Idioms
Colorful English · 335 words
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The words
335 words
- a ballpark figurephrase · C1A rough guess at a number, close enough to work with.
- a blessing in disguisephrase · C1Bad luck that secretly turns out to be good.
- a can of wormsphrase · C1A problem that spills into endless new problems once opened.
- a drop in the oceanphrase · C1An amount far too small to make any difference.
- a fresh pair of eyesphrase · B2Somebody new looking at a problem you have stared at too long.
- a hard nut to crackphrase · C1A problem or a person that is very difficult to deal with.
- a home from homephrase · B2A place where you feel as comfortable as in your own house.
- a leopard cannot change its spotsphrase · C1People do not really alter their nature.
- a piece of my mindphrase · C1An angry telling-off you give someone who deserves it.
- a piece of the piephrase · C1Your fair share of the money or benefits.
- a sight for sore eyesphrase · C1Somebody or something you are very glad to see.
- a slippery slopephrase · B2A small wrong step that leads to much worse ones.
- a stitch in time saves ninephrase · C1Deal with a small problem now and avoid a big one later.
- a stone's throw awayphrase · B2Very close by indeed.
- a taste of their own medicinephrase · B2Treatment as unpleasant as what they gave others.
- a tidy sumphrase · C1A considerably larger amount of money than expected.
- achilles heelphrase · C1The one weak point in somebody otherwise strong.
- actions speak louder than words/ˈak.ʃənz spiːk ˈlaʊ̯d.ə ˌðan wɜːdz/<q:contemporary>phrase · B2The saying: what people do proves more than what they say.
- add fuel to the firephrase · B2To make an angry situation worse.
- against the clockphrase · B2Hurrying to finish before time runs out.
- all in good timephrase · B2Be patient, it will happen when it should.
- all mod consphrase · C2All the modern comforts a home can have.
- an act of godphrase · C1A disaster no person could have prevented.
- apples and orangesphrase · B2Two things too different to be compared fairly.
- around the clockphrase · B2All day and all night without stopping.
- as the crow fliesphrase · C1Measured in a straight line, ignoring the roads.
- at a loose endphrase · C1With nothing in particular to do.
- at the drop of a hatphrase · B2Immediately, and without needing to be asked twice.
- at the eleventh hourphrase · C1At the very last possible moment.
- back on your feetphrase · B2Recovered and going about normally again.
- back to square onephrase · B2Forced to start all over again from the beginning.
- barking up the wrong treephrase · C1Blaming or pursuing entirely the wrong thing.
- beat around the bush/ˈbiːt əˌɹaʊ̯nd ðə bʊʃ/phrase · C1To avoid saying the main thing directly.
- before your timephrase · B2Happening earlier than you can remember.
- behind barsphrase · B2In prison.
- below parphrase · C1Not as good as the usual standard.
- bend over backwardsphrase · C1To try extremely hard to please someone.
- beside the pointphrase · B2Not related to what actually matters.
- big mouthphrase · B2Somebody who cannot keep a secret.
- bite off more than you can chewphrase · B2To take on more than you are able to manage.
- bite the bulletphrase · C1To finally face something painful you have been avoiding.
- blot on the landscapephrase · C2Something ugly that spoils an otherwise fine view.
- born with a silver spoon in your mouthphrase · C1Born into wealth and privilege.
- break a legphrase · B2What actors say to wish each other good luck.
- break the bankphrase · B2To cost more than you can possibly afford.
- break the ice/ˈbɹeɪk ði ˈaɪs/phrase · B2To say something that melts the awkwardness between strangers.
- break the mouldphrase · C1To do something in a completely new way.
- build bridges/bɪld ˈbɹɪd͡ʒɪz/phrase · B2To repair a relationship between people.
- burn bridgesphrase · C1To end relationships so badly you can never go back.
- burn the midnight oilphrase · C1To work late into the night.
- burn your bridgesphrase · C1To destroy a relationship you might have needed.
- burst someone's bubblephrase · C1To spoil somebody's happy illusion.
- bury the hatchetphrase · C1To agree to stop fighting and forget the quarrel.
- bury your head in the sandphrase · B2To refuse to face a problem you know is there.
- call it a dayphrase · B2To decide you have worked enough and stop.
- catch somebody's driftphrase · C1To grasp the general point somebody is making.
- caught red-handedphrase · C1Discovered in the very act of doing wrong.
- chalk and cheesephrase · C1Two things that could not be more unalike.
- change your tunephrase · C1To suddenly say the opposite of what you said before.
- child's play/ˈt͡ʃaɪldz ˌpleɪ/phrase · B2So simple that anyone could manage it.
- clean as a whistlephrase · C1Perfectly clean, or completely free of blame.
- clean slatephrase · C1A fresh start with all past mistakes wiped away.
- clear the airphrase · B2To talk openly and remove bad feeling.
- cold feetphrase · B2Sudden fear just before a big step, like a wedding.
- come cleanphrase · B2To admit the truth at last.
- come rain or shinephrase · B2Whatever happens, without fail.
- common groundphrase · B2The part of a disagreement both sides can accept.
- commuter beltphrase · C1The ring of towns people travel from into a city for work.
- concrete junglephrase · B2A city of hard buildings with nothing green in it.
- cost an arm and a legphrase · B2To be terribly expensive.
- cost the earthphrase · B2To be outrageously expensive.
- couch potato/ˈkaʊtʃ pəˌteɪtəʊ/phrase · B2A person who lies on the sofa watching TV all day.
- cover all the basesphrase · C1To prepare for every possibility.
- cross that bridge when you come to itphrase · C1To deal with a problem only when it actually arrives.
- cry over spilled milkphrase · B2To waste sadness on a small mistake already made.
- curiosity killed the cat/kjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ɪ.ti kɪld ðə ˈkæt/phrase · C1The warning that asking too much can get you in trouble.
- cut cornersphrase · C1To do a job cheaply and carelessly to save time or money.
- cut your lossesphrase · B2To stop before a bad situation gets worse.
- devil's advocatephrase · C1Someone who argues the opposite side just to test the idea.
- don't judge a book by its coverphrase · B2The saying: appearances tell you little about what is inside.
- down on your luckphrase · B2Going through a bad patch with no money.
- down to earthphrase · B2Practical, modest, and easy to talk to.
- draw a blankphrase · B2To search your memory and find nothing there.
- draw the linephrase · B2To decide how far is far enough, and refuse to go past it.
- draw the short strawphrase · C1To be the one landed with the worst job.
- drop in the oceanphrase · C1An amount far too small to matter against the need.
- early birdphrase · B2A person who happily wakes at dawn.
- eat your wordsphrase · C1To have to admit that what you said was wrong.
- elephant in the roomphrase · C1The huge obvious problem everyone politely ignores.
- every cloud has a silver lining[eːvɹi kʰlɑʊd hæz ə sɪlvɚ laiːnɪŋ]phrase · B2The saying: something good hides in every bad situation.
- face the music/ˌfeɪs ðə ˈmjuːzɪk/phrase · C1To accept the punishment for what you did.
- fall short/fɔl ʃoɹt/phrase · B2To fail to reach the standard needed.
- fifty-fiftyphrase · B1Shared equally, or as likely one way as the other.
- fit as a fiddle/ˈfɪt æz ə ˈfɪdl̩/phrase · C1In excellent health.
- fly off the handlephrase · B2To lose your temper very suddenly.
- follow your nosephrase · B2To go straight on, or to trust your instinct.
- food for thoughtphrase · C1An idea worth chewing over in your mind.
- foot in mouthphrase · C2The habit of saying exactly the wrong thing.
- for good/fə ˈɡʊd/phrase · B1Permanently, and with no going back.
- get on like a house on firephrase · B2To take to each other immediately and warmly.
- get something off your chestphrase · C1To say the thing that has been troubling you.
- get the upper handphrase · B2To gain the advantage over somebody.
- get the wrong end of the stickphrase · B2To misunderstand what somebody meant.
- get to the pointphrase · B1To say the important thing without delay.
- get your act togetherphrase · B2To organise yourself and start doing things properly.
- get your own wayphrase · B2To make things go exactly as you wanted.
- give and takephrase · B2The mutual yielding that keeps a relationship working.
- give it your allphrase · B2To hold nothing back in your effort.
- give somebody your wordphrase · B2To promise faithfully.
- give something a missphrase · B2To decide not to go or not to take part.
- give the benefit of the doubtphrase · B2To believe somebody when you cannot be sure.
- give the game awayphrase · C1To reveal what should have been hidden.
- go halvesphrase · B2To split the cost equally between two.
- go the extra mile/ˈɡəʊ ði ˈɛk.stɹə ˈmaɪl/phrase · B2To do more than duty requires.
- go to your headphrase · B2To make you conceited, or to make you tipsy.
- go with the flowphrase · B2To accept what happens rather than fight it.
- green thumbphrase · C1A natural talent for making plants grow.
- grin and bear itphrase · C1To put up with something unpleasant without complaint.
- hang in therephrase · B2What you tell someone struggling: keep going, do not quit.
- have a change of heartphrase · B2To come round to feeling quite differently.
- have a lot on your platephrase · B2To be dealing with more work and worry than fits.
- have green fingersphrase · B2To be very good at making plants grow.
- have second thoughtsphrase · B2To start doubting a decision you made.
- have the upper handphrase · B2To be in the stronger position.
- have time on your handsphrase · B2To have more free time than you know what to do with.
- have your wits about youphrase · C1To stay alert and ready to react.
- heart of goldphrase · B2A deeply kind and generous nature.
- hit the booksphrase · B2To start studying seriously.
- hit the hayphrase · C1To go to bed.
- hit the nail on the headphrase · C1To describe a situation exactly right.
- hit the roadphrase · B2To leave and start your journey.
- hit the sackphrase · C1To go to bed.
- hold your horsesphrase · B2What you say to make someone slow down and wait.
- hold your tonguephrase · B2To stop yourself from saying what you are thinking.
- home sweet home/həʊm swiːt həʊm/phrase · B1The comfort of being back in your own house.
- in a nutshellphrase · B2Summed up in the fewest possible words.
- in donkey's yearsphrase · C1In a very long time indeed.
- in hot waterphrase · B2In serious trouble.
- in somebody's good booksphrase · B2In favour with somebody at the moment.
- in the dark/ɪn ðə dɑːk/phrase · B2Kept without the information you need.
- in the middle of nowherephrase · B1Far from any town or anything at all.
- in the nick of timephrase · B2At the very last possible moment.
- in the same boatphrase · B2Facing the very same difficult situation as the others.
- in the sticksphrase · C1Out in the remote countryside, far from the city.
- it's not rocket sciencephrase · B2Said of something that is really not hard to understand.
- jump on the bandwagonphrase · C1To join something only because it has become popular.
- jump the gunphrase · B2To start before it is time.
- keep a straight facephrase · B2To stop yourself laughing when you want to.
- keep an eye onphrase · B2To watch something carefully so nothing goes wrong.
- keep it under your hatphrase · C1To keep something secret.
- keep somebody postedphrase · B2To keep telling somebody the latest news.
- keep something under your hatphrase · C1To keep a secret to yourself.
- keep up with the jonesesphrase · C1To try to match your neighbours' possessions.
- keep your chin upphrase · B2To stay cheerful when things are hard.
- keep your hair onphrase · C1Calm down and stop getting angry.
- keep your headphrase · B2To stay calm when everybody else is panicking.
- kick yourselfphrase · B2To be annoyed at yourself for a missed chance.
- kill timephrase · B2To do something unimportant while you wait.
- kill two birds with one stonephrase · B2To finish two tasks with a single action.
- knee-high to a grasshopperphrase · C2Very small, as a young child is.
- know something inside outphrase · B2To know a subject thoroughly in every detail.
- know the drillphrase · B2To be familiar with the usual routine.
- know what is whatphrase · C1To understand how things really work.
- lay your cards on the tablephrase · C1To say openly what you want and what you have.
- learn the ropes/ˈlɜːn ðə ˈɹəʊps/phrase · C1To master the basics of a new job or activity.
- leave no stone unturnedphrase · C1To search absolutely everywhere.
- let nature take its coursephrase · B2To let things happen without interfering.
- let off steamphrase · B2To release built-up energy or anger harmlessly.
- let sleeping dogs liephrase · C1To leave an old problem alone rather than stir it up again.
- let the cat out of the bagphrase · C1To reveal a secret by mistake.
- let your hair downphrase · B2To relax completely and stop behaving formally.
- level playing fieldnoun · C1A situation where nobody has an unfair advantage.
- life and soul of the partyphrase · B2The person who makes a gathering go with a swing.
- life of the partyphrase · B2The person who makes an occasion lively.
- like two peas in a podphrase · B2So alike that you can hardly tell them apart.
- line your pocketsphrase · C1To make money dishonestly from your position.
- live and let livephrase · B2To accept others' ways and expect the same in return.
- live hand to mouthphrase · C1To have only just enough to survive on.
- lock stock and barrelphrase · C1Completely, including every last part.
- look a gift horse in the mouthphrase · C1To find fault with something given to you freely.
- lose your bearingsphrase · C1To stop knowing where you are or which way to go.
- lose your nervephrase · B2To find your courage gone at the last moment.
- make a beeline forphrase · C1To head straight towards something without delay.
- make ends meetphrase · B2To just manage to pay for life on the money you have.
- make yourself at homephrase · B1Relax here and behave as if it were your own place.
- many hands make light workphrase · C1A job is easy when everybody helps.
- meet halfwayphrase · B2To settle by each side moving the same distance.
- mend fencesphrase · C1To put a quarrel right and be friends again.
- miss the boatphrase · C1To lose an opportunity by acting too late.
- neither here nor therephrase · C1Not relevant to the point being discussed.
- night owl/ˈnaɪt aʊl/phrase · B2A person who comes alive after midnight.
- no pain, no gainphrase · B2The gym saying: results demand suffering.
- no rhyme or reasonphrase · C1No sense or pattern to it whatsoever.
- not have a leg to stand onphrase · C1To have no evidence or argument at all.
- not see the wood for the treesphrase · C1To be so lost in detail that you miss the whole.
- off the beaten trackphrase · B2Away from the places most people go.
- off the recordphrase · C1Said privately, not to be quoted or published.
- off the top of my headphrase · B2Answering from memory, without checking.
- on a whimphrase · C1Acting on a sudden fancy rather than a plan.
- on cloud ninephrase · B2Floating with pure happiness.
- on good termsphrase · B2On friendly footing with somebody.
- on the ballphrase · C1Alert, quick, and on top of everything.
- on the fencephrase · C1Still undecided between the two sides.
- on the grapevinephrase · C1By word of mouth passed informally from person to person.
- on the mendphrase · B2Getting better after being ill.
- on the same pagephrase · B2Agreeing and understanding things the same way.
- on the same wavelengthphrase · B2Understanding each other without having to explain.
- on the spur of the momentphrase · B2Decided suddenly, with no planning at all.
- on the tip of my tonguephrase · B2Almost remembered, and refusing to arrive.
- on the townphrase · C1Out enjoying the bars and clubs of a city.
- on thin icephrase · B2In a risky position where one more mistake means trouble.
- once bitten, twice shyphrase · C1The saying: after being hurt, you are careful ever after.
- once in a blue moon/wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/phrase · B2Happening extremely rarely.
- open a can of wormsphrase · C1To start something that creates many new problems.
- out of the blue/aʊt əv ðə ˈbluː/phrase · B2Completely without warning.
- out of this worldphrase · B2So good that it seems beyond anything ordinary.
- over the topphrase · B2Far more extreme than the occasion called for.
- par for the course/ˈpɑː fə ðə ˈkɔːs/phrase · C1Exactly the sort of trouble you should have expected.
- party poopernoun · C1A person who ruins the mood of a celebration.
- pass the buckphrase · C1To push responsibility onto somebody else.
- piece of cake/ˈpiːsə(v)ˈkeɪk/phrase · B1Something extremely easy to do.
- play devil's advocatephrase · C1To argue the opposite side to test an idea.
- play it by earphrase · C1To decide as you go rather than plan ahead.
- pour cold water onphrase · C1To dampen somebody's enthusiasm for an idea.
- practice makes perfectphrase · B2The saying: repeat something enough and you master it.
- pride of placephrase · C1The best and most prominent position of all.
- pros and consphrase · B2The points for and against a decision.
- pull out all the stops/ˈpʊl‿aʊt‿ɔːl ðə ˈstɒps/phrase · C1To make every possible effort.
- pull someone's legphrase · B2To tease someone by making them believe a joke.
- pull stringsphrase · C1To use private influence to get something arranged.
- pull yourself togetherphrase · B2To force yourself calm after falling apart.
- push the envelope/ˌpʊʃ ðiː ˈɛnvələʊp/phrase · C1To go past the usual limits of what is done.
- put something in perspectivephrase · B2To see how much a thing really matters beside others.
- put two and two togetherphrase · C1To work out the truth from the clues you have.
- put your feet upphrase · B2To sit back and rest properly.
- put your foot in itphrase · C1To say something that causes embarrassment.
- rain on someone's paradephrase · C1To spoil somebody's enjoyment of their moment.
- raining cats and dogsphrase · B1Pouring with very heavy rain.
- raise the barphrase · B2To set a higher standard than before.
- read between the linesphrase · B2To find the meaning that is hinted but never said.
- recharge your batteriesphrase · B2To rest until your energy comes back.
- reinvent the wheel/ˌɹiːɪnˌvɛnt ðə ˈ(h)wiːl/phrase · C1To waste effort making again what already exists.
- ring a bellphrase · B2To sound faintly familiar without quite coming back.
- rock the boatphrase · B2To disturb a situation that was going along quietly.
- rocket sciencephrase · B2Something so complicated that ordinary people cannot follow it.
- round the bendphrase · C1Driven mad or completely irrational.
- rule of thumbphrase · C1A rough practical guide that works most of the time.
- run-of-the-milladjective · C1Perfectly ordinary; nothing special.
- satellite townphrase · C1A smaller town depending on a nearby city.
- second thoughtsphrase · B2Fresh doubts about a decision you already made.
- see eye to eyephrase · B2To agree completely with someone.
- set your heart onphrase · B2To want one particular thing above all others.
- show someone the ropesphrase · C1To teach a newcomer how things work.
- sit on the fencephrase · C1To refuse to pick a side.
- six of one and half a dozen of the otherphrase · C2Two options that amount to exactly the same.
- skeleton in the closetnoun · C1A shameful secret from the past.
- sleep like a log/ˈsliːp laɪk ə ˈlɔɡ/phrase · B2To sleep so deeply that nothing wakes you.
- sleep on itphrase · B2To wait until tomorrow before deciding.
- slow on the uptakephrase · C1Taking longer than others to understand.
- smell a rat/ˈsmɛl ə ˈɹæt/phrase · C1To sense that something dishonest is going on.
- soft touchnoun · C1Somebody who is easily persuaded to give or help.
- speak of the devilphrase · C1Said when the person you were just discussing walks in.
- speak volumesphrase · C1To say a great deal without any words at all.
- spill the beans/ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/phrase · B2To let out a secret by accident or on purpose.
- split hairsphrase · C1To argue over differences too fine to matter.
- splitting hairsphrase · C1Arguing over a difference too small to matter.
- squander awayphrase · C1To fritter a fortune or a chance until nothing is left.
- stand your groundphrase · B2To refuse to be moved by pressure.
- start from scratchphrase · B2To begin again with nothing prepared.
- steal someone's thunderphrase · C1To take the attention that was meant for someone else's moment.
- steal the showphrase · B2To attract all the attention away from everyone else.
- stick to your gunsphrase · C1To hold to your position under pressure.
- stir up troublephrase · B2To deliberately cause difficulty between people.
- stop dead in your tracksphrase · C1To halt instantly out of shock or surprise.
- sweep it under the carpetphrase · C1To hide a problem instead of dealing with it.
- sweet toothphrase · B2A strong love of sugary treats.
- take a short cutphrase · B1To go by a quicker route, or to skip proper steps.
- take it easyphrase · B1To relax and not push yourself.
- take stockphrase · C1To pause and review how things actually stand.
- take the blamephrase · B1To accept fault, whether or not it was yours.
- take the law into your own handsphrase · C1To punish somebody yourself instead of using the courts.
- take the plungephrase · B2To finally commit to something you have been putting off.
- take the scenic routephrase · B2To go the long and pretty way round.
- take the wind out of your sailsphrase · C1To take away your confidence suddenly.
- take with a pinch of saltphrase · C1To not fully believe what you are told.
- tall order/ˈtɔːl ˈɔːdə/noun · C1A request that will be very difficult to meet.
- tell talesphrase · B2To report somebody's wrongdoing to get them into trouble.
- the ball is in your courtphrase · C1It is now your turn to decide or act.
- the best of both worldsphrase · B2Enjoying the advantages of two options at once.
- the bigger picturephrase · B2The whole situation, rather than the detail in front of you.
- the calm before the stormphrase · C1The strange quiet just before trouble breaks loose.
- the cold shoulderphrase · C1Deliberate unfriendly silence toward someone.
- the edge overphrase · C1A slight advantage that puts you in front.
- the icing on the cakephrase · B2An extra pleasure on top of something already good.
- the last strawphrase · B2The final small problem that makes you finally explode.
- the last wordphrase · B2The final remark in an argument, and the winning of it.
- the luck of the drawphrase · C1Whatever chance happens to hand you.
- the other dayphrase · A2Recently, on a day not worth naming.
- the powers that bephrase · C1The people in authority, whoever they may be.
- the tip of the icebergnoun · B2The small visible part of a much bigger problem.
- the tools of the tradephrase · C1The equipment a particular job requires.
- the whole nine yards/ðə ˌhoʊl ˌnaɪn ˈjɑɹdz/phrase · C1Absolutely everything that goes with it.
- through thick and thinphrase · C1Staying loyal in good times and terrible ones alike.
- throw in the towelphrase · C1To admit defeat and give up, as a boxer's corner does.
- throw the book at somebodyphrase · C2To punish somebody with every charge available.
- tighten your beltphrase · C1To spend less because money is short.
- time fliesphrase · B2What we say when hours or years seem to pass in a blink.
- tip of the iceberg/ˈtɪp‿əv ðiː ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/phrase · B2The small visible part of a much bigger hidden problem.
- too many cooksphrase · C1Too many people involved will spoil the work.
- turn a blind eye/ˈtɜːn ə ˌblaɪ̯nd ˈaɪ̯/phrase · C1To pretend not to notice something wrong.
- turn over a new leafphrase · B2To make a fresh start and behave better.
- turn the tablesphrase · C1To reverse a situation so you now have the advantage.
- under somebody's thumbphrase · C1Completely controlled by another person.
- under the weather/ˈʌndə ðə ˈwɛðə/phrase · B2Feeling slightly ill.
- under your nosephrase · B2Right in front of you the whole time, yet unnoticed.
- up in armsphrase · C1Angrily protesting about something.
- up in the airphrase · B2Still undecided; nothing is settled yet.
- up with the larkphrase · C2Awake very early in the morning.
- uphill battlenoun · B2A struggle that is hard the whole way.
- variety is the spice of lifephrase · C1Change and difference are what make living enjoyable.
- vicious circlephrase · C1A loop where each problem keeps causing the other.
- walk in the parkphrase · B2Something pleasantly easy.
- water under the bridgephrase · B2An old quarrel that no longer matters.
- wet blanketnoun · C1Somebody who spoils other people's fun.
- when pigs flyphrase · B2A mocking way to say something will never happen.
- white liephrase · B2A small harmless untruth told to spare someone's feelings.
- wild goose chasephrase · C1A long hopeless search for something you will never find.
- wing itphrase · C1To do something without any preparation.
- word of mouthphrase · B2News that spreads from person to person, not from ads.
- work like a charmphrase · B2To succeed perfectly and immediately.
- worlds apartphrase · B2Completely different from one another.
- worth its weight in goldphrase · B2So useful that no price would be too high.
- your flesh and bloodphrase · C1Your own family, whom you cannot disown.
- your guess is as good as minephrase · B2A way of saying: I have no idea either.