List of English Idioms
Native English speakers use thousands of idioms daily! If you're learning English, understanding idioms will help you sound more natural and understand conversations better. Here are easy-to-understand idioms with simple definitions and real-life examples, perfect for ESL students.
A Blessing In Disguise
An apparent misfortune that eventually has good results.
Being omitted from the World Cup squad was a blessing in disguise.
A Chip On Your Shoulder
To have an angry or unpleasant attitude or way of behaving caused by a belief that one has been treated unfairly in the past.
He has had a chip on his shoulder ever since he didn't get the promotion he was expecting.
Actions Speak Louder Than Words
When a person says nice things, look into his actions. You judge the person based on his actions, not words.
The man says he loves her but he does not treat him well. Actions speak louder than words. In reality, he does not really love her.
Acid Test
Something that shows its value.
He said that he studied well but the acid test will come when he takes the exams.
Add Fuel To The Fire
A bad thing happened to person A. Person B says or does another bad thing to Person A. Person B adds fuel to the fire.
James lost the game. Kris said, "You are not good at anything. You always fail." Kris added fuel to the fire. She hurt him even more.
A dime a dozen
Common or there is a lot of it so it really has no value.
Mangoes are a dime a dozen in the Philippines so I can eat as many as I like whenever I am there.
A Doubting Thomas
A person who does not easily believe things.
Lila told John that she saw a witch in the garden but he did not believe her. He is a doubting Thomas. He must see the witch himself before he can believe Lila.
A drop in the bucket
A very small part of something big.
Bill Gates donated 100,000 chickens to Bolivia. It was just a drop in the bucket considering how rich he is. Bolivia refused it. See the story here
Against the clock
In a short time.
We had to run against the clock to finish this project.
A House Divided Against Itself Cannot Stand
If the members of the group do not work well together, any project that they have will not succeed.
The members do not agree on a lot of things, their project failed. Indeed, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
A Leopard Can't Change His Spots
You cannot change who you are.
He is never serious at anything. Do not think that when he starts working, he will be serious with his work. A leopard can't change his spots.
A little bird told me
A person told me something and his name is a secret.
A little bird told me that you will study in another country next year.
All bark and no bite
The person says things but he does not do them.
He talks about killing his neighbor but he does not do it. He is all bark and no bite.
All greek
Cannot understand.
Math is all greek to me.
All in the same boat
In the same situation.
They all failed the exams. They are all in the same boat.
A Penny Saved Is A Penny Earned
By not spending money, you are saving money.
Make sure you teach your kids to save while still young. Remember that a penny saved is penny earned.
A Picture Paints a Thousand Words
A picture says more things than words.
You can see from their pictures on Facebook that they are very happy together. They don't need to tell anyone about how happy they are. Their picture paints a thousand words.
A piece of cake
Very easy.
Math is a piece of cake for him.
An arm and a leg
Very expensive.
Hermes bags cost an arm and a leg. In fact, the most expensive has real diamonds that costs $300,000. See the story here
An Axe To Grind
To have something to complain about.
Bert, I need to talk to you. I have an axe to grind. Billy and Bobby went into the other room to argue. They had an axe to grind.
Ants in one's pants
Nervous.
He had ants in his pants when he was interviewed by the President of the company.
Apple of the eye
The person someone likes most.
She is the only child in the family so she is the apple of her parents' eye.
As calm as a toad in the sun
Very calm.
Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian in the world, is as calm as a toad in the sun before swimming. Motivational video
As good as gold
Very good.
My mother advised me to marry a man who is as good as gold.
A slap on the wrist
A very mild punishment.
The child destroyed the glass wall and he was only scolded by his parents and nothing more. It was a slap on the wrist. Another child did the same and he was not allowed to go out for the whole summer with his friends. It was not a slap on the wrist.
Ask someone out
Invite someone on a date.
He asked me out for dinner but I was sick so I declined.
A taste of your own medicine
You have done bad things to people. People do the same things to you. You experience the bad things you did.
He did not share his lunch with his friends. The next day, he did not have money to buy lunch. His friends did not share their lunch with him. He got a taste of his own medicine.
A toss-up
There is no clear winner yet.
The score in the basketball game is 100-100. It is a toss-up between the 2 teams in the last minute.
As nice as a ninepence
Very neat and orderly.
Her room became as nice as a ninepence after her mother angrily told her to clean it.
As proud as a peacock
Be very proud.
His dad was as proud as a peacock when he became a doctor.
At a snail's pace
Very slowly.
He was driving at a snail's pace so we were late for the meeting.
At a snap of a finger
Very fast.
When she told her son that she will give him money when he cleans up his room, he did it at a snap of a finger.
A whale of something
Really good or really big.
Lady Gaga is a whale of a singer. She was able to sing Sound of Music songs very well. Watch her Oscars performance here: Oscars performance
A wide berth
Keep distance from someone or something.
When she is not in a good mood, you should give her a wide berth.
Backroom boys
People who work in a project but not seen in public.
The scriptwriters of this big movie are backroom boys. They deserve a big bonus for a good job.
Back to square one
Back to the beginning.
They built a machine but it did not work well. Now, they have to start all over again. They are back to square one. I learned how to drive 10 years ago but I did not drive after that. I forgot everything about driving. Now, I am back to square one.
Back to the drawing board
The plan was unsuccessful so a new plan should be made.
Our business plan did not work out so we should make another one again. We are back to the drawing board.