Common English ididoms

Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés
1. A piece of cake = nagyon könnyű (easy)

In a sentence: Unclogging(kitakarítás) my sink was a piece of cake for Carlita.

She’s a plumber.

Meaning: Extremely easy and straightforward.

2. Let the cat out of the bag = kikotyog vmilyen titkot

In a sentence: I'm planning a surprise holiday for Liam to celebrate our

wedding anniversary. Don’t let the cat out of the bag!

Meaning: Reveal a secret by mistake.

3. Judge a book by its cover=külső alapján ítél

In a sentence: I know he looks scary, but my dog is really gentle. You can’t
judge a book by its cover.

Meaning: You shouldn’t make judgements based on appearance.

4. Break a leg=Kéz és lábtörést!

In a sentence: I hope the performance goes well, Adam. Break a leg!

Meaning: Good luck! (said before performing onstage)

5. Under the weather = rosszul érzi magát

In a sentence: Ayano was feeling under the weather, so she left work early.

Meaning: Not well, slightly sick or ill.

Common English ididoms
Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés
6. By the skin of your teeth=csak egy hajszálon múlott

In a sentence: Maddy caught the train by the skin of her teeth. It left a few
seconds later.

Meaning: By the smallest possible amount of time.

7. I could eat a horse = farkaséhes

In a sentence: I’m so glad I ordered an extra large pizza. I could eat a horse!

Meaning: I feel extremely hungry.

8. Beat around the bush=kertel, „rizsázik”, kerülgeti, kint macska a

forró kását

In a sentence: I wish my boss would stop beating around the bush and tell me
what he really thinks of my product idea.

Meaning: Avoiding a subject by talking about irrelevant things.

9. Once in a blue moon=nagyon ritkán

In a sentence: Huan only cooks at home once in a blue moon.

Meaning: Very rarely.

10.Have butterflies in your stomach=izgul

In a sentence: Jamal had butterflies in his stomach as he waited for his date
outside the restaurant.

Meaning: Was excited and nervous.

Common English ididoms
Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés
11.A tough cookie=kemény nő (szívós)

In a sentence: Debbie’s a tough cookie. She doesn’t mind when people

criticise her work.

Meaning: Determined and physically or emotionally strong.

12.See eye to eye=egyetért teljesen

In a sentence: I’m glad my boss and I see eye to eye about recycling in the
office.

Meaning: Agree fully or have a similar attitude.

13.Cost an arm and a leg=méregdrága

In a sentence: My new suit cost an arm and a leg. I bought it in Milan.

Meaning: Cost a large amount of money.

14.Steal someone’s thunder=megelőz, ötletet ellop

In a sentence: Megan stole my thunder when she told the professor the result
of my experiment.

Meaning: Stole my idea, or diverted attention away from me

15.On the ball=helyzet magaslatán áll, résen van

In a sentence: He is really on the ball and never makes a mistake at work

Meaning: Alert and efficient

Common English ididoms
Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés
16. Bite the bullet=állja a sarat

In a sentence:I have decided to bite the bullet and begin studying for my
Master’s degree.

Meaning: If you have an exam, you might say you want to bite the bullet, which
means you want to get it over with / face a difficult situation bravely

17.Hit the hay.”=lefekszik aludni

In a sentence: ”Sorry, guys, I have to hit the hay now!”

Meaning: At first, it seems like the person saying this really wants to punch
some hay. But it really just means that they’re really tired and want to go to
sleep.

18.Up in the air”=bizonytalan, lóg a levegőben

In a sentence :

A: “Hey, did you ever figure out those plans?”

B: “No, they’re still up in the air for now. We’ll figure everything out later.”

Meaning : this idiom really means that the situation being planned is still
undecided, and that everything is still uncertain/unsure.

19.Stabbed in the back”=hátbatámadni vkit (átv.)

In a sentence :“I don’t want to be Hayley’s friend anymore, she stabbed me in

the back!”

Meaning : Literally stabbing someone in the back could bring someone to jail
. That’s definitely not what this idiom means.

Being stabbed in the back means that you’ve been betrayed by someone who
you thought you could trust.
Common English ididoms
Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés

20.Takes two to tango”= kettőn áll a vásár

In a sentence: “David isn’t the only guilty one here! After all, it takes two to
tango.”

Meaning: This idiom means that if there’s a suspicious situation, then there’s
more than one culprit(bűnös). They couldn’t have done it by themselves.

21.Kill two birds with one stone.”=két legyet üt egy csapásra

In a sentence :“Why not go to the post office on your way to the mall and kill
two birds with one stone?”

Meaning: When you kill two birds with one stone, a single action knocks out
two tasks or responsibilities--accomplish two different things at the same time.
(In this case, posting a letter and doing some shopping in one trip.)

22.When pigs fly=majd ha piros hó esik = soha!

In a sentence:
Son: "Mom, do you think dad will let me drive his Mercedes sports can after I
get my license?"  
Mom: "When pigs fly!  You'll be lucky to be able to drive the Ford Escort."
Meaning: this idiom basically means that something will never happen, like fat
little pink mammals soaring toward the sun!

23.Bite off more than you can chew=nagy fába vágja a fejszéjét
In a sentence: I think he's bitten off more than he can chew taking all those
classes.

Meaning: generally it just means to attempt to take on a task that is too much
for you to handle.
Common English ididoms
Level B2

Class 11-12
Éva Tőkés
Try to find out the meanings of the following ididoms.

1. After he was cut by the team, he turned over a new leaf and started working
out.

2. I couldn't believe he actually passed himself off as a native speaker.

3. If you don't get there early, all the bargains will be snapped up.

4. Everybody has at least one skeleton in their closet.

5. I went over everything with a fine-tooth comb, and still couldn't find the
mistake.

6. She really didn't enjoy going out with me. She called me a cold fish.

7. My wife stays home, and it's my job to bring home the bacon.

8. The bank was robbed to the tune of $500,000.00.

9. Those types of problems are just swept under the rug.

10. She finally got her children out of her hair and was able to study for the
exam.

11. He is definitely worth his salt in our company and is one of our best
employees.

12. My exam was a total wipe-out. I think that I failed.