377 common IDIOMS and their meanings
An IDIOM is an expression or manner of speaking that's used in common parlance. IDIOMs are culture specific and may be
based on past history not necessarily evident in the modern world. Understanding where the IDIOM comes from will help to
understand its meaning.
IDIOM MEANING
Acid test Proves the effectiveness of something.
Actions speak louder than words People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.
Add insult to injury To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavourable situation.
After the watershed A time when after which programmes for older audiences may be aired on TV.
Against the clock Being rushed and having little time to complete something.
Ahead of time Something that happens early or before it is supposed to.
All ears Awaiting an explanation.
An arm and a leg Very expensive or costly. A large amount of money.
Around the clock At any time of the day or night
Around the corner Will happen soon.
As time goes by The passing of one moment to the next.
At the drop of a hat Without any hesitation; instantly.
Back to basics An approach that uses traditional ideas that have previously worked.
Back to the drawing board When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.
Bad apple Troublemaker or undesirable person in a group.
Ball is in your court It is up to you to make the next decision or take the next step.
Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person.
Be glad to see the back of Be happy when a person leaves.
Beat around the bush Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.
Beat the clock Do something quickly before it's too late.
Bee in one's bonnet Carrying and idea that's constantly in your thoughts.
Behind the times Being old-fashioned.
Bells and whistles Lots of desirable features.
Best of both worlds Enjoying the advantage of two things simultaneously.
Best thing since sliced bread A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.
Better late than never It is better to do something late than not at all.
Bide one's time Waiting for further developments before taking action or making decisions.
Big cheese Influential person
Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Better to be satisfied with what you have than risk losing it by trying to get something better.
Bite off more than you can chew To take on a task that is way too big.
Black and blue Badly bruised.
Black and white Take everything into consideration and over simply. Judge everything good or bad.
Black as night Very dark and hard to see.
Black eye Bruise around the eye.
Black market Where goods are illegally bought and sold for profit.
Black out Darken by turning off or dimming the lights. Lose consciousness.
Black sheep Undesirable member of a group.
Blackball Exclude or ostracise someone socially. Reject someone.
Blacklist Exclude someone.
Blackmail Extort or take money from someone by threatening to use their secrets against them.
Blessing in disguise Something good that isn't recognised as such at first.
Blind date Pre-arranged social interaction between people who have never met.
Blood red Description of something with a deep red colour.
Blood, sweat & tears Something that requires a lot of effort and hard work.
Blow a fuse Suddenly get very angry, perhaps over something unexpected.
Blow up in the face A plan or project that suddenly fails.
Blue blood From noble, aristocratic or wealthy family.
Blue collar Working in a manual labour job.
Blue in the face Try hard to win an agreement but usually unsuccessful.
Blue ribbon Superior quality or distinction. The best of a group.
Bolt from the blue Unexpected bad news.
Bookworm Someone who reads a lot.
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth Born into a rich and affluent family.
http://portallas.com
Christopher D. Morgan
, IDIOM MEANING
Bottom falls out A plan or project that fails.
Brainstorm Develop or think of new ideas.
Bread-winner Person that is the primary source of income for a family.
Bring home the bacon Earn a living.
Broken watch is right twice a day When something is lucky or successful but undeserving.
Buckle down Working hard with determination and full attention.
Bun in the oven Pregnant.
Burn the midnight oil To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.
Butter up Flatter someone, usually because you want something from them.
By degrees Something happens of develops gradually or little by little.
By the skin of your teeth Only just succeed.
Call it a day (or night) Stop doing something for a while or until the next day (or night).
Calling time Deciding to end something.
Carry the torch for Having string feelings for someone who cannot be yours.
Cash cow Dependable source of income.
Cat burglar Thief who climbs into buildings.
Catch someone at a bad time When it is inconvenient.
Catch someone red-handed Catch someone in the act of committing a crime or doing something they shouldn't.
Chance one's arm Deciding to do something even though the chances of success are slim or unknown.
Chase rainbows Try to achieve something that is very difficult, impossible or very desirable.
Chase your tail Spend a lot of time and energy but achieve nothing.
Cheesy Tacky, silly, inauthentic or cheap.
Clock-in/clock-out Record the time of arrival and the time of departure.
Close to home A comment that is true and makes you uncomfortable.
Cold shoulder Pay no attention to.
Coming of age When something develops completely and reached maturity. When a child becomes an adult.
Cook someone's goose Spoil the person's chance of success.
Copycat Someone who copies the work of another.
Costs an arm and a leg When something is very expensive.
Couch potato Lazy person who watches too much TV.
Cover a lot of ground Complete a lot of work or a wide range of things.
Crack of dawn Very early in the morning. The first moments of sunrise.
Cross that bridge when you come to it Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.
Crunch time When an important decision needs to be made by.
Cry over spilt milk Complain about a loss from the past.
Curiosity killed the cat Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant or dangerous situation.
Cut corners When something is done quickly, and typically badly, to save money.
Cut one's own throat Doing something that will cause your own failure or downfall.
Cut the mustard To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate.
Cut to the chase Getting to the point.
Day to day Part of a usual routine.
Days are numbered Expected to be in a role or to die soon.
Dead duck Plan or event that has failed or is certain to fail and therefore not worth discussing.
Dead in the water Plan or project that has ceased to function and is not expected to re-activate.
Dead wood People or things that are no longer useful or necessary.
Deep down Describing what a person really feels deep inside them
Deliver the goods Do what is expected or required.
Devil's Advocate To present a counter argument.
Do time (serve time) Spend time in prison.
Donkey's years A very long period of time.
Don't count your chickens before they've hatched Don't make plans for something that might not happen.
Don't give up the day job You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket Don't make everything dependent on only one thing.
Double date Social interaction that involves two couples.
Drastic times call for drastic measures When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.
Drawing a blank Get no response from someone when you ask them a question or to have no answer yourself.
Dropout Stop attending school before it is time.
Dwell on the past Thinking too much about something that happened in the past.
Eager beaver Enthusiastic and hard worker.
Easy as ABC Very simple or easy.
Eat, sleep & breathe something Being so enthusiastic and passionate about something that you think about it all the time.
http://portallas.com
Christopher D. Morgan
An IDIOM is an expression or manner of speaking that's used in common parlance. IDIOMs are culture specific and may be
based on past history not necessarily evident in the modern world. Understanding where the IDIOM comes from will help to
understand its meaning.
IDIOM MEANING
Acid test Proves the effectiveness of something.
Actions speak louder than words People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say.
Add insult to injury To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavourable situation.
After the watershed A time when after which programmes for older audiences may be aired on TV.
Against the clock Being rushed and having little time to complete something.
Ahead of time Something that happens early or before it is supposed to.
All ears Awaiting an explanation.
An arm and a leg Very expensive or costly. A large amount of money.
Around the clock At any time of the day or night
Around the corner Will happen soon.
As time goes by The passing of one moment to the next.
At the drop of a hat Without any hesitation; instantly.
Back to basics An approach that uses traditional ideas that have previously worked.
Back to the drawing board When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over.
Bad apple Troublemaker or undesirable person in a group.
Ball is in your court It is up to you to make the next decision or take the next step.
Barking up the wrong tree Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person.
Be glad to see the back of Be happy when a person leaves.
Beat around the bush Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue.
Beat the clock Do something quickly before it's too late.
Bee in one's bonnet Carrying and idea that's constantly in your thoughts.
Behind the times Being old-fashioned.
Bells and whistles Lots of desirable features.
Best of both worlds Enjoying the advantage of two things simultaneously.
Best thing since sliced bread A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.
Better late than never It is better to do something late than not at all.
Bide one's time Waiting for further developments before taking action or making decisions.
Big cheese Influential person
Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush Better to be satisfied with what you have than risk losing it by trying to get something better.
Bite off more than you can chew To take on a task that is way too big.
Black and blue Badly bruised.
Black and white Take everything into consideration and over simply. Judge everything good or bad.
Black as night Very dark and hard to see.
Black eye Bruise around the eye.
Black market Where goods are illegally bought and sold for profit.
Black out Darken by turning off or dimming the lights. Lose consciousness.
Black sheep Undesirable member of a group.
Blackball Exclude or ostracise someone socially. Reject someone.
Blacklist Exclude someone.
Blackmail Extort or take money from someone by threatening to use their secrets against them.
Blessing in disguise Something good that isn't recognised as such at first.
Blind date Pre-arranged social interaction between people who have never met.
Blood red Description of something with a deep red colour.
Blood, sweat & tears Something that requires a lot of effort and hard work.
Blow a fuse Suddenly get very angry, perhaps over something unexpected.
Blow up in the face A plan or project that suddenly fails.
Blue blood From noble, aristocratic or wealthy family.
Blue collar Working in a manual labour job.
Blue in the face Try hard to win an agreement but usually unsuccessful.
Blue ribbon Superior quality or distinction. The best of a group.
Bolt from the blue Unexpected bad news.
Bookworm Someone who reads a lot.
Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth Born into a rich and affluent family.
http://portallas.com
Christopher D. Morgan
, IDIOM MEANING
Bottom falls out A plan or project that fails.
Brainstorm Develop or think of new ideas.
Bread-winner Person that is the primary source of income for a family.
Bring home the bacon Earn a living.
Broken watch is right twice a day When something is lucky or successful but undeserving.
Buckle down Working hard with determination and full attention.
Bun in the oven Pregnant.
Burn the midnight oil To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.
Butter up Flatter someone, usually because you want something from them.
By degrees Something happens of develops gradually or little by little.
By the skin of your teeth Only just succeed.
Call it a day (or night) Stop doing something for a while or until the next day (or night).
Calling time Deciding to end something.
Carry the torch for Having string feelings for someone who cannot be yours.
Cash cow Dependable source of income.
Cat burglar Thief who climbs into buildings.
Catch someone at a bad time When it is inconvenient.
Catch someone red-handed Catch someone in the act of committing a crime or doing something they shouldn't.
Chance one's arm Deciding to do something even though the chances of success are slim or unknown.
Chase rainbows Try to achieve something that is very difficult, impossible or very desirable.
Chase your tail Spend a lot of time and energy but achieve nothing.
Cheesy Tacky, silly, inauthentic or cheap.
Clock-in/clock-out Record the time of arrival and the time of departure.
Close to home A comment that is true and makes you uncomfortable.
Cold shoulder Pay no attention to.
Coming of age When something develops completely and reached maturity. When a child becomes an adult.
Cook someone's goose Spoil the person's chance of success.
Copycat Someone who copies the work of another.
Costs an arm and a leg When something is very expensive.
Couch potato Lazy person who watches too much TV.
Cover a lot of ground Complete a lot of work or a wide range of things.
Crack of dawn Very early in the morning. The first moments of sunrise.
Cross that bridge when you come to it Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.
Crunch time When an important decision needs to be made by.
Cry over spilt milk Complain about a loss from the past.
Curiosity killed the cat Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant or dangerous situation.
Cut corners When something is done quickly, and typically badly, to save money.
Cut one's own throat Doing something that will cause your own failure or downfall.
Cut the mustard To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate.
Cut to the chase Getting to the point.
Day to day Part of a usual routine.
Days are numbered Expected to be in a role or to die soon.
Dead duck Plan or event that has failed or is certain to fail and therefore not worth discussing.
Dead in the water Plan or project that has ceased to function and is not expected to re-activate.
Dead wood People or things that are no longer useful or necessary.
Deep down Describing what a person really feels deep inside them
Deliver the goods Do what is expected or required.
Devil's Advocate To present a counter argument.
Do time (serve time) Spend time in prison.
Donkey's years A very long period of time.
Don't count your chickens before they've hatched Don't make plans for something that might not happen.
Don't give up the day job You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket Don't make everything dependent on only one thing.
Double date Social interaction that involves two couples.
Drastic times call for drastic measures When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions.
Drawing a blank Get no response from someone when you ask them a question or to have no answer yourself.
Dropout Stop attending school before it is time.
Dwell on the past Thinking too much about something that happened in the past.
Eager beaver Enthusiastic and hard worker.
Easy as ABC Very simple or easy.
Eat, sleep & breathe something Being so enthusiastic and passionate about something that you think about it all the time.
http://portallas.com
Christopher D. Morgan
