50 Common English Idioms and Their Meanings

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What Are Idioms?

Idioms are phrases that have a figurative meaning different from their literal meaning. For example, 'It's raining cats and dogs' means it's raining heavily, not that animals are falling from the sky.

Common Idioms for Daily Life

• Break the ice: Start a conversation. Example: I told a joke to break the ice at the party.
• Piece of cake: Very easy. Example: The test was a piece of cake.
• Hit the nail on the head: Be exactly right. Example: You hit the nail on the head with that answer.
• Once in a blue moon: Very rarely. Example: I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.
• When pigs fly: Something that will never happen. Example: He will clean his room when pigs fly.

Idioms for Feelings

• On cloud nine: Very happy. Example: She was on cloud nine after getting the job.
• Down in the dumps: Feeling sad. Example: He has been down in the dumps since losing his phone.
• Butterflies in my stomach: Feeling nervous. Example: I had butterflies in my stomach before the interview.
• Cold feet: Feeling scared before doing something. Example: He got cold feet before the wedding.
• Over the moon: Extremely happy. Example: They were over the moon about their vacation.

Idioms for Work and Business

• Back to the drawing board: Start over. Example: The project failed, so we went back to the drawing board.
• Cut corners: Do something poorly to save money. Example: Don't cut corners on quality.
• Get the ball rolling: Start a process. Example: Let's get the ball rolling on this project.
• Think outside the box: Think creatively. Example: We need to think outside the box for this campaign.
• The ball is in your court: It's your turn to act. Example: I've done my part. The ball is in your court now.

Idioms for Communication

• Beat around the bush: Avoid saying something directly. Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
• Get to the point: Say what you mean directly. Example: Please get to the point. I don't have much time.
• Speak of the devil: Someone appears when you are talking about them. Example: Speak of the devil! We were just talking about you.
• Put your foot in your mouth: Say something embarrassing. Example: I really put my foot in my mouth when I mentioned his ex.
• Eat your words: Admit you were wrong. Example: I had to eat my words after she proved me wrong.

Practice these idioms with the AI teachers in the English Conversation app to sound more natural in English.