a blessing in disguise
something that seems bad but turns out good
Losing that job was a blessing in disguise. I found a better one.
Idioms dictionary
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122 idioms shown
a chip on your shoulder
a lasting feeling of resentment
He has a chip on his shoulder about school.
a dime a dozen
very common and of little value
Cheap chargers are a dime a dozen.
a far cry from
very different from
This is a far cry from what we ordered.
a hot potato
a controversial issue people avoid
Tax reform is a real political hot potato.
a long shot
unlikely to succeed
It's a long shot, but let's apply.
a piece of cake
something very easy to do
The exam was a piece of cake after all that revision.
a storm in a teacup
a big fuss about something small
The whole row was a storm in a teacup.
add fuel to the fire
make a bad situation worse
Shouting only added fuel to the fire.
all ears
listening eagerly
Tell me everything. I'm all ears.
at the drop of a hat
immediately, without hesitation
She'll help at the drop of a hat.
back to the drawing board
start planning again after a failure
The design flopped, so it's back to the drawing board.
barking up the wrong tree
pursuing a mistaken idea
If you blame me, you're barking up the wrong tree.
beat around the bush
avoid saying something directly
Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
bend over backwards
try very hard to help someone
They bent over backwards to fix the order.
bite off more than you can chew
take on too much
I bit off more than I could chew this term.
bite the bullet
force yourself to do something unpleasant
I bit the bullet and finally booked the dentist.
blow off steam
release stress or anger
I went for a run to blow off steam.
blow your own trumpet
boast about yourself
I don't like to blow my own trumpet, but I won.
break a leg
good luck (especially before a performance)
Break a leg in your interview today.
break the ice
make people feel relaxed in a social setting
A quick joke helped break the ice at the meeting.
bring home the bacon
earn money for the family
She brings home the bacon for the household.
burn bridges
destroy relationships you may need later
Don't burn bridges when you quit a job.
burn the midnight oil
work late into the night
She burned the midnight oil to finish the report.
by the book
following the rules exactly
Our accountant does everything by the book.
call it a day
stop working for the day
We've done enough. Let's call it a day.
caught red-handed
caught while doing something wrong
He was caught red-handed taking the cash.
come rain or shine
whatever happens
We meet every Friday, come rain or shine.
cost an arm and a leg
be very expensive
That new phone cost an arm and a leg.
cross that bridge when you come to it
deal with a problem only when it happens
We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
cry over spilled milk
be upset about something you can't change
No use crying over spilled milk.
cut corners
do something cheaply or quickly, lowering quality
They cut corners and the building had problems.
cut someone some slack
be less strict with someone
Cut him some slack. He's new here.
cut to the chase
get to the main point
Let's cut to the chase: what's the price?
devil's advocate
argue an opposing view to test ideas
Let me play devil's advocate for a moment.
dodge a bullet
narrowly avoid a problem
Selling early, we dodged a bullet.
down to earth
practical and sensible; not arrogant
Despite her fame she's very down to earth.
draw a blank
fail to remember or find something
I drew a blank when she asked for my password.
easier said than done
harder to do than to talk about
Saving money is easier said than done.
every cloud has a silver lining
every bad situation has something good
Cheer up. Every cloud has a silver lining.
face the music
accept the unpleasant results of your actions
He had to face the music after the mistake.
fish out of water
uncomfortable in an unfamiliar setting
At the gala I felt like a fish out of water.
food for thought
something worth thinking about
Her talk gave us a lot of food for thought.
get a foot in the door
gain a first opportunity somewhere
An internship gets your foot in the door.
get cold feet
become nervous and hesitate
He got cold feet before signing the lease.
get out of hand
become uncontrollable
The party got out of hand quickly.
get the hang of it
learn how to do something
Cycling is tricky at first but you get the hang of it.
give someone the cold shoulder
ignore someone deliberately
She gave me the cold shoulder after the argument.
give the benefit of the doubt
trust someone despite uncertainty
I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.
go against the grain
oppose what is usual or expected
Her ideas go against the grain.
go down in flames
fail spectacularly
The startup went down in flames.
go the extra mile
make more effort than expected
Our team always goes the extra mile for clients.
hands are tied
unable to act due to rules
I'd help, but my hands are tied.
hang in there
stay strong in a hard situation
Hang in there, the exams are nearly over.
have a lot on your plate
be very busy
She has a lot on her plate this week.
have a sweet tooth
love sugary food
I have such a sweet tooth at night.
hit the books
study hard
I need to hit the books before finals.
hit the nail on the head
describe a problem exactly right
You hit the nail on the head about the budget.
hit the sack
go to bed
I'm exhausted. I'm going to hit the sack.
in a nutshell
in brief; summarized
In a nutshell, the plan worked.
in hot water
in trouble
He's in hot water for missing the deadline.
in the same boat
in the same difficult situation
We're all in the same boat with these prices.
it's not rocket science
it is not difficult to understand
Filling the form isn't rocket science.
jump on the bandwagon
join a popular trend
Everyone jumped on the bandwagon and bought the app.
jump the gun
act too soon
Don't jump the gun before the results are in.
keep an eye on
watch carefully
Can you keep an eye on my bag for a minute?
keep something at bay
keep a problem under control
Exercise keeps stress at bay.
keep your chin up
stay positive in hard times
Keep your chin up. Things will improve.
kill two birds with one stone
solve two problems with one action
Walking to work kills two birds with one stone.
know the ropes
be experienced at a task
Ask Sam. She knows the ropes here.
learn the ropes
learn how a job is done
It took a month to learn the ropes.
leave no stone unturned
try every possible way
Police left no stone unturned in the case.
lend a hand
help someone
Could you lend a hand with these boxes?
let the cat out of the bag
reveal a secret by accident
He let the cat out of the bag about the party.
like two peas in a pod
very similar and close
The twins are like two peas in a pod.
make a long story short
summarize quickly
To make a long story short, we won.
make ends meet
earn just enough to live
They struggle to make ends meet.
miss the boat
miss an opportunity
If you wait too long, you'll miss the boat.
needle in a haystack
something very hard to find
Finding that file is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
no pain no gain
success requires effort and hardship
Training hurts, but no pain no gain.
off the top of my head
without checking, from memory
Off the top of my head, it's about €50.
on cloud nine
extremely happy
She was on cloud nine after the wedding.
on the ball
alert and quick to understand
Our new hire is really on the ball.
on the same page
in agreement and understanding
Let's make sure we're on the same page.
on thin ice
in a risky situation
You're on thin ice with these late reports.
once in a blue moon
very rarely
We eat out once in a blue moon.
out of the blue
unexpectedly
He called me out of the blue after years.
out of the question
impossible; not allowed
A refund is out of the question now.
over the moon
extremely pleased
We were over the moon about the news.
pay through the nose
pay far too much
We paid through the nose for parking.
peace of mind
a feeling of calm and freedom from worry
Insurance gives me peace of mind.
play it by ear
decide as you go, without a plan
Let's not book ahead and just play it by ear.
pull someone's leg
tease or joke with someone
Relax, I'm just pulling your leg.
pull yourself together
calm down and regain control
Pull yourself together; we can fix this.
put all your eggs in one basket
risk everything on one thing
Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
put your foot in your mouth
say something embarrassing
I put my foot in my mouth at dinner.
raining cats and dogs
raining very heavily
Take an umbrella. It's raining cats and dogs.
read between the lines
find a hidden meaning
Read between the lines of her email.
rule of thumb
a rough, practical guideline
As a rule of thumb, allow an hour to get to the airport.
see eye to eye
agree with someone
We don't always see eye to eye on money.
sell like hotcakes
sell very quickly
The tickets sold like hotcakes.
sit on the fence
avoid making a decision
Don't sit on the fence. Pick a side.
sit tight
wait patiently without acting
Sit tight while I check the details.
speak of the devil
said when someone you mentioned appears
Speak of the devil. Here she is now.
spill the beans
reveal secret information
Come on, spill the beans about the trip.
steal someone's thunder
take credit or attention from someone
He stole her thunder at the launch.
take a rain check
postpone an invitation to later
Can I take a rain check on dinner tonight?
take it with a grain of salt
don't fully believe something
Take online reviews with a grain of salt.
take the plunge
finally do something risky
We took the plunge and bought a house.
the ball is in your court
it's your turn to act or decide
I've sent the offer; the ball is in your court.
the best of both worlds
a situation with two advantages
Remote work gives the best of both worlds.
the bigger picture
the overall situation, not details
Try to focus on the bigger picture.
the last straw
the final problem that ends your patience
His rudeness was the last straw.
the tip of the iceberg
a small visible part of a big problem
These bugs are just the tip of the iceberg.
through thick and thin
through good and bad times
They stayed friends through thick and thin.
throw in the towel
give up
After months of losses he threw in the towel.
turn a blind eye
ignore something wrong on purpose
Managers turned a blind eye to the issue.
under the weather
feeling slightly ill
I'm a bit under the weather today.
under your nose
right in front of you but unnoticed
The keys were under your nose the whole time.
up in the air
uncertain and undecided
Our holiday plans are still up in the air.
when pigs fly
never; something impossible
He'll apologize when pigs fly.
wrap your head around
understand something difficult
I can't wrap my head around the new system.
About this practice
Can I use idioms in an essay?
Check the formality label. Informal expressions may not suit formal writing.
Can I change an idiom’s words?
Many idioms are fixed expressions. Use the example to check the usual wording.
Formality labels
Neutral expressions fit more settings than informal ones. Context still matters.
Learn an idiom in context
Read the meaning and the complete example together. Try using the expression in a sentence of your own.
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a fixed phrase with a meaning that you cannot work out from its separate words. "Kick the bucket" has nothing to do with buckets. It is an informal way to say "die". You have to learn an idiom as one unit, in the same way that you learn a single word.
You usually cannot change the words in an idiom. People say "spill the beans", not "spill the peas" or "drop the beans". Only the grammar changes: "she spilled the beans", "don't spill the beans".
Informal or neutral?
Every entry has a formality label.
- Informal idioms are fine with friends and in casual messages. Avoid them in essays, reports and job applications.
- Neutral idioms are safe in most situations, including work emails.
In very formal writing, such as an academic essay, a plain word is usually better than any idiom. Write "very expensive", not "cost an arm and a leg".
How to learn idioms
- Understand first, use later. You will hear idioms much more often than you need to say them. Learn to recognise many, and choose a few to use.
- Learn them by theme. Use the theme menu above. Five idioms about money are easier to remember together than five random ones.
- Learn the whole example. The example sentence shows the grammar around the idiom and a typical situation for it.
- Check the variety. Some idioms are more common in British English, such as "a storm in a teacup" and "blow your own trumpet". American English says "a tempest in a teapot" and "blow your own horn".
Related tools
Search more than 120 common English idioms by word or by theme. Each entry gives a plain meaning, an example sentence and a note on how formal the idiom is.