Idioms
English idioms, one idiom per page
An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning you cannot work out from the single words. Each page here explains one common idiom in plain English, says who can use it and where, shows the phrase in real examples, and ends with a 10-question drill where every answer is explained.
How to use these pages
Start with the meaning, not the words
The single words in an idiom often tell you nothing. Read the meaning first, then look at the examples. When you can picture the situation, the phrase has a place to live in your memory.
Check the register note before you use it
Some idioms are fine anywhere, and some belong in informal speech only. The "Use it or not" note on every page tells you where the idiom sounds natural, so you never sound too casual in a formal email.
Fix it with the drill
10 short questions, marked the moment you choose an answer. Every answer comes with the reason, so a wrong answer teaches the meaning that the right answer would have tested.
Idioms are the top of the vocabulary tree, not the bottom. If the examples feel hard, read the grammar topics and the confusing word pairs first, or check your level with the free A1 to C2 level test.
A2-B1
Idioms at CEFR A2-B1.
Break the ice
To break the ice is to say or do something that ends the first awkward silence when people meet and do not know each other yet.
10 instant-marked questions
Piece of cake
A piece of cake is a task that is very easy to do, or a situation that gives you no trouble at all.
10 instant-marked questions
Under the weather
To feel under the weather is to feel slightly ill, tired or not as healthy as usual.
10 instant-marked questions
Hit the books
To hit the books is to begin studying hard, usually before a test or an exam.
10 instant-marked questions
Raining cats and dogs
If it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily indeed.
10 instant-marked questions
Call it a day
To call it a day is to stop working on something for now, because you have done enough or because the work can wait.
10 instant-marked questions
Hit the sack
To hit the sack is to go to bed, usually because you are tired and ready to sleep.
10 instant-marked questions
Ring a bell
If a name, a face or a story rings a bell, it sounds familiar, even if you cannot remember where you know it from.
10 instant-marked questions
On cloud nine
To be on cloud nine is to be extremely happy, often because something wonderful has just happened.
10 instant-marked questions
B1
Idioms at CEFR B1.
Spill the beans
To spill the beans is to tell a secret, usually before you are supposed to or without meaning to.
10 instant-marked questions
Let the cat out of the bag
To let the cat out of the bag is to reveal a secret, usually without meaning to and often too early.
10 instant-marked questions
Kick the bucket
To kick the bucket is a very informal way to say that someone has died.
10 instant-marked questions
See eye to eye
To see eye to eye with someone is to agree with them or share the same opinion.
10 instant-marked questions
Pull someone’s leg
To pull someone’s leg is to joke with them by saying something that is not true, in a friendly way.
10 instant-marked questions
Get cold feet
To get cold feet is to become nervous at the last moment and want to back out of a plan, especially a big one.
10 instant-marked questions
In hot water
To be in hot water is to be in trouble because of something you did or failed to do.
10 instant-marked questions
Miss the boat
To miss the boat is to lose an opportunity because you waited too long or did not act in time.
10 instant-marked questions
Play it by ear
To play it by ear is to deal with a situation as it develops, instead of following a plan made in advance.
10 instant-marked questions
Throw in the towel
To throw in the towel is to admit that you cannot win or continue, and to give up.
10 instant-marked questions
Once in a blue moon
If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely.
10 instant-marked questions
B1-B2
Idioms at CEFR B1-B2.
Bite the bullet
To bite the bullet is to accept an unpleasant job or a hard decision and do it, without waiting any longer.
10 instant-marked questions
Cost an arm and a leg
If something costs an arm and a leg, it costs a lot of money, more than it should.
10 instant-marked questions
Burn the midnight oil
To burn the midnight oil is to stay up late working or studying, long after the normal day has ended.
10 instant-marked questions
Sit on the fence
To sit on the fence is to stay neutral and avoid taking sides in an argument or a choice.
10 instant-marked questions
Beat around the bush
To beat around the bush is to avoid the main point and talk about everything except what matters.
10 instant-marked questions
Go the extra mile
To go the extra mile is to make more effort than expected, so that someone is helped or a job is done especially well.
10 instant-marked questions
When pigs fly
If you say something will happen when pigs fly, you mean it will never happen.
10 instant-marked questions
Up in the air
If something is up in the air, it is not decided yet and the final answer is uncertain.
10 instant-marked questions
B2
Idioms at CEFR B2.
The ball is in your court
If the ball is in your court, it is your turn to take action or make the next decision.
10 instant-marked questions
Cut corners
To cut corners is to do a job in a quicker or cheaper way by skipping the proper steps, usually with poor results.
10 instant-marked questions
What to do next
Read the page for the idiom you hear most, then take the drill. When the drill feels easy, check the CEFR level map for the grammar topics and vocabulary at the same level, or test your overall level with the free A1 to C2 level test.