The Most Common English Idioms
Mastering English isn’t just about grammar and vocabulary. Beyond the textbook lies a vibrant realm of idioms, the secret sauce of fluency and native-like expression. Unravel the hidden meanings behind everyday phrases, boost your comprehension, and impress with your colorful language. This ultimate guide to the most common English idioms is your key to unlocking confidence and authenticity in your English communication.
A blessing in disguise
Meaning: a good thing that seemed bad at first
A dime a dozen
Meaning: Something common
Beat around the bush
Meaning: To speak in a roundabout way in order to avoid confronting an unpleasant topic; Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
Better late than never
Meaning: Better to arrive late than not to come at all; It implies that a belated achievement is better than not reaching a goal at all.
Bite the bullet
Meaning: To get something over with because it is inevitable
Break a leg
Meaning: Good luck
Call it a day
Meaning: Stop working on something
Cut somebody some slack
Meaning: Don’t be so critical
Cutting corners
Meaning: Doing something poorly in order to save time or money
Easy does it
Meaning: Slow down
Get out of hand
Meaning: Get out of control
Get something out of your system
Meaning: Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do so you can move on
Get your act together
Meaning: Work better or leave
Give someone the benefit of the doubt
Meaning: Trust what someone says
Go back to the drawing board
Meaning: Start over
Hang in there
Meaning: Don’t give up
Hit the sack
Meaning: Go to sleep
It’s not rocket science
Meaning: It’s not complicated
Let someone off the hook
Meaning: To not hold someone responsible for something
Make a long story short
Meaning: Tell something briefly
Miss the boat
Meaning: It’s too late
No pain, no gain
Meaning: You have to work for what you want
On the ball
Meaning: Doing a good job
Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To joke with someone
Pull yourself together
Meaning: Calm down
So far so good
Meaning: Things are going well so far
Speak of the devil
Meaning: The person we were just talking about showed up!
That’s the last straw
Meaning: My patience has run out
The best of both worlds
Meaning: An ideal situation
Time flies when you’re having fun
Meaning: You don’t notice how long something lasts when it’s fun
To get bent out of shape
Meaning: To get upset
To make matters worse
Meaning: Make a problem worse
Under the weather
Meaning: Sick
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
Meaning: Let’s not talk about that problem right now
Wrap your head around something
Meaning: Understand something complicated
You can say that again
Meaning: That’s true, I agree
Your guess is as good as mine
Meaning: I have no idea