Definitive Guide to English Idioms, Phrases, and Expressions

Idiomatic Expressions and Definitions: Page 1

Couch potato: a person who watches too much television.
Hold out hope: to remain optimistic that something will happen.
Play tricks on: to deceive or confuse someone's mind.
Spill the beans: to reveal a secret.
Get on like a house on fire: to become friends very quickly.
Full extent: the total degree or amount of something.
Fly off the handle: to lose one's temper suddenly.
A ring of truth: something that sounds or seems true.
Back out of: to withdraw from an agreement.
Beat about the bush: to avoid getting to the point.
Poke fun at: to mock or make fun of someone.
Pin someone down: to force someone to give a definite answer.
Red rag to a bull: something that makes someone very angry.
Nudge: to push someone gently with the elbow.
Beyond wildest dreams: far better than imagined.
Feather in one's cap: a proud achievement.
Stalk: to follow prey stealthily.
Bear a grudge: to keep a feeling of anger toward someone.
Hutch: a wooden box for pet rabbits.
Bee in one's bonnet: to be obsessed with an idea.
Eat like a horse: to eat a very large amount.
Scruff of the neck: the back of an animal's neck.
Snake in the grass: a person who is untrustworthy.

Contextual Meanings and Social Concepts: Page 2

By any standards: judged by any level of quality.
Shadow of a doubt: a small amount of uncertainty.
While away: to spend time in a lazy way.
Get to grips with: to begin to understand or deal with.
Know no bounds: to have no limits.
Great lengths: extreme efforts to achieve something.
Tendency: an inclination to act in a certain way.
Taken aback: to be very surprised.
Oversight: a mistake made by failing to notice.
Advise against: to recommend not doing something.
Makeshift: temporary and poor quality.
Spick and span: very clean and neat.
Put off: to delay or postpone.
Skirt: to go around the edge of something.
Take someone in: to deceive or trick someone.
Overdue: not finished or arrived on time.
Few and far between: very rare or infrequent.
Come at: to approach a problem in a certain way.
Gift for: a natural talent for something.
Bouncing with health: to be extremely healthy and energetic.
Jog someone's memory: to help someone remember.
Dislocated hip: when the hip bone is moved out of place.
Go in for: to take part in or sit an exam.

Functional Phrasal Verbs and Informal Language: Page 3

Shrug off: to treat as unimportant.
Spur someone on: to encourage someone.
Currently: at the present time.
Escape someone: to be forgotten or not noticed.
Drag: to pass slowly and boringly.
Make out: to see or hear with difficulty.
Churn out: to produce in large quantities.
Song and dance: an unnecessary fuss.
In stitches: laughing very hard.
Pulling your leg: joking or teasing.
Scared stiff: extremely frightened.
Go a long way: to be very helpful.
Run into: to meet by chance.
Wet blanket: a person who spoils the fun.
No good: useless or pointless.
Rough guess: an approximate estimate.
Resort to: to do something as a last option.
Pry into: to interfere in private affairs.
Cluttered with: filled with a mess.
Shattered: broken into small pieces.
Under my wing: under one's protection.
Back out: to withdraw from a deal.
Breach of contract: failure to honor an agreement.

Professional and Social Idioms: Page 4

Field of engineering: a specific area of study/work.
Thin air: disappearing completely.
Work fingers to the bone: to work very hard.
At a loss: selling for less than the cost price.
Passed over: ignored for a promotion.
Skeleton staff: minimum number of workers.
Scarcely: hardly or almost not.
Besetting sin: a main or constant fault.
Go to someone's head: to make someone arrogant.
Hand in notice: to resign from a job.
Go ahead: to proceed as planned.
Clean away: disappearing or getting away completely.
Foul play: suspicious or criminal activity.
Kill time: to occupy oneself while waiting.
Take a hard line: to maintain a strict policy.
Saw through: to realize the truth behind a lie.
Found guilty: judged to have committed a crime.
Spate of thefts: a sudden series of thefts.
Clear one's name: to prove one's innocence.
Banned from: officially forbidden from something.
Police custody: being held by the police.
Fit as a fiddle: in very good physical condition.
Pain in the neck: someone or something very annoying.

Common Metaphors and Business-Related Expressions: Page 5

Look a gift horse in the mouth: to criticize something given for free.
Storm in a teacup: a lot of fuss about something unimportant.
High and dry: left in a difficult situation without help.
Part and parcel: an essential or basic part of something.
Chip on one's shoulder: holding a grudge due to feeling inferior.
Under the weather: feeling slightly ill or not well.
Turn over a new leaf: to change one's behavior for the better.
Pitch dark: completely dark with no light.
Pave the way for: to make it easier for something to happen.
In jeopardy: in a dangerous situation or at risk.
Takeover bid: an offer by one company to buy another.
Close proximity: being very near in distance.
Hotly debated: argued about with strong feelings.
Wane: to become weaker or less important.
Break the ice: to relieve tension in a social setting.
The skin of one's teeth: by a very small margin; only just.
Wear heart on sleeve: to show your emotions openly.
A shot in the dark: a guess without any real knowledge.
Stick to one's guns: to refuse to change one's opinion.
Pass the buck: to shift responsibility to someone else.
Bury the hatchet: to end a quarrel and become friends.
Miss the boat: to be too late to get an opportunity.
Bite off more than chew: to try to do something too difficult.

General Idioms and Colloquialisms: Page 6

Once in a blue moon: very rarely.
Midnight oil: working or studying late into the night.
Call it a day: to stop working on something.
Pull one's weight: to do one's fair share of work.
Up in arms: very angry and protesting.
On the tip of tongue: about to be remembered but not quite.
In the same boat: in the same difficult situation.
Out of the blue: suddenly and unexpectedly.
Off the top of head: without careful thought or research.
Put feet up: to relax and do nothing.
Take with a pinch of salt: not to believe something completely.
Beat the clock: to finish something before time is up.
In the long run: over a long period of time.
Break a leg: a way to wish someone good luck.
On the house: provided free by the business.
Hit the hay: to go to bed.
Piece of cake: something very easy to do.
Under the counter: sold illegally or secretly.
Tie the knot: to get married.
Cost an arm and a leg: to be very expensive.
Keep an eye on: to watch someone or something carefully.
Out of the question: impossible or not allowed.
Face the music: to accept punishment or criticism.

Emotional States and Practical Rules: Page 7

In the red: owing money to the bank.
Let the cat out of bag: to reveal a secret by accident.
Give a hand: to help someone.
Lose one's head: to lose control of one's behavior.
Take for granted: to fail to appreciate something.
Read between the lines: to understand the hidden meaning.
Rule of thumb: a practical but not precise way of doing.
Put oneself in shoes: to imagine being in someone's position.
On the brink of: almost at a point of starting.
Look on the bright side: to be optimistic.
Make ends meet: to have just enough money to live.
Down in the dumps: feeling unhappy or depressed.
Bite the bullet: to endure a painful situation.
Keep chin up: to remain brave in a tough time.
Cry over spilt milk: to worry about past mistakes.
At the eleventh hour: at the very last minute.
Ring a bell: sound familiar.
Jump the gun: to do something too soon.
Break the news: to tell someone important information.
Cross your fingers: to hope for good luck.
Get cold feet: to become too nervous to do something.
In the nick of time: just in time before it's too late.
Pull yourself together: to calm down and behave normally.

Narrative and Problem-Solving Phrases: Page 8

The last straw: the final problem in a series of problems.
Under your nose: right in front of you.
Up in the air: uncertain or not yet decided.
Walk on air: to feel extremely happy.
Wait for the dust to settle: to wait for a situation to become calm.
On the tip of one’s tongue: almost remembered.
Through thick and thin: through good times and bad times.
Keep a straight face: to stop yourself from laughing.
Make a mountain out of a molehill: to exaggerate a small problem.
See eye to eye: to agree with someone.
Out of pocket: having lost money.
In the long run: eventually; in the end.
Cut corners: to do something poorly to save time/money.
Barking up the wrong tree: following the wrong line of thought.
A blessing in disguise: a good thing that seemed bad at first.
Call a spade a spade: to speak frankly and directly.
Ignorance is bliss: you're happier if you don't know the truth.
Steal someone’s thunder: to take credit for someone else’s work.
Better late than never: it's better to arrive late than not at all.