English-language idioms

An idiom is a common word or phrase with a figurative, non-literal meaning that is understood culturally and differs from what its composite words' denotations would suggest; i.e. the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words (although some idioms do retain their literal meanings – see the example "kick the bucket" below).[1][2] By another definition, an idiom is a speech form or an expression of a given language that is peculiar to itself grammatically or cannot be understood from the individual meanings of its elements.[3] For example, an English speaker would understand the phrase "kick the bucket" to mean "to die" – and also to actually kick a bucket. Furthermore, they would understand when each meaning is being used in context.

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Thou

To evoke the desired effect in the listener, idioms require a precise replication of the phrase: not even articles can be used interchangeably (e.g. "kick a bucket" only retains the literal meaning of the phrase but not the idiomatic meaning).

Idioms should not be confused with other figures of speech such as metaphors, which evoke an image by use of implicit comparisons (e.g., "the man of steel"); similes, which evoke an image by use of explicit comparisons (e.g., "faster than a speeding bullet"); or hyperbole, which exaggerates an image beyond truthfulness (e.g., "more powerful than a locomotive"). Idioms are also not to be confused with proverbs, which are simple sayings that express a truth based on common sense or practical experience.

Notable idioms in English
Idiom Definition/Translation Notes Source(s)
a bitter pill to swallowA situation or information that is unpleasant but must be accepted[4]
a dime a dozen(US) Anything that is common, inexpensive, and easy to get or available anywhere.[5]
a hot potatoA controversial issue or situation that is awkward or unpleasant to deal with[6]
a sandwich short of a picnicLacking intelligence
ace in the holeA hidden or secret strength; an unrevealed advantage[7]
Achilles' heelA small but fatal weakness in spite of overall strength.[8]
all earsListening intently; fully focused or awaiting an explanation.[9]
all thumbsClumsy, awkward.[10]
an arm and a legVery expensive or costly; a large amount of money[11]
apple of discordAnything causing trouble, discord, or jealousy.[12]
around the clockWhen something is done all day and all night without stopping.[13]
as queer as a [strange object] (UK) Something particularly strange or unusual [14][15]
at the drop of a hatWithout any hesitation; instantly
back to the drawing boardRevising something (such as a plan) from the beginning, typically after it has failed.[lower-alpha 1][17]
back to the grindstoneTo return to a hard and/or tedious task.[18]
ball is in his/her/your courtIt is up to him/her/you to make the next decision or step.
balls to the wallFull throttle; at maximum speed.
barking up the wrong treeLooking in the wrong place.[lower-alpha 2][19]
basket caseOne made powerless or ineffective, as by nerves, panic, or stress.[lower-alpha 3]
beating a dead horseTo uselessly dwell on a subject far beyond its point of resolution.
beat around the bushTo treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally or to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.[20]
bed of rosesA situation or activity that is comfortable or easy.[21]
the bee's kneesSomething or someone outstandingly good, excellent, or wonderful.[lower-alpha 4][21]
best of both worldsA combination of two seemingly contradictory benefits.
bird brainA person who is not too smart; a person who acts stupid.[24]
bite off more than one can chewTo take on more responsibility than one can manage.
bite the bulletTo endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable.
bite the dustA euphemism for dying or death.
bought the farmA euphemism for dying or death, especially in an aviation context.
break a legA wish of good luck to theatre performers before going on stage, due to the belief amongst those in theatre that being wished "good luck" is a curse.[25]
burn the midnight oilTo work late into the night.[lower-alpha 5][26]
bust one's chopsTo exert oneself.[lower-alpha 6][27]
by the seat of one's pantsTo achieve through instinct or to do something without advance preparation.[28]
by the skin of one's teethNarrowly; barely. Usually used in regard to a narrow escape from a disaster.[lower-alpha 7][29]
call a spade a spadeTo speak the truth, even to the point of being blunt and rude.
call it a dayTo declare the end of a task.[lower-alpha 8][30]
champ at the bit or chomp at the bitTo show impatience or frustration when delayed.[31]
cheap as chipsInexpensive; a good bargain.
chew the cudTo meditate or ponder before answering; to be deep in thought; to ruminate.
chew the fatTo chat idly or generally waste time talking.
chink in one's armorAn area of vulnerability.[lower-alpha 9][32]
clam upTo become silent; to stop talking.
clutch one's pearls To be disproportionately shocked or affronted by something one perceives to be vulgar, in bad taste, or morally wrong.
cold feetNot going through with an action, particularly one which requires long term commitment, due to fear, uncertainty and doubt.
cold shoulderTo display aloofness and disdain.[33]
couch potatoA lazy person.[34]
cool your jets Calm down. [35]
crocodile tearsFake tears or drama tears; fake crying.
cut off your nose to spite your faceTo pursue revenge in a way that would damage oneself more than the object of one's anger.
cut a rugTo dance.
cut the cheese (US)To pass gas.
cut the mustardTo perform well; to meet expectations.[36]
dig one's heels inOn genuine objection to some process or action or motion, actually to stop or oppose it strongly.
don't count chickens before they hatchDon't make plans for something that may not happen; alternatively, don't make an assumption about something that does not have a definitively predetermined outcome.
don't cry over spilled milkDon't become upset over something that has already happened and you cannot change.
don't have a cowDon't overreact.[37]
drop a dime (US)To make a telephone call; to be an informant; (basketball) an assist
elephant in the roomAn obvious, pressing issue left unaddressed due to its sensitive nature.
eleventh hourAt the last minute; the latest possible time before it is too late.[38]
fall off the turnip truckTo be naïve, inexperienced, or unsophisticated. Sometimes used in a rural sense.[39]
fish out of waterrefers to a person who is in unfamiliar, and often uncomfortable surroundings.
fit as a fiddleIn good physical health.[40]
for a songAlmost free; very cheap.
fly in the ointmentA minor drawback or imperfection, especially one that was not at first apparent, that detracts from something positive, spoils something valuable, or is a source of annoyance.[41]
fly on the wallTo join an otherwise private interaction, unnoticed to watch and/or listen to something.[42]
from A to ZCovering a complete range; comprehensively.[lower-alpha 10]
from scratch / make from scratchTo make from original ingredients; to start from the beginning with no prior preparation.
get bent out of shapeTo take offense; to get worked up, aggravated, or annoyed.
get a wiggle onTo move quickly or hurry.[43]
get one's ducks in a rowto become well prepared for a desired outcome.[44]
get one's knickers in a twist(UK) To become overwrought or unnecessarily upset over a trivial matter.
get your goatTo irritate someone.
gone southhaving an unforeseen or chaotic result
grasp the nettleTo tackle a problem in a bold manner, despite the difficulty or complexity of doing so; to solve a problem despite short-term adverse consequences.[45][46][47]
have a blastTo have a good time; to enjoy oneself.[48]
have all your Christmases come at once To have extreme good fortune.
have eyes bigger than one's stomachTo have asked for or taken more of something (especially food) than one is actually capable of handling (or eating).[21]
have eyes in the back of one's headTo be able to perceive things and events that are outside of one's field of vision.
head over heelsBe smitten, infatuated.
heard it through the grapevineTo have learned something through gossip, hearsay, or a rumor.
hit the ceiling/roofTo become enraged, possibly in an overreaction
hit the nail on the head1. To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem; 2. To do or say exactly the right thing or to find the exact answer; 3. To do something in the most effective and efficient way; 4. To be accurate or correct about something.
hit the roadTo leave; start a journey[49]
hit the sack/sheets/hayTo go to bed; to go to sleep.[50]
hit the spotTo be particularly pleasing or appropriate; to be just right.
hold all the cardsTo control a situation; to be the one making the decisions.
hold your horsesWait. Slow down.
hook, line and sinkerTo be completely fooled by a deception.[51]
in over one's headOverwhelmed or exasperated, usually by excessive responsibilities
it is what it isThis challenging circumstance is simply a fact, to be accepted or dealt with.[lower-alpha 11][54][55]
jump shipTo leave a job, organization, or activity suddenly.[56]
jump the gun To start something before it is prudent or permitted; to act too hastily. [57]
jumping the sharkA creative work, an idea or entity reaching a point in which it has exhausted its core intent and is introducing new ideas that are discordant with its original purpose.[58]
kick the bucketA euphemism for dying or death.[59]
kick the habitTo stop engaging in a habitual practice.
kill two birds with one stoneTo accomplish two different tasks at the same time and/or with a single action.
king's ransomA large sum of money[60]
let the cat out of the bagTo reveal a secret.
like pulling teethHaving difficulty in getting a person or item to act in a desired fashion; reference to a difficult task.[61]
like turkeys voting for Christmas used as a metaphor for a parody in which a choice made is clearly against one's self-interest, facing adverse consequences of their those policies and still adhere to them.
lit up like a Christmas tree Clothes that are too bright or colourful for the occasion.
look a gift horse in the mouthTo find fault with something that has been received as a gift or favor.
loose cannonA person who is uncontrollable and unpredictable but likely to cause damage to the group of which they are a member.[62]
method to (one's) madnessDespite one's seemingly random approach, there is actually orderly structure or logic to it.
my two cents(Canada and US) One's opinion on the subject.[63]
never put an apple in your rabbit Don't do something you know you shouldn't be doing [64]
nip (something) in the budTo stop something at an early stage, before it can develop into something of more significance (especially an obstacle or frustration).
no horse in this race or no dog in this fightNo vested interest in the outcome of a particular conflict, contest or debate.
off one's trolley or
off one's rocker		Crazy, demented, out of one's mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile.[lower-alpha 12][65]
off the hookTo escape a situation of responsibility or obligation, or, less frequently, danger.[66]
once in a blue moonOccurring very rarely.
own goalTo do something accidentally negative against yourself or your own team.
part and parcelThe attribute of being an integral or essential component of another object.
pop one's clogs(UK) A euphemism for dying or death.
the pot calling the kettle blackUsed when someone making an accusation is equally as guilty as those being accused.[67]
piece of cakeA job, task or other activity that is pleasant – or, by extension, easy or simple.
not one’s cup of tea Not the type of thing the person likes.
preaching to the choirTo present a side of a discussion or argument to someone who already agrees with it; essentially, wasting your time.[68]
pull oneself together to recover control of one's emotions.
pull somebody's legTo tease or joke by telling a lie.
push the envelopeTo approach, extend, or go beyond the limits of what is possible; to pioneer.[lower-alpha 13][21]
pushing up daisiesA euphemism for dying or death.
put a spoke in one's wheel To disrupt, foil, or cause problems to one's plan, activity, or project.

[69]

put on airs An English language idiom and a colloquial phrase meant to describe a person who acts superior, or one who behaves as if they are more important than others. [70]
put the cat among the pigeonsTo create a disturbance and cause trouble.[71]
raining cats and dogsRaining very hard or strongly.[72]
right as rainNeeded, appropriate, essential, or hoped-for; also has come to mean perfect, well, or absolutely right.[lower-alpha 14][73]
rock the boatTo do or say something that will upset people or cause problems.
shoot the breezeTo chat idly or casually, without any serious topic of conversation.[74]
shooting fish in a barrelFrivolously performing a simple task.
screw the poochTo screw up; to fail in dramatic and ignominious fashion.
sleep with the fishesTo be murdered and thrown into a body of water[lower-alpha 15]
speak of the devil (and he shall appear) Used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation
spill the beansTo reveal someone's secret.
spin one's wheelsTo expel much effort for little or no gain.
stay in one's lane To avoid interfering with, passing judgement on, or giving unsolicited advice about issues beyond one's purview or expertise; to mind one's own business. [75]
step up to the plateTo deliver beyond expectations.
stick out like a sore thumbSomething that is clearly out of place.

[76]

straw that broke the camel's backThe last in a line of unacceptable occurrences; the final tipping point in a sensitive situation.
take a shineTo develop a liking or fondness for someone or something.[77]
take the biscuit(UK) To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.
take (or grab) the bull by the hornsTo deal bravely and decisively with a difficult, dangerous, or unpleasant situation; to deal with a matter in a direct manner, especially to confront a difficulty rather than avoid it.[21]
take the cake(US) To be especially good or outstanding. Alternatively (US) To be particularly bad, objectionable, or egregious.
take the piss(UK) To tease, ridicule, or mock someone.
take with a grain of saltTo not take what someone says too seriously; to treat someone's words with a degree of skepticism.
throw stones in glass housesOne who is vulnerable to criticism regarding a certain issue should not criticize others about the same issue.
throw the baby out with the bathwaterTo discard, especially inadvertently, something valuable while in the process of removing or rejecting something unwanted.
throw under the busTo betray or sacrifice someone for selfish reasons.
through thick and thinIn both good and bad times.
thumb one's noseTo express scorn or disregard.
tie one onTo get drunk.
to and fro or toing and froingTo move from one place to another; going back and forth; here and there.[78][79]
to steal someone's thunderTo preempt someone and rob them of gravitas or attention. To take credit for something someone else did.
trip the light fantasticTo dance.[lower-alpha 16][81]
two a pennyCheap or common.
under my thumbUnder my control.[82]
under the weatherFeeling sick or poorly.[83]
the whole nine yardsEverything; all the way.
watching paint dry To describe something tedious or boring
wild goose chaseA frustrating or lengthy undertaking that accomplishes little.
willy-nillyAn activity, situation, decision or event that happens in a disorganized manner; or it is done haphazardly, chaotically and randomly, without any sort of planning or direction.[lower-alpha 17][85][86]
wolf something down devour (food) greedily.
you can say that againThat is very true; an expression of wholehearted agreement.


See also

Notes
  1. This expression refers to the fact that plans or blueprints are often drawn on a drawing board. It probably originated during World War II, most likely in the caption of a cartoon by Peter Arno published in The New Yorker.[16]
  2. Originally a hunting term.
  3. Originally a British slang term for a quadruple amputee during World War I.
  4. The origin is unclear; it may simply have emerged in imitation of the numerous other animal-related nonsense phrases popular in the 1920s such as "the cat's pyjamas" or "the monkey's eyebrows",[22] or it may be a deliberate inversion of the earlier attested singular "bee's knee" used to refer to something small or insignificant.[23][21]
  5. Alludes to burning oil to produce light in the time before electric lighting; originated with the English writer Francis Quarles who wrote: "Wee spend our mid-day sweat, or mid-night oyle; :Wee tyre the night in thought; the day in toyle."
  6. At the turn of the century, wearing very long sideburns – called "mutton chops" – was common. A bust in the chops was to get hit in the face.
  7. The phrase first appears in English in the Geneva Bible (1560), in Job 19:20, which provides a literal translation of the original Hebrew, "I haue escaped with the skinne of my tethe." The original Hebrew בְּעוֹר שִׁנָּי (b'3or shinai) is a phono-semantic match of the Hebrew word בְּקוֹשִׁי (b'qoshi) which means "barely, hardly, with difficulty." It may never be known if this phrase became an idiom before the biblical book of Job was written, or if the word b'qoshi was mis-heard by a scribe.
  8. Its 19th-century predecessor is seen in the line "It would have been best for Merlin... to quit and call it half a day", from the novel A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) by American writer Mark Twain.
  9. The word "chink" here is generally used in the sense of a crack or gap.
  10. As of the English alphabet, which ranges from the first letter, A, to the last letter, Z.
  11. Earliest usage unknown. In 1945, Bertrand Russell wrote of a logician's irritation that "the world is what it is";[52] by 1949 the full phrase appeared in the Nebraska State Journal.[53]
  12. Since both "off one's trolley" and "off one's rocker" became popular in the late 1890s about the same time streetcars were installed in major American cities, and since "rocker", like "trolley", means the wheel or runner that makes contact with an overhead electric cable, it is likely that the "rocker" of the expression carries the same meaning as "trolley". "Off your trolley" may refer to the fact that when the wires are "off the trolley", the vehicle no longer receives an electric current and is, therefore, rendered inoperative.
  13. This expression originated as aviation slang and referred to graphs of aerodynamic performance on which "the envelope" is the boundary line representing the limit of an aircraft's capabilities (especially its altitude and speed). It was popularized by Tom Wolfe's 1979 book The Right Stuff.[21]
  14. The life of an agrarian community depends on the success of the local crops, which in turn depends on rain. In pre-industrial times, rain was widely appreciated as essential for survival.
  15. The original text in Mario Puzo's 1969 novel The Godfather reads: "'The fish means that Luca Brasi is sleeping on the bottom of the ocean,' he said. 'It's an old Sicilian message.'"
  16. The expression is generally attributed to John Milton's 1645 poem L'Allegro, which includes the lines: "Com, and trip it as ye go,
    On the light fantastick toe."[80]
  17. The idiom has another meaning; "with or against one's will", which was popularized from the expression "will he, nill he", found in Shakespeare's Hamlet.[84]

References
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  61. "Like pulling teeth".
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  63. "My Two Cents".
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  79. "to and fro".
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