Common Idioms and Their Meanings

Idiom Definitions

Acid test: Proves the effectiveness of something.

Actions speak louder than words: Intentions are better judged by actions than words.

Add insult to injury: Worsening an unfavorable situation, often with mockery.

After the watershed: Time after which programs for older audiences may be aired on TV.

Against the clock: Rushed, with little time to complete something.

Ahead of time: Something happening early or before it's supposed to.

All ears: Awaiting an explanation.

An arm and a leg: Very expensive or costly; a large amount of money.

Around the clock: At any time of the day or night.

Around the corner: Will happen soon.

As time goes by: The passing of one moment to the next.

At the drop of a hat: Without any hesitation; instantly.

Back to basics: An approach using traditional ideas that have previously worked.

Back to the drawing board: When an attempt fails, and it's time to start over.

Bad apple: Troublemaker or undesirable person in a group.

Ball is in your court: It's up to you to make the next decision or take the next step.

Barking up the wrong tree: Looking in the wrong place or accusing the wrong person.

Be glad to see the back of: Be happy when a person leaves.

Beat around the bush: Avoiding the main topic; not speaking directly about the issue.

Beat the clock: Do something quickly before it's too late.

Bee in one's bonnet: Carrying an idea that's constantly in your thoughts.

Behind the times: Being old-fashioned.

Bells and whistles: Lots of desirable features.

Best of both worlds: Enjoying the advantage of two things simultaneously.

Best thing since sliced bread: A good invention or innovation; a good idea or plan.

Better late than never: It is better to do something late than not at all.

Bide one's time: Waiting for further developments before taking action or making decisions.

Big cheese: Influential person.

Bird in the hand is worth two in the bush: Better to be satisfied with what you have than risk losing it by trying to get something better.

Bite off more than you can chew: To take on a task that is way too big.

Black and blue: Badly bruised.

Black and white: Oversimplifying by judging everything as good or bad.

Black as night: Very dark and hard to see.

Black eye: Bruise around the eye.

Black market: Where goods are illegally bought and sold for profit.

Black out: Darken by turning off or dimming the lights; lose consciousness.

Black sheep: Undesirable member of a group.

Blackball: Exclude or ostracize someone socially; reject someone.

Blacklist: Exclude someone.

Blackmail: Extort or take money from someone by threatening to use their secrets against them.

Blessing in disguise: Something good that isn't recognized as such at first.

Blind date: Pre-arranged social interaction between people who have never met.

Blood red: Description of something with a deep red color.

Blood, sweat & tears: Something that requires a lot of effort and hard work.

Blow a fuse: Suddenly get very angry, perhaps over something unexpected.

Blow up in the face: A plan or project that suddenly fails.

Blue blood: From noble, aristocratic, or wealthy family.

Blue collar: Working in a manual labor job.

Blue in the face: Try hard to win an agreement but usually unsuccessful.

Blue ribbon: Superior quality or distinction; the best of a group.

Bolt from the blue: Unexpected bad news.

Bookworm: Someone who reads a lot.

Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth: Born into a rich and affluent family.

Bottom falls out: A plan or project that fails.

Brainstorm: Develop or think of new ideas.

Bread-winner: Person that is the primary source of income for a family.

Bring home the bacon: Earn a living.

Broken watch is right twice a day: When something is lucky or successful but undeserving.

Buckle down: Working hard with determination and full attention.

Bun in the oven: Pregnant.

Burn the midnight oil: To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting.

Butter up: Flatter someone, usually because you want something from them.

By degrees: Something happens or develops gradually or little by little.

By the skin of your teeth: Only just succeed.

Call it a day (or night): Stop doing something for a while or until the next day (or night).

Calling time: Deciding to end something.

Carry the torch for: Having strong feelings for someone who cannot be yours.

Cash cow: Dependable source of income.

Cat burglar: Thief who climbs into buildings.

Catch someone at a bad time: When it is inconvenient.

Catch someone red-handed: Catch someone in the act of committing a crime or doing something they shouldn't.

Chance one's arm: Deciding to do something even though the chances of success are slim or unknown.

Chase rainbows: Try to achieve something that is very difficult, impossible, or very desirable.

Chase your tail: Spend a lot of time and energy but achieve nothing.

Cheesy: Tacky, silly, inauthentic, or cheap.

Clock-in/clock-out: Record the time of arrival and the time of departure.

Close to home: A comment that is true and makes you uncomfortable.

Cold shoulder: Pay no attention to.

Coming of age: When something develops completely and reached maturity; when a child becomes an adult.

Cook someone's goose: Spoil the person's chance of success.

Copycat: Someone who copies the work of another.

Costs an arm and a leg: When something is very expensive.

Couch potato: Lazy person who watches too much TV.

Cover a lot of ground: Complete a lot of work or a wide range of things.

Crack of dawn: Very early in the morning; the first moments of sunrise.

Cross that bridge when you come to it: Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before.

Crunch time: When an important decision needs to be made by.

Cry over spilt milk: Complain about a loss from the past.

Curiosity killed the cat: Being inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant or dangerous situation.

Cut corners: When something is done quickly, and typically badly, to save money.

Cut one's own throat: Doing something that will cause your own failure or downfall.

Cut the mustard: To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate.

Cut to the chase: Getting to the point.

Day to day: Part of a usual routine.

Days are numbered: Expected to be in a role or to die soon.

Dead duck: Plan or event that has failed or is certain to fail and therefore not worth discussing.

Dead in the water: Plan or project that has ceased to function and is not expected to re-activate.

Dead wood: People or things that are no longer useful or necessary.

Deep down: Describing what a person really feels deep inside them.

Deliver the goods: Do what is expected or required.

Devil's Advocate: To present a counter argument.

Do time (serve time): Spend time in prison.

Donkey's years: A very long period of time.

Don't count your chickens before they've hatched: Don't make plans for something that might not happen.

Don't give up the day job: You are not very good at something; you could definitely not do it professionally.

Don't put all your eggs in one basket: Don't make everything dependent on only one thing.

Double date: Social interaction that involves two couples.

Drastic times call for drastic measures: When you are extremely desperate, you need to take drastic actions.

Drawing a blank: Get no response from someone when you ask them a question or to have no answer yourself.

Dropout: Stop attending school before it is time.

Dwell on the past: Thinking too much about something that happened in the past.

Eager beaver: Enthusiastic and hard worker.

Easy as ABC: Very simple or easy.

Eat, sleep & breathe something: Being so enthusiastic and passionate about something that you think about it all the time.

Egg head: Studious and academic person.

Elbow room: Enough space to move or work in.

Eleventh hour: At the very last minute or just in time.

Elvis has left the building: The show has come to an end; it's all over.

Every cloud has a silver lining: Be optimistic; even difficult times will lead to better days; good can come from a bad situation.

Explore all avenues: Investigating or examining every option.

Eye-catching: Tending to attract attention.

Fallen in love: Start feeling love towards someone.

Far cry from: Very different from.

Feeling blue: Feeling depressed or disconnected.

Feeling under the weather: Feeling unwell.

Fever pitch: When a feeling is very intense and exciting.

Fill in the blanks: Supply missing words or information.

First in, best dressed: The opportunity is afforded to the first to arrive or present themselves.

First out of the gate: Being the first one to make a start at something.

Fish out of water: Feeling uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.

Foot in the door: Small but good start with the possibility of a bright future.

For the time being: An action or state will continue into the future but is temporary.

From now on: From this time forward.

From time to time: Occasionally or not very often.

Full of beans: Excited or very energetic and lively.

Full of the joys of spring: Very happy and full of energy.

Getting sacked (or axed, or fired): To lose your job.

Getting the show on the road: Putting a plan or idea into action.

Give the benefit of the doubt: Believe someone's statement, without proof.

Give the green light: Provide permission to proceed.

Go belly up: Fail completely.

Going places: Demonstrating talent and ability that will lead to success.

Golden boy: Young man idolized for a great skill, typically in sport.

Golden handshake: Large sum of money given to someone when they retire from a company.

Golden opportunity: A very good opportunity that may never present itself again.

Grass is always greener on the other side: The alternative solution may seem better even if that isn't always the case.

Grease someone's palm: Give someone money in order to persuade them to do something dishonest.

Green thumb: Ability to make plants grow or be good at gardening.

Green with envy: Extremely jealous or full of envy.

Grey area: Unclear or undefined.

Hanging on by fingernails: Continuing to do something in a very difficult situation.

Hard as nails: Without sentiment or sympathy for anyone.

Hard time: Something that is difficult or to suffer hardship.

Having one's heart set on something: Possessing a determination to achieve something.

Head in the clouds: Having unrealistic or impractical ideas.

Head over heels in love: Very much in love with someone.

Hear it on the grapevine: Hear something through informal or unofficial means, like gossip.

Heart is in the right place: Having good intentions, even if the results may not be impressive.

Here today, gone tomorrow: When desirable things, such as money or happiness, are temporary.

High time: When something should have been done already and is overdue.

Hit the big time: To become successful.

Hit the books: Begin studying hard.

Hit the nail on the head: Do or say something exactly right.

Hit the panic button: Act quickly and without thinking in reaction to an unexpected event.

Hit the road: Begin traveling or leave.

Hit the sack (or sheets, or hay): Go to bed.

Hold the fort: Have responsibility for something or care about someone while others are away or out.

Honest as the day is long: Someone that is trustworthy and honest.

Hot potato: Speak of a current issue which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed.

Hour of need: When someone really needs something – their last chance.

In due course: Everything will happen when it is supposed to or at the appropriate time.

In one's own time: Taking as long as you want to complete something or completing something at your own pace.

In someone's black book: Be in disgrace or disfavor with someone.

In the bag: Something that is assured or a guaranteed success.

In the black: In profit.

In the blink of an eye (or an instant): Something that happens very quickly.

In the heat of the moment: Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.

In the interim: Between two events or something that is temporary.

In the long run: Over a period of time.

In the nick of time: Just before it is too late.

In the red: In debt with your bank; to have a negative bank balance or to owe money to the bank.

In the right place at the right time: When something happens fortuitously or when given an unexpected opportunity.

In the wrong place at the wrong time: When something unlucky happens that would not normally have happened.

In tune with someone (on the same wavelength): Have the same ideas and be in agreement with someone else.

It takes two to tango: Actions or communications need more than one person.

Itchy feet: Strong impulse to travel or go somewhere.

Judge a book by its cover: Judge something primarily on appearance.

Jump on the bandwagon: Join a popular trend or activity.

Keep something at bay: Keep something away or prevent something from happening.

Keeping up appearances: Maintaining an outward show of prosperity or well-being while hiding your difficulties.

Keeping your finger on the pulse: Being constantly aware of current developments.

Kept in the dark: Not knowing the secrets or truth.

Kill time: Do something whilst waiting.

Kill two birds with one stone: Accomplish two different things at the same time.

Landslide victory: Overwhelming victory.

Last straw: The final problem in a series of problems that leads to a bad thing happening.

Laugh a minute: Someone or something that is very funny.

Learn by rote: Learn something by memorizing it without thought to what is being learnt.

Learn something off by heart: Memorize so well that it can be written or recited without thinking.

Learn the ropes: Learn how to do a job or task properly.

Lemon: New vehicle that has many faults.

Let me see the color of your money: Prove that you can afford something.

Let sleeping dogs lie: Leave a situation undisturbed, since it would otherwise result in trouble or complications.

Let slip through fingers: Failing to obtain or retain a good opportunity.

Let the cat out of the bag: Share information that was previously concealed.

Lick one's wounds: Trying to regain confidence after a defeat.

Lightning fast: Very fast.

Lights are on but nobody is home: Someone is stupid or lacking intelligence.

Like clockwork: Happens at very regular times or intervals without fail.

Like there's no tomorrow: Do something fast or energetic, as if it were the last opportunity to do so.

Lining up all the ducks in a row: Being well organized in preparation for something.

Living beyond your means: Spending more than you can afford.

Living in an ivory tower: Living a lifestyle that saves or obscures you from real-world issues.

Living on the breadline: Having very little income.

Long arm of the law: Far-reaching power of the authorities.

Long time no see: Not seen since long ago.

Look on the bright side: View an unpleasant situation in a positive light.

Love at first sight: Start feeling love towards someone the first time you see them.

Lovey-dovey: Making an excessive display of affection.

Lump in your throat: Tight feeling in the throat because of an emotion like sadness, pride, or gratitude.

Make a long story short: Come to the point without superfluous or unnecessary details.

Make my day: Something that makes me very happy or satisfies me.

Make or break: Circumstances causing total success or total failure.

Make the grade: Be satisfactory or at an accepted level.

Make time: Find time to do something as a priority.

Makes your flesh crawl: Something that makes you feel disgusted or nervous.

Making a go of it: Attempting to succeed at something.

Making good time: Completing something faster than expected.

Making headway: Making progress in what you are trying to do.

Match made in heaven: Relationship that is likely to be happy and successful.

Method to my madness: Despite one's approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it.

Mile a minute: Happens very quickly.

Miss the boat: Miss a chance or opportunity.

Monkey business: Mischievous or deceitful behavior.

Month of Sundays: A very long period of time.

Murphy's law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Never in a million years: Will never happen.

No time like the present: The belief it is better to do something right away instead of waiting.

No time to lose: Start something right away, otherwise, it won't be finished on time.

Not letting grass grow under your feet: Not delaying in getting something done.

Not letting moss grow over: Doing something now or without delay.

Not playing with a full deck: Lacking intelligence.

Now and then (or again): Occasionally.

Now or never: Something that should be done now or it will never be done.

Off color: Unwell.

Off one's rocker: Crazy; demented; out of one's mind; in a confused or befuddled state of mind; senile.

Off to a flying start: Something that is immediately successful or has begun well.

Old hand: Person with a lot of experience in something.

Old school: Holding ideas that were popular and important in the past but which are no longer so.

On the ball: When someone understands the situation well or is doing well.

On the brain: Thinking or talking about something constantly.

On the rocks: Relationship experiencing problems.

On time: Not being late or something happening at the expected time.

Once in a blue moon: Happens very rarely or once in a lifetime.

Once upon a time: Something that happened a long time ago.

Only time will tell: The truth, answer, or result will be revealed at some future point.

Out of the blue: Appear suddenly from nowhere and without warning.

Out of the red: No longer in debt.

Out of time: No time left to do something or a set time has been reached.

Paint the town red: Go out and have a really good time at a party.

Pass with flying colors: Pass with a high score.

Penny for your thoughts: A way of asking what someone is thinking.

Picture paints a thousand words: Visual presentations are far more descriptive than words.

Piece of cake: A job, task, or other activity that is easy or simple.

Pitch black: Very dark with zero or almost zero visibility.

Place in the sun: A position that provides you all the success and happiness you want.

Pop the question: Propose marriage to someone.

Pot calling the kettle black: Hypocritically criticize or accuse someone else who is as guilty as the person criticizing.

Pressed for time: Being rushed or not having enough time to complete something.

Proud as a peacock: Very proud.

Pull the plug: Terminate or discontinue something.

Pull wool over other people's eyes: Deceive someone into thinking well of them.

Pulling out all the stops: Doing everything you can to make something happen.

Punch above one's weight: Performing beyond your ability.

Puppy love: Temporary infatuation between young people.

Put it in black and white: Write down for confirmation or evidence.

Put your thinking cap on: Engage your mind and think in a serious manner.

Rags to riches: Becoming very rich whilst starting very poor.

Raining cats and dogs: Raining very heavily.

Raise the white flag: Accept defeat and surrender to the other party.

Raring to go: Being very eager or enthusiastic about the idea.

Rat race: Exhausting and repetitive routine.

Red flag: Signal or indication that something is not working properly or correctly.

Red herring: Unimportant matter that misleads and draws attention away.

Red hot: New and exciting, creating much demand.

Red in the face: Embarrassed.

Red tape: Set of rules and/or regulations that slow or stop progress.

Red-eye: Journey that leaves late in the night and arrives early in the morning.

Road hog: Dangerous driver.

Roll out the red carpet: Greet a person with great respect and give them a big, warm welcome.

Sail through something: Being successful as something without difficulty.

Save time: Do something quickly or in a way that allows time for other things.

School of hard knocks: Learning through difficult experiences, as opposed to formal, classroom education.

School of thought: Particular philosophy or way of thinking about something.

Schoolboy error: Very basic or foolish mistake.

Seeing eye to eye: Two or more people agree on something.

Seeing red: React with uncontrollable rage.

Sell ice to Eskimos: Persuade people to go against their best interests or to accept something unnecessary.

Shelf life: The expected duration of lifespan of something (typically food, drink, or medicine).

Show of hands: Raising hands to vote about something.

Shown the red card: Dismissed or told to leave.

Silver screen: Film industry.

Single file: Line of people with one person standing behind another.

Sink or swim: Fail or succeed.

Sinking teeth into something: Doing something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.

Sit on the fence: Unable or unwilling to choose or make a decision.

Skip class: Not go to school when you should.

Sleeping (or silent) partner: Person who has put money into a business or venture but who is not involved in running it.

Slice of the pie: Share of something, such as money, profits, etc.

Smash hit: A big success.

Snowed under: Having too much to do.

Sooner or later: Something is certain to happen, but it isn't known when exactly.

Sour grapes: Pretending to dislike something you cannot have.

Spanner in the works: Suddenly disrupt something by introducing something unexpected or unwanted.

Speak of the devil: When the person you have just been talking about arrives.

Speaks volumes: Express a reaction without words.

Spill the beans: Reveal a secret.

Standing ground: Maintaining your position.

Standing the test of time: Something that lasts or continues to work well for a long time.

Steal someone's thunder: Take the credit for something someone else did.

Stiff upper lip: Not showing emotions.

Storm in a teacup: Exaggerate a problem.

Straight from the horse's mouth: From the authoritative source.

Stuck in a time warp: Not changed for a very long time, when everything else around has.

Swallow one's pride: Accepting something humiliating or embarrassing.

Sweet tooth: Liking for sweet-tasting foods.

Take each day as it comes: Deal with things as and when they happen.

Take with a grain (or pinch) of salt: Not to take what someone says too seriously; be skeptical about something.

Taste of your own medicine: Something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else.

Teacher's pet: Teacher's favorite student.

The big time: The top level of a profession.

The moment of truth: When an important decision is made or the truth about something is revealed.

The ship has sailed: A particular opportunity has passed and is no longer available.

The time is ripe: The right or most opportune moment to do something.

Thinking on your feet: Adjusting quickly to change and making fast decisions.

This day and age: These or modern times.

Tickled pink: Very pleased, thrilled, or delighted about something.

Tie the knot: Get married.

Time after time (time and time again): Do something repeatedly.

Time flies: When time passes quickly.

Time for a change: Stop what you are doing and start doing something else.

Time heals all wounds (or time is a great healer): Feelings of hurt (usually emotional) will go away after some time has passed.

Time is money: Time is a valuable commodity; payment is needed before doing something.

Time is of the essence: When meeting a deadline is very important or critical.

Time of one's life: A time when someone is enjoying themselves.

Time on one's hands (or side): When you can afford to wait before doing or achieving something.

Tongue-tied: Difficulty in expressing yourself because of nervousness or embarrassment.

Too many chiefs and not enough Indians: Too many people telling others what to do.

Too much (free) time on one's hand: When someone doesn't have enough to do.

Top banana: Most important person in a group.

Top dog: Most important person.

Tough cookie: Very determined person.

Tricks of the trade: Clever or expert way of doing something.

True colors: Someone's actual character.

Turn back the hands of time: Reverse something or go back to a time in the past.

University of life: Daily life and work where you learn more than you would through formal education.

Until hell freezes over: Something will never happen, no matter how hard or long you try for it to.

Up in smoke: Something that ends before getting a result.

Waiting in the wings: Waiting for an opportunity to take action.

Walk out on someone: Leave a partner and end the relationship.

Wasting time: Doing something with no purpose.

Well-oiled machine: Unit of people or a group of things working well together.

Whale of a time: Enjoying something thoroughly.

White as a sheet (or ghost): In a state of great fear or anxiety.

White collar: Office worker.

White elephant: Expensive item that's costly to maintain and not particularly useful.

White lie: Little or harmless lie told to be polite and avoid hurting someone's feelings.

Whitewash: Cover up or gloss over faults.

Whole nine yards: Everything, all of it.

With bells on: When you are delighted and eager to go somewhere.

Wooden spoon: Imaginary prize for the last person in a race.

Works like a charm: Works very well or as expected.

Wouldn't be caught dead: Would never like to do something.

Year in, year out: Happens every year for many years in a row.

Yellow-bellied: Coward.

You can't teach an old dog new tricks: People used to doing things a certain way are often unable to change their ways.

Your guess is as good as mine: Not knowing the answer.