International English Test Editorial Team·27 Dec 2023·2 min read
Explore fascinating transport-related idioms and their origins in this engaging article.
English boasts a plethora of intriguing, humorous, and uncommon idioms, which are expressions that defy literal translation, carrying unique meanings. Every language harbors such sayings, and in this instance, let’s enrich our active vocabulary with transport-related English idioms—guaranteed to bring surprises.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel
Adage: Avoid duplicating efforts that have already been undertaken by others.
You should jump on the bandwagon
Definition: To commence endorsing or backing someone or something.
I’m on the wagon (opposite: I’m off the wagon)
Definition: To refrain from consuming alcohol (antonym: to resume drinking alcohol).
Definition: To lose one’s train of thought or forget an argument, substituting any noun or pronoun in place of “I.”
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it
Definition: To refrain from causing unnecessary trouble for oneself in advance.
You drive me round the bend
Meaning: to make someone angry or tired
You threw me under the bus (to throw under the bus)
Definition: To attribute fault or accountability to someone else
What are your thoughts on our compilation of unique English idioms associated with transportation? Do you happen to be familiar with any other expressions related to this topic? Feel free to share them in the comments.
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It advises you to avoid duplicating effort on something that has already been done well by others. Instead of building a solution from scratch, you use or adapt what already exists. For example, if a colleague has already written a useful template, you reuse it rather than create your own from nothing, saving time and energy.
Being "on the wagon" means you are refraining from drinking alcohol, while being "off the wagon" means you have resumed drinking after a period of abstinence. These two transport idioms are direct opposites, so saying someone has fallen off the wagon implies they started drinking again after previously giving it up.
It means to blame someone else or shift fault and accountability onto another person, usually to protect yourself. If a project fails and you publicly point at a teammate to escape responsibility, you have thrown them under the bus. It carries a strongly negative tone because it involves betraying or sacrificing someone for your own benefit.
It means to start supporting or endorsing someone or something, often because it has become popular or successful. People who jump on the bandwagon join a trend, cause, or movement after it gains momentum rather than being early supporters. The phrase sometimes hints that the support is driven by popularity rather than genuine conviction.
You use it when you forget what you were saying or lose the thread of an argument mid-conversation. You can swap the pronoun for any noun, such as "she lost her train of thought." For example, "I had a great point to make, but the interruption made me lose my train of thought completely."
It means you make someone angry, frustrated, or exhausted, often through repeated irritating behaviour. The phrase suggests being pushed to the edge of patience. For example, a person might say "the constant noise from the construction site is driving me round the bend" to express that the situation is wearing down their nerves.
It means you will deal with a problem only when it actually arises, rather than worrying about it in advance. The idiom encourages you to avoid creating unnecessary trouble for yourself over events that may never happen. For instance, you might say it when someone asks how you will handle a complication that is still far away.
International English Test Editorial Team
ALTE Associate Member · UK English assessment provider · Est. 2023
