Important Idioms and Phrases List

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms and phrases are essential parts of the English language, commonly used to express ideas more colorfully and figuratively. Understanding idioms and phrases helps learners understand conversations and texts’ deeper meaning.

• Idioms: Expressions with meanings that cannot be guessed from the individual words.
  • Example: “Break the ice” → To start a conversation in a social setting.
• Phrases: A group of words that work together to give a meaning, though they may or may not be idiomatic.
  • Example: “Under the weather” → Feeling sick.

Why are They Important?

• Make communication more natural and expressive.
• Help in understanding native speakers better.
• Used in daily conversations, literature, and media.

Common Examples of Idioms and Their Meanings

Common Phrases and Their Uses

1. In a nutshell – In summary (In a nutshell, the movie was great.)
2. By all means – Definitely (You can call me by all means.)
3. Take it easy – Relax (You should take it easy after a long day.)
4. On cloud nine – Very happy (She was on cloud nine after winning the award.)

How to Learn and Use Idioms/Phrases?

• Listen to native speakers (movies, TV shows, podcasts).
• Read books, newspapers, and articles.
• Practice using them in daily conversations.
• Keep a diary and note new idioms and phrases.

List of the Idioms and Phrases:

🔺 A blessing in disguise
Meaning: A good thing that seemed bad at first.
Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise—it led me to a better career.

🔺 A penny for your thoughts
Meaning: Asking someone to share their thoughts.
Example: You’ve been quiet all evening—A penny for your thoughts?

🔺 Actions speak louder than words
Meaning: What you do is more important than what you say.
Example: He always promises to help but never does—actions speak louder than words.

🔺 Bend over backward
Meaning: To go out of one’s way to help.
Example: She bent over backward to accommodate their needs.

🔺 Between a rock and a hard place
Meaning: Facing two difficult choices.
Example: I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place—I either stay in a bad job or risk unemployment.

🔺 Break a leg
Meaning: A way to wish someone good luck.
Example: Before the play, the director told the actors, “Break a leg!”

🔺 Burn bridges
Meaning: To damage a relationship beyond repair.
Example: Quitting without notice will burn bridges with your employer.

🔺 Call it a day
Meaning: To stop working on something.
Example: We’ve done enough for today—let’s call it a day.

🔺 Cut corners
Meaning: To do something cheaply or carelessly.
Example: The company cut corners, leading to product defects.

🔺 Draw the line
Meaning: To set a limit.
Example: I don’t mind helping, but I draw the line at working weekends.

🔺 Drop the ball
Meaning: To make a mistake.
Example: The team dropped the ball by missing the deadline.

🔺 Fish out of water
Meaning: Feeling uncomfortable in a new situation.
Example: She felt like a fish out of water at her first corporate job.

🔺 Give the cold shoulder
Meaning: To ignore someone.
Example: After our argument, she gave me the cold shoulder.

🔺 Go down in flames
Meaning: To fail spectacularly.
Example: His presentation went down in flames when the projector broke.

🔺 Go out on a limb
Meaning: To take a risk.
Example: He went out on a limb by defending his unpopular idea.

🔺 Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: To describe a situation exactly.
Example: When she said I was overworked, she hit the nail on the head.

🔺 Kick the bucket
Meaning: A humorous way to say someone died.
Example: The old TV finally kicked the bucket.

🔺 Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
Example: He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

🔺 Lose your touch
Meaning: To lose an ability or skill.
Example: He used to be great at chess, but he’s lost his touch.

🔺 Miss the boat
Meaning: To miss an opportunity.
Example: She missed the boat on investing in that startup.

🔺 Not playing with a full deck
Meaning: Acting foolish or strange.
Example: He keeps making the same mistake—he’s not playing with a full deck.

🔺 Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Something that happens rarely.
Example: We only see them once in a blue moon.

🔺 Out of the frying pan and into the fire
Meaning: Going from a bad situation to a worse one.
Example: Leaving one toxic job for another felt like out of the frying pan and into the fire.

🔺 Play devil’s advocate
Meaning: To argue against something for the sake of debate.
Example: I don’t disagree, but let me play devil’s advocate for a moment.

🔺 Put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: To risk everything on one plan.
Example: Investing all your money in one stock is putting all your eggs in one basket.

🔺 See eye to eye
Meaning: To agree with someone.
Example: We don’t always see eye to eye, but we respect each other.

🔺 Spill the beans
Meaning: To reveal a secret.
Example: She spilled the beans about their engagement.

🔺 Steal someone’s thunder
Meaning: To take credit for someone else’s idea or success.
Example: He stole my thunder by announcing the project before me.

🔺 The last straw
Meaning: The final problem in a series of problems.
Example: His rude comment was the last straw for me.

🔺 Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up.
Example: After years of struggling, he finally threw in the towel.

🔺 Turn over a new leaf
Meaning: To make a positive change.
Example: He turned over a new leaf after his promotion.

🔺 Walk on eggshells
Meaning: To be very cautious about one’s words or actions.
Example: We have to walk on eggshells around the boss today.

🔺 You can’t judge a book by its cover
Meaning: Appearances can be deceiving.
Example: That old house looks shabby, but inside it’s beautiful—you can’t judge a book by its cover.