Classic Idioms: English expressions with meanings

Timeless English idioms everyone should know

72 wordsA2 · 16B1 · 39B2 · 17

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10 words from this collection. Pick the right meaning.

Word	Level	Definition
break the ice	A2	to do or say something to make people feel relaxed
a piece of cake	A2	something that is very easy to do
under the weather	B1	feeling sick or not in good health today
hit the nail on the head	B1	to say something that is exactly right
beat around the bush	B1	to talk about other things and not the real point
bite the bullet	B1	to decide to do something hard that must be done
once in a blue moon	B1	very rarely, almost never happens
spill the beans	B1	to tell a secret by mistake or on purpose
the ball is in your court	B1	it is now your turn to decide or act
burn the midnight oil	B1	to work late into the night on something
cost an arm and a leg	B1	to cost a very large amount of money
let the cat out of the bag	B1	to tell a secret that was meant to be kept
kill two birds with one stone	B1	to solve two problems with one action
when pigs fly	A2	something that will never happen
cry over spilt milk	B1	to feel sad about something you cannot change
pull someone's leg	A2	to joke with someone and say things that are not true
take it with a grain of salt	B2	to not fully believe what someone tells you
actions speak louder than words	A2	what you do is more important than what you say

Word	Level	Definition
every cloud has a silver lining	B1	even bad times have something good in them
a blessing in disguise	B1	something that seems bad but is actually good
the last straw	B1	the final small thing that makes you lose patience
throw in the towel	B1	to stop trying and accept that you have lost
miss the boat	B1	to be too late to use a chance or opportunity
jump on the bandwagon	B2	to start doing what is popular at the moment
turn over a new leaf	B1	to start acting in a better way than before
back to the drawing board	B1	to start all over again from the beginning
hit the jackpot	B1	to suddenly win a large amount of money
go back to square one	B1	to go back to the start and try again
burn bridges	B1	to end a relationship in a way you cannot fix
get out of hand	B1	to become too difficult to control
easier said than done	A2	it sounds easy but is very hard to really do
the sky is the limit	B1	there is no end to how high you can go
you snooze you lose	B1	if you wait too long you will miss your chance

Word	Level	Definition
the elephant in the room	B2	a big problem that nobody wants to talk about
add fuel to the fire	B1	to make a bad situation even worse
in the same boat	A2	in the same hard situation as someone else
on thin ice	B1	in a situation where you could get in trouble soon
barking up the wrong tree	B2	looking for the answer in the wrong place
the tip of the iceberg	B1	only a small part of a much bigger problem
turn a blind eye	B1	to choose to not see a problem that is there
sit on the fence	B2	to avoid choosing a side in an argument
see eye to eye	B1	to agree with someone about something
a double-edged sword	B2	something that has both good and bad results
open a can of worms	B2	to start talking about a problem that is complex
rock the boat	B2	to do something that upsets a calm situation
between a rock and a hard place	B2	having to choose between two bad options
a catch-22	B2	a problem where every choice leads to another problem
curiosity killed the cat	A2	asking too many questions can get you into trouble

Word	Level	Definition
go the extra mile	B1	to do more than what is expected
give it your best shot	A2	to try as hard as you can
hang in there	A2	to keep going when things are hard, do not give up
keep your chin up	B1	to stay positive when things are difficult
practice makes perfect	A2	doing something many times makes you better at it
step up to the plate	B2	to take on a big task when you are needed
put your money where your mouth is	B2	to prove what you say by doing it
learn the ropes	B1	to learn how things work in a new place
get the hang of it	B1	to begin to understand how to do something new
roll up your sleeves	B1	to get ready to work hard on something
leave no stone unturned	B2	to look everywhere and try every possible way
stay on your toes	B1	to be ready for anything that might happen next

Word	Level	Definition
the whole nine yards	B2	everything, all of it from start to finish
read between the lines	B1	to find a hidden meaning in what someone says
a penny for your thoughts	B2	asking someone what they are thinking about
better late than never	A2	it is good to do something even if it is late
don't judge a book by its cover	A2	do not decide about something by how it looks
take it or leave it	A2	accept the offer as it is, because it will not change
two heads are better than one	A2	two people think of more ideas than one alone
it takes two to tango	B1	both people share the blame for a problem
let sleeping dogs lie	B2	do not bring up an old problem that is now calm
there's no smoke without fire	B1	if people say something, it is often partly true
speak of the devil	A2	the person we were just talking about has arrived
a leopard can't change its spots	B2	people do not really change who they are inside

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