50 Most Common English Idioms

50 Most Common English Idioms

50 Most Common English Idioms, common idioms used in daily life, useful idioms for daily conversation, idioms examples, idioms meaning in English.. Enhance your English fluency with these 50 powerful idioms for daily communication! Master their meanings and usage with examples to sound more natural and confident in conversations. Start using these essential idioms today!

50 Most Common English Idioms

50 Most Common English Idioms

Idioms Examples and Idioms Meaning in English

1️⃣ Go the extra mile – Put in additional effort beyond expectations.
Example: She always goes the extra mile to help her colleagues.

2️⃣ Actions speak louder than words – What you do is more important than what you say.
Example: Instead of promising results, show them—actions speak louder than words.

3️⃣ A blessing in disguise – Something that seems bad but turns out beneficial.
Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; he found a better opportunity.

4️⃣ Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – Don’t rely on a single plan or opportunity.
Example: He invested in multiple stocks because he didn’t want to put all his eggs in one basket.

5️⃣ The ball is in your court – It’s your turn to take action.
Example: I have given you all the resources; now, the ball is in your court.

6️⃣ Every cloud has a silver lining – There’s always something positive in a tough situation.
Example: Though he failed the exam, he learned valuable lessons—every cloud has a silver lining.

7️⃣ The early bird catches the worm – Those who act quickly succeed.
Example: She arrives early at job fairs because she believes the early bird catches the worm.

8️⃣ Keep your chin up – Stay positive in difficult times.
Example: Even after setbacks, he kept his chin up and worked harder.

9️⃣ Hit the ground running – Start something with great enthusiasm and energy.
Example: The new manager hit the ground running, making immediate improvements.

🔟 Make hay while the sun shines – Take advantage of an opportunity while it lasts.
Example: While the market is booming, investors should make hay while the sun shines.

1️⃣1️⃣ Bite your tongue – Stop yourself from saying something.
Example: She wanted to criticize his mistake but decided to bite her tongue.

1️⃣2️⃣ Give someone the cold shoulder – Ignore someone intentionally.
Example: After their argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for a week.

1️⃣3️⃣ Break the ice – Start a conversation in a social setting.
Example: He told a funny joke to break the ice at the meeting.

1️⃣4️⃣ Speak of the devil – Mention someone and they suddenly appear.
Example: We were just talking about Jack, and speak of the devil—there he is!

1️⃣5️⃣ Get straight to the point – Talk about the main issue directly.
Example: We don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point.

1️⃣6️⃣ Put in a good word – Recommend someone positively.
Example: I put in a good word for you at the job interview.

1️⃣7️⃣ Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning.
Example: If you read between the lines, you’ll see she wasn’t happy with the decision.

1️⃣8️⃣ Hear it on the grapevine – Hear gossip or unofficial news.
Example: I heard it on the grapevine that they are getting married soon.

1️⃣9️⃣ Throw someone under the bus – Blame someone to save yourself.
Example: He threw his coworker under the bus to avoid getting in trouble.

2️⃣0️⃣ A slip of the tongue – Accidentally say something wrong.
Example: She revealed the surprise party by a slip of the tongue.

2️⃣1️⃣ Under the weather – Feeling sick or unwell.
Example: I’m not coming to work today; I’m feeling under the weather.

2️⃣2️⃣ Hit the nail on the head – Describe exactly what is causing a situation.
Example: She hit the nail on the head when she said the project needed better management.

2️⃣3️⃣ Burn the midnight oil – Work late into the night.
Example: He burned the midnight oil to finish the assignment on time.

2️⃣4️⃣ Cry over spilled milk – Worry about something that can’t be changed.
Example: It was a mistake, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.

2️⃣5️⃣ Jump on the bandwagon – Join a trend or popular activity.
Example: Everyone is using that app now, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon.

Break the ice idiom Meaning

useful idioms for daily conversation

2️⃣6️⃣ A piece of cake – Something very easy to do.
Example: The test was a piece of cake; I finished it in 10 minutes.

2️⃣7️⃣ Spill the beans – Reveal a secret.
Example: He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.

2️⃣8️⃣ Once in a blue moon – Something that happens very rarely.
Example: I eat fast food only once in a blue moon.

2️⃣9️⃣ Cut corners – Do something in the easiest and cheapest way, usually not the best.
Example: The company cut corners to save money, but the quality suffered.

3️⃣0️⃣ Keep an eye on – Watch something carefully.
Example: Please keep an eye on my bag while I grab a coffee.

3️⃣1️⃣ Pull someone’s leg – Joke or tease someone.
Example: Don’t take him seriously; he’s just pulling your leg.

3️⃣2️⃣ Cost an arm and a leg – Very expensive.
Example: That designer bag costs an arm and a leg.

3️⃣3️⃣ Sit on the fence – Be undecided.
Example: I can’t decide which laptop to buy; I’m sitting on the fence.

3️⃣4️⃣ Hit the books – Study hard.
Example: Exams are coming up, so I need to hit the books.

Idioms Examples

3️⃣5️⃣ Pull yourself together – Calm down and regain control.
Example: After hearing the bad news, he took a moment to pull himself together.

3️⃣6️⃣ Wrap one’s head around something – Understand something difficult.
Example: I can’t wrap my head around this complex math problem.

3️⃣7️⃣ Call it a day – Stop working for the day.
Example: We finished the report, so let’s call it a day.

3️⃣8️⃣ Under someone’s thumb – Completely controlled by someone.
Example: He’s under his boss’s thumb and never disagrees with him.

3️⃣9️⃣ By the skin of one’s teeth – Just barely succeed.
Example: He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.

Common Idioms used in Daily life

4️⃣0️⃣ The last straw – The final problem that makes a situation unbearable.
Example: His rude comment was the last straw; she decided to quit.

4️⃣1️⃣ Beat around the bush – Avoid talking directly about a topic.
Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.

4️⃣2️⃣ Cold feet – Feel nervous or hesitant about something.
Example: He got cold feet and canceled the wedding at the last minute.

4️⃣3️⃣ Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret accidentally.
Example: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

4️⃣4️⃣ Throw in the towel – Give up or quit something.
Example: After trying multiple times, he finally threw in the towel and left the competition.

4️⃣5️⃣ On the same page – Agree or have the same understanding.
Example: Let’s discuss the project again to ensure we are on the same page.

4️⃣6️⃣ Miss the boat – Lose an opportunity.
Example: He didn’t apply in time and missed the boat for the scholarship.

4️⃣7️⃣ Burn bridges – Ruin relationships beyond repair.
Example: He burned bridges with his former employer by leaving on bad terms.

4️⃣8️⃣ Under one’s nose – Something happening right in front of someone without them noticing.
Example: The keys were under my nose the whole time!

4️⃣9️⃣ Back to square one – Start over from the beginning.
Example: The project failed, so we’re back to square one.

5️⃣0️⃣ Think outside the box – Come up with creative or unconventional solutions.
Example: To solve this issue, we need to think outside the box.

Under the Weather Idioms

That’s all for the 50 Most Common English Idioms , common idioms used in daily life, useful idioms for daily conversation, idioms examples, idioms meaning in English.

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