10 Idioms Related to Autumn

Autumn is that time of year when it is no longer hot, the days become shorter and colder and leaves start falling from the trees. It is also the time of harvest, hot chocolate and cider. Whether you like it or not, you must admit that autumn is the cosiest season of all and that’s why I like it so much. In that sense, let’s look at 10 idioms related to autumn.

• Autumn years
• Old chestnut
• Turn over a new leaf
• To squirrel something away
• Lost in the mists of time
• Save for a rainy day
• The apple never falls far from the tree
• The apple of someone’s eye
• Indian summer
• Turn into a pumpkin

Autumn years

Meaning: refer to the later years of your life, usually retired ones.

• Paul spent his autumn years enjoying his grandchildren.
• Now when we are retired and in our autumn years, my husband and I plan to travel.

Old chestnut

Meaning: an old story joke or saying which is no longer interesting.

• I can’t bear listening to grandpa’s old chestnut story again.
• The interview questions are becoming old chestnuts. “Tell me about your strengths and weaknesses, why should we hire you…”

Turn over a new leaf

Meaning: start all over again, to improve your conduct in a more responsible manner.

• Lisa turned over a new leaf; she no longer smokes.
• I decided to turn over a new leaf and start eating sensibly.

To squirrel something away

Meaning: we all know what squirrels do. They collect and stock up something. This expression refers to collecting and hiding something, especially money.

• I squirrelled some money away for a rainy day.
• While he was working as an online teacher, John managed to squirrel some money away so he can go on holiday.

Lost in the mists of time 

Meaning: if you say that something is lost in the mists of time, then it is long forgotten.

• The facts about the sunken ship were lost in the mists of time.
• The reasons why our great-grandparents moved to Canada are lost in the mists of time.

Save for a rainy day

Meaning: if you save for a rainy day, then you save some money for the time when you might need it.

• My parents have always taught me to save for a rainy day.
• If you have been saving for a rainy day, you could buy a new car now.

The apple never falls far from the tree

Meaning: this expression means that we usually have a similar character to our parents.

• He’s the best tennis player in our school, just like his father was. Isn’t that why they say that the apple never falls far from the tree.
• Lucy reminds me of her grandmother. The same eyes and hair. Well, the apple never falls far from the tree.

The apple of someone’s eye

Meaning: the person you like most and you’re proud of is the apple of your eye.

• Mary loved all her children dearly, but her youngest son was the apple of her eye.
• Since George could always rely on Jenny, she became the apple of his eye.

Indian summer

Meaning: a period of warm weather, unusual for autumn.

• We had a long Indian summer last September. Hopefully, this year will be no different.
• We took autumn clothes with us, but when we arrived in the Lake District, it was Indian summer so we didn’t need our jackets at all.

Turn into a pumpkin

Meaning: you can use this expression to say that you’re sleepy and you’re going to bed.

• It was a tiring day and I turned into a pumpkin, so I’m going home to sleep.
• Mary always turns into a pumpkin around 10 o’clock.

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