Common idioms

Idioms are sayings that do not make sense by analysing each word, they only make sense when taken as a whole. Here follows a list of 47 common idioms and what they mean.

1. Break a leg - good luck
2. Hit the sack - go to sleep
3. Beat around the bush - to avoid getting to the point
4. By the skin of your teeth - barely managed
5. Actions speak louder than words - a person’s actions are a better indication of their character than what they say
6. Bite the bullet - take action on the impending hardship
7. A penny for your thoughts -aAn invitation to a person lost in thought to share what’s on their mind
8. Go back to the drawing board - start again from the beginning
9. Get out of hand - get out of control
10. Don’t bite off more than you can chew - don’t take on more than you can manage
11. Cutting corners - doing something poorly to save time or money
12. Come rain or shine - whatever happens
13. At the drop of a hat - without hesitation
14. Call it a day - to decide or agree to stop doing something
15. Better late than never - better to arrive late than not to come at all
16. Don’t beat a dead horse - don’t keep talking about a subject that has already been discussed or decided
17. Don’t give up your day job - suggesting to someone that they wouldn’t be able to succeed at something professionally
18. Hang in there - persevere
19. Cut someone some slack - allow someone some leeway in their conduct
20. Barking up the wrong tree - making a mistake or a false assumption in something you are trying to achieve
21. Break the ice - to break down social formality
22. Add insult to injury - to make a bad situation worse
23. Don’t cry over spilled milk - there’s no use in being upset over situations that have already happened and cannot be changed
24. A blessing in disguise - an apparent misfortune that works to the eventual benefit of the recipient
25. Costs and arm and a leg - costs a lot of money
26. Let someone off the hook - to not hold someone responsible for something
27. On the ball - doing a good job
28. Pull someone’s leg - to joke with someone
29. Speak of the devil and the devil appears - the person we’re talking about has just turned up
30. Get bent out of shape - get upset
31. That’s the last straw that broke the camel’s back - my patience has run out
32. Wrap your head around something - understand something complicated
33. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch - don’t count on something good until it’s in place
34. Go on a wild goose chase - to do something pointless
35. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket - don’t concentrate on just one thing
36. Give someone the cold shoulder - ignore someone
37. Having bigger fish to fry - having bigger things to take care of
38. It ain’t over till the fat lady sings - nothing is irreversible until the final act is played out
39. It’s raining cats and dogs - it’s raining heavily
40. Let the cat out of the bag - give away a secret
41. Play devil’s advocate - to argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument
42. Rain on someone’s parade - spoil something
43. Put something on ice - put something on hold or pause
44. Take it with a grain of salt - don’t take it too seriously
45. The early bird gets the worm - the people who get there first get the best options
46. The elephant in the room - the big issue, the problem people are avoiding
47. There’s no such thing as a free lunch - everything comes at a cost

Final word

We hope you’ve found this list helpful. If you want to learn more about idioms, why not check out our article ‘What is an idiom?’.