Idiom

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions play a crucial role in daily communication, appearing frequently in both spoken and written forms. Despite their often literal nonsensical nature, idioms enrich the language, providing it with more native nuance. Learning idioms not only adds fun to the language acquisition process but also enhances your ability to sound more like a native speaker. This is particularly useful when engaging with American media or while in the United States. For instance, the idiom “kill two birds with one stone” doesn’t advocate for violence against birds but rather describes efficiently accomplishing two tasks simultaneously. This guide aims to equip you with an understanding of common English idioms, their meanings, and how to use them effectively in your communication, ensuring you can converse confidently with native English speakers from all English-speaking regions.

What is an Idiom?

An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the literal interpretation of the words that comprise it. It functions as a metaphorical or symbolic expression, conveying a specific message that is widely understood within a cultural context. Idioms are integral to the language, adding color and depth to verbal and written communication. They often reflect cultural idioms, traditions, or common experiences, making them an essential part of conversing fluently and understanding the nuances of the English language. For example, “break the ice” doesn’t literally mean to physically break ice but rather to initiate conversation in a socially awkward or tense setting, aiming to make everyone more comfortable.

Types of Idiom

Idioms add richness and color to language, and understanding their types can enhance comprehension and expression. Here are the main types of idioms you’ll encounter:

1. Pure Idioms: These expressions have a meaning that cannot be deduced from the individual words. For example, “kick the bucket” means to die, which cannot be inferred from just the words “kick” and “bucket.”

2. Semi-idioms: Semi-idioms are a blend of literal and figurative language. Part of the expression is straightforward, while the other part carries a non-literal meaning. “Spill the beans,” for instance, means to reveal a secret, with “beans” metaphorically representing the details of the secret.

3. Binomial and Trinomial Idioms: These idioms consist of two or three words often joined by a conjunction, presenting items in a specific order due to convention. Examples include “sick and tired” (fed up or annoyed) and “lock, stock, and barrel” (everything, completely).

4. Idiomatic Comparisons: These expressions compare one thing to another in a non-literal way, often using “as” or “like.” For example, “as blind as a bat” means very blind, despite bats not actually being blind.

5. Prepositional Idioms: These are phrases with a specific preposition that gives a particular meaning. “On cloud nine” means to be extremely happy, where “on” is the preposition that ties the idiom together.

6. Verbal Idioms: This type involves a verb and preposition or adverb combination where the meaning differs from the individual meanings of its components. “Look up to someone” is a verbal idiom meaning to respect or admire someone.

7. Colloquial Idioms: These idioms are informal and used in everyday conversation. They often vary by region or country. “Catch some z’s” means to sleep, showcasing how colloquial idioms can reflect the playful or casual aspects of language.

The Most Common English Idioms

Common English Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Example Sentence
Piece of cake	Something very easy to do	The test was a piece of cake.
Break the ice	To initiate a conversation in an awkward situation	He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting.
Hit the nail on the head	Describe exactly what is causing a situation	You hit the nail on the head with your explanation.
Spill the beans	To reveal a secret	He finally spilled the beans about their project.
Kick the bucket	To die	My old car finally kicked the bucket.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret unintentionally	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Bite the bullet	To endure a painful experience bravely	I just have to bite the bullet and go to the dentist.
Burning the midnight oil	Working late into the night	I was burning the midnight oil to finish the report.
Hit the sack	Go to bed	It’s late; I’m going to hit the sack.
The ball is in your court	It’s your decision or responsibility to do something	The ball is in your court now; do you want to take on this challenge?

Common English Idioms with Meaning & Usage

Idiom	Meaning	Usage
A dime a dozen	Something very common and not of high value	“Those antique plates are pretty, but they’re a dime a dozen at flea markets.”
Beat around the bush	Avoiding the main topic, not speaking directly about the issue	“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the problem is.”
Bite off more than you can chew	Take on a task that is too big or beyond one’s ability	“He bit off more than he could chew by enrolling in too many classes.”
Barking up the wrong tree	Looking in the wrong place, accusing the wrong person	“If you think I stole your lunch, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	“This car repair is going to cost an arm and a leg.”
Cry over spilled milk	To be upset about things that have already been done	“There’s no use crying over spilled milk. Let’s just move on.”
Cutting corners	Doing something poorly to save time or money	“You can’t cut corners if you want this project to be successful.”
Down to the wire	Something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds	“The game went down to the wire before we scored a winning goal.”
Every cloud has a silver lining	Every bad situation has some good aspect to it	“Even though I broke my arm, every cloud has a silver lining; I’ve learned to write with my other hand.”
Face the music	To confront the consequences of one’s actions	“After messing up the report, I had to face the music with my boss.”
Get a taste of your own medicine	To suffer the same unpleasantness that one has inflicted on others	“He’s been bullying everyone, but today he got a taste of his own medicine.”
Give someone the cold shoulder	To ignore someone	“Ever since our fight, she’s been giving me the cold shoulder.”
Go back to the drawing board	Start over because the current attempt was unsuccessful	“Our plan didn’t work out, so it’s back to the drawing board.”
Hit the books	To study, especially hard	“I have to hit the books tonight, I have an exam tomorrow.”
Jump on the bandwagon	Joining others in doing something that has become fashionable	“After that movie became a hit, everyone jumped on the bandwagon.”
Let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid restarting a conflict	“It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie rather than bring up old arguments.”
Miss the boat	To miss an opportunity	“I think we’ve missed the boat on investing in that stock.”
On the fence	Undecided about something	“I’m on the fence about attending the party tonight.”
Pull someone’s leg	To joke or tease someone	“I was just pulling your leg; I didn’t really forget your birthday.”
See eye to eye	To agree with someone	“We don’t always see eye to eye, but we respect each other’s opinions.”

When it is raining hard, some people describe the weather with the phrase “its raining cats and dogs”. The phrase these people use to describe the weather is an example of an idiom or an idiomatic expression.

100+ Idiom Examples

1. Common English Idioms

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Idiom

Idiom

What is an Idiom?

Types of Idiom

The Most Common English Idioms

Common English Idioms with Meaning & Usage

100+ Idiom Examples

1. Common English Idioms

2. American English Idioms

3. Idiom Variation

4. Idioms in English News

5. Idiom Taxonomies

6. Classification of Idiom

7. Idiom Extraction Model

8. The Creation of Idiom

9. Simple Features of Idioms

10. Idiomatic Structure

11. List of Common Idioms

12. Idiom Translation Evaluation

13. Idioms Template

14. Basic Idiom

15. Unsupervised Idioms

16. Classroom Idioms

17. Phrasal Idioms

18. Idioms with Non-Idiomatic Equivalents

19. Idiom Examples

20. Standard Idioms

21. Idiom Comprehension

22. Translation of Idioms

23. Idiom Creation and Selection

24. Processing of Idioms

25. Idiomatic Expressions

26. American Idioms

27. Gujarati Idioms

28. Traditional Approaches to Idioms

29. Idiom Lesson Plan

30. Translation of Idiom in PDF

31. Shakespeare’s Interesting Idioms

32. Target Idioms

33. Draft Idioms in DOC

34. Figurative Language Idiom

35. Mental Health Idiom

36. Love Idioms

37. Printable Idioms

38. Common Idioms in PDF

39. Sentiment Polarity of Idioms

40. Grammar Idioms

41. Idiom in Statistical Machine Translation

42. Food and Drink Idioms in English

43. Comprehension of Idioms

44. Idiom Usage Practice

45. Grammar Construction of Idioms

46. Translating Idiom Example

47. Idiom Features

48. Words and Idioms

49. Idiom Format

50. Idiom and Multiple Meanings

51. Idioms in Advertising

52. Business Idioms

53. Idiom Poster

54. Health Idioms

55. Semantic Idioms

56. Smart Idioms

57. Idiom and Sorts

58. Figurative Idioms

59. Idiom Conventional Expressions

60. Idioms in the Dark Forest

61. Dictionary Idioms

62. Pure Idiom as a Translation Unit

63. Idiom and Metaphor

64. Idiom Acquisition

65. Language Arts Idioms

66. Generalized Idioms

67. Idiom vs Open-Choice

68. Biometrics Brand Bio-Idioms

69. Idioms and Compositionality

70. Idiom Processing

71. Idiom Sentences

72. Idioms with Examples

73. Idiom Analysability