Break the ice
Start a conversation in a friendly way. “He told a joke to break the ice at the party.”
Hit the books
Study hard “I can’t hang out tonight - I need to hit the books.”
Let the cat out of the bag
Reveal a secret. “She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”
Piece of cake
Very easy. “That English test was a piece of cake!”
Cost an arm and a leg
Very expensive. “That new phone costs an arm and a leg.”
Butterflies in your stomach
Feeling nervous. “I had butterflies in my stomach before the speech.”
Blow off steam
Let out anger or stress. “He plays basketball to blow off steam after school.”
Down in the dumps
Feeling sad. “She’s down in the dumps because she failed her test.”
Bite your tongue
Stop yourself from saying something. “I had to bite my tongue to avoid arguing with him.”
Cry over spilled milk
Be upset about something you can’t change. “Don’t cry over spilled milk. Just try again.”
A blessing in disguise
Something good that seemed bad at first. “Missing the bus was a blessing in disguise - I avoided a traffic jam.”
Burn the midnight oil
Work or study late at night. “She burned the midnight oil to finish her essay.”
Get cold feet
Become too nervous to do something. “He got cold feet before giving his performance.”
The ball is in your court
It’s your turn to take action. “I’ve given you all the info. Now the ball is in your court.”
Hit the nail on the head
Say exactly the right thing. “You hit the nail on the head with your answer.”
Speak of the devil
The person you were just talking about appears. “Speak of the devil - there she is!”
