
100 Must-Know English Idioms for Daily Conversations
Idioms are an essential part of English, adding color and depth to the language. They can express complex ideas succinctly and often bring a touch of humor or wisdom to conversations. If you’re looking to enrich your English skills, here are 100 must-know idioms you can use in your daily life.
1-10: Everyday Expressions
- Break the ice – To initiate conversation in a social setting.
- Hit the nail on the head – To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
- Kill two birds with one stone – To achieve two aims with a single effort.
- Let the cat out of the bag – To inadvertently reveal a secret.
- Piece of cake – Something that is very easy to do.
- Spill the beans – To disclose a secret.
- Under the weather – Feeling ill or unwell.
- Burning the midnight oil – Working late into the night.
- Bite the bullet – To face a difficult situation with courage.
- Cost an arm and a leg – To be very expensive.
11-20: Work and Success
- The ball is in your court – It’s up to you to make the next decision.
- Jump on the bandwagon – To join a popular activity or trend.
- On the same page – To agree about something.
- Think outside the box – To think creatively.
- Burning the candle at both ends – To exhaust oneself by doing too much.
- Get the ball rolling – To start something, especially a project.
- Call it a day – To stop working for the day.
- Put all your eggs in one basket – To risk everything on one venture.
- Cut to the chase – To skip over the details and get to the main point.
- At the eleventh hour – At the last possible moment.
21-30: Emotions and Relationships
- A blessing in disguise – Something that seems bad at first but results in something good.
- Cry over spilled milk – To waste time worrying about things that can’t be changed.
- Hit the hay – To go to bed.
- Piece of the pie – A share of something, usually money or resources.
- Get cold feet – To become frightened or hesitant.
- A perfect storm – A rare combination of events that leads to a negative outcome.
- Keep your chin up – To stay positive in difficult times.
- Barking up the wrong tree – To make a wrong assumption about something.
- Caught between a rock and a hard place – To be faced with two difficult choices.
- Like two peas in a pod – Very similar or close.
31-40: Nature and Environment
- Hit the ground running – To start something and proceed quickly and effectively.
- Let sleeping dogs lie – Don’t disturb a situation as it is since it would result in trouble.
- Every cloud has a silver lining – There’s something good in every bad situation.
- A drop in the ocean – A small amount compared to the larger context.
- In the same boat – In the same situation as someone else.
- Out of the woods – Out of a dangerous or difficult situation.
- Make hay while the sun shines – Take advantage of favorable conditions.
- The calm before the storm – A quiet moment before chaos ensues.
- Steal someone’s thunder – To take credit for someone else’s achievements.
- Throw caution to the wind – To take a risk.
41-50: Learning and Growth
- Bite off more than you can chew – To take on more responsibility than you can handle.
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks – It’s difficult to change someone’s established habits.
- Learn the ropes – To learn how to do a job or activity.
- Trial and error – The process of experimentation to achieve an outcome.
- Hit a brick wall – To encounter an obstacle that stops progress.
- Pull yourself up by your bootstraps – To succeed through hard work without help.
- Face the music – To confront the consequences of one’s actions.
- Every dog has its day – Everyone gets a chance at success at some point.
- When life hands you lemons, make lemonade – Make the best out of a bad situation.
- The early bird catches the worm – Those who act quickly have an advantage.
51-60: Opinions and Thoughts
- A penny for your thoughts – Asking someone what they are thinking.
- Burning question – An issue that needs immediate attention.
- From the horse’s mouth – Information directly from the source.
- Read between the lines – To understand the hidden meaning.
- Keep your options open – To not make a firm decision yet.
- Take it with a grain of salt – To be skeptical of something.
- Put your money where your mouth is – To back up your words with actions or money.
- See eye to eye – To agree with someone.
- Make a long story short – To summarize or shorten a story.
- A fish out of water – Someone who feels uncomfortable or out of place.
61-70: Challenges and Resilience
- Weather the storm – To endure a difficult situation.
- Light at the end of the tunnel – A sign of improvement after a difficult period.
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going – Strong people take action during difficulty.
- A tough cookie – A person who is strong and resilient.
- Burn the midnight oil – To read or study late into the night.
- Throw in the towel – To give up.
- On thin ice – In a risky situation.
- Keep your head above water – To manage in a difficult situation.
- Put your best foot forward – To show your best effort.
- The tip of the iceberg – The first signs of a larger problem.
71-80: Mistakes and Regrets
- Slip through the cracks – To be overlooked or forgotten.
- Drop the ball – To make a mistake or fail in one’s responsibilities.
- Back to square one – To start over from the beginning.
- Make a mountain out of a molehill – To exaggerate a minor issue.
- Fall through the cracks – To fail due to neglect.
- Come to terms with – To accept a situation or decision.
- Get your act together – To organize oneself.
- Cut corners – To do something in the easiest or cheapest way.
- Throw shade – To criticize someone indirectly.
- Burn bridges – To damage relationships.
81-90: Humor and Fun
- Kick the bucket – A light-hearted way to talk about death.
- Get a kick out of – To enjoy something.
- Full of beans – Energetic and lively.
- A smart cookie – A clever person.
- Have a blast – To have a great time.
- Out of the blue – Something unexpected.
- Put a sock in it – To tell someone to be quiet.
- Take it easy – To relax.
- Make a scene – To create a public disturbance or fuss.
- Party pooper – Someone who spoils the fun.
91-100: Closing Remarks
- Throw in the sponge – To give up on a task or challenge.
- The elephant in the room – An obvious problem that is ignored.
- Keep your friends close and your enemies closer – Stay aware of what your adversaries are doing.
- Ride the wave – To take advantage of a situation while it’s favorable.
- Put the cart before the horse – To get things confused or do them in the wrong order.
- A leopard can’t change its spots – People can’t change their true nature.
- Go down in flames – To fail spectacularly.
- In hot water – In trouble.
- Too good to be true – Something that seems so good that it’s probably not real.
- Cross that bridge when you come to it – Deal with a problem when it arises.
Using idioms can greatly enhance your English speaking and writing skills, making your communication more relatable and engaging. Try incorporating a few of these idioms into your daily conversations, and watch how they add flavor to your interactions!