What are idiomatic expressions?
Idiomatic expressions are phrases with meanings that are different from the literal meanings
of the words. They’re an important part of English and often come from history or culture.
Learning these expressions will help you speak better and understand English-speaking
cultures more.
Let’s look at 30 useful English idiomatic expressions, their meanings and examples of how to
use them:
1. “Break the ice”
2. “Cut corners”
3. “Hit the nail on the head”
4. “Piece of cake”
5. “Cost an arm and a leg”
6. Bite off more than you can chew”
7. “Beat around the bush”
8. “Cry over spilled milk”
9. “Get your act together”
10. “Kill two birds with one stone”
11. “Let the cat out of the bag”
12. “Pull someone’s leg”
13. “Burn the midnight oil”
14. “Bite the bullet”
15. “Break a leg”
16. “Call it a day”
17. “Steal someone’s thunder
18. “The ball is in your court”
19. “Throw in the towel”
20. “Under the weather”
21. “Speak of the devil”
22. “Once in a blue moon”
23. “Catch someone red-handed”
24. “Barking up the wrong tree”
25. “Jump on the bandwagon”
26. “Like two peas in a pod”
27. “Ten a penny”
28. “Go the extra mile”
29. “Straight from the horse’s mouth”
30. “Take with a pinch of salt”
1. “Break the ice” Meaning: To start a conversation or make people feel more
comfortable. Example: “To break the ice at the party, I said hello to the person next to
me.”
2. “Cut corners” Meaning: To do something in the easiest or cheapest way, often
badly. Example: “The company cut corners on safety to save money, which caused
problems.”
3. “Hit the nail on the head” Meaning: To describe something exactly right. Example:
“You’ve hit the nail on the head with your idea about the problem.”
4. “Piece of cake” Meaning: Something very easy to do. Example: “The test was a
piece of cake; I finished it very quickly.”
5. “Cost an arm and a leg” Meaning: To be very expensive Example: “That new phone
costs an arm and a leg; I can’t buy it now.”
6. Bite off more than you can chew” Meaning: To try to do more than you can
manage. Example: “By agreeing to do two big projects at once, I bit off more
than I could chew.”
7. “Beat around the bush” Meaning: To avoid talking about what’s important.
Example: “Please stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.”
8. “Cry over spilled milk” Meaning: To be upset about something that has
already happened and can’t be changed. Example: “Don’t cry over spilled
milk; let’s focus on fixing the problem.”
9. “Get your act together” Meaning: To organise yourself and improve your
behaviour. Example: “You need to get your act together if you want to pass
this class.”
10. “Kill two birds with one stone” Meaning: To solve two problems with one
action. Example: “By walking to work, I kill two birds with one stone: I save
money and get exercise.”
11. “Let the cat out of the bag” Meaning: To reveal a secret by mistake.
Example: “I let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party when I asked
her what cake she likes.”
12. “Pull someone’s leg” Meaning: To joke with someone by telling them
something that isn’t true. Example: “Don’t worry, I’m just pulling your leg; I
didn’t really sell your bike.”
13. “Burn the midnight oil” Meaning: To work late into the night. Example: “I’ve
been burning the midnight oil to finish this project before the deadline.”
14. “Bite the bullet” Meaning: To do something difficult or unpleasant that you
have been avoiding. Example: “I finally bit the bullet and went to the dentist
after waiting for months.”
15. “Break a leg” Meaning: A way of wishing someone good luck, especially
before a performance. Example: “You’re going to do great in the play tonight.
Break a leg!”
16. “Call it a day” Meaning: To stop working on something. Example: “We’ve
done a lot of work on the report. Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.”
17. “Steal someone’s thunder” Meaning: To take attention away from someone
else’s achievement. Example: “I was about to share my good news, but my
sister stole my thunder by announcing her engagement.”
18. “The ball is in your court” Meaning: It’s your turn to take action or make a
decision. Example: “I’ve made my offer; now the ball is in your court to
decide.”
19. “Throw in the towel” Meaning: To give up. Example: “After trying for hours
to fix the computer, I threw in the towel and called an expert.”
20. “Under the weather” Meaning: Feeling slightly ill. Example: “I’m feeling a bit
under the weather today; I might stay home and rest.”
21. “Speak of the devil” Meaning: Said when someone appears just as you’re
talking about them. Example: “Speak of the devil! We were just talking about
you when you walked in.”
22. “Once in a blue moon” Meaning: Very rarely. Example: “I only eat fast food
once in a blue moon; I usually cook at home.”
23. “Catch someone red-handed” Meaning: To catch someone while they are
doing something wrong. Example: “The teacher caught the student red-
handed trying to cheat on the test.”
24. “Barking up the wrong tree” Meaning: To look for something in the wrong
place or to blame the wrong person. Example: “If you think I took your book,
you’re barking up the wrong tree. I haven’t seen it.”
25. “Jump on the bandwagon” Meaning: To join an activity that has become
popular. Example: “When healthy eating became popular, many people
jumped on the bandwagon.”
26. “Like two peas in a pod” Meaning: Very similar or close. Example: “Those
best friends are like two peas in a pod; they do everything together.”
27. “Ten a penny” Meaning: Very common and not special or valuable. Example:
“Empty promises are ten a penny; I need to see real actions.”
28. “Go the extra mile” Meaning: To make an extra effort. Example: “Our
teachers always go the extra mile to help students understand difficult topics.”
29. “Straight from the horse’s mouth” Meaning: Information from the person
who knows best. Example: “I heard about the university’s new policy straight
from the horse’s mouth – the vice-chancellor told us herself.”
30. “Take with a pinch of salt” Meaning: To not completely believe something.
Example: “You should take his stories with a pinch of salt; he often
exaggerates.”
