100 IDIOMS - (400/680)

10/25/2026

hustle and bustle

(idiom) busy and noisy activity (sự nhộn nhịp, hối hả)

have somebody over a barrel

(idiom) to have someone in a situation where they have no choice but to accept what you want (dồn ai vào thế bí)

worship at the altar of

(idiom) to admire or value something too much (tôn thờ, đặt lên hàng đầu)

have somebody eating out of your hand

(idiom) to have complete control or influence over someone (hoàn toàn khống chế được ai)

hard to swallow

(idiom) difficult to believe or accept (khó có thể chấp nhận)

draw a line under something

(idiom) to decide that something is finished and not to be thought about again (khép lại quá khứ)

have eyes like a hawk

(idiom) to notice every small detail and nothing escapes your attention (có đôi mắt tinh tường)

leave somebody high and dry

(idiom) to leave someone in a difficult situation without any help (bỏ rơi ai trong lúc khó khăn)

to the bitter end

(idiom) until the very end, no matter how unpleasant (đến cùng, dù có thế nào)

take your eye off the ball

(idiom) to stop giving your attention to something important (mất tập trung)

put somebody in the picture

(idiom) to give someone the information they need to understand a situation (cho ai biết tình hình)

leave a bad taste in somebody’s mouth

(idiom) to leave an unpleasant memory or feeling (để lại ấn tượng xấu)

throw somebody in at the deep end

(idiom) to make someone start a new and difficult job without helping them (ném ai vào việc khó ngay lập tức)

shoot yourself in the foot

(idiom) to do something without intending to which spoils your chances of success (tự hại mình)

prick up your ears

(idiom) to suddenly listen carefully because you have heard something interesting (vểnh tai lên)

at your fingertips

(idiom) to have knowledge or information ready to use easily (nằm trong lòng bàn tay)

a chink in your armor

(idiom) a weak point in someone's character or arguments that can be attacked (điểm yếu chí mạng)

know something inside out

(idiom) to know something very well (hiểu rõ từ trong ra ngoài)

get on like a house on fire

(idiom) to become friends very quickly and have a very good relationship (hợp nhau ngay lập tức)

enter into the spirit of something

(idiom) to participate fully and enthusiastically in an event (hòa mình vào không khí)

the rat race

(idiom) the exhausting competitive struggle for success in work or life (cuộc sống bon chen)

like the cat that ate the canary

(idiom) looking very smug and self-satisfied (trông rất tự mãn, hài lòng)

go down like a lead balloon

(idiom) to be very unpopular or badly received (bị đón nhận một cách thờ ơ, thất bại)

live from hand to mouth

(idiom) to have just enough money to live on and nothing extra (kiếm đủ ăn, sống nay đây mai đó)

play to the gallery

(idiom) to behave in a way intended to make people admire or support you (làm trò, lấy lòng đám đông)

money for old rope

(idiom) money that is earned very easily for doing something that needs little effort (tiền kiếm dễ như bỡn)

leave no stone unturned

(idiom) to do everything you can to achieve a goal (làm mọi cách, không bỏ sót việc gì)

get in on the act

(idiom) to become involved in an activity that is successful (nhảy vào tham gia khi thấy thành công)

in the cold light of day

(idiom) when you think about something clearly and without emotion (nhìn nhận một cách sáng suốt)

spend money like water

(idiom) to spend a lot of money in a careless way (tiêu tiền như nước)

scare the life out of

(idiom) to frighten someone very much (làm ai sợ xanh mặt, hết hồn)

in next to no time

(idiom) very quickly; very soon (rất nhanh chóng)

make the best of a bad job

(idiom) to try to get a good result in a difficult situation (cố gắng hết sức trong hoàn cảnh khó khăn)

be banging your head against a brick wall

(idiom) to waste effort on something that is hopeless (làm việc vô ích, như đập đầu vào tường)

eat like a bird

(idiom) to eat very little (ăn rất ít)

save your own skin

(idiom) to protect yourself from difficulty, without caring about others (cứu lấy thân mình)

a wet blanket

(idiom) a person who spoils other people's fun by being negative (người làm giảm hứng thú của người khác)

miss the point

(idiom) to fail to understand the important part of something (không hiểu ý chính)

point the finger at

(idiom) to accuse someone of being responsible for something (chỉ tay, đổ lỗi)

try your hand at something

(idiom) to try doing something for the first time (thử sức làm điều gì lần đầu)

have green fingers

(idiom) to be good at gardening (có tay làm vườn)

let sleeping dogs lie

(idiom) to avoid mentioning a subject that could cause problems (đừng đụng chạm đến chuyện cũ)

see with half an eye

(idiom) to see or understand something very easily (dễ dàng nhận thấy)

mind your own business

(idiom) used to tell someone in a rude way that you do not want them to ask about something (lo việc của mình)

as safe as houses

(idiom) very safe (rất an toàn)

tread the boards

(idiom) to work as an actor (làm diễn viên sân khấu)

put the brakes on

(idiom) to slow down or stop an activity (hãm lại, ngừng lại)

rock the boat

(idiom) to cause problems by criticizing or changing something (gây rối, làm mất ổn định)

a storm in a teacup

(idiom) great anger or excitement about a trivial matter (chuyện bé xé ra to)

a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

(idiom) something you already have is better than something you might get (thà giữ chắc những gì mình đang có còn hơn mạo hiểm đánh đổi để theo đuổi những thứ lớn lao hơn nhưng không chắc chắn)

full of the joys of spring

(idiom) very happy and full of energy (tràn đầy niềm vui và năng lượng)

until you are blue in the face

(idiom) for a very long time without achieving anything (nói mãi không nghe)

be rolling in the aisles

(idiom) to laugh extremely loudly (cười lăn lộn)

the law of the jungle

(idiom) a situation where people are prepared to harm others to succeed (luật rừng xanh)

in the same breath

(idiom) at almost the same time (ngay tức thì, cùng một lúc)

take a nosedive

(idiom) to fall or decrease suddenly and dramatically (giảm mạnh, rớt giá thê thảm)

water under the bridge

(idiom) something that happened in the past and is no longer important (chuyện đã qua)

wouldn’t hurt a fly

(idiom) to be very gentle and not willing to hurt anyone (hiền lành, không làm hại ai)

at the back of your mind

(idiom) in your thoughts but not immediately remembered or noticed (ở đáy tiềm thức)

spick and span

(idiom) very clean and tidy (sạch bong, ngăn nắp)

from time immemorial

(idiom) for a very long time (từ ngàn xưa, từ xa xưa)

keep your hair on

(idiom) used to tell someone to stop being angry or upset (bình tĩnh nào)

a Pyrrhic victory

(idiom) a victory that is not worth winning because you have suffered so much to achieve it (thắng lợi phải trả giá đắt)

take somebody to the cleaner’s

(idiom) to cheat someone out of all their money or defeat them completely (lừa sạch tiền, đánh bại hoàn toàn)

in the middle of nowhere

(idiom) in a place that is far away from any town or city (nơi hẻo lánh)

push the envelope

(idiom) to go beyond the usual limits of something (vượt ra khỏi giới hạn thông thường)

corner the market

(idiom) to gain control of the supply of a particular product (thao túng, độc chiếm thị trường)

call a spade a spade

(idiom) to speak honestly and directly about something (nói thẳng, nói thật)

castles in the air

(idiom) plans or hopes that have very little chance of happening (kế hoạch viển vông)

fall foul of

(idiom) to get into trouble with a person or organization (vướng vào rắc rối)

be all fingers and thumbs

(idiom) to be clumsy (vụng về, hậu đậu)

a paper tiger

(idiom) a person or thing that seems strong but is actually weak (hổ giấy)

a fly on the wall

(idiom) an unnoticed observer (quan sát viên vô hình)

get itchy feet

(idiom) to feel a strong desire to travel or move from place to place (ngứa chân, thích ngao du)

shake like a leaf

(idiom) to tremble with fear or nervousness (run như cầy sấy)

take a shine to somebody

(idiom) to begin to like someone very much (có cảm tình với ai)

be on the receiving end

(idiom) to be the person who is affected by someone's actions (là người chịu tác động)

look daggers at

(idiom) to look at someone in a very angry way (trừng trừng, nhìn với ánh mắt giận dữ)

lose your touch

(idiom) to lose the skill or ability you once had (mất đi sự khéo léo, tài năng vốn có)

turn the other cheek

(idiom) to not retaliate when someone has hurt or offended you (quay má bên kia, không trả thù)

live on borrowed time

(idiom) to continue to exist longer than expected (sống thêm nhờ thời gian mượn)

heads will roll

(idiom) people will be punished or lose their jobs (sẽ có người bị trừng phạt)

as bright as a button

(idiom) very intelligent and quick to learn (thông minh, nhanh trí)

clip somebody's wings

(idiom) to limit someone's freedom or power (cắt bớt quyền lực, hạn chế tự do)

in the dead of night

(idiom) in the middle of the night when it is very dark and quiet (vào lúc nửa đêm)

the life and soul of the party

(idiom) someone who is very lively and entertaining at social events (linh hồn của bữa tiệc)

make a pig's ear of something

(idiom) to do something very badly (làm hỏng bét, làm một cách vụng về)

not know the half of it

(idiom) to know only a small part of something and not the most important part (không biết được phần quan trọng)

as thick as thieves

(idiom) very close and friendly, often sharing secrets (thân nhau như hình với bóng)

get hold of the wrong end of the stick

(idiom) to misunderstand something completely (hiểu lầm hoàn toàn)

between a rock and a hard place

(idiom) in a situation where you have to choose between two unpleasant options (tiến thoái lưỡng nan)

play for time

(idiom) to delay something so you have more time to decide or act (câu giờ)

be over the moon

(idiom) to be extremely happy (vui như Tết, vui phấn khởi)

down in the dumps

(idiom) feeling unhappy and depressed (buồn bã, chán nản)

watch your step

(idiom) to be careful about how you behave (cẩn thận trong cách cư xử)

set something in motion

(idiom) to start a process (khởi động một quá trình)

slog your guts out

(idiom) to work very hard (làm việc cật lực)

leave your mark

(idiom) to have a lasting effect on someone or something (để lại dấu ấn)

get beyond a joke

(idiom) to become too serious to be funny (vượt quá giới hạn của trò đùa)

a whole new ball game

(idiom) a completely different situation (một tình huống hoàn toàn mới)