Serial No.

Idiom Meaning
1 A blessing in disguise A good thing that initially seemed bad
2 A dime a dozen Something common or of no value
3 Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
4 Better late than never It’s better to do something late than not at all
5 Bite the bullet To get something over with because it is inevitable
6 Break the ice To make people feel more comfortable in a social setting
7 Call it a day Stop working on something
8 Cutting corners Doing something poorly to save time or money
9 Easy does it Slow down or approach something carefully
10 Get out of hand To lose control of things
11 Get something out of your system Do something you’ve wanted to do, so you can move on
12 Get your act together Work better or leave
13 Give someone the benefit of the doTrust what someone says
14 Go back to the drawing board Start over because something isn’t working
15 Hang in there Don’t give up
16 Hit the sack Go to bed
17 It’s not rocket science It’s not complicated
18 Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for something
19 Make a long story short Tell something briefly
20 Miss the boat Miss an opportunity
21 No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want
22 On the ball Doing a good job or being attentive
23 Pull someone’s leg Joke or tease someone
24 Speak of the devil When the person you’ve been talking about arrives
25 Take it with a grain of salt Don’t take something too seriously
26 The best of both worlds A situation where you get the best of two things
27 Time flies when you’re having fun Time seems to move faster when you’re enjoying yourself
28 To get bent out of shape To get upset or angry about something
29 To make matters worse To make a bad situation worse
30 Under the weather Not feeling well
31 We’ll cross that bridge when we comDeal with a problem when it happens, not before
32 Wrap your head around something Understand something complicated
33 You can say that again That’s true, I agree
34 Your guess is as good as mine I have no idea
35 A picture is worth a thousand word A visual can convey a message better than words
36 Actions speak louder than words People’s actions are more important than what they say
37 Add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse
38 Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place or accusing the wrong person
39 Bite off more than you can chew Take on a task that is too big
40 Break the bank Spend all your money
41 By the skin of your teeth Just barely
42 Cry over spilled milk Complain about a loss from the past
43 Cut to the chase Get to the point
44 Devil’s advocate Argue for the sake of debate
45 Don’t count your chickens before t Don’t assume a positive outcome too early
46 Every cloud has a silver lining There is something good in every bad situation
47 Give someone the cold shoulder Ignore someone
48 Go the extra mile Make an extra effort to achieve something
49 Hit the nail on the head Describe exactly what is causing a situation
50 It takes two to tango Both parties involved in a situation must take responsibility
51 Jump on the bandwagon Join others in doing something that’s popular
52 Keep your chin up Stay positive and optimistic
53 Kill two birds with one stone Solve two problems at once
54 Leave no stone unturned Do everything possible to achieve a goal
55 Let the cat out of the bag Reveal a secret
56 Make a mountain out of a molehill Exaggerate the seriousness of a situation
57 Once in a blue moon Rarely happens
58 Put all your eggs in one basket Rely on one thing to achieve success
59 Steal someone’s thunder Take credit for someone else’s achievement
60 The ball is in your court It’s your decision or responsibility
61 The elephant in the room An obvious problem that people avoid discussing
62 Throw caution to the wind Take a risk
63 You can’t judge a book by its cover Don’t assume something based on appearance
64 A bird in the hand is worth two in t It’s better to have a lesser but certain advantage than the possibility of a greater one
65 A stitch in time saves nine Acting quickly may save more trouble later
66 A taste of your own medicine Experience the same unpleasant treatment you’ve given others
67 An arm and a leg Very expensive
68 As right as rain Perfectly fine or normal
69 Beating a dead horse Wasting time on something that’s already been settled
70 Bend over backwards Try very hard to help or please someone
71 Burn the midnight oil Work late into the night
72 Calm before the storm A period of peace before trouble begins
73 Cast the first stone Be the first to criticize someone else
74 Caught between a rock and a hard pIn a difficult situation with no easy solution
75 Cross that bridge when you come toDeal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary
76 Don’t cry over spilled milk Don’t waste time worrying about past mistakes
77 Don’t put all your eggs in one baskeDon’t risk everything on one chance
78 Face the music Accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions
79 Fit as a fiddle In good health
80 Go down in flames End in complete failure
81 Haste makes waste Doing something too quickly can lead to mistakes
82 Hit the ground running Start something and proceed with energy and enthusiasm
83 Ignorance is bliss Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth
84 Keep your fingers crossed Hope for good luck
85 Let bygones be bygones Forget past grievances
86 Look before you leap Think carefully before taking action
87 Mind your Ps and Qs Be careful about your behavior
88 Out of the blue Something unexpected happens
89 Practice makes perfect The more you practice, the better you become
 90 Pull yourself together Calm down and behave normally
91 Rome wasn’t built in a day Important things take time to achieve
92 Sit on the fence Avoid making a decision or taking sides
93 Spill the beans Reveal a secret
94 Strike while the iron is hot Take advantage of a good opportunity while it lasts
95 The early bird catches the worm The person who arrives first has the best chance of success
96 The last straw The final problem in a series of problems
97 Through thick and thin In good times and bad
98 Turn a blind eye Pretend not to notice something
99 Two peas in a pod Very similar to each other
100 Up in the air Something is uncertain or undecided
101 Water under the bridge Past events that are no longer important
102 You can’t have your cake and eat it You can’t have everything your way, especially when choices conflict
uncomfortable
han the possibility of a greater one that may come to nothing

given others
en choices conflict