English Idioms and Specialized Phrases Collection

A comprehensive vocabulary set of English idioms, their meanings, and typical usage contexts as found in exam preparation materials.

Wide awake

Completely awake and alert.

Tip of the tongue

The feeling of almost remembering something but not being quite able to recall it.

Sweep something under the carpet

To hide or ignore a problem in the hope that it will be forgotten.

Pull one's weight

To do one's fair share of work or duty.

Hold your horses

To wait a moment; to be patient; to stop or slow down.

Bell the cat

To take on a difficult or dangerous task for the benefit of a group.

Dog tired

Extremely exhausted.

Bells and whistles

Extra, decorative, or luxury features added to a system or product.

Golden handshake

A large sum of money given to an employee when they leave a company.

Past one's prime

Beyond the most successful or productive period of one's life.

Wear and tear

Damage that occurs naturally through ordinary use.

Frog in one's throat

A temporary hoarseness or dryness in the throat.

Lion's share

The largest portion of something.

Flash in the pan

A sudden, brief success that is not repeated.

Get the bit between one's teeth

To become determined or enthusiastic about a task.

Do something by the book

To follow all the rules and regulations strictly.

Once in a blue moon

Very rarely.

Get off to a flying start

To have a very successful beginning.

Take something with a grain of salt

To view something with skepticism or not take it literally.

Sort out the sheep from the goats

To distinguish between people who are good/skilled and those who are not.

On the cards

Likely to happen.

Foot in the door

To enter a business or profession at a low level with the hope of progressing.

Hit the headlines

To become famous or well-known through media coverage.

Turn over a new leaf

To start behaving in a better way.

Go bananas

To become very excited or angry.

Big cheese

An important and influential person.

Icing on the cake

An extra benefit that makes a good situation even better.

Butterflies in one's stomach

A nervous feeling.

Tall order

A task that is very difficult to achieve.

Cold feet

A loss of nerve or confidence before a planned event.

Grin and bear it

To accept a difficult situation without complaining.

Bite off more than one can chew

To try to do something that is too difficult for one to manage.

Fair and square

Honestly and according to the rules.

Dead as a doornail

Completely dead or non-functional.

Pull up one's socks

To make an effort to improve one's work or behavior.

Smell a rat

To suspect that something is wrong or dishonest.

Go to the dogs

To deteriorate or decline significantly in quality.

Part and parcel

An essential or integral portion of something.

When pigs fly

Something that will never happen.

Cost an arm and a leg

To be extremely expensive.

Apple of one's eye

A person whom someone loves very much and is very proud of.

Fight tooth and nail

To fight with great energy and determination.

Sell like hot cakes

To be sold very quickly and in large quantities.

Given the pink slip

To be dismissed or fired from a job.

Off the peg

Ready-made clothing, not custom-made.

Look a gift horse in the mouth

To be ungrateful or critical of a gift.

On the mend

Recovering from an illness or injury.

Drop a brick

To say something tactless or embarrassing.

Catch someone red-handed

To catch someone in the act of doing something wrong.

On a roll

Experiencing a period of success or good luck.

Fly in the ointment

A small problem that spoils a pleasant situation.

Break new ground

To do something original or innovative.

One's cup of tea

Something that a person finds pleasing or is good at.

Between a rock and a hard place

Faced with two equally difficult or unpleasant choices.

As steady as a rock

Extremely reliable or firm.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Information received directly from the original or most reliable source.

Fish out of water

Someone who is uncomfortable in a particular situation or environment.

By the skin of one's teeth

Succeeding by a very narrow margin.

Lend an ear

To listen sympathetically to someone.

As poor as a church mouse

Extremely poor.

Up to one's ears

Very busy or deeply involved in something.

Off the record

Information given privately and not for public release.

Take the bull by the horns

To deal with a difficult situation directly and confidently.

Belly up

To become bankrupt or fail completely.

Beneath a silver platter

Being given something without having to work for it.

Save for a rainy day

To save money for a future time of need.

All fingers and thumbs

Clumsy or awkward with one's hands.

Face the music

To accept criticism or punishment for something one has done.

Know like the back of one's hand

To be very familiar with something.

Save face

To avoid humiliation or preserve one's reputation.

Under one's wing

To protect and guide someone.

Drop the ball

To make a mistake, often through carelessness.

Household name

A person or thing that is well known by the public.

Red as a beetroot

To have a red face out of embarrassment.

Over the hill

Past one's best years or no longer young.

Last straw

The final problem in a series that makes a situation unbearable.

Foot the bill

To pay for something.

On a par with

Equal to something else.

Pay through the nose

To pay an excessive amount of money for something.

Square the circle

To attempt something that is impossible.

Spick and span

Neat, clean, and tidy.

In the red

Owing money or being in debt.

Cool as a cucumber

Extremely calm and relaxed.

Black sheep

A member of a group or family who is considered different or disgraceful.

Rest on one's laurels

To be satisfied with past success and stop making an effort.

Hit the nail on the head

To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.

Red tape

Excessive bureaucracy or adherence to rules.

Turn a blind eye

To pretend not to notice something.

Keep someone in the dark

To keep something secret from someone.

Split hairs

To worry about or argue over trivial details.

Nose to the grindstone

To work hard and continuously.

Leave no stone unturned

To try every possible way to achieve something.

Stick to one's guns

To refuse to change one's ideas or beliefs.

Strike a chord

To trigger a strong emotion or memory; to seem familiar.

In with a chance

Having a good possibility of success.

Fling down the gauntlet

To issue a challenge.

Wear the trousers

To be the person in a relationship who makes the decisions.

Blessing in disguise

Something that seems bad at first but results in something good.

Scream blue murder

To shout loudly in fear or anger.

Rise to the occasion

To perform better than usual in response to a special situation.