50 Common English Idioms P1

a piece of cake (idiom) /ə piːs əv keɪk/

something that is very easy to do. dễ ợt

break a leg (idiom) /breɪk ə leɡ/

used to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance. chúc may mắn

hit the books (idiom) /hɪt ðə bʊks/

to begin to study hard. học bài chăm chỉ

let the cat out of the bag (idiom) /let ðə kæt aʊt əv ðə bæɡ/

to reveal a secret. tiết lộ bí mật

burn the midnight oil (idiom) /bɜːn ðə ˈmɪdnaɪt ɔɪl/

to stay up late working or studying. thức khuya học/làm việc

when pigs fly (idiom) /wen pɪɡz flaɪ/

something that will never happen. không thể xảy ra

under the weather (idiom) /ˈʌndə ðə ˈweðə(r)/

feeling sick or ill. không khỏe

the ball is in your court (idiom) /ðə bɔːl ɪz ɪn jɔː kɔːt/

it is up to you to make the next decision. tùy bạn quyết định

bite the bullet (idiom) /baɪt ðə ˈbʊlɪt/

to endure a painful or unpleasant situation. cắn răng chịu đựng

cost an arm and a leg (idiom) /kɒst ən ɑːm ənd ə leɡ/

to be very expensive. rất đắt

pull someone’s leg (idiom) /pʊl ˈsʌmwʌnz leɡ/

to tease or joke with someone. trêu chọc ai

cry over spilt milk (idiom) /kraɪ ˈəʊvə spɪlt mɪlk/

to be upset about something that cannot be undone. than vãn chuyện đã qua

go the extra mile (idiom) /ɡəʊ ði ˈekstrə maɪl/

to do more than what is expected. cố gắng hơn bình thường

hit the sack (idiom) /hɪt ðə sæk/

to go to bed. đi ngủ

kill two birds with one stone (idiom) /kɪl tuː bɜːdz wɪð wʌn stəʊn/

to accomplish two things at once. một công đôi việc

let sleeping dogs lie (idiom) /let ˈsliːpɪŋ dɒɡz laɪ/

to avoid restarting an old argument. đừng khơi lại chuyện cũ

miss the boat (idiom) /mɪs ðə bəʊt/

to miss an opportunity. lỡ mất cơ hội

on cloud nine (idiom) /ɒn klaʊd naɪn/

extremely happy. rất vui sướng

once in a blue moon (idiom) /wʌns ɪn ə bluː muːn/

very rarely. hiếm khi

put all your eggs in one basket (idiom) /pʊt ɔːl jɔː eɡz ɪn wʌn ˈbɑːskɪt/

to risk everything on one opportunity. dồn hết trứng vào một giỏ

see eye to eye (idiom) /siː aɪ tuː aɪ/

to agree completely. đồng tình

speak of the devil (idiom) /spiːk əv ðə ˈdevl/

used when someone just mentioned appears. nhắc Tào Tháo, Tào Tháo đến

spill the beans (idiom) /spɪl ðə biːnz/

to reveal a secret. tiết lộ bí mật

take something with a grain of salt (idiom) /teɪk ˈsʌmθɪŋ wɪð ə ɡreɪn əv sɔːlt/

to not take something too seriously. đừng quá tin

the tip of the iceberg (idiom) /ðə tɪp əv ði ˈaɪsbɜːɡ/

a small visible part of a much larger issue. phần nổi của tảng băng chìm

throw in the towel (idiom) /θrəʊ ɪn ðə ˈtaʊəl/

to give up. bỏ cuộc

through thick and thin (idiom) /θruː θɪk ənd θɪn/

in good times and bad. dù có chuyện gì xảy ra

time flies (idiom) /taɪm flaɪz/

time passes quickly. thời gian trôi nhanh

up in the air (idiom) /ʌp ɪn ði eə(r)/

uncertain or undecided. chưa chắc chắn

hit the nail on the head (idiom) /hɪt ðə neɪl ɒn ðə hed/

to say exactly the right thing. nói đúng trọng tâm

break the ice (idiom) /breɪk ði aɪs/

to start a conversation in a social setting. phá vỡ sự ngại ngùng

bend over backwards (idiom) /bend ˈəʊvə ˈbækwədz/

to try very hard to help someone. cố gắng hết sức

back to the drawing board (idiom) /bæk tuː ðə ˈdrɔːɪŋ bɔːd/

to start something over again. làm lại từ đầu

add fuel to the fire (idiom) /æd ˈfjuːəl tuː ðə ˈfaɪə(r)/

to make a bad situation worse. thêm dầu vào lửa

at the drop of a hat (idiom) /ət ðə drɒp əv ə hæt/

immediately, without hesitation. ngay lập tức

by the skin of your teeth (idiom) /baɪ ðə skɪn əv jɔː tiːθ/

barely or narrowly. sát sao, suýt soát

caught between a rock and a hard place (idiom) /kɔːt bɪˈtwiːn ə rɒk ənd ə hɑːd pleɪs/

in a difficult situation with no easy solution. tiến thoái lưỡng nan

cut corners (idiom) /kʌt ˈkɔːnəz/

to do something badly or cheaply. làm ẩu cho nhanh

every cloud has a silver lining (idiom) /ˈevri klaʊd hæz ə ˈsɪlvə ˈlaɪnɪŋ/

good things can come out of bad situations. sau cơn mưa trời lại sáng

hit the road (idiom) /hɪt ðə rəʊd/

to leave or begin a journey. lên đường

jump on the bandwagon (idiom) /dʒʌmp ɒn ðə ˈbændwæɡən/

to join others in doing something popular. theo trào lưu

kick the bucket (idiom) /kɪk ðə ˈbʌkɪt/

to die. chết

know the ropes (idiom) /nəʊ ðə rəʊps/

to understand how to do a job or activity. biết rõ việc gì đó

no pain, no gain (idiom) /nəʊ peɪn nəʊ ɡeɪn/

hard work is necessary for success. không đau thì không có được

on the same page (idiom) /ɒn ðə seɪm peɪdʒ/

in agreement or understanding. cùng ý kiến

out of the blue (idiom) /aʊt əv ðə bluː/

unexpectedly. bất ngờ

pull yourself together (idiom) /pʊl jɔːˈself təˈɡeðə(r)/

to calm down and behave normally. bình tĩnh lại

raining cats and dogs (idiom) /ˈreɪnɪŋ kæts ənd dɒɡz/

raining very heavily. mưa như trút nước

sit on the fence (idiom) /sɪt ɒn ðə fens/

to avoid taking sides in a dispute. trung lập

steal someone's thunder (idiom) /stiːl ˈsʌmwʌnz ˈθʌndə(r)/

to take credit for someone else's idea. cướp công người khác