IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS

Cut corners

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

Hit the nail on the head

To describe something exactly right.

Beat around the bush

To avoid talking about what’s important.

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.

Throw in the towel

To give up.

Under the weather

Feeling slightly ill.

Once in a blue moon

Very rarely.

Catch someone red-handed

To catch someone while they are doing something wrong.

Barking up the wrong tree

To look for something in the wrong place or to blame the wrong person.

Jump on the bandwagon

To join an activity that has become popular.

Like two peas in a pod

Very similar or close.

Ten a penny

Very common and not special or valuable.

Straight from the horse’s mouth

Information from the person who knows best.

A dime a dozen

Something very common and not special.

To be in the red/black

To be losing money (to be in the negative).

By the skin of your/my teeth

To narrowly escape something or barely achieve something.

Hit the sack/hay

Go to sleep

To make matters worse

To make the problem worse

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch

Don’t count on something good to happen until it’s actually happened

The whole nine yards

Everything, to go all the way

Cut [somebody] some slack

Don’t be so critical

It’s not rocket science

It’s not difficult or complicated

You can say that again

That’s true, I agree

Bent out of shape

To get upset about something

A leopard can't change its spots

People can't change their inherent nature.

Add insult to injury

To make a bad situation worse.

Caught between a rock and a hard place

In a difficult situation with no easy solution.

Cost an arm and a leg

Very expensive.

Cut to the chase

Get to the point.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

Don't risk everything on a single plan.

Down to the wire

Until the last moment.

Easy does it

Slow down.

Face the music

Accept the consequences.

Fall on deaf ears

Be ignored.

Have a change of heart

Change your opinion.

Hit the books

Study hard.

Keep your chin up

Stay positive.

Leave no stone unturned

Try every possible course of action.

Let sleeping dogs lie

Leave something alone if it might cause trouble.

Make a long story short

Tell something briefly.

Miss the boat

Miss an opportunity.

On the ball

Alert and efficient.

On thin ice

In a risky situation.

Play it by ear

Decide something as you go along, rather than planning.

Rain on someone's parade

bring negativity to a moment of excitement

Shake a leg

Hurry up.

Spill the beans

Reveal a secret.

Steal someone's thunder

Take credit for someone else's idea.

The ball is in your court

It's your decision or responsibility.

When pigs fly

Something that will never happen.

You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours

If you do me a favour, I'll return it.

Your guess is as good as mine

I don't know either.

A drop in the bucket

A small, insignificant amount compared to what is needed or available.

A penny for your thoughts

A way of asking someone what they are thinking.

All bark and no bite

Someone who talks a big game but can’t back it up.

All that

Special, better than the rest. Usually used with a negative connotation or feeling.

Aced it

Did very well on a test, exam, or challenge of some kind.

A lot on your (his/her) plate

Having a lot of responsibilities or problems.

Air your dirty laundry in public

To discuss personal problems in public.

All in a day’s work

Something that is not unusual or out of the ordinary.

All over that

To be very interested in doing something. To be eager to do something.

All systems go

Everything is ready to go, and everything is working properly.

Below the belt

Doing or saying something that is unfair or not appropriate.

Boatload

A large amount.

Blow up (synonym: go off)

To get angry and lose control.

Bread and butter

The basic things that you need in order to live or survive.

By hook or by crook

Using any means necessary, even if they are dishonest.

Bring it on

Challenging someone to do something.

(A) Blessing in disguise

When a bad situation turns out to be good because it prevented something worse from happening.

Brush off

To ignore someone or something.

Brush up

To review or practice something.

Bring home the bacon

To earn the money that a family needs to live.

Breaking my back (busting my butt)

Doing a lot of hard work.

Buckle down

To start working hard.

Butter someone up

To praise someone excessively in order to get something from them.

Butt out

To stay out of something that doesn’t concern you.

Can’t stomach (something)

Dislike something so much that you can’t eat it.

Call the shots

To be in charge.

Couch potato

A lazy person who watches too much TV.

Count your blessings

Be grateful for what you have.

Call it a day

To stop working on something or to end something.

Catch my drift

To understand what someone is saying.

Cut the mustard

To be good enough, to meet the required standards.

Chew the fat

To talk about something for a long time, usually something that is not important.

(A)Clean slate

To start over, to forget about the past.

Close call

A situation where something bad almost happened but didn’t.

Catch 22

A situation where there is no good solution because of the conditions that are present.

Cold feet

To be too scared or nervous to do something.

Chicken out

To be too scared to do something.

Come hell or high water

No matter what happens, no matter how difficult it is.

Catching a falling knife

To try to catch something that is falling, usually without success.

Dark horse

A person who is not well-known but who has the potential to be successful.

Dozed off

Fell asleep, usually unintentionally.

Drag your feet

To delay or to take a long time to do something.

Down in the dumps

Sad or depressed.

Down the drain

Wasted or lost.