Alt Idiomas

50 Most Commonly Used Idioms

A List of the most commonly used English idioms

 

A hot potato
Speak of an issue which many people are talking about and which is usually disputed

A penny for your thoughts
A way of asking what someone is thinking

Actions speak louder than words
People’s intentions can be judged better by what they do than what they say

Add insult to injury
To further a loss with mockery or indignity; to worsen an unfavorable situation

An arm and a leg
Very expensive or costly. A large amount of money

At the drop of a hat
Meaning: without any hesitation; instantly

Back to the drawing board
When an attempt fails and it’s time to start all over

Ball is in your court
It is up to you to make the next decision or step

Barking up the wrong tree
Looking in the wrong place. Accusing the wrong person

Be glad to see the back of
Be happy when a person leaves

Beat around the bush
Avoiding the main topic. Not speaking directly about the issue

Best of both worlds
Meaning: All the advantages

Best thing since sliced bread
A good invention or innovation. A good idea or plan

Bite off more than you can chew
To take on a task that is way too big.

Blessing in disguise
Something good that isn’t recognized at first

Burn the midnight oil
To work late into the night, alluding to the time before electric lighting

Can’t judge a book by its cover
Cannot judge something primarily on appearance

Caught between two stools
When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives

Costs an arm and a leg
This idiom is used when something is very expensive

Cross that bridge when you come to it
Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary, not before

Cry over spilt milk
When you complain about a loss from the past

Curiosity killed the cat
Being Inquisitive can lead you into an unpleasant situation

Cut corners
When something is done badly to save money

Cut the mustard
To succeed; to come up to expectations; adequate enough to compete or participate

Devil’s Advocate
To present a counter argument

Don’t count your chickens before the eggs have hatched
This idiom is used to express “Don’t make plans for something that might not happen”

Don’t give up the day job
You are not very good at something. You could definitely not do it professionally

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Do not put all your resources in one possibility

Drastic times call for drastic measures
When you are extremely desperate you need to take drastic actions

Elvis has left the building
The show has come to an end. It’s all over

Every cloud has a silver lining
Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days

Far cry from
Very different from

Feel a bit under the weather
Meaning: Feeling slightly ill

Give the benefit of the doubt
Believe someone’s statement, without proof

Hear it on the grapevine
This idiom means ‘to hear rumors’ about something or someone

Hit the nail on the head
Do or say something exactly right

Hit the sack / sheets / hay
To go to bed

In the heat of the moment
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment

It takes two to tango
Actions or communications need more than one person

Jump on the bandwagon
Join a popular trend or activity

Keep something at bay
Keep something away

Kill two birds with one stone
This idiom means, to accomplish two different things at the same time

Last straw
The final problem in a series of problems

Let sleeping dogs lie
Do not disturb a situation as it is – since it would result in trouble or complications

Let the cat out of the bag
To share information that was previously concealed

Make a long story short
Come to the point – leave out details

Method to my madness
An assertion that, despite one’s approach seeming random, there actually is structure to it

Miss the boat
This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance

Not a spark of decency
Meaning: No manners

Not playing with a full deck
Someone who lacks intelligence

Off one’s rocker
Crazy, demented, out of one’s mind, in a confused or befuddled state of mind, senile

On the ball
When someone understands the situation well

Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Happens very rarely

Picture paints a thousand words
A visual presentation is far more descriptive than words

Piece of cake
A job, task or other activity that is easy or simple

Put wool over other people’s eyes
This means to deceive someone into thinking well of them

See eye to eye
This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something

Sit on the fence
This is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision

Speak of the devil!
This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives

Steal someone’s thunder
To take the credit for something someone else did

Take with a grain of salt
This means not to take what someone says too seriously

Taste of your own medicine
Means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else

To hear something straight from the horse’s mouth
To hear something from the right  source

Whole nine yards
Everything. All of it

Wouldn’t be caught dead
Would never like to do something

Your guess is as good as mine
To have no idea, do not know the answer to a question