60+ Common English Idioms and What They Really Mean

Understand the English phrases that don't make sense literally — from "break the ice" to "bite the bullet." Built for ESL learners, English teachers, and anyone who wants to sound more natural in everyday English conversation.

64 cards Public deck
Question Answer
Break the ice
To initiate conversation in a social setting
Piece of cake
Something very easy
Under the weather
Feeling sick
Hit the sack
To go to bed
Spill the beans
To reveal a secret
Cost an arm and a leg
Very expensive
Once in a blue moon
Rarely
Let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret
Bite the bullet
To do something difficult or unpleasant that you've been avoiding
On the ball
Alert and competent
Cut corners
To do something poorly or cheaply to save time or money
Add insult to injury
To make a bad situation worse
Beat around the bush
To avoid getting to the point
Best of both worlds
The advantages of two different things at the same time
Better late than never
It's better to do something late than not at all
Bite off more than you can chew
To take on more than you can handle
Call it a day
To stop working on something for the day
Get out of hand
To get out of control
Give someone the benefit of the doubt
To trust what someone says without proof
Hang in there
Don't give up
Hit the nail on the head
To describe exactly what is causing a situation
In hot water
In trouble
It takes two to tango
Both people involved in a situation are responsible for it
Kill two birds with one stone
To accomplish two things with a single action
Miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
On thin ice
In a risky or precarious situation
Pull yourself together
Calm down and behave normally
See eye to eye
To agree with someone
Speak of the devil
The person just mentioned has appeared
Steal someone's thunder
To take credit for someone else's achievement
Take it with a grain of salt
Don't take it too seriously or literally
The ball is in your court
It's your decision now
Throw in the towel
To give up
Under the table
Secretly, often illegally
When pigs fly
Something that will never happen
You can't judge a book by its cover
Don't judge something based on appearance alone
Actions speak louder than words
What you do matters more than what you say
A blessing in disguise
Something good that seemed bad at first
A dime a dozen
Very common, not special
Back to the drawing board
To start over after a failed attempt
Barking up the wrong tree
Pursuing a mistaken course of action
Burn the midnight oil
To work late into the night
By the skin of your teeth
Barely; just barely succeeding
Cross that bridge when you come to it
Deal with a problem when and if it happens, not before
Curiosity killed the cat
Being too curious can get you into trouble
Devil's advocate
Someone who argues the opposite side just for the sake of debate
Don't count your chickens before they hatch
Don't assume something will succeed before it does
Every cloud has a silver lining
There is something good in every bad situation
Get a taste of your own medicine
To experience the same bad treatment you've given others
Go the extra mile
To do more than what's expected
In the heat of the moment
Overwhelmed by what is happening at the time
It's raining cats and dogs
It's raining very heavily
Jump on the bandwagon
To join a popular trend or activity
Keep your chin up
Stay positive
Let sleeping dogs lie
Avoid restarting an old conflict
Not my cup of tea
Not something I like or enjoy
Off the hook
No longer responsible or blamed for something
A piece of the pie
A share of something, usually profits
Put all your eggs in one basket
To risk everything on a single plan
Sit on the fence
To avoid making a decision
Speak your mind
To say what you honestly think
The last straw
The final problem in a series that causes a breakdown
Time flies when you're having fun
Time passes quickly when you're enjoying yourself
Wrap your head around something
To understand something complex