English Idioms
A curated set of 85 idioms in English — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.
- The last straw that broke the camel's back — The final small burden that causes a total collapse. Literally: (Already vivid in English).
- To have a frog in your throat — To have difficulty speaking due to hoarseness. Literally: (Already vivid in English).
- It's raining cats and dogs — It's raining extremely heavily. Literally: (Already vivid in English).
- To have butterflies in your stomach — To feel nervous excitement. Literally: (Already vivid in English).
- Bob's your uncle — And there you have it; simple as that. Literally: (Baffling to non-Brits).
- take the biscuit — to be the most outrageous or remarkable thing; to win or excel. Literally: to take the biscuit.
- beat around the bush — to avoid addressing the main point; to speak indirectly. Literally: to beat around a bush.
- give someone the cold shoulder — to deliberately treat someone with indifference or ignore them. Literally: to give someone a cold shoulder.
- let the cat out of the bag — to reveal a secret inadvertently. Literally: to let a cat out of a bag.
- pull your punches — to hold back; to be less forceful than you could be. Literally: to pull your punches.
- spill the tea — to reveal gossip or scandalous information. Literally: to spill tea.
- go belly up — to fail completely; to go bankrupt. Literally: to go belly up.
- wear your heart on your sleeve — to display emotions openly; to be transparent about feelings. Literally: to wear your heart on your sleeve.
- mad as a box of frogs — completely crazy; chaotic and unpredictable. Literally: mad as a box of frogs.
- bark up the wrong tree — to pursue a wrong course; to blame the wrong person. Literally: to bark up the wrong tree.
- have the wool pulled over your eyes — to be deceived or fooled. Literally: to have wool pulled over your eyes.
- not worth your salt — incompetent; not deserving of wages or respect. Literally: not worth your salt.
- get your ducks in a row — to organize yourself; to prepare systematically. Literally: to get your ducks in a row.
- in a pig's eye — absolutely not; never; expressing strong disagreement. Literally: in a pig's eye.
- stick your oar in — to interfere in someone else's affairs; to meddle. Literally: to stick your oar in.
- lower your guard — to relax defenses; to become vulnerable. Literally: to lower your guard.
- bring home the bacon — to provide income; to succeed in earning money. Literally: to bring home the bacon.
- like a fish out of water — uncomfortable or awkward in a situation; out of one's element. Literally: like a fish out of water.
- don't count your chickens before they hatch — don't assume success until it's guaranteed; avoid premature celebration. Literally: don't count your chickens before they hatch.
- have an axe to grind — to have a personal grievance; hidden motives behind actions. Literally: to have an axe to grind.
- come hell or high water — no matter what obstacles arise; with absolute determination. Literally: come hell or high water.
- run rings around someone — to easily surpass someone; to be far superior in ability. Literally: to run rings around someone.
- bury the hatchet — to make peace; to settle a dispute. Literally: to bury the hatchet.
- a storm in a teacup — excessive fuss over something trivial; tempest in a teapot. Literally: a storm in a teacup.
- get the ball rolling — to start something; to initiate a process. Literally: to get the ball rolling.
- as tough as old boots — very strong; enduring; difficult to break. Literally: as tough as old boots.
- head honcho — the person in charge; the leader. Literally: head honcho.
- up the creek without a paddle — in a difficult situation without means to escape. Literally: up the creek without a paddle.
- paint the town red — to celebrate wildly; to party extensively. Literally: to paint the town red.
- get the short end of the stick — to receive unfair treatment; to get the worse deal. Literally: to get the short end of the stick.
- fit as a fiddle — in excellent physical condition; healthy. Literally: fit as a fiddle.
- no love lost — mutual dislike; bad relations between people. Literally: no love lost.
- take the plunge — to commit to something risky; to make a decisive move. Literally: to take the plunge.
- a nose for something — a talent for finding or recognizing something; keen instinct. Literally: a nose for something.
- throw in the towel — to give up; to concede defeat. Literally: to throw in the towel.
- keep your chin up — to remain optimistic; to stay courageous during difficulty. Literally: to keep your chin up.
- pitter-patter of little feet — the sound of children running; anticipation of having babies. Literally: pitter-patter of little feet.
- be in someone's shoes — to understand someone's perspective; to experience their situation. Literally: to be in someone's shoes.
- the real McCoy — the genuine article; something authentic and high quality. Literally: the real McCoy.
- cry over spilled milk — to regret something past; useless to grieve over unchangeable events. Literally: to cry over spilled milk.
- white as a sheet — extremely pale; shocked or frightened. Literally: white as a sheet.
- go pear-shaped — to go wrong; to develop badly; to become misshapen. Literally: to go pear-shaped.
- hard pill to swallow — difficult to accept; unpleasant truth or reality. Literally: a hard pill to swallow.
- be on cloud nine — to be extremely happy; in a state of bliss. Literally: to be on cloud nine.
- get a kick out of something — to enjoy something greatly; to find something amusing. Literally: to get a kick out of something.
- sharp as a tack — intelligent; quick-witted; keen-minded. Literally: sharp as a tack.
- run it up the flagpole — to test an idea; to present something for approval or feedback. Literally: to run it up the flagpole.
- knock on wood — to seek good fortune; to ward off bad luck. Literally: to knock on wood.
- pull someone's leg — To joke or tease someone by telling them something untrue. Literally: to pull someone's leg.
- Mad as a hatter — Completely eccentric or unhinged. Literally: As mad as a hat-maker.
- To steal someone's thunder — To take credit for another's idea or upstage their big moment. Literally: To take someone's thunder for yourself.
- To turn a blind eye — To deliberately ignore something you know is wrong. Literally: To look with the eye that cannot see.
- Hair of the dog — A morning drink taken to cure a hangover. Literally: A hair of the dog that bit you.
- To bite the bullet — To face something painful with gritted courage. Literally: To clamp a bullet between your teeth.
- To go cold turkey — To quit a habit abruptly and completely. Literally: To go like a cold turkey.
- To cut the mustard — To meet the required standard; to succeed. Literally: To cut the mustard.
- To chew the fat — To chat idly and at length. Literally: To chew the fat.
- By the skin of your teeth — By the narrowest possible margin. Literally: By the skin of your teeth.
- To rain on someone's parade — To spoil someone's plans or happy moment. Literally: To rain on someone's parade.
- To have a chip on your shoulder — To harbor a grudge or a defensive sense of grievance. Literally: To carry a chip of wood on your shoulder.
- To cost an arm and a leg — To be extremely expensive. Literally: To cost an arm and a leg.
- To burn the midnight oil — To work late into the night. Literally: To burn the midnight oil.
- Once in a blue moon — Very rarely. Literally: Once in a blue moon.
- To break the ice — To ease the initial tension in a social situation. Literally: To break the ice.
- To throw a spanner in the works — To sabotage or disrupt a plan. Literally: To throw a spanner in the works.
- A skeleton in the closet — A shameful secret kept hidden. Literally: A skeleton in the closet.
- To read the riot act — To reprimand someone sternly. Literally: To read the riot act.
- To give a wide berth — To keep well away from someone or something. Literally: To give a wide berth.
- To pull out all the stops — To make every possible effort. Literally: To pull out all the stops.
- To have egg on your face — To look foolish or embarrassed. Literally: To have egg on your face.
- To jump on the bandwagon — To join something only once it becomes popular. Literally: To jump on the bandwagon.
- To bury your head in the sand — To refuse to face an obvious danger. Literally: To bury your head in the sand.
- To bite off more than you can chew — To take on more than you can handle. Literally: To bite off more than you can chew.
- Caught between a rock and a hard place — Stuck between two equally bad options. Literally: Caught between a rock and a hard place.
- To show your true colours — To reveal your real character at last. Literally: To show your true colours.
- To take with a pinch of salt — To regard a claim with healthy scepticism. Literally: To take with a pinch of salt.
- To let off steam — To release pent-up emotion or stress. Literally: To let off steam.
- To face the music — To confront the unpleasant consequences of your actions. Literally: To face the music.
- To add insult to injury — To make a bad situation worse by a further offence. Literally: To add insult to injury.
- To butter someone up — To flatter someone to win their favour. Literally: To butter someone up.
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