Boost Your English Skills with These Commonly Tested Phrases and Idioms
Contents:
- Essential idioms
- Commonly tested idioms
- English exam idioms
- School idioms list
- College exam phrases
- Idioms with examples
- Improve English vocabulary
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| Important Idioms |
Mastering phrases and idioms is crucial for excelling in English exams at school and college levels. This comprehensive guide presents 100 essential idioms, their meanings, and practical sentence examples. Whether you're preparing for standardized tests or enhancing your everyday English, these idioms will enrich your vocabulary and improve your language proficiency.
Idioms and Their Meanings with Examples:
1. A blessing in disguise
- Meaning: A good thing that seemed bad at first
- Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it pushed me to find a better career.
2. A dime a dozen
- Meaning: Very common and not valuable
- Example: Online job applications are a dime a dozen these days.
3. Beat around the bush
- Meaning: Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
- Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s going on.
4. Better late than never
- Meaning: It is better to do something late than not to do it at all
- Example: He finally submitted his assignment, better late than never.
5. Bite the bullet
- Meaning: To get something over with because it is inevitable
- Example: I decided to bite the bullet and start my homework.
6. Break the ice
- Meaning: To initiate conversation in a social setting
- Example: She broke the ice by telling a funny story.
7. Call it a day
- Meaning: Stop working on something
- Example: Let’s call it a day and go home.
8. Cut corners
- Meaning: Do something the cheapest or easiest way
- Example: Don’t cut corners on this project; it needs to be done properly.
9. Get out of hand
- Meaning: Become uncontrollable
- Example: The party got out of hand, and the police had to be called.
10. Hang in there
- Meaning: Don’t give up
- Example: Hang in there, exams will be over soon.
11. Hit the nail on the head
- Meaning: Do or say something exactly right
- Example: You hit the nail on the head with your analysis.
12. Let the cat out of the bag
- Meaning: Reveal a secret
- Example: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
13. Once in a blue moon
- Meaning: Very rarely
- Example: He visits his hometown once in a blue moon.
14. Piece of cake
- Meaning: Very easy
- Example: The test was a piece of cake for her.
15. Speak of the devil
- Meaning: When the person you are talking about appears
- Example: Speak of the devil, here he comes.
16. The ball is in your court
- Meaning: It’s your decision or responsibility to do something
- Example: I've done my part; now the ball is in your court.
17. Under the weather
- Meaning: Not feeling well
- Example: She’s feeling under the weather today.
18. When pigs fly
- Meaning: Something that will never happen
- Example: He’ll tidy his room when pigs fly.
19. Bite off more than you can chew
- Meaning: Take on a task that is too big
- Example: Don’t bite off more than you can chew by accepting two jobs.
20. Burn the midnight oil
- Meaning: Work late into the night
- Example: He burned the midnight oil to finish the project.
21. Caught between a rock and a hard place
- Meaning: In a difficult situation with no easy solution
- Example: She’s caught between a rock and a hard place, choosing between two job offers.
22. Costs an arm and a leg
- Meaning: Very expensive
- Example: That new phone costs an arm and a leg.
23. Cry over spilled milk
- Meaning: Complain about something that cannot be changed
- Example: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; let’s move on.
24. Curiosity killed the cat
- Meaning: Being too curious can lead to trouble
- Example: Be careful with your questions; curiosity killed the cat.
25. Cutting-edge
- Meaning: Highly advanced or innovative
- Example: The new software is at the cutting-edge of technology.
26. Devil’s advocate
- Meaning: To argue against something for the sake of argument
- Example: Playing devil’s advocate, she questioned the benefits of the plan.
27. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
- Meaning: Don’t assume something will happen before it does
- Example: He’s already planning the trip, but I told him not to count his chickens before they hatch.
28. Every cloud has a silver lining
- Meaning: Every bad situation has a positive aspect
- Example: Though he lost his job, he found a better one. Every cloud has a silver lining.
29. Feel a bit under the weather
- Meaning: Slightly ill
- Example: She’s feeling a bit under the weather and won’t be coming to school today.
30. Give someone the cold shoulder
- Meaning: Ignore someone
- Example: He gave me the cold shoulder at the party.
31. Hit the sack
- Meaning: Go to bed
- Example: I’m exhausted; I’m going to hit the sack.
32. In the heat of the moment
- Meaning: Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment
- Example: She regretted her words said in the heat of the moment.
33. It takes two to tango
- Meaning: Actions or communications need more than one person
- Example: Don’t blame her alone; it takes two to tango.
34. Kill two birds with one stone
- Meaning: Accomplish two things with one action
- Example: By going to the meeting, I killed two birds with one stone: learned about the project and met the new team.
35. Last straw
- Meaning: The final problem in a series of problems
- Example: Her rude comment was the last straw.
36. Let sleeping dogs lie
- Meaning: Do not disturb a situation as it is
- Example: Let’s let sleeping dogs lie and not bring up old issues.
37. Miss the boat
- Meaning: Miss an opportunity
- Example: He missed the boat by not applying for the job on time.
38. Off the hook
- Meaning: No longer in trouble
- Example: The teacher let him off the hook for his late assignment.
39. On thin ice
- Meaning: In a risky or precarious situation
- Example: He’s on thin ice after missing the deadline again.
40. Once in a blue moon
- Meaning: Very rarely
- Example: She visits her hometown once in a blue moon.
41. Out of the blue
- Meaning: Suddenly, unexpectedly
- Example: She called me out of the blue after five years.
42. Piece of cake
- Meaning: Very easy
- Example: The math test was a piece of cake.
43. Pull someone’s leg
- Meaning: To joke with someone
- Example: Are you pulling my leg, or is that true?
44. Raining cats and dogs
- Meaning: Raining very heavily
- Example: It’s raining cats and dogs outside.
45. See eye to eye
- Meaning: Agree fully
- Example: We don’t see eye to eye on that issue.
46. Sit on the fence
- Meaning: Not making a decision
- Example: He’s sitting on the fence regarding which job to take.
47. Speak of the devil
- Meaning: When the person you’re talking about appears
- Example: Speak of the devil, here he comes now.
48. Spill the beans
- Meaning: Reveal a secret
- Example: He spilled the beans about the surprise party.
49. Take it with a grain of salt
- Meaning: Don’t take it too seriously
- Example: Take what he says with a grain of salt.
50. The best of both worlds
- Meaning: An ideal situation
- Example: She has the best of both worlds, a high-paying job, and flexible hours.
51. Throw in the towel
- Meaning: Give up; admit defeat
- Example: After several unsuccessful attempts, he decided to throw in the towel.
52. Through thick and thin
- Meaning: In good times and bad
- Example: She stood by her friend through thick and thin.
53. Time flies
- Meaning: Time passes very quickly
- Example: Time flies when you’re having fun.
54. Up in the air
- Meaning: Uncertain or unresolved
- Example: Our travel plans are still up in the air.
55. Barking up the wrong tree
- Meaning: Pursuing a mistaken or misguided course of action
- Example: If you think I can help with that project, you're barking up the wrong tree.
56. Beat a dead horse
- Meaning: To continue discussing or pursuing a topic that is no longer relevant or has been thoroughly addressed
- Example: Talking about the failed project again is just beating a dead horse.
57. Burn bridges
- Meaning: To destroy relationships or connections
- Example: He doesn’t want to burn bridges with his former colleagues.
58. Clam up
- **Meaning:** Become silent or refuse to speak
- Example: When asked about the incident, he clammed up and said nothing.
59. Cross that bridge when you come to it
- Meaning: Deal with a problem when it arises, not before
- Example: We don't need to worry about that issue now; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
60. Cut to the chase
- Meaning: Get to the point
- Example: Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the main topic.
61. Drive someone up the wall
- Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone greatly
- Example: Her constant humming is driving me up the wall.
62. Face the music
- Meaning: Confront the consequences of one's actions
- Example: He has to face the music for breaking the rules.
63. Feel the pinch
- Meaning: Experience financial hardship
- Example: After the rent increase, many families began to feel the pinch.
64. Fish out of water
- Meaning: Someone who is out of their element or uncomfortable in a situation
- Example: He felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.
65. Get the ball rolling
- Meaning: Start something, especially an activity or process
- Example: Let's get the ball rolling on this project.
66. Hit the ground running
- Meaning: Start something and proceed at a fast pace with enthusiasm
- Example: She hit the ground running on her first day at the new job.
67. In hot water
- Meaning: In trouble or difficulty
- Example: He found himself in hot water after missing the deadline.
68. Jump on the bandwagon
- Meaning: Join others in doing or supporting something fashionable or likely to be successful
- Example: Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of green energy.
69. Kick the bucket
- Meaning: Die
- Example: The old man kicked the bucket peacefully in his sleep.
70. Let the chips fall where they may
- Meaning: Let something happen naturally without worrying about the consequences
- Example: I’ll do my best and let the chips fall where they may.
71. Make a long story short
- Meaning: Tell something briefly
- Example: To make a long story short, we won the game.
72. Miss the mark
- Meaning: Fail to achieve the intended result
- Example: His argument missed the mark and didn’t convince anyone.
73. No pain, no gain
- Meaning: You have to work hard for success
- Example: She knows that no pain, no gain, so she studies hard every day.
74. Off the beaten path
- Meaning: In a place not commonly visited
- Example: They found a cozy little restaurant off the beaten path.
75. On cloud nine
- Meaning: Very happy
- Example: She’s been on cloud nine since she got the job offer.
76. On the ball
- Meaning: Alert and efficient
- Example: We need someone who’s really on the ball to handle this project.
77. Out of the frying pan and into the fire
- Meaning: From a bad situation to a worse one
- Example: He left one bad job only to find himself out of the frying pan and into the fire.
78. Pull yourself together
- Meaning: Calm down and behave normally
- Example: You need to pull yourself together and figure out what to do next.
79. Put all your eggs in one basket
- Meaning: Risk everything on a single venture
- Example: Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; invest in different stocks.
80. Rain on someone’s parade
- Meaning: To spoil someone’s plans
- Example: I don’t want to rain on your parade, but the project deadline has been moved up.
81. Run out of steam
- Meaning: To lose energy or interest
- Example: After working non-stop for hours, I ran out of steam.
82. See eye to eye
- Meaning: To agree fully
- Example: We don’t always see eye to eye on political issues.
83. Sit tight
- Meaning: Wait patiently
- Example: Just sit tight while we get everything ready for you.
84. Skeleton in the closet
- Meaning: A hidden and shocking secret
- Example: Everyone has a skeleton in the closet they don’t want to reveal.
85. Slow and steady wins the race
- Meaning: Consistency and patience lead to success
- Example: Remember, slow and steady wins the race; don’t rush your work.
86. Spill the beans
- Meaning: To reveal a secret
- Example: He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
87. The early bird catches the worm
- Meaning: Success comes to those who prepare well and put in effort
- Example: She always gets up at 5 AM because she believes the early bird catches the worm.
88. The elephant in the room
- Meaning: An obvious problem or issue that people avoid discussing
- Example: The debt crisis is the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.
89. The icing on the cake
- Meaning: An additional benefit to something that is already good
- Example: Getting promoted was great, but the icing on the cake was the bonus check.
90. Throw caution to the wind
- Meaning: Take a risk
- Example: He decided to throw caution to the wind and invest in the new startup.
91. Turn a blind eye
- Meaning: Pretend not to notice
- Example: The manager turned a blind eye to the employees’ tardiness.
92. Under the gun
- Meaning: Under pressure to do something
- Example: She’s under the gun to finish the report by tomorrow.
93. Up in arms
- Meaning: Very angry
- Example: The residents are up in arms about the proposed construction project.
94. Wear your heart on your sleeve
- Meaning: Show your emotions openly
- Example: He wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s easy to tell when he’s upset.
95. Wrap your head around something
- Meaning: Understand something complicated
- Example: I can’t wrap my head around these complex instructions.
96. You can’t judge a book by its cover
- Meaning: Don’t make decisions based on appearances
- Example: The candidate seemed unqualified at first, but you can’t judge a book by its cover.
97. Your guess is as good as mine
- Meaning: I have no idea
- Example: Why he left the company? Your guess is as good as mine.
98. Zero tolerance
- Meaning: No acceptance of poor behavior
- Example: The school has a zero tolerance policy for bullying.
99. Zip your lip
- Meaning: To stop talking
- Example: He was told to zip his lip during the meeting.
100. Zoned out
- Meaning: Not paying attention
- Example: He zoned out during the lecture and missed the important points.
By incorporating these 100 essential phrases and idioms into your vocabulary, you can significantly improve your English language skills and performance in exams. Understanding and using idioms not only helps in exams but also makes your communication more effective and engaging. Practice these idioms regularly to become more confident in your English proficiency.
Essential idioms, Commonly tested idioms, English exam idioms, School idioms list, College exam phrases, Idioms with examples, Improve English vocabulary, English language skills
Source: This article was written using my own writing as well as AI technology.
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