Idioms in Real Life: English expressions with meanings

Vivid figurative idioms native speakers really use — their meaning has nothing to do with the literal words

81 wordsB1 · 12B2 · 61C1 · 8

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10 words from this collection. Pick the right meaning.

Word	Level	Definition
cost an arm and a leg	B2	to be very expensive
twist someone's arm	B2	to persuade someone to do something they are reluctant to do
rack your brains	B2	to think very hard to remember or solve something
get cold feet	B2	to suddenly become too nervous to do something planned
off the top of my head	B2	from memory, without checking or thinking carefully
a pain in the neck	B1	an annoying person or thing
play it by ear	B2	to decide what to do as a situation develops, without a plan
get it off your chest	B2	to tell someone about something that has been worrying you
bite your tongue	B2	to stop yourself from saying something you want to say
pay through the nose	C1	to pay far too much for something
a slip of the tongue	B2	a small mistake in speaking, saying something you didn't mean
keep your fingers crossed	B1	to hope that something will happen the way you want
stick your neck out	C1	to take a risk by saying or doing something others avoid
head over heels	B2	completely in love with someone
give someone the cold shoulder	B2	to treat someone in an unfriendly way; to ignore them

Word	Level	Definition
hold your horses	B1	wait and slow down; don't rush
the black sheep	B2	a person in a family who is seen as bad and different
a dark horse	B2	a person whose abilities or plans are unknown and surprise people
the early bird catches the worm	B2	the person who acts first has the best chance of success
the lion's share	B2	the largest part of something
a fish out of water	B2	a person who feels uncomfortable in a situation
take the bull by the horns	B2	to deal with a difficult situation in a brave, direct way
a bull in a china shop	B2	a clumsy person who breaks things or handles a delicate situation badly
a can of worms	B2	a complicated situation that causes many new problems once you start dealing with it
smell a rat	B2	to sense that something is wrong or dishonest
a wild goose chase	C1	a hopeless search or pointless effort
straight from the horse's mouth	B2	directly from the person who really knows
like a deer in the headlights	C1	so shocked or scared that you cannot move or react
ants in your pants	B2	unable to keep still because you are excited or impatient
the world is your oyster	C1	you are free to do or achieve anything you want

Word	Level	Definition
break the bank	B2	to cost more money than you can afford
cost a fortune	B1	to be very expensive
foot the bill	B2	to pay for something, often for other people
tighten your belt	B2	to spend less money because you have less
bring home the bacon	B2	to earn money to support your family
make ends meet	B2	to earn just enough money to cover your needs
the daily grind	B2	the boring, repetitive routine of daily work
call it a day	B1	to stop working for the day
back to square one	B2	back to the starting point after a failure
climb the ladder	B2	to move up to higher positions at work
a rip-off	B1	something that costs much more than it is worth
cut corners	B2	to do something cheaply or quickly, lowering the quality
in the red	B2	owing money; having spent more than you have
a dead-end job	B1	a job with no chance of progress or promotion
burn the midnight oil	C1	to work or study late into the night

Word	Level	Definition
egg on your face	B2	looking foolish or embarrassed because of something you did
a hard nut to crack	B2	a difficult problem or person to deal with
in a nutshell	B1	in a few words; briefly
not my cup of tea	B1	not something you enjoy or are interested in
food for thought	B2	something that makes you think carefully
take it with a pinch of salt	B2	to not fully believe something
bite off more than you can chew	B2	to take on more than you can handle
butter someone up	B2	to be extra nice to someone so they help you
the icing on the cake	B2	an extra good thing that makes a good situation even better
sell like hot cakes	B2	to sell very quickly and in large numbers
a couch potato	B1	a lazy person who watches a lot of TV
go bananas	B1	to become very excited, angry, or crazy

Word	Level	Definition
every now and then	B1	occasionally; from time to time
the calm before the storm	B2	a quiet period just before a time of trouble or intense activity
the ship has sailed	B2	it is too late; the opportunity has passed
a close call	B2	a situation where something bad nearly happened
under the radar	B2	without being noticed
third time's the charm	B2	said in the hope that a third attempt will succeed after two failures
out of the woods	B2	no longer in danger or difficulty
better safe than sorry	B2	it is better to be careful than to risk something bad happening
hit the sack	B2	to go to bed
out of the blue	B2	suddenly and unexpectedly
in the nick of time	B2	just before it is too late
against the clock	B2	rushing to finish before a deadline

Word	Level	Definition
get your act together	B2	to start organizing yourself and behaving effectively
ring a bell	B2	to sound familiar; to remind you of something
cut to the chase	B2	to get to the main point without wasting time
a wake-up call	B2	an event that warns you to change or take action
hit the roof	B2	to become extremely angry
blow off steam	B2	to release anger or energy in a harmless way
jump the gun	B2	to act too soon, before the right time
the bigger picture	B2	the most important facts about a situation and its wider effects
pull strings	C1	to use your influence or connections to get something
a long shot	B2	an attempt with little chance of success
call the shots	B2	to be the person in control who makes the decisions
a ballpark figure	C1	a rough estimate of a number or amount

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