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Common English Idioms
49
Flashcards
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Break the ice
To initiate a social conversation or interaction
Hit the books
To begin studying
Piece of cake
Something that is very easy to do
Spill the beans
To disclose a secret
Hit the nail on the head
To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem
Bite the bullet
To endure a painful or otherwise unpleasant situation that is seen as unavoidable
Break a leg
A way to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance
Burn the midnight oil
To work late into the night, especially studying
Costs an arm and a leg
Very expensive or costly
Jump on the bandwagon
To join a popular trend or activity
Let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret or disclose something that was supposed to be kept confidential
Miss the boat
To miss an opportunity
Once in a blue moon
An event that happens infrequently
The ball is in your court
It is up to you to make the next decision or step
Through thick and thin
In all situations, no matter how difficult
Under the weather
Feeling ill or sick
When pigs fly
Something that will never happen
Cut to the chase
To get to the point without wasting time
Hit the hay
To go to bed
Out of the blue
Something happening unexpectedly
A penny for your thoughts
A way of asking what someone is thinking about
Add insult to injury
To make a bad situation even worse
Back to the drawing board
Starting over again on a new design or plan after the failure of an earlier attempt
Bite off more than you can chew
To take on a task that is way too big
Bark up the wrong tree
To accuse the wrong person or pursue the wrong course
Cry over spilt milk
To be upset about things that have already been done
Curiosity killed the cat
Being inquisitive can lead you into trouble
Finding your feet
To become comfortable in what you are doing
Fish out of water
Someone being in a situation that they are unfamiliar or unsuited to
Get your act together
To start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way
Go down in flames
To fail in a spectacular manner
Hear it on the grapevine
To learn about something indirectly, through gossip or rumors
Hit the road
To leave a place or begin a journey
It takes two to tango
Actions or communications need more than one person
It's raining cats and dogs
It is raining very heavily
Kick the bucket
To die
Last straw
The final source of irritation that makes a person lose patience
Let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid restarting a conflict
Make a long story short
Tell something briefly
No pain, no gain
You have to work hard for something you want
On the ball
Being alert and efficient or understanding of a situation
Pull someone's leg
To joke or tease someone
Put all your eggs in one basket
To risk everything on a single opportunity
Run out of steam
To lose momentum or energy
Sell like hotcakes
To sell quickly and in large quantities
Speak of the devil
The person we were just talking about shows up at that moment
Steal someone's thunder
To take the credit for something someone else has done
The best of both worlds
A situation wherein someone can enjoy the advantages of two different opportunities
The early bird catches the worm
The person who takes the earliest opportunity to do something will gain the advantage over others
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