English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. Learning to use common idioms and expressions will make your English sound more native, so it’s a good idea to master some of these expressions.
The most common English idioms
A blessing in disguise
as part of a sentence
Meaning
a good thing that seemed bad at first
A dime a dozen
as part of a sentence
Meaning
(US) Anything that is common, inexpensive, and easy to get or available anywhere.
Beat around the bush
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- To treat a topic but omit its main points, often intentionally or to delay or avoid talking about something difficult or unpleasant.
- Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable
Better late than never
by itself
Meaning
Better to arrive late than not to come at all
Bite the bullet
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- To endure a painful or unpleasant situation that is unavoidable.
Break a leg
by itself
Meaning
- A saying from the theatre that means “good luck”.
- a typical English idiom used in theatre to wish a performer “good luck”.
Call it a day
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- To declare the end of a task.
- Stop working on something
Cut somebody some slack
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Don’t be so critical
Cutting corners
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Doing something poorly in order to save time or money
Easy does it
by itself
Meaning
Slow down
Get out of hand
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Get out of control
Get something out of your systems
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do so you can move on
Get your act together
by itself
Meaning
Work better or leave
Give someone the benefit of the doubt
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Trust what someone says
Go back to the drawing board
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Start over
Hang in there
by itself
Meaning
Don’t give up
Hit the sack/sheets/hay
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- To go to bed; to go to sleep.
It’s not rocket science
by itself
Meaning
It’s not complicated
Let someone off the hook
as part of a sentence
Meaning
To not hold someone responsible for something
Make a long story short
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Tell something briefly
Miss the boat
as part of a sentence
Meaning
It’s too late
No pain, no gain
by itself
Meaning
You have to work for what you want
On the ball
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Doing a good job
Pull someone’s leg
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- To tease or joke by telling a lie.
- The phrase, from Scotland, originally meant to make a fool of someone, often by cheating them.
- To joke with someone
Pull yourself together
by itself
Meaning
Calm down
So far so good
by itself
Meaning
Things are going well so far
Speak of the devil
by itself
Meaning
- the short form of the English-language idiom “Speak of the devil and he doth appear” (or its alternative form “speak of the devil and he shall appear”).
- The form “talk of the devil” is also in use in England. It is used when an object of discussion unexpectedly becomes present during the conversation.
That’s the last straw
by itself
Meaning
- My patience has run out
- The last straw is an idiom referring to the Straw that broke the camel’s back.
The best of both worlds
as part of a sentence
Meaning
An ideal situation
Time flies when you’re having fun
by itself
Meaning
You don’t notice how long something lasts when it’s fun
To get bent out of shape
as part of a sentence
Meaning
To get upset
To make matters worse
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Make a problem worse
Under the weather
as part of a sentence
Meaning
- Feeling sick or poorly.
- From under the weather bow (“affected by bad weather; seasick”); weather bow is a nautical term referring to the side of a ship exposed to bad weather.
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
by itself
Meaning
Let’s not talk about that problem right now
Wrap your head around something
as part of a sentence
Meaning
Understand something complicated
You can say that again
by itself
Meaning
- That is very true; an expression of wholehearted agreement.
- (idiomatic, in response to another person) That is very true.
Your guess is as good as mine
by itself
Meaning
I have no idea