100 American English Idiomatic Expressions
- A blessing in disguise – Something that seemed bad at first but turned out good.
- A dime a dozen – Very common and of no special value.
- A piece of cake – Something very easy to do.
- Add fuel to the fire – To worsen a situation.
- All ears – Fully listening.
- At the drop of a hat – Instantly or immediately.
- All bark and no bite – All talk, no action.
- Apple of my eye – Someone very precious or dear.
- Back to square one – Starting over again.
- Bite the bullet – To endure something painful or difficult.
- Break the ice – To initiate conversation in a social setting.
- Burn the midnight oil – To work late into the night.
- Beat around the bush – Avoid saying what one means directly.
- Ball is in your court – It’s your decision or responsibility now.
- Barking up the wrong tree – Pursuing the wrong course of action.
- Burn bridges – Destroy a relationship or opportunity.
- Call it a day – To stop working on something.
- Caught red-handed – Caught in the act of doing something wrong.
- Costs an arm and a leg – Very expensive.
- Cry over spilled milk – Complaining about a past event that cannot be changed.
- Cut corners – To do something poorly to save time or money.
- Curiosity killed the cat – Being overly curious can lead to trouble.
- Chew the fat – Chat casually.
- Cold feet – Feeling nervous or unsure before an event.
- Devil’s advocate – Someone who argues against a point to test its validity.
- Don’t cry wolf – Don’t raise false alarms.
- Down to earth – Practical and realistic.
- Driving me nuts – Annoying or bothering someone.
- Drop the ball – Make a mistake or fail in your responsibilities.
- Dead ringer – An exact look-alike.
- Double-edged sword – Something that has both good and bad effects.
- Do a 180 – Completely reverse your opinion or direction.
- Easy does it – Slow down or be more careful.
- Every cloud has a silver lining – There is something good in every bad situation.
- Elbow grease – Hard physical work.
- Easier said than done – Something is harder to do than it seems.
- Face the music – Confront the consequences of one’s actions.
- Feeling under the weather – Feeling sick.
- Fit as a fiddle – In good health.
- Flash in the pan – Something that shows promise initially but fails to deliver.
- Fool’s gold – Something that appears valuable but isn’t.
- Food for thought – Something to think about.
- Follow suit – Do the same as others.
- Fall through the cracks – Be missed or overlooked.
- Get your act together – Start behaving properly.
- Give someone the cold shoulder – Ignore someone deliberately.
- Go the extra mile – Do more than what is expected.
- Grass is always greener on the other side – Other situations always seem better than your own.
- Gut feeling – Intuition or instinct.
- Go down in flames – Fail spectacularly.
- Hang in there – Don’t give up.
- Hit the nail on the head – To describe something accurately.
- Hold your horses – Wait a moment or be patient.
- Hitting the books – Studying hard.
- High on the hog – Living well or in luxury.
- In the nick of time – Just in time.
- It takes two to tango – Both parties involved are responsible.
- In hot water – In trouble.
- In a pickle – In a difficult situation.
- Icing on the cake – Something extra that makes a good thing even better.
- Jump on the bandwagon – Join others in doing something popular.
- Jump the gun – Start something too early.
- Jack of all trades – Someone who can do many things, but isn’t an expert in any.
- Kick the bucket – To die.
- Kill two birds with one stone – Accomplish two things at once.
- Keep your chin up – Stay positive.
- Keep it under wraps – Keep something secret.
- Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret.
- Leave no stone unturned – Try every possible way to achieve something.
- Like two peas in a pod – Very similar.
- Live and learn – Learn from your mistakes.
- Make a mountain out of a molehill – Exaggerate a small problem.
- Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity.
- Mind your Ps and Qs – Be polite and careful in behavior.
- Mum’s the word – Keep it a secret.
- Not a spark of decency – Completely rude.
- No pain, no gain – Hard work is necessary to achieve something.
- Not playing with a full deck – Someone who is mentally unstable or lacking intelligence.
- Once in a blue moon – Very rarely.
- On the ball – Doing a good job.
- Out of the frying pan into the fire – From a bad situation to a worse one.
- Off the hook – No longer in trouble.
- Piece of cake – Something very easy.
- Pulling someone’s leg – Joking or teasing.
- Penny for your thoughts – Asking someone what they are thinking.
- Put your foot in your mouth – Say something you regret.
- Quick on the draw – Respond quickly.
- Raining cats and dogs – Raining very heavily.
- Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning.
- Rome wasn’t built in a day – Important things take time.
- Spill the beans – Reveal a secret.
- Shoot for the stars – Aim high.
- Skeleton in the closet – A hidden, embarrassing secret.
- Sink or swim – Succeed or fail without help.
- The ball is in your court – It’s your decision.
- Throw in the towel – Give up.
- Through thick and thin – Support in all situations.
- Take it with a grain of salt – Don’t take something too seriously.
- Under the weather – Feeling ill.
- Up in the air – Uncertain or undecided.
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