Idioms Practice English

A set of 20 vocabulary flashcards defining common English idioms and expressions based on the lecture notes.

Break the ice

To start a conversation or make people feel more comfortable.

Cut corners

To do something in the easiest or cheapest way, often badly.

Hit the nail on the head

To describe something exactly right.

Piece of cake

Something very easy to do.

Cost an arm and a leg

To be very expensive

Bite off more than you can chew

To try to do more than you can manage.

Cry over spilled milk

To be upset about something that has already happened and can’t be changed.

Get your act together

To organise yourself and improve your behaviour.

Kill two birds with one stone

To solve two problems with one action.

Let the cat out of the bag

To reveal a secret by mistake.

Pull someone’s leg

To joke with someone by telling them something that isn’t true.

Burn the midnight oil

To work late into the night.

Bite the bullet

To do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been avoiding.

Break a leg

A way of wishing someone good luck, especially before a performance.

Call it a day

To stop working on something.

Steal someone’s thunder

To take attention away from someone else’s achievement.

The ball is in your court

It’s your turn to take action or make a decision.

Under the weather

Feeling slightly ill.

Speak of the devil

Said when someone appears just as you’re talking about them.

Once in a blue moon

Very rarely.