Common English Idioms

Idiom Meaning Sentence examples

above board Honest, open The deal was completely open and above board Legjitime
.
ad lib Improvise, interpolate I'd forgotten the notes for my speech so I had Aty për aty; pa
to do it ad lib. planifikuar
after all in spite of the situation; The rain stopped and the game went ahead after Më në fund
nevertheless all
(Go) against the grain contrary to someone’s The artist always tried to go against the grain, Shkon kundër rrymes
feelings, principles ignoring the artistic trends of her day.
all along all the time Do you thing he’s been lying to us all along? Gjatë gjithë kohës; nga
fillimi
(be) all ears eager to listen Well, hurry up and tell me. I’m all ears. Gjithë vesh; veshët
Tell me about your first day at the new job – ngritur
I’m all ears!
all of a sudden no difference It seemed to happen all of a sudden - Papritmas
I felt dizzy and I just collapsed.
all thumbs clumsy Can you untangle this thread for me? I'm I ngathwt
all thumbs today.
apple of one’s eye very dear, precious He has five kids, but his only daughter is Molla (drita) e syrit tw
clearly the apple of his eye. dikujt
apple of discord subject of envy or  That stupid prom dress has been their apple of Mollw sherri
quarrel discord – they’re been fighting over who gets to
wear for days

now!
as a rule Generally, usually As a rule, we take the bus. Si rregull
as far as I know: if I have correct
information
as far as I am in my opinion
concerned:
as for me/ as to me: in my opinion
as well: Also, too
at first sight: from the first glance; at
once; at first glance
at odds with: in disagreement with
at random: at this time
backseat driver: a passenger who tells
you how to drive
ballpark figure: approximate estimate (in
figures)
bark at the moon: do a useless thing; waste
time
bark up the wrong accuse or pursue the
tree: wrong person; misdirect
one’s efforts
be about to: ready
be all in: be extremely tired
be back on one’s feet: healthy again or better
financially
beat around the bush: avoid giving a
clear/definite answer
be behind the times: be old-fashioned;
outdated
be beside oneself: be very upset; nervous;
worried
be better off: be in a better situation
(financially)
be broke: have no money at all; be
penniless; bankrupt
be hard on something treat roughly
or someone:
be high on one’s list: be one of the most
 important things
be in charge of be responsible for
something:
be in good health: be healthy
be in poor health: be not healthy
be in good shape: be physically fit; in good
condition
be in bad shape: be in bad state; in bad
condition
be in the red: be in debt
be on/at the point of be on the verge of
something: something; be close to
doing something
be out of date: be outdated
be out of sorts: be in bad temper
be pressed for time/for not to have enough time/
money money
be to blame: be responsible for a
mistake/for something
wrong
be touch and go: risky dangerous;
uncertain of the result
be up and around / able to be out of bed
about: after an illness
be up to one’s ears in be very busy
work:
beat around/about the avoid giving a clear or
bush: definite answer
beat one’s brains out: make great efforts often
unsuccessfully
before long: soon
big shot: important person
bite off more than one try to do more than one
can chew: can
bite the bullet: accept painful but
necessary action
bite the dust: be killed; die; suffer
defeat
bite the hand that feeds repay kindness with evil
one:
black sheep: a good-for-nothing
member of the family
blind date: a meeting between a
man and a woman (who
have never met before)
arranged by their friends
blow it: lose the chance
bottom line: main result; main factor
break someone’s heart: hurt deeply
break the ice: overcome awkwardness
or shyness
break the news (to tell important news
someone):
bring home the bacon: earn the living for the
family
by all means: Definitely; certainly
by heart: by memorizing
by hook or by crook: by any possible means
by oneself (by myself alone; on one’s own
by himself etc.):
by the way: incidentally
call a halt to Terminate; stop
something: something
call a spade a spade: use plain direct words
call it a day: consider work finished
for the day
call the shots: give orders; be in control
of something
call the tune: give orders; be the most
important person in
some situation
carry weight: be important
castles in the air: daydreaming about
success
catch someone’s eye: attract attention
catch one’s breath: stop and rest
catch someone off catch someone
guard: unprepared
catch someone red- find someone in the act
handed: of doing wrong
close call: a narrow escape; a bad
thing that almost
happened
come to one’s senses: act normally and
reasonably again
come true: become reality
cross one’s mind: occur to someone
do one’s best: try very hard
do one’s bit: do what’s needed
do someone good: be good for someone
do something behind do (harmful) things
someone’s back: secretively
down to earth: practical Me këmbë në tokë
draw the line: set a limit; impose a
restriction
duty calls: must fulfill obligations
eat one’s words: take back one’s words Ha fjalën; nuk mbaj
fjalën
every now and then: occasionally Rast pas rasti
every other: every second one
fall in love (with): begin to love
fall out of love: stop loving
false alarm: untrue signal; untrue
rumor
a far cry from not nearly as good
something:
feel it in one’s bones: expect something bad to
happen
feel like doing want to do; be inclined
something: to do something
few and far between: Rare; scarce
find fault with someone criticize; complain about
or something:
first things first: important things come
before others
fly off the handle: get angry
follow in someone’s do the same thing
footsteps:
foot the bill: pay the bill
for good: forever
for the time being: for now; at this time
frame of mind: mental state
from now on: now and in the future
from the word go: from the very beginning
get a grip on oneself: take control of one’s
feelings
get carried away: get too excited and
enthusiastic about
something
get cold feet: be afraid to do
something
get even with someone: have one’s revenge
get in touch with contact someone
someone:
get to the bottom of know deeply
something:
get to the point: speak directly about the
subject; come to the
point
Give me a break!: Stop it! Enough!
give someone a hand: help someone
go back on one’s word: break a promise
go from bad to worse: become much worse
go to pieces: get very upset; fall apart
go with the flow: lead a quiet life
have a ball: have a good time
have a bone to pick complain or discuss
with someone: something unpleasant
have a sweet tooth: love eating sweet things
have a word with talk to someone
someone:
have no business doing have no right to do
something: something
have one’s hands full: be very busy
hit the nail on the say exactly the right
head: thing
hold one’s tongue: keep silent; refrain from
speaking
ill at ease: uncomfortable
in advance: well before
in cold blood: mercilessly
in fact: actually; in reality
in hot water: in trouble; in a difficult
situation
in someone’s shoes: in another person’s Në vend të dikujt
 position
in the long run: in the end
in the same boat: in the same situation Në të njëjtën situatë
in the clear: free from blame
it goes without saying: should be clear without Është e qartë pa folur
words
jump at the accept the opportunity
opportunity: eagerly
just as soon: prefer; would rather preferoj
just in case: to be on the safe side
keep a straight face: try not to laugh Përpiqem të qëndroj
serioz
keep company: accompany shoqëroj
keep in mind: bear in mind; consider;
remember
keep one’s word: fulfill a promise Mbaj fjalën
keep someone posted: inform someone
keep one’s fingers hope that nothing will go
crossed: wrong
kill time: fill time; spend empty Vras kohën
time
know the ropes: be very familiar with
some business
lay one’s cards on the be frank and open
table:
lay one’s life on the put oneself in a
line: dangerous situation
lead a dog’s life: live in misery Bëj jetë qeni
leave word: leave a message Lë fjalë
let go of something: release the hold
let one’s hair down: be relaxed and informal
with other people
let someone know: inform someone
like father like son be like one’s parent in Si babai dhe I biri
something
little by little: step by step; bit by bit;
gradually
lose one’s temper: become angry
lose one’s way: get lost
lose track of someone: not to know where
someone is
lucky break: a lucky chance
make a living: earn money to provide
for life
make allowance(s) for take into consideration
something: when judging
make a point of: be sure to do something
intentionally
make friends: become friends
make fun of someone laugh at; joke about
or something:
make room for allow space for someone
someone:
make up one’s mind: decide
make yourself at home: be comfortable; feel at Rri si në shtëpi
home
mean well: have good intentions
might as well: maybe it’s a good idea
never mind: don’t worry about it
now and again: occasionally; now and Rast pas rasti
then
off the cuff: without preparation
off the point: beside the point
off the record: not for the public;
unofficially
once and for all: decidedly
on credit: not having to pay cash
right away
on edge: Nervous; irritable
on guard: on the alert
on hand: available Në dorë
on one hand/on the one considering one side of Nga njëra anë
hand: the question
on one’s toes: Alert; attentive; prepared
for difficulties
on purpose: intentionally Me qëllim
on second thought: after thinking again
on the alert: on guard
on the carpet: called in by the boss for
criticism
on the go: on the move; busy;
active
on the other hand: considering the other Nga ana tjetër
side of the question
on the spot: right there
on the spur of the without previous thought
moment: or plan
on the tip of one’s on the verge of saying Në majë të gjuhës
tongue: but unable to remember
out of one’s mind: crazy
out of one’s way: away from one’s usual
route
out of the question: not to be considered;
impossible
pack rat: a person who saves lots
of unnecessary things
pay attention: note something; be
attentive to something
pick a fight: start a quarrel
put one’s foot down: object strongly
right away: immediately menjëherë
ring a bell: remind someone of
something familiar but
half-forgotten
see red: become very angry
take a break: stop for rest
take it easy: relax; be calm
take something for
granted: accept as given

take steps: take action; take Marr masa

measures
take time: take a long time Merr kohë
twist someone’s arm: force someone to agree I përdredh krahun dikujt
under the weather: feeling a little ill/a little
unwell
up-and-coming: showing promise of
future success
up in the air: Undecided; unsettled Në ajër
up to date: modern latest current
walk on air: be very happy
waste one’s breath: speak uselessly to no I harxhoj frymën dikujt
purpose
watch one’s step: behave prudently; be Shikoj/kontrolloj hapat
careful
white lie: unimportant lie Gënjeshtër e bardhë
word for word: in the same words Fjalë për fjalë