Idioms

Let's go Dutch. What?

Idioms are word combination that have different meanings than the literal meaning of each individual word. Idioms cannot be understood by studying each words in the phrase.

So, if someone says ‘Let’s call it a day’ or ‘Don’t beat around the bush‘ you might have hard time understanding the real meanings of these sentences, even though you know all the words in them. If you want to master idioms, look at them as if they were single units or ‘new words’ and learn the meaning beyond the words.

Here you are; 120 common idioms with their explanations to make your day, to help you understand native speakers easier; and last but not least to encourage you to implement them into your speech or writing.

“Sam, it’s getting late;
let’s call it a day and wet the whistle.”

call it a day
stop working because you don’t want to do more or you think you’ve done enough
wet the whistle
to have a drink
once in a blue moon
happens very rarely
cut corners
to do something in a bad way to save time and money
face the music
to deal with the reality and accept the consequences
when the pigs fly
when do pigs fly? NEVER. Straightforward, isn’t?
ring a bell
something sounds familiar to you, because you remember hearing it before
go Dutch
to share the costs equally, especially a meal at a restaurant
make ends meet
to earn money to pay bills and food

go down the drain
effort or money that is spoiled or wasted
a hard nut to crack
a person who is difficult to deal with
have a sweet tooth
like eating cookies, cakes and other sweets
a storm is brewing
trouble or an emotional outburst is about to happen
calm before the storm
an unusually quiet period before a serious problem
chasing rainbows
following dreams, trying to achieve something unrealistic
rain or shine
do something no matter what happens/See you tomorrow; rain or shine./
under the sun
everything on Earth
go with the flow
to do what other people do; to agree with
over the moon
to be very excited

“As Stewart realized how critical the situation had become, he jumped on his desk and all hell broke loose.”

all hell breaks loose
the situation suddenly becomes dangerous and chaotic
to be in the red
to lose more money than you make
to be loaded
to have a lot of money
as a rule of thumb
unwritten rule; general practice; not based on scientific research
find your feet
trying to adopt to a new situation
spice something up
make something more interesting and exciting
bring home the bacon
earn money to support the family
butter (somebody) up
to please or to flatter someone to win their favour
food for thought
something that is worth considering
between a rock and a hard place
to choose between two unsatisfactory options /the lesser of two evils/

in the fast lane
live a life full of excitement
tip of an iceberg
the small, visible part of a larger problem
You rock!
you are great
pull yourself together
calm down and behave normally
go down in flames
to fail fast and spectacularly
down to earth
being practical and sensible
let the dust settle
allowing a situation to calm down and settle after something unusual happened
barking up a wrong tree
looking for the solution at the wrong place
everthing but the kitchen sink
every possible thing in a given situation
a smart cookie
a clever person who makes good decision

“Ms. Green, let’s cut to the chase; there’s a major issue in your resume that cannot be overlooked easily.”

cut to the chase
start talking about the important things without unimportant details
put the cart before the horse
to do the things in the wrong order
uphill battle
something that is hard to achieve because of difficulties and obstacles
be on the same page
to agree about something
no strings attached
something is given without involving special conditions or limits
be in the driver’s seat
to have the control over the situation
game plan
a plan to achieve success
in nutshell
using as few words as possible
corner the market
to be in a dominant position on the market
keep the eye on the ball
to give something full attention and to not lose focus

you can say it again
that’s true, I absolutely agree
that’s the last straw
my patience has run out
by the skin of your teeth
just barely, by a narrow margin, just in time
to give sb a could shoulder
to ignore someone
hit the nail on the head
to be exactly right or to describe a situation exactly
put something on ice
to put a project on hold
ignorance is bliss
if one doesn’t know about the trouble will not worry about it
the ball is in your court
it is your decision
a storm in a teacup
a big fuss about a small problem
my guess is as good as yours
I have no idea either

“Guys, as for now, the sales figures seem really good; it’s gonna be a smooth sailing this year .”

smooth sailing
success achieved easily
be in the cards
very likely – I don’t think going on holiday is in the card this year.
have a whale of a time
to enjoy smt. very much
let your hair down
to relax and enjoy the moment
hit the roof
to become very angry
be rotten to the core
completely evil
pop the question
propose marriage
zip your lip about smt.
be quiet – OK, I’ll tell you my secret from the past but zip your lip about it.
be all eyes and ears
to be very attentive
cool one’s heels
wait or be kept waiting

back to square one
start something from the beginning
knock your socks off
amaze or impress someone
seize the day
take an opportunity
lovely weather for ducks
a humorous phrase way for wet, rainy weather
on cloud nine
to be very happy
do something by the book
follow the instructions or rules completely
spill the beans
reveal a secret
spread one’s wings
to become more independent and to try new things
wrap your head around it
to understand something difficult or strange
be a hard act to follow
be so good that hardly anyone that comes after will be as good

“Greg, I’m not going to beat around the bush. I simply hate your young, fun-loving secretary. And it has nothing to do with my jealousy.”

be dead set against smt.
completely oppose something
beyond/above my paygrade
need a higher level of responsibility than I have or should be dealt with by sb more senior than me.
jack-of-all-trades
someone who can do many different jobs
leave stone no unturned
to do everything to achieve a good result, especially when looking for something
from rags to riches
describes the way when someone becomes quickly rich after being really poor
be economical with the truth
to lie or not to tell everything that you know
champaign taste on beer budget
a person who lives above her means and wants things that she can’t really afford
live up to the hype
be as good as expected and anticipated by the public
be snowed under
to have so much work you can’t deal with it

beat around the bush
to talk around the subject without getting to the point, usually because it’s uncomfortable
if there is a will there is a way
if you have the desire and determination to do something, you can find a method for accomplishing it
stick to your guns
to continue with a plan or an action despite criticism or disagreement
go-getter
a person who is very determined to be successful and able to deal with all kind of difficulties
be a far cry from sth.
to be completely different from something
wiggle room
freedom to change your mind and do smt. differently
drive hard bargain
to argue in a determined way to achieve smt. beneficiary for you
(all the) bells and whistles
all the features that are added to a product/service to attract more buyers
burn the midnight oil
to study or work until late hours
at the crack of dawn
early in the morning; when the sun rises

“Don’t agree with you, John. I’d rather put your plan on the back burner and start dealing with the Spanish project now. We have to prioritize.”

go belly up
to fail completely
monkey business
behaivour that is dishonest or not acceptble
the tail wagging the dog (wag the dog)
a less important person/group apears to control a larger more imporatant person/organization.
have/get your ducks in a row
get everthing orgnized, straightened up and make all the preparation needed to do something
more holes that in a Swiss cheese
something that has lot of faults and problems
have the edge on/over sb or smt
to have a slight advantage or superiority
no room to swing a cat
very small or cramped space
nothing to write home about
nothing interesting, impressive or worth mentioning
have a whale of time
to enjoy yourself very much
the world is your oyster
you can do what you want or go where you want
you are in a position to take the opportunities that life has to offer

best thing since sliced bread
a humorous way to hype up a certain thing or idea as something very new and innovative.
a hot potato
a controversial issue that noone want to discuss
put smt on the back burner
to not deal with something now because it is considered to be less important
it ain’t over until the fat lady sings
one cannot know the outcome of the situation until it’s still in progress
go cold turkey
suddenly and completely stop with alcohol, drugs or other bad habbits
not the sharpest knife in the drawer
to describe a person who is not particulary smart
straight from the horse’s mouth
directly from a person who has personal knowledge on the matter
like herding cats
a difficult/impossible task, tipically an attempt to orginize a group of people
to wear many hats
to have many jobs or roles
to drive a wedge between sb
to cause disagreement or anger between people who had been friendly before

Seeing the young and prospective singer Adele as a cash cow, Columbia Records signed her, which soon turned out to be the decision of the year if not the decade.

that’s the way the cookie crumbles
to describe an unlucky situation that we have to accept
be shrouded in mistery/secrecy
a matter about which is little known or understood
have a bigger fish to fry
to have something more important to do
watch paint dry
to refer to an activity that is extremely boring
work/go/run like a charm
to be effective, to work really well or to work as you had hoped for
dress/look/act the part
look suitable or behave in a suitable manner for a particular situation
fault line
an issue that people disagree about and may lead to conflict
tug of war
1. a competition in which two teams try to pull at the opposite side of the rope
2. a situation in which two equally strong people or groups want to achieve the same thing
hit the ground running
start a new activity with a lot of enthusiasm and energy and do not waste any time

beg, borrow, or steal
to do whatever is needed/necessary to get something
to be in sb’s crosshairs
if you’re in sb’s crosshairs, they want to catch, arrest, or stop you
run around in circles/run round like a headless chicken
to be active/busy but with few results
cash cow
a product or service that makes a lot of money for a company often the profit is used to support company’s other activities
get the hang of it
to learn the skills that are needed to do smt
scrape (the bottom) of the barrel
to use the worst things/resources/people because there is nothing or nobody better available
jump/climb on the bandwagon
become involved in an activity or movement because it is fashionable or likely to succeed and not because they are really interested in it.
to throw caution to the wind
stop caring how dangerous something might be; taking risks
to put your foot down
use your authority to stop something from happening

She didn’t say much, but her face spoke volumes on what she felt at that moment.

pass the baton
to pass job and responsibility on to another
speaks volumes
smt makes opinion, sitution, characteristic very clear without using words
for better or (for) worse
to accept the situation under any conditions, no matter what happens

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance but the illusion of knowledge.”

Stephen Hawkins

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