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Common idioms - give definition

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  • Make a long story short
    Come to the point . leave out details
  • Bite off more than you can chew
    To take on a task that is way too big
  • Blessing in disguise
    something good that isn't recognised at first
  • Burn the midnight oil
    To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting
  • Take with a grain/pinch of salt
    This means not to take what someone says too seriously
  • Put wool over other people's eyes
    this means to deceive someone into thinking well of them
  • Let the cat out of the bag
    to share information that was previously concealed
  • Once in a blue moon
    Meaning: happens very rarely
  • Ball is in your court
    It's up to you to make the next decision or step
  • Let sleeping dogs lie
    meaning: do not disturb a situation as it is, since it would result in trouble or complications
  • Your guess is as good as mine
    to have an idea, do not know the answer to a question
  • Keep something at bay
    keep something away
  • Add insult to injury
    To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavourable situation
  • At the drop of a hat
    meaning: without hesitation; instantly
  • On the ball
    when someone understands the situation well
  • Kill two birds with one stone
    This idiom means to accomplish two different things at the same time
  • Whole nine yards
    Everything. All of it
  • Beat around the bush
    Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue
  • Elvis has left the building
    The show has come to an end. it's all over
  • Feel a bit under the weather
    Meaning: feeling slightly ill
  • Jump on the bandwagon
    join a popular activity
  • A hot potato
    Speak of an issue (mostly current) which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed.
  • Cut the mustard (possibly derived from "cut the muster")
    Tu succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate
  • Back to the drawing board
    When an attempt fails and it's time to start all over
  • far cry from
    very different from
  • last straw
    the final problem in a series of problems
  • Give the benefit of the doubt
    Believe someone's statement, without proof
  • Cut corners
    when something is done badly to save money
  • Be glad to see the back of
    be happy when a person leaves
  • Steal someone's thunder
    to take credit for something someone else did
  • Can't judge a book by its cover
    cannot judge something primarily on appearance
  • Hit the sack / sheet / hay
    to go to bed
  • Don't put all your eggs in one basket
    Do not put all your resources in one possibility
  • Actions speak louder than words
    People's intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say
  • Barking up the wrong tree
    looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person
  • Don't count your chickens before the eggs have hatched
    This idiom is used to express !don't make plans for something that might not happen"
  • Let the cat out of the bag
    to share information that was previously concealed
  • Hear it on the grapevine
    This idiom means "to hear rumours" about something or someone
  • A penny for your thoughts
    A way of asking what someone is thinking
  • Cross that bridge when you come to it
    Deal with a problem if and when it become necessary, not before
  • Don't give up the day job
    You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally
  • Piece of cake
    A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple
  • Miss the boat
    this idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance
  • Costs an arm and a leg
    This idiom is used when something is very expensive
  • Not playing with a full deck
    someone who lacks intelligence
  • Caught between two stools
    when someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives
  • Cry over spilt milk
    when you complain about a loss from the past
  • Not a spark of decency
    Meaning: no manners
  • Devil's advocate
    to present a counter argument
  • Wouldn't be caught dead
    would never like to do something
  • Picture paints a thousand words
    a visual presentation is far more descriptive than words
  • Speak of the devil
    This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives
  • Best of both worlds
    Meaning: all the advantages
  • Be glad to see the back of
    be happy when a person leaves
  • Drastic times call for drastic measures
    when you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions
  • In the heat of the moment
    Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment
  • Every cloud has a silver lining
    Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days
  • Sit on the fence
    this is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision
  • Off one's rocker
    Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile.
  • see eye to eye
    this idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something
  • To hear something straight from the horse's mougth
    to hear something from the authoritative source
  • It takes two to tango
    Actions or communications need more than one person
  • Curiosity killed the cat
    being inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation
  • Best thing since sliced bread
    A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan.
  • Taste of your own medicine
    Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else
  • Method to my madness
    An assertion that, despite one's approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it
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