English idioms, proverbs, and expressions constitute a significant component of everyday English communication. They frequently arise in both written and spoken contexts. Given that idiomatic expressions don’t always convey a literal meaning, it’s essential to acquaint yourself with the interpretation and application of each idiom. While it may appear demanding, delving into idioms can be an enjoyable endeavor, particularly when you draw comparisons between English idioms and those in your native language.
Becoming proficient in using common idioms and expressions will enhance the naturalness of your English, making it advisable to gain expertise in these linguistic nuances. The tables provided are categorized based on the prevalence of idioms in American English.
Beginning with the highly common English idioms is a practical approach, as these are frequently encountered when watching American movies or TV or when visiting the United States. Once you’ve become adept with these, you can proceed to learn the remainder. It’s worth noting that none of the idioms listed on this page are unusual or outdated, so you can use any of them confidently when conversing with native English speakers from any English-speaking region.
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The most common English idioms
These English idioms are highly prevalent in everyday dialogues within the United States. They are frequently employed in movies and TV series, and incorporating them into your language will contribute to your English sounding closer to that of a native speaker.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A blessing in disguise | a good thing that seemed bad at first | as part of a sentence |
| A dime a dozen | Something common | as part of a sentence |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable | as part of a sentence |
| Better late than never | Better to arrive late than not to come at all | by itself |
| Bite the bullet | To get something over with because it is inevitable | as part of a sentence |
| Break a leg | Good luck | by itself |
| Call it a day | Stop working on something | as part of a sentence |
| Cut somebody some slack | Don’t be so critical | as part of a sentence |
| Cutting corners | Doing something poorly in order to save time or money | as part of a sentence |
| Easy does it | Slow down | by itself |
| Get out of hand | Get out of control | as part of a sentence |
| Get something out of your system | Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do so you can move on | as part of a sentence |
| Get your act together | Work better or leave | by itself |
| Give someone the benefit of the doubt | Trust what someone says | as part of a sentence |
| Go back to the drawing board | Start over | as part of a sentence |
| Hang in there | Don’t give up | by itself |
| Hit the sack | Go to sleep | as part of a sentence |
| It’s not rocket science | It’s not complicated | by itself |
| Let someone off the hook | To not hold someone responsible for something | as part of a sentence |
| Make a long story short | Tell something briefly | as part of a sentence |
| Miss the boat | It’s too late | as part of a sentence |
| No pain, no gain | You have to work for what you want | by itself |
| On the ball | Doing a good job | as part of a sentence |
| Pull someone’s leg | To joke with someone | as part of a sentence |
| Pull yourself together | Calm down | by itself |
| So far so good | Things are going well so far | by itself |
| Speak of the devil | The person we were just talking about showed up! | by itself |
| That’s the last straw | My patience has run out | by itself |
| The best of both worlds | An ideal situation | as part of a sentence |
| Time flies when you’re having fun | You don’t notice how long something lasts when it’s fun | by itself |
| To get bent out of shape | To get upset | as part of a sentence |
| To make matters worse | Make a problem worse | as part of a sentence |
| Under the weather | Sick | as part of a sentence |
| We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it | Let’s not talk about that problem right now | by itself |
| Wrap your head around something | Understand something complicated | as part of a sentence |
| You can say that again | That’s true, I agree | by itself |
| Your guess is as good as mine | I have no idea | by itself |
Common English idioms & expressions
These English idioms are employed with regularity in the United States. While they may not surface in daily conversations, they are undoubtedly recognizable to any native English speaker. You can employ any of these idioms with assurance when the context aligns appropriately.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush | What you have is worth more than what you might have later | by itself |
| A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you’re thinking | by itself |
| A penny saved is a penny earned | Money you save today you can spend later | by itself |
| A perfect storm | the worst possible situation | as part of a sentence |
| A picture is worth 1000 words | Better to show than tell | by itself |
| Actions speak louder than words | Believe what people do and not what they say | by itself |
| Add insult to injury | To make a bad situation worse | as part of a sentence |
| Barking up the wrong tree | To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place | as part of a sentence |
| Birds of a feather flock together | People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively) | by itself |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on a project that you cannot finish | as part of a sentence |
| Break the ice | Make people feel more comfortable | as part of a sentence |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely | as part of a sentence |
| Comparing apples to oranges | Comparing two things that cannot be compared | as part of a sentence |
| Costs an arm and a leg | Very expensive | as part of a sentence |
| Do something at the drop of a hat | Do something without having planned beforehand | as part of a sentence |
| Do unto others as you would have them do unto you | Treat people fairly. Also known as “The Golden Rule” | by itself |
| Don’t count your chickens before they hatch | Don’t count on something good happening until it’s happened. | by itself |
| Don’t cry over spilt milk | There’s no reason to complain about something that can’t be fixed | by itself |
| Don’t give up your day job | You’re not very good at this | by itself |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | What you’re doing is too risky | by itself |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | Good things come after bad things | by itself |
| Get a taste of your own medicine | Get treated the way you’ve been treating others (negative) | as part of a sentence |
| Give someone the cold shoulder | Ignore someone | as part of a sentence |
| Go on a wild goose chase | To do something pointless | as part of a sentence |
| Good things come to those who wait | Be patient | by itself |
| He has bigger fish to fry | He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now | by itself |
| He’s a chip off the old block | The son is like the father | by itself |
| Hit the nail on the head | Get something exactly right | by itself |
| Ignorance is bliss | You’re better off not knowing | by itself |
| It ain’t over till the fat lady sings | This isn’t over yet | by itself |
| It takes one to know one | You’re just as bad as I am | by itself |
| It’s a piece of cake | It’s easy | by itself |
| It’s raining cats and dogs | It’s raining hard | by itself |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Get two things done with a single action | by itself |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Give away a secret | as part of a sentence |
| Live and learn | I made a mistake | by itself |
| Look before you leap | Take only calculated risks | by itself |
| On thin ice | On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. | as part of a sentence |
| Once in a blue moon | Rarely | as part of a sentence |
| Play devil’s advocate | To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument | as part of a sentence |
| Put something on ice | Put a projet on hold | as part of a sentence |
| Rain on someone’s parade | To spoil something | as part of a sentence |
| Saving for a rainy day | Saving money for later | as part of a sentence |
| Slow and steady wins the race | Reliability is more important than speed | by itself |
| Spill the beans | Give away a secret | as part of a sentence |
| Take a rain check | Postpone a plan | as part of a sentence |
| Take it with a grain of salt | Don’t take it too seriously | as part of a sentence |
| The ball is in your court | It’s your decision | by itself |
| The best thing since sliced bread | A really good invention | as part of a sentence |
| The devil is in the details | It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems | by itself |
| The early bird gets the worm | The first people who arrive will get the best stuff | by itself |
| The elephant in the room | The big issue, the problem people are avoiding | as part of a sentence |
| The whole nine yards | Everything, all the way. | as part of a sentence |
| There are other fish in the sea | It’s ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise. | by itself |
| There’s a method to his madness | He seems crazy but actually he’s clever | by itself |
| There’s no such thing as a free lunch | Nothing is entirely free | by itself |
| Throw caution to the wind | Take a risk | as part of a sentence |
| You can’t have your cake and eat it too | You can’t have everything | by itself |
| You can’t judge a book by its cover | This person or thing may look bad, but it’s good inside | by itself |
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Familiar English idioms & proverbs
Native English speakers find these idioms and proverbs familiar and readily comprehensible, although they aren’t typically employed in routine conversation.
If you haven’t yet become proficient with the more common idioms, it’s advisable to begin with those. However, if you are already acquainted with those expressions, the idioms listed below will add an extra layer of richness to your English.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A little learning is a dangerous thing | People who don’t understand something fully are dangerous | by itself |
| A snowball effect | Events have momentum and build upon each other | as part of a sentence |
| A snowball’s chance in hell | No chance at all | as part of a sentence |
| A stitch in time saves nine | Fix the problem now because it will get worse later | by itself |
| A storm in a teacup | A big fuss about a small problem | as part of a sentence |
| An apple a day keeps the doctor away | Apples are good for you | by itself |
| An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure | You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder. | by itself |
| As right as rain | Perfect | as part of a sentence |
| Bolt from the blue | Something that happened without warning | as part of a sentence |
| Burn bridges | Destroy relationships | as part of a sentence |
| Calm before the storm | Something bad is coming, but right now it’s calm | as part of a sentence |
| Come rain or shine | No matter what | as part of a sentence |
| Curiosity killed the cat | Stop asking questions | by itself |
| Cut the mustard | Do a good job | as part of a sentence |
| Don’t beat a dead horse | Move on, this subject is over | by itself |
| Every dog has his day | Everyone gets a chance at least once | by itself |
| Familiarity breeds contempt | The better you know someone the less you like him | by itself |
| Fit as a fiddle | In good health | as part of a sentence |
| Fortune favours the bold | Take risks | by itself |
| Get a second wind | Have more energy after having been tired | as part of a sentence |
| Get wind of something | Hear news of something secret | as part of a sentence |
| Go down in flames | Fail spectacularly | as part of a sentence |
| Haste makes waste | You’ll make mistakes if you rush through something | by itself |
| Have your head in the clouds | Not be concentrating | as part of a sentence |
| He who laughs last laughs loudest | I’ll get you back for what you did | by itself |
| Hear something straight from the horse’s mouth | Hear something from the person involved | as part of a sentence |
| He’s not playing with a full deck | He’s dumb | by itself |
| He’s off his rocker | He’s crazy | by itself |
| He’s sitting on the fence | He can’t make up his mind | by itself |
| It is a poor workman who blames his tools | If you can’t do the job, don’t blame it on others | by itself |
| It is always darkest before the dawn | Things are going to get better | by itself |
| It takes two to tango | One person alone isn’t responsible. Both people are involved. | by itself |
| Jump on the bandwagon | Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing | as part of a sentence |
| Know which way the wind is blowing | Understand the situation (usually negative) | as part of a sentence |
| Leave no stone unturned | Look everywhere | as part of a sentence |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Stop discussing an issue | as part of a sentence |
| Like riding a bicycle | Something you never forget how to do | as part of a sentence |
| Like two peas in a pod | They’re always together | as part of a sentence |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of a good situation | as part of a sentence |
| On cloud nine | Very happy | as part of a sentence |
| Once bitten, twice shy | You’re more cautious when you’ve been hurt before | by itself |
| Out of the frying pan and into the fire | Things are going from bad to worse | by itself |
| Run like the wind | Run fast | as part of a sentence |
| Shape up or ship out | Work better or leave | by itself |
| Snowed under | Busy | as part of a sentence |
| That ship has sailed | It’s too late | by itself |
| The pot calling the kettle black | Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad | as part of a sentence |
| There are clouds on the horizon | Trouble is coming | by itself |
| Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones | People who are morally questionable shouldn’t criticize others | by itself |
| Through thick and thin | In good times and in bad times | as part of a sentence |
| Time is money | Work quickly | by itself |
| Waste not, want not | Don’t waste things and you’ll always have enough | by itself |
| We see eye to eye | We agree | by itself |
| Weather the storm | Go through something difficult | as part of a sentence |
| Well begun is half done | Getting a good start is important | by itself |
| When it rains it pours | Everything is going wrong at once | by itself |
| You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar | You’ll get what you want by being nice | by itself |
| You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink | You can’t force someone to make the right decision | by itself |
| You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs | There’s always a cost to doing something | by itself |
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I am Nilay, an experienced English Language Assessment Director at the International English Test, where I have been working full-time since February 2020. I specialize in helping people worldwide validate their English proficiency through comprehensive assessments and certifications.
Before joining the International English Test, I worked as a self-employed English Language Assessment Consultant from January 2015 to December 2019. During this time, I assisted companies and individuals in improving their language skills, helping them achieve their academic and professional goals.
I hold a degree in Engineering and have also studied at Shafston International College in Australia. My educational background has equipped me with the tools to make a meaningful impact in the field of English language learning. Additionally, I enjoy sharing my expertise through articles that explore effective teaching methods and language assessment strategies, contributing to the International English Test and the broader assessment community.
