English Idioms Guide: 52 Idioms by Topic
Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed word by word. They appear constantly in native English speech, podcasts, films, and writing. Search below or filter by category.
52 idioms · 6 topics
"break a leg"
good luck
"You have an audition today? Break a leg!"
"bite the bullet"
endure a painful situation bravely
"I hate the dentist, but I just had to bite the bullet."
"cost an arm and a leg"
be very expensive
"That new phone costs an arm and a leg."
"get cold feet"
become nervous before doing something
"She got cold feet right before the wedding."
"keep an eye on"
watch carefully
"Can you keep an eye on my bag for a minute?"
"pull someone's leg"
joke or tease someone
"I was just pulling your leg — the meeting is tomorrow."
"turn a blind eye"
deliberately ignore something wrong
"The manager turned a blind eye to the safety issues."
"put your foot in your mouth"
say something embarrassing or wrong
"I put my foot in my mouth when I asked when the baby was due."
"have butterflies in your stomach"
feel nervous or excited
"I always have butterflies in my stomach before a presentation."
"rub elbows with"
spend time with important or famous people
"At the conference she rubbed elbows with top executives."
"think outside the box"
think creatively and unconventionally
"We need someone who can think outside the box."
"get the ball rolling"
start something
"Let's get the ball rolling on the new project today."
"back to square one"
start again from the beginning
"The client rejected the design, so we're back to square one."
"touch base"
make brief contact with someone
"I'll touch base with you later this week."
"go the extra mile"
make more effort than required
"She always goes the extra mile for her clients."
"bite off more than you can chew"
take on too much responsibility
"He bit off more than he could chew by managing three projects at once."
"hit the ground running"
start effectively right from the beginning
"We need someone who can hit the ground running on day one."
"cut corners"
do something poorly to save time or money
"Don't cut corners on quality — it will cost us later."
"read between the lines"
understand a hidden meaning
"Reading between the lines, the boss was unhappy with our results."
"the bottom line"
the most important point or the final result
"The bottom line is: we need to increase revenue by 20%."
"once in a blue moon"
very rarely
"He only calls once in a blue moon."
"miss the boat"
miss an opportunity
"If you don't apply today, you'll miss the boat."
"in the nick of time"
just in time; at the last possible moment
"We arrived at the airport in the nick of time."
"beat around the bush"
avoid getting to the main point
"Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened."
"burn the midnight oil"
work late into the night
"She burned the midnight oil to finish the report."
"a blessing in disguise"
something that seems bad but turns out good
"Losing that job was a blessing in disguise."
"the ball is in your court"
it is your turn to take action
"I've made my offer. The ball is in your court now."
"kill two birds with one stone"
accomplish two things with one action
"I'll pick up groceries on the way home — killing two birds with one stone."
"let the cat out of the bag"
accidentally reveal a secret
"Oops, I let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party."
"when pigs fly"
something that will never happen
"He'll clean his room when pigs fly."
"hold your horses"
wait; slow down
"Hold your horses — we haven't agreed to anything yet."
"the elephant in the room"
an obvious problem nobody wants to discuss
"The budget deficit is the elephant in the room at every meeting."
"a wolf in sheep's clothing"
someone dangerous who appears friendly
"That investor turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing."
"barking up the wrong tree"
making a wrong assumption
"If you think I took your keys, you're barking up the wrong tree."
"straight from the horse's mouth"
directly from the original source
"I heard it straight from the horse's mouth — the CEO confirmed it."
"kill the goose that lays the golden eggs"
destroy one's source of income out of greed
"Raising prices that much would kill the goose that lays the golden eggs."
"spill the beans"
reveal secret information
"Who spilled the beans about the merger?"
"take it with a grain of salt"
be sceptical about something
"Take anything he says with a grain of salt — he exaggerates."
"not my cup of tea"
not something you enjoy or prefer
"Horror movies are not really my cup of tea."
"the best thing since sliced bread"
something considered an excellent invention
"This app is the best thing since sliced bread."
"have your cake and eat it too"
want two incompatible benefits at once
"You can't have your cake and eat it too."
"butter someone up"
flatter someone to get what you want
"He spent the morning buttering up his boss before asking for a raise."
"cry over spilt milk"
be upset over something that cannot be changed
"There's no use crying over spilt milk."
"a piece of cake"
something very easy to do
"The exam was a piece of cake."
"on cloud nine"
extremely happy
"After getting engaged, she was on cloud nine."
"down in the dumps"
feeling sad or depressed
"He's been down in the dumps since losing the game."
"at the end of your rope"
at the limit of your patience
"After three sleepless nights, I was at the end of my rope."
"get a kick out of"
find something very enjoyable
"I get a real kick out of watching cooking shows."
"jump for joy"
be extremely happy
"When she got the scholarship, she literally jumped for joy."
"under the weather"
feeling slightly ill
"I'm a bit under the weather today — probably a cold."
"go through the roof"
become extremely angry, or rise sharply
"When he found out, he went through the roof."
"wear your heart on your sleeve"
show emotions openly
"She wears her heart on her sleeve — you always know how she feels."
Frequently Asked Questions
How many English idioms should I learn?
Research suggests that knowing 200–300 of the most common idioms gives you coverage for the vast majority of everyday speech. Start with 10–15 per topic category and expand from there.
What is the fastest way to learn English idioms?
The most effective method is encountering idioms in context — in podcasts, films, or native-level reading — rather than memorising lists. When you hear an idiom naturally 3–5 times, its meaning becomes intuitive. The Comprehensible Input approach accelerates this significantly.
Are English idioms formal or informal?
It depends on the idiom. Many are neutral (e.g. "get the ball rolling"), some are casual (e.g. "spill the beans"), and a few are appropriate in professional writing (e.g. "the bottom line"). Check the context in which you first encounter an idiom to judge its register.
Why learn idioms in groups by topic?
Topic-based learning activates related neural pathways, making recall easier. When you learn "break a leg", "get cold feet", and "cost an arm and a leg" together, the body metaphor pattern reinforces each phrase. This is far more efficient than memorising random lists.
Do I need to use idioms to sound fluent?
Using idioms naturally signals advanced fluency, but forcing them sounds unnatural. The goal is to understand idioms when you hear them and confidently produce a handful you know well. Fluency comes from massive exposure to real English, not from memorising lists.
The fastest way to internalise idioms is hearing them in real conversations.
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