s the best thing since sliced bread
What does it mean? It’s really, really good

How do you use it? Sliced bread must have revolutionised life in England because it’s since been used as the ultimate benchmark for things that are great. We love it almost as much as tea.

10. Take it with a pinch of salt
What does it mean? Don’t take it too seriously

How do you use it? ‘I heard that elephants can fly now, but Sam often makes up stories so I take everything he says with a pinch of salt.’

11. Come rain or shine
What does it mean? No matter what

How do you use it? You guarantee to do something, regardless of the weather or any other situation that might arise. ‘I’ll be at your football game, come rain or shine’.

12. Go down in flames
What does it mean? To fail spectacularly

How do you use it? This phrase is fairly obvious. ‘That exam went down in flames, I should have learned my English idioms.’

13. You can say that again
What does it mean? That’s true

How do you use it? Generally exclaimed in agreement. When a friend says ‘Ryan Reynolds is gorgeous!’, you can reply ‘You can say that again!’

14. See eye to eye
What does it mean? To agree completely

How do you use it? We’re not suggesting a staring contest – to see eye to eye with someone is to agree with the point they’re making.

15. Jump on the bandwagon
What does it mean? Following a trend

How do you use it? When a person joins in with something popular or does something just because it’s cool. See this brunch-based example: ‘She doesn’t even like avocado on toast. She’s just jumping on the bandwagon.’

16. As right as rain
What does it mean? Perfect

How do you use it? Another weather-based idiom, but this one is slightly trickier. We moan about the rain, but ‘right as rain’ is actually a positive comment. ‘I’m as right as rain!’ may be exclaimed with glee when asked if everything is okay, and it is.

17. Beat around the bush
What does it mean? Avoid saying something

How do you use it? Beating around the bush is when you speak nonsense, avoiding a question because you don’t want to express your opinion or answer truthfully.

18. Hit the sack
What does it mean? Go to bed

How do you use it? This idiom is super easy to learn to use. ‘I’m exhausted, it’s time for me to hit the sack!’

19. Miss the boat
What does it mean? It’s too late

How do you use it? Use this when you let an opportunity or deadline pass by. ‘I forgot to apply for that study abroad program, now I’ve missed the boat.’

20. By the skin of your teeth
What does it mean? Just barely

How do you use it? ‘Phew, I passed that exam by the skin of my teeth!’ Hopefully you’ll ace your exams, but if you only just pass you can whip out this idiom.