02
IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSION
presented by Rama
Idiomatic Expression
Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that do not literally mean what they express. In other
words, if you were to translate an idiom word for word in your own language, it most likely
would not make any sense at all. Idioms are different than slang as they are used and
understood by almost everyone. Slang and jargon are understood and used by a smaller group
of people. There is a wide variety of idiom sources on this site for English learners.
Idioms Examples
● rain cats and dogs - rain very heavily.
It's raining cats and dogs tonight.
● pick a language up - learn a language by living in a country.
Kevin picked up a little Italian when he lived in Rome.
● break a leg - do well at a performance or presentation.
Break a leg on your presentation John.
Excercises
Focus: Recognizing synonyms for idiomatic expressions.
1. Get into hot water
(A) She was in trouble.
(B) She took a warm bath.
2. Bump into
(A) He met Caroline unexpectedly at the coffee shop.
(B) Caroline and I jogged to the coffee shop.
3. Hit it off
(A) He and Chuck argued as soon as they met.
(B) He and Chuck quickly became friends.
Excercises
4. a piece of cake
(A) The exam was simple.
(B) She had a snack after the test.
5. at the drop of a hat
(A) He can't leave until he finds his hat.
(B) He's ready to leave immediately.
6. on edge
(A) He walks back and forth when he's nervous.
(B) He likes to walk along the edge.
7. under the weather
(A) She didn't want to practice because of the bad weather.
(B) She wasn't there because she felt a little sick.
Excercises
8. take after
(A) He looks like his grandfather.
(B) He takes care of his grandfather.
9. for good
(A) He doesn't want the professor to quit teaching permanently.
(B) He hopes Professor Holmes has a good reason for quitting.
10. give a hand with
(A) Hand her the box
(B) Help her carry the box.
11. a stone's throw from
(A) He likes to throw rocks in the park.
(B) He lives close to the park.
12. not think much of
(A) She didn't consider it.
(B) She didn't like it.
More idioms
Here are the most common English idioms and phrases that will enrich your
English vocabulary and make you sound like a native speaker. Now with even
more idioms and phrases added!
1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at
the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed
to get the best of both worlds.”
2. ‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about
actually appears at that moment.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”
More idioms
3. ‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.
“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”
4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”
5. ‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”
6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.
“Fuel these days costs and arm and a leg.”
More idioms
7. ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”
8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”
9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”
10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away
but also spend time with him.”
More idioms
11. ‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.
“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”
12. ‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.
“To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off
my bike.”
13. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – to not judge someone or something
based solely on appearance.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a
book by its cover.”
More idioms
14. ‘Break a leg’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on stage).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”
15. ‘To hit the nail on the head’ – to describe exactly what is causing a situation or
problem.
“He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR support.”
16. ‘A blessing in disguise’ – An misfortune that eventually results in something
good happening later on.
17. ‘Call it a day’ – Stop working on something
18. ‘Let someone off the hook’ – To allow someone, who have been caught, to not
be punished.
More idioms
19. ‘No pain no gain’ – You have to work hard for something you want.
20. ‘Bite the bullet’ – Decide to do something unpleasant that you have avoiding
doing.
21. ‘Getting a taste of your own medicine’ – Being treated the same unpleasant way
you have treated others.
22. ‘Giving someone the cold shoulder’ – To ignore someone.
23. ‘The last straw’ – The final source of irritation for someone to finally lose
patience.
24. ‘The elephant in the room’ – A matter or problem that is obvious of great
importance but that is not discussed openly.
25. ‘Stealing someones thunder’ – Taking credit for someone else achievements.
Excercises
Fill the blanks in the following with suitable idioms
A) I can’t afford this purse! It _______. I won’t be able to pay my rent!
B) His birthday was supposed to be a surprise! I can’t believe you _____. Now he knows!
C) Ha! John has been promising to paint the house for five years…. Maybe when _______.
D) Yeah, it’ll _______. I need to sign some papers at Jenny’s school anyway so i’ll pick her up for
you too.
E) I don’t really like going out to bars anymore. I only go _______.
F) I’m sorry I can’t come into work today. I’m ________. I have a sore throat and runny nose.
G) They tried ________ when installing the pipes for the house and now we have leaks only one
month after purchasing it!
Excercises
H) We missed our flight to Paris because the connecting flight was late and to ______ they
made us pay for a new ticket as if it was our fault!
(I) I can’t wait to see you perform on stage tonight! ______!
(J) Jane is just never on time to work, it’s really annoying. O wow, ______ here she comes…
(K) So we’re going to London, then Munich, then we will fly out of Athens, right? Great. I’m so
glad to be traveling with someone I _______ with.
L) Wow, she found her dream man and has now landed an amazing job. She really does have
______.
M) OK, she might not be the most attractive but _________. I’m sure she is a sweetheart.
N) I have been trying to figure this out for ages. Thanks so much, you’re right. You _______.
O) I can’t believe that was our test. I think it was easier than some of our homework! It was a
______.
