100 Common English Idioms - Most Popular Idiomatic Expressions

Idioms about Success and Effort

Go the extra mile – To do more than required
She always goes the extra mile at work.
Burn the midnight oil – Work late into the night
He burned the midnight oil studying for exams.
Pull out all the stops – To give maximum effort
We pulled out all the stops to win.
No pain, no gain – Success requires effort
Exercise hurts, but no pain, no gain.
Bite the bullet – Endure unpleasantness courageously
I’ll bite the bullet and visit the dentist.
Hit the jackpot – To achieve unexpected success
They hit the jackpot with their new business.
Bend over backwards – Try very hard to help someone
He bends over backwards to please his clients.
Take the bull by the horns – Face difficulties head-on
She took the bull by the horns and confronted her boss.
On the ball – Alert and attentive
He’s always on the ball in meetings.
Pull yourself together – Calm down and regain composure
She pulled herself together after hearing bad news.

Idioms about Communication

Break the ice – Start a conversation
He broke the ice with a funny joke.
Beat around the bush – Avoid the main point
Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.
Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret
He let the cat out of the bag about the party.
Spill the beans – Reveal information prematurely
She spilled the beans about his surprise gift.
Cut to the chase – Get directly to the point
We’re short on time, so let’s cut to the chase.
Hit the nail on the head – Exactly correct
You hit the nail on the head with your answer.
Actions speak louder than words – Actions matter more than words
Don’t promise—actions speak louder than words.
Pull someone’s leg – Tease or joke
Relax, I was just pulling your leg.

Illustration of 100 Common English Idioms

Idioms about Problems and Difficulties

Barking up the wrong tree – Accusing the wrong person
If you suspect me, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity
He missed the boat on the investment.
In hot water – In trouble
He’s in hot water with the teacher.
The last straw – Final annoyance in a series
Missing the bus was the last straw.
Beat a dead horse – Repeatedly discuss something pointless
Arguing about it now is beating a dead horse.
On thin ice – In a risky situation
He’s on thin ice after missing deadlines.
Elephant in the room – Obvious issue no one mentions
Let’s discuss the elephant in the room.
Hit rock bottom – Reach the lowest point
After losing his job, he hit rock bottom.

Idioms about Decision-Making and Opinions

On the fence – Undecided
She’s still on the fence about moving.
Play it by ear – Decide spontaneously
We don’t have a plan, so let’s play it by ear.
Sleep on it – Delay decision-making until later
I’ll sleep on your offer and let you know tomorrow.
Your guess is as good as mine – Not knowing the answer
When will the package arrive? Your guess is as good as mine.
Cross that bridge when you come to it – Don’t worry prematurely
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Take it with a grain of salt – Be skeptical
His stories are exaggerated, so take them with a grain of salt.

Idioms about Relationships and Interactions

See eye to eye – Completely agree
We finally see eye to eye on this issue.
Give someone the cold shoulder – Ignore deliberately
She gave him the cold shoulder.
Through thick and thin – Loyal through good and bad
She supported me through thick and thin.
Burn bridges – Damage relationships irreparably
He burned bridges when he quit.
It takes two to tango – Both parties share responsibility
They argue often, but it takes two to tango.
Let bygones be bygones – Forget past arguments
Let’s let bygones be bygones.
Give someone the benefit of the doubt – Assume someone is honest
Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt.
Steal someone's thunder – Take attention from someone
He stole my thunder during the meeting.

Idioms about Feelings and Emotions

Feeling blue – Feeling sad
He’s feeling blue today.
Under the weather – Feeling sick
She’s under the weather.
On cloud nine – Extremely happy
She’s been on cloud nine since the promotion.
Get cold feet – Feel nervous
He got cold feet before his wedding.
Blow off steam – Release stress
He jogs to blow off steam.
Face the music – Accept consequences
He skipped class and now must face the music.
On pins and needles – Very anxious
I’m on pins and needles waiting for results.

Idioms about Money

Costs an arm and a leg – Extremely expensive
The watch costs an arm and a leg.
Make ends meet – Manage finances sufficiently
It’s hard to make ends meet.
Break the bank – Spend excessively
Going to dinner won’t break the bank.
A dime a dozen – Very common
These souvenirs are a dime a dozen.
Put all your eggs in one basket – Risk everything on one option
Invest carefully; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Idioms about Time and Frequency

Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
I see her once in a blue moon.
Better late than never – Better to arrive late than not at all
You’re late, but better late than never.
At the drop of a hat – Immediately
She’ll help at the drop of a hat.
Call it a day – Stop working
It’s 6 PM—let’s call it a day.
Hit the sack – Go to bed
I’m tired; time to hit the sack.

Miscellaneous Common Idioms

Piece of cake – Very easy
This test was a piece of cake.
Raining cats and dogs – Heavy rain
It’s raining cats and dogs outside.
Kill two birds with one stone – Accomplish two tasks at once
I’ll kill two birds with one stone by exercising during my lunch.

Idioms about Mistakes and Misunderstandings

Jump the gun – Act prematurely
He jumped the gun and announced his promotion early.
Shoot yourself in the foot – Harm oneself unintentionally
By missing deadlines, he's shooting himself in the foot.
Cry over spilled milk – Regret something that can't be changed
There's no use crying over spilled milk.
Bite off more than you can chew – Take on too much
She bit off more than she could chew with extra classes.
Draw the line – Set limits
I draw the line at working weekends.

Idioms about Opportunities and Luck

Break a leg – Wish someone good luck
Break a leg in your performance tonight!
Blessing in disguise – Good thing appearing bad at first
Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.
When pigs fly – Something impossible
He'll clean his room when pigs fly.
Hit the road – Begin a journey
We need to hit the road early.
Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity
She missed the boat on that investment.

Idioms about Knowledge and Understanding

Wrap your head around something – Understand something complicated
I can't wrap my head around physics.
Lose your touch – Lose your skill at something
She used to be great at tennis but has lost her touch.
Make a long story short – Summarize briefly
To make a long story short, we got lost.
Your guess is as good as mine – I don’t know either
Your guess is as good as mine about what happens next.

Idioms about Appearance and Judgement

Don’t judge a book by its cover – Don't judge by appearances alone
He seems unfriendly, but don't judge a book by its cover.
Under your nose – Clearly visible but unnoticed
The answer was right under my nose.
You can’t judge a book by its cover – Same meaning as above
The house looks small, but you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Idioms about Family and Similarity

Apple doesn't fall far from the tree – Children resemble their parents
His son loves basketball too—the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Idioms about Thoroughness

No stone unturned – Investigate thoroughly
Police left no stone unturned during the investigation.
Whole nine yards – Everything possible
The party had food, music—the whole nine yards.

Idioms about Patience and Encouragement

Keep your chin up – Stay optimistic
Things will improve; keep your chin up.
Hang in there – Stay strong and endure
I know it’s tough, but hang in there.
Let sleeping dogs lie – Avoid disturbing issues from the past
Don’t mention their argument—let sleeping dogs lie.

Idioms about Freedom and Responsibility

Off the hook – Freed from an obligation
She’s off the hook because the meeting was canceled.
The ball is in your court – It's your responsibility now
I’ve said what I think; now the ball is in your court.

Idioms about Surprise and Unexpected Events

Out of the blue – Suddenly and unexpectedly
He called me out of the blue.
Tip of the iceberg – Small indication of a larger issue
These mistakes are just the tip of the iceberg.

Idioms about Conflict Resolution

Face the music – Accept consequences
He broke the rules and had to face the music.
Throw in the towel – Give up
After months of struggle, he threw in the towel.

Idioms about Comparisons and Preferences

Not my cup of tea – Something one doesn’t enjoy
Romantic movies are not my cup of tea.
Have bigger fish to fry – Have more important things to do
I can’t worry about that now; I have bigger fish to fry.

Idioms about Value and Quantity

A dime a dozen – Very common or abundant
These souvenirs are a dime a dozen.

Idioms about Risk and Caution

Put all your eggs in one basket – Rely on one single opportunity
Invest carefully; don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Idioms about Learning and Memory

Hit the books – Study intensively
I have exams soon; it's time to hit the books.
Like riding a bicycle – Easily remembered once learned
Driving after so many years was like riding a bicycle.

Idioms about Common Sense and Wisdom

Better late than never – It’s better to do something late than not at all
He apologized late, but better late than never.
Every cloud has a silver lining – Positive aspects exist in negative situations
I lost my job, but every cloud has a silver lining.
The apple doesn't fall far from the tree – Children resemble parents
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; his dad loved sports too.

Idioms about Visual Communication

A picture is worth a thousand words – Images can explain better than words
Show them a photo; a picture is worth a thousand words.

Idioms about Evidence and Crime

Caught red-handed – Caught in the act of wrongdoing
The thief was caught red-handed by the police.

Common Mistakes with Idioms

Many learners make mistakes when using idioms. Here are some common errors:

Incorrect wording

❌ "It's raining dogs and cats."
✅ "It's raining cats and dogs."

Mixing similar idioms

❌ "We'll burn that bridge when we get there."
✅ "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
(Confusion with "Don't burn your bridges.")

Wrong prepositions

❌ "She is good on English."
✅ "She is good at English."

Incorrect verb usage

❌ "He made attention in class."
✅ "He paid attention in class."

Literal translations

❌ "I have hunger." (Direct translation from many languages)
✅ "I am hungry."

❌ "I have 25 years."
✅ "I am 25 years old."

Incorrect pluralization

❌ "Don't put all your egg in one basket."
✅ "Don't put all your eggs in one basket."

Incorrect tense or grammar

❌ "I should have went earlier."
✅ "I should have gone earlier."

Misunderstood meaning

❌ "He kicked the bucket at the football game." (Misinterpreting the idiom, which actually means “to die.”)
✅ "He passed out at the football game."

Using idioms in inappropriate contexts (too formal or informal)

❌ (In a formal report) "The new policy is totally awesome."
✅ (Formal alternative) "The new policy is highly effective."

Confusing similar-sounding idioms

❌ "She has a ship on her shoulder."
✅ "She has a chip on her shoulder."

FAQ: Common Questions About Idioms

What are idioms?

Idioms are expressions with meanings that are different from their literal words. For example, "spill the beans" means "reveal a secret," not actually drop beans.

Why are idioms difficult for ESL learners?

Idioms don’t follow normal grammar rules, and their meanings are not obvious from the words. You have to learn them as fixed phrases.

How can I remember idioms?

Use flashcards, watch movies, read books, and try using idioms in real conversations.

Are idioms used in formal English?

Some idioms are too informal for business or academic writing. However, many are fine in spoken English and casual emails.

Do all languages have idioms?

Yes! Every language has idioms, but they are different. For example, in Spanish, "estar en las nubes" means "to be distracted," which translates to "to be in the clouds."