English Idioms

107 flashcards by MentisLibrary

What English speakers actually mean when they say it, with an example in use, the literal reading, where it came from, when it fits, and idioms that mean much the same thing.

Break the ice

To ease tension and get a conversation or activity started

Bite the bullet

To face something painful or unpleasant with courage

Spill the beans

To reveal a secret

Hit the nail on the head

To describe something exactly right

Let the cat out of the bag

To accidentally reveal a secret

Once in a blue moon

Very rarely

Piece of cake

Something very easy

Under the weather

Feeling slightly ill

Cost an arm and a leg

To be extremely expensive

Beat around the bush

To avoid getting to the point

The ball is in your court

It is your turn to act or decide

Burn the midnight oil

To work late into the night

Kill two birds with one stone

To accomplish two things with a single action

Break a leg

Good luck (said to performers)

Cut corners

To do something cheaply or carelessly by skipping steps

Add insult to injury

To make a bad situation even worse

A blessing in disguise

Something that seems bad but turns out to be good

Barking up the wrong tree

To pursue a mistaken course of action or accuse the wrong person

The last straw

The final small burden that makes a situation unbearable

Actions speak louder than words

What people do matters more than what they say

Throw in the towel

To give up or admit defeat

On the fence

Undecided between two options

Steal someone's thunder

To take credit or attention that belongs to someone else

Bite off more than you can chew

To take on more than you can handle

Hit the sack

To go to bed

Miss the boat

To miss an opportunity

Pull someone's leg

To tease or joke with someone

Speak of the devil

Said when a person appears just as they were being mentioned

A dime a dozen

Very common and of little value

Back to the drawing board

Time to start over after a failure