The most common English idioms

These English idioms are extremely common in everyday conversa on in the United States. You will
hear them in movies and TV shows and can use them to make your English sound more like that of
a na ve speaker.

Idiom Meaning Usage

as part of a
A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first
sentence
as part of a
A dime a dozen Something common
sentence
Avoid saying what you mean, usually because as part of a
Beat around the bush
it is uncomfortable sentence
Be er late than never Be er to arrive late than not to come at all by itself
To get something over with because it is as part of a
Bite the bullet
inevitable sentence
Break a leg Good luck by itself
as part of a
Call it a day Stop working on something
sentence
as part of a
Cut somebody some slack Don't be so cri cal
sentence
Doing something poorly in order to save me as part of a
Cu ng corners
or money sentence
Easy does it Slow down by itself
as part of a
Get out of hand Get out of control
sentence
Get something out of your Do the thing you've been wan ng to do so as part of a
system you can move on sentence
Get your act together Work be er or leave by itself
Give someone the benefit of as part of a
Trust what someone says
the doubt sentence
as part of a
Go back to the drawing board Start over
sentence
Hang in there Don't give up by itself
as part of a
Hit the sack Go to sleep
sentence
It's not rocket science It's not complicated by itself
Let someone off the hook To not hold someone responsible for as part of a
Idiom Meaning Usage
something sentence
as part of a
Make a long story short Tell something briefly
sentence
as part of a
Miss the boat It's too late
sentence
No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want by itself
as part of a
On the ball Doing a good job
sentence
as part of a
Pull someone's leg To joke with someone
sentence
Pull yourself together Calm down by itself
So far so good Things are going well so far by itself
The person we were just talking about
Speak of the devil by itself
showed up!
That's the last straw My pa ence has run out by itself
as part of a
The best of both worlds An ideal situa on
sentence
Time flies when you're having You don't no ce how long something lasts
by itself
fun when it's fun
as part of a
To get bent out of shape To get upset
sentence
as part of a
To make ma ers worse Make a problem worse
sentence
as part of a
Under the weather Sick
sentence
We'll cross that bridge when
Let's not talk about that problem right now by itself
we come to it
Wrap your head around as part of a
Understand something complicated
something sentence
You can say that again That's true, I agree by itself
Your guess is as good as mine I have no idea by itself
Common English idioms & expressions
These English idioms are used quite regularly in the United States. You may not hear them every
day, but they will be very familiar to any na ve English speaker. You can be confident using any of
them when the context is appropriate.

Idiom Meaning Usage

A bird in the hand is worth two What you have is worth more than what
by itself
in the bush you might have later
A penny for your thoughts Tell me what you're thinking by itself
A penny saved is a penny earned Money you save today you can spend later by itself
as part of a
A perfect storm the worst possible situa on
sentence
A picture is worth 1000 words Be er to show than tell by itself
Believe what people do and not what they
Ac ons speak louder than words by itself
say
as part of a
Add insult to injury To make a bad situa on worse
sentence
To be mistaken, to be looking for solu ons as part of a
Barking up the wrong tree
in the wrong place sentence
People who are alike are o en friends
Birds of a feather flock together by itself
(usually used nega vely)
as part of a
Bite off more than you can chew Take on a project that you cannot finish
sentence
as part of a
Break the ice Make people feel more comfortable
sentence
as part of a
By the skin of your teeth Just barely
sentence
Comparing two things that cannot be as part of a
Comparing apples to oranges
compared sentence
as part of a
Costs an arm and a leg Very expensive
sentence
Do something at the drop of a Do something without having planned as part of a
hat beforehand sentence
Do unto others as you would Treat people fairly. Also known as "The
by itself
have them do unto you Golden Rule"
Don't count your chickens Don't count on something good happening
by itself
before they hatch un l it's happened.
Don't cry over spilt milk There's no reason to complain about by itself
Idiom Meaning Usage
something that can't be fixed
Don't give up your day job You're not very good at this by itself
Don't put all your eggs in one
What you're doing is too risky by itself
basket
Every cloud has a silver lining Good things come a er bad things by itself
Get a taste of your own Get treated the way you've been trea ng as part of a
medicine others (nega ve) sentence
as part of a
Give someone the cold shoulder Ignore someone
sentence
as part of a
Go on a wild goose chase To do something pointless
sentence
Good things come to those who
Be pa ent by itself
wait
He has bigger things to take care of than
He has bigger fish to fry by itself
what we are talking about now
He's a chip off the old block The son is like the father by itself
Hit the nail on the head Get something exactly right by itself
Ignorance is bliss You're be er off not knowing by itself
It ain't over ll the fat lady sings This isn't over yet by itself
It takes one to know one You're just as bad as I am by itself
It's a piece of cake It's easy by itself
It's raining cats and dogs It's raining hard by itself
Kill two birds with one stone Get two things done with a single ac on by itself
as part of a
Let the cat out of the bag Give away a secret
sentence
Live and learn I made a mistake by itself
Look before you leap Take only calculated risks by itself
On proba on. If you make another mistake, as part of a
On thin ice
there will be trouble. sentence
as part of a
Once in a blue moon Rarely
sentence
To argue the opposite, just for the sake of as part of a
Play devil's advocate
argument sentence
Put something on ice Put a projet on hold as part of a
Idiom Meaning Usage
sentence
as part of a
Rain on someone's parade To spoil something
sentence
as part of a
Saving for a rainy day Saving money for later
sentence
Slow and steady wins the race Reliability is more important than speed by itself
as part of a
Spill the beans Give away a secret
sentence
as part of a
Take a rain check Postpone a plan
sentence
as part of a
Take it with a grain of salt Don’t take it too seriously
sentence
The ball is in your court It's your decision by itself
as part of a
The best thing since sliced bread A really good inven on
sentence
It looks good from a distance, but when you
The devil is in the details by itself
look closer, there are problems
The first people who arrive will get the best
The early bird gets the worm by itself
stuff
The big issue, the problem people are as part of a
The elephant in the room
avoiding sentence
as part of a
The whole nine yards Everything, all the way.
sentence
It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will
There are other fish in the sea by itself
arise.
There's a method to his
He seems crazy but actually he's clever by itself
madness
There's no such thing as a free
Nothing is en rely free by itself
lunch
as part of a
Throw cau on to the wind Take a risk
sentence
You can't have your cake and eat
You can't have everything by itself
it too
You can't judge a book by its This person or thing may look bad, but it's
by itself
cover good inside
Familiar English idioms & proverbs
These English idioms and proverbs are familiar and easily understood by na ve English speakers,
but they are not usually used in everyday conversa on. If you haven't mastered the more frequent
idioms yet, they are a be er place to start, but if you're already familiar with those expressions,
the idioms below will further spice up your English.

Idiom Meaning Usage

People who don't understand
A li le learning is a dangerous thing by itself
something fully are dangerous
Events have momentum and build upon as part of a
A snowball effect
each other sentence
as part of a
A snowball's chance in hell No chance at all
sentence
Fix the problem now because it will get
A s tch in me saves nine by itself
worse later
as part of a
A storm in a teacup A big fuss about a small problem
sentence
An apple a day keeps the doctor
Apples are good for you by itself
away
An ounce of preven on is worth a You can prevent a problem with li le
by itself
pound of cure effort. Fixing it later is harder.
as part of a
As right as rain Perfect
sentence
Something that happened without as part of a
Bolt from the blue
warning sentence
as part of a
Burn bridges Destroy rela onships
sentence
Something bad is coming, but right now as part of a
Calm before the storm
it's calm sentence
as part of a
Come rain or shine No ma er what
sentence
Curiosity killed the cat Stop asking ques ons by itself
as part of a
Cut the mustard Do a good job
sentence
Don't beat a dead horse Move on, this subject is over by itself
Every dog has his day Everyone gets a chance at least once by itself
The be er you know someone the less
Familiarity breeds contempt by itself
you like him
Idiom Meaning Usage
as part of a
Fit as a fiddle In good health
sentence
Fortune favours the bold Take risks by itself
Have more energy a er having been as part of a
Get a second wind
red sentence
as part of a
Get wind of something Hear news of something secret
sentence
as part of a
Go down in flames Fail spectacularly
sentence
You'll make mistakes if you rush through
Haste makes waste by itself
something
as part of a
Have your head in the clouds Not be concentra ng
sentence
He who laughs last laughs loudest I'll get you back for what you did by itself
Hear something straight from the Hear something from the person as part of a
horse's mouth involved sentence
He's not playing with a full deck He's dumb by itself
He's off his rocker He's crazy by itself
He's si ng on the fence He can't make up his mind by itself
It is a poor workman who blames his If you can't do the job, don't blame it on
by itself
tools others
It is always darkest before the dawn Things are going to get be er by itself
One person alone isn't responsible. Both
It takes two to tango by itself
people are involved.
Follow a trend, do what everyone else is as part of a
Jump on the bandwagon
doing sentence
Understand the situa on (usually as part of a
Know which way the wind is blowing
nega ve) sentence
as part of a
Leave no stone unturned Look everywhere
sentence
as part of a
Let sleeping dogs lie Stop discussing an issue
sentence
as part of a
Like riding a bicycle Something you never forget how to do
sentence
as part of a
Like two peas in a pod They're always together
sentence
Idiom Meaning Usage
as part of a
Make hay while the sun shines Take advantage of a good situa on
sentence
as part of a
On cloud nine Very happy
sentence
You're more cau ous when you've been
Once bi en, twice shy by itself
hurt before
Out of the frying pan and into the
Things are going from bad to worse by itself
fire
as part of a
Run like the wind Run fast
sentence
Shape up or ship out Work be er or leave by itself
as part of a
Snowed under Busy
sentence
That ship has sailed It's too late by itself
Someone cri cizing someone else he is as part of a
The pot calling the ke le black
just as bad sentence
There are clouds on the horizon Trouble is coming by itself
Those who live in glass houses People who are morally ques onable
by itself
shouldn't throw stones shouldn't cri cize others
as part of a
Through thick and thin In good mes and in bad mes
sentence
Time is money Work quickly by itself
Don't waste things and you'll always
Waste not, want not by itself
have enough
We see eye to eye We agree by itself
as part of a
Weather the storm Go through something difficult
sentence
Well begun is half done Ge ng a good start is important by itself
When it rains it pours Everything is going wrong at once by itself
You can catch more flies with honey
You'll get what you want by being nice by itself
than you can with vinegar
You can lead a horse to water, but You can't force someone to make the
by itself
you can't make him drink right decision
You can't make an omelet without There's always a cost to doing
by itself
breaking some eggs something