Idioms | Baamboozle - Baamboozle | The Most Fun Classroom Games!

to have a target on one's back

to be at risk because of what one has said or done

don't judge a book by it's cover

something/someone might look bad or undesirable but be good/have a good personality

you can't have your cake and eat it too

you can't have everything

to throw caution to the wind

to take a risk

the whole nine yards

everything

the elephant in the room

the problem that everyone knows about but doesn't talk about

The early bird gets the worm

whoever comes first gets the good stuff

the ball is in your court

it's your decision to make

take a raincheck

postpone plans

to rain on someone's parade

to ruin someone's fun

to play devil's advocate

to argue for the sake of an argument, even if you don't believe what you're arguing

to be on thin ice

if you make another mistake, you'll be in trouble

to be on a wild goose chase

to do something pointless

get a taste of your own medicine

to be treated as you've treated others (poorly)

Every cloud has a silver lining (or just silver lining)

bad things often have a good element

by the skin of one's teeth

just barely achieving something

to break the ice/icebreaker

to get comfortable with someone

to let someone off the hook

to not punish someone for wrongdoing

to wrap your head around something

to actively understand something well

it's water under the bridge

it used to be a problem, but not anymore (usually a past disagreement among people)

we'll cross that bridge when we get to it

that is a problem for the future

pull yourself together

calm down, act rationally

to miss the boat

to come too late

it's not rocket science

it's not that difficult to do or understand

break a leg

good luck

to stab someone in the back/a backstabber

to work against someone after having gained their trust

rubbing salt in the wound

to insult/hurt someone when they are already insulted/hurt (emotionally)

to be on board/to get on board

to agree with/to something

like taking candy from a baby

something that can be easily done

there's more than one way to skin a cat

there are multiple possible solutions

to turn a new page

to leave something in the past, to move on

to be a wet blanket

someone who spoils everyone's fun

when hell freezes over

it will never happen

until the cows come home

for a long time

to be under the weather

to feel sick or unwell

tongue in cheek

not serious/ironic, obvious

through thick and thin

no matter what happens

to be thick-skinned

to not be sensitive, to be tough

the tip of the iceburg

the small, most visible part of a problem or a small portion of information

the pot calling the kettle black

to accuse someone of something one is guilty of themself

the last straw/the straw that broke the camel's back

one last small issue after a series of many issues

the black sheep of the family

one who appears of acts differently from the rest of the family, often ostracized

take the bull by the horns

take control of a situation in a bold way

take it with a pinch of salt

don't believe this completely, it might not be true

to have a sweet tooth

to enjoy sweet treats

straight from the horse's mouth

from the most direct source

spill the beans

reveal secretive information

to have bigger fish to fry

to have more important issues to attend to

show one's true colors

to reveal one's real character

that rings a bell

that reminds me of something, that sounds familiar

red herring

diversion or distraction from something important

rain cats and dogs

rain profusely

put two and two together

to come to a conclusion based on the evidence

to have a big mouth

overshare, say things one should not

put one's foot in one's mouth

say something one should not have said (usually offending somebody)

put one's foot down

make a final decision

pull one's leg

trick or tease/lie

pull a few strings

use contacts to obtain an advantage

there are plenty of more fish in the sea

there are many more options for love

play one's cards right

make the right decisions based on the circumstances

play it by ear

act in a situation according to events rather than a plan

out of the frying pan, into the fire

to leave a bad situation behind for an even worse one

out of the blue

randomly, unexpectedly, suddenly

once in a blue moon

very rarely

in the spur of the moment

without thinking, spontaneously

on second thought

I changed my mind

on edge

tense/nervous/anxious

off the record

unofficially, not to be repeated/shared with others

to not lose sleep over something

not to worry about something

don't count your chickens (before they hatch)

don't assume something good before it happens (be careful, things could change fast)

behind closed doors

to do something secretively or out of the public eye

make somebody's day

make someone really happy

make a fool of oneself

make oneself look stupid

to look down one's nose at

to feel/act superior to someone or something

to see things with rose-colored glasses

to have a (falsely) positive view of things

like water off a duck's back

to have no effect

the know something like the back of one's hand

to have something committed to memory

like a bull in a china shop

a clumsy person

the cat's out of the bag

the truth is known

poke the bear

to make an already angry person angry (usually for the purpose of annoying them)

let sleeping dogs lie

avoid a subject that could cause trouble

know the ropes/show someone the ropes

know all the details about something/teach someone (usually in regard to work)

kill time

aimlessly pass time

kick the bucket

die

kill two birds with one stone

one solution for multiple problems/tasks

in the long run

long term

in the flesh

in person

in deep waters

in trouble, at risk of something

in black and white

in writing or put clearly

hold your horses

slow down, relax, wait

hit the sack/hit the hay

go to sleep

hit the nail on the head

be exactly right about something

have one's hands tied

inability to act due to rules

have one's hands full

to be too busy/not have time for something

have one's heart on one's sleeve

be truthful/open about one's true feelings (usually about love)

have butterflies in one's stomach

be nervous or anxious, sometimes excited

cat got your tongue?

you don't have anything else to say? (usually in a fight/disagreement)

green

sick/jealous (depending on the context)

goes without saying

an obvious truth

to give the green light (to somebody or for something)

give permission for something

to give someone the cold shoulder

to purposefully ignore somebody

get out of hand

become unmanageable

wake up on the wrong side of the bed

feel grumpy/angry/in a bad mood for no reason

get off on the wrong foot

to have a poor relationship with someone upon meeting them

get cold feet

feel uncertain/nervous before an action (usually about marriage or some big commitment)

to be a fly on the wall

so see or hear a situation/conversation that does not involve you

beat a dead horse

repeating the same point again and again and again and again

drive somebody up the wall

frustrate/irritate somebody

down the drain

wasted/lost (usually money)

don't hold your breath

don't get your hopes up; your wishes are unlikely to come true

dog eat dog

harsh competition

chilled to the bone

very cold

cut corners

be less thorough by doing things the easy way; lazy

to cry over spilled milk

grieve over something that cannot be undone or is not a very big problem anyway

crocodile tears

self-victimizing; false tears

costs an arm and a leg

very expensive

come out of one's shell

gain confidence

clear the air

remove suspicion or bad vibes

catch somebody red-handed

catch someone doing something wrong

a force of habit

something you're used to doing without thinking

bury one's head in the sand

avoid or purposefully ignore a negative reality

butter somebody up

flatter somebody to win their favor

black tie

formal clothing

bite off more than you can chew

trying to do something overwhelming or overly difficult

be worn out

be very tired

beat around the bush

avoid saying the (usually negative) point

be up in arms

be angry

the spitting image (of someone)

look exactly like someone

be sound asleep

sleep deeply

be second to none

be the best

be in the same boat

to be in the same (usually bad) situation

be in the know

well-informed/aware

be dying for something

want something really bad

be in the doghouse

in trouble with someone

be in somebody's shoes

have empathy for someone

be broke

have little/no money

be born yesterday

be naive or easily deceived

a busy bee

very busy

barking up the wrong tree

have a false idea about something

at large

free, not caught (usually used about suspects of a crime)

agree to disagree

end of an argument when there is no chance of agreement

Achilles heel

a weakness

a wild goose chase

a hopeless search

a piece of cake

easy

a pain in the neck

an annoying person/thing

a night owl

someone who enjoys the nighttime/stays awake late

a long shot

something uncertain or out of reach

A fish out of water.

someone who feels uncomfortable or outside of their normal environment

A dark horse.

A person with hidden abilities.