Introduction
Idioms are expressions whose meaning is not predictable from the literal words. They add color and naturalness to your English. Learning idioms helps you understand native speakers better and makes your speech more natural.
Everyday Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Break the ice | Start a conversation in a tense situation | He told a joke to break the ice. |
| Hit the sack | Go to bed | I'm tired, I'm going to hit the sack. |
| Piece of cake | Very easy | The exam was a piece of cake. |
| Spill the beans | Reveal a secret | She spilled the beans about the party. |
| Under the weather | Feeling ill | I'm feeling a bit under the weather. |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | I eat fast food once in a blue moon. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive | The new phone cost an arm and a leg. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret accidentally | He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise. |
Work & Study Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Burn the midnight oil | Work late into the night | She's burning the midnight oil to finish the report. |
| Go the extra mile | Do more than required | Our team always goes the extra mile. |
| Call it a day | Stop working for the day | Let's call it a day and continue tomorrow. |
| Hit the nail on the head | Describe exactly right | You hit the nail on the head with your analysis. |
| Back to the drawing board | Start over after failure | The plan failed, so it's back to the drawing board. |
| Cut corners | Do something poorly to save time | Don't cut corners on quality control. |
Idiom in Conversation:A: "How was the presentation?"
B: "It was a piece of cake! I was nervous at first, but my colleague told a joke to break the ice. The boss said I hit the nail on the head with the analysis."
B: "It was a piece of cake! I was nervous at first, but my colleague told a joke to break the ice. The boss said I hit the nail on the head with the analysis."
Learning Tip: Don't try to memorize all idioms at once. Learn 2-3 per week and practice using them in conversations. Read English news and watch shows to see idioms used naturally.
Body Idioms
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Keep an eye on | Watch carefully | Can you keep an eye on my bag? |
| Pull someone's leg | Tease someone playfully | I'm just pulling your leg! |
| Get cold feet | Become nervous before an event | She got cold feet before the wedding. |
| Play it by ear | Decide as you go | Let's play it by ear and see what happens. |
| See eye to eye | Agree with someone | We don't always see eye to eye on this issue. |