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Common English idioms and their meanings
The phrases a dictionary will not settle - what someone means by "a blessing in disguise" or "beat around the bush".
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| A blessing in disguise | Good thing that seemed bad |
| A dime a dozen | Very common |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid saying what you mean |
| Better late than never | Late is better than not at all |
| Bite the bullet | Endure a painful situation |
| Break a leg | Good luck |
| Call it a day | Stop working on something |
| Cut corners | Do a job badly to save effort |
| Cut somebody some slack | Don't be so critical |
| Easy does it | Slow down |
| Get out of hand | Get out of control |
| Get it out of your system | Do it so you can move on |
| Pull yourself together | Calm down |
| So far so good | Things are going well |
| Speak of the devil | The person we meant arrived |
| That's the last straw | My patience has run out |
| The best of both worlds | An ideal situation |
| Time flies when you're having fun | You don't notice time passing |
| Under the weather | Sick |
| We'll cross that bridge when we come to it | Decide about it later |
| Wrap your head around it | Understand something hard |
| You can say that again | I agree completely |
| Your guess is as good as mine | I have no idea |
| A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you are thinking |
| Actions speak louder than words | What you do matters more |
| Add insult to injury | Make a bad situation worse |
| Barking up the wrong tree | Looking in the wrong place |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take a task that is too big |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive |
| Cry over spilled milk | Complain about the past |
| Give someone the benefit of the doubt | Trust what someone says |
| Hit the nail on the head | Get something exactly right |
| Hit the sack | Go to sleep |
| In the heat of the moment | Overwhelmed by the situation |
| It takes two to tango | Both people are responsible |
| Jump on the bandwagon | Follow a trend |
| Keep your chin up | Remain cheerful in trouble |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Solve two problems at once |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret by accident |
| Miss the boat | Miss your chance |
| Once in a blue moon | Rarely |
| On the ball | Alert and quick to react |
| Piece of cake | Very easy |
| Pull someone's leg | Joke with someone |
| Rule of thumb | A general unwritten rule |
| See eye to eye | Agree completely |
| Spill the beans | Reveal a secret |
| Take with a grain of salt | Don't believe it completely |
| Through thick and thin | In good times and bad |
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