30 Idioms Related to Learning and Education

Hello English learners. Welcome to a new lesson. Today, we will look at 30 idioms related to learning and education.

Idiom	Meaning	Example sentence
Hit the books	to study hard.	With finals coming up, Maria decided it was time to hit the books.
Burn the midnight oil	to work or study late into the night.	John burned the midnight oil* preparing for his final exam.*
Pass with flying colours	to succeed easily, usually in an exam or test.	She studied every night and passed her math test with flying colours.
Learn the ropes	to learn the basic skills or procedures needed for a task. Idioms related to learning and education	During his first week, Tom had to learn the ropes* of the new job.*
Study up	to prepare thoroughly for an exam or a particular subject.	I need to study up* on modern history before the quiz.*
A quick study	a person who learns new things fast.	Mark is a quick study; he picked up the new software in just a couple of sessions. Idioms related to learning and education
Bookworm	someone who loves reading and spending time with books.	Sarah is a real bookworm; she always has her nose in a novel.
Straight-A student	a student who consistently earns the highest marks.	Kevin has become a straight-A student, thanks to his dedication.
Teacher’s pet	a student who is favoured by the teacher	Many classmates teased him for being the teacher’s pet.
A class act	a person (student or teacher) who is outstanding in character or performance.	Ms. Adams, always respectful and inspiring, is truly a class act.
School of hard knocks	learning achieved through real-life experiences and challenges rather than formal education.	Though he never went to college, he learned plenty from the school of hard knocks.
A crash course	a short, intense course of study on a particular subject	She took a crash course* in French before her trip to Paris.*
A smart cookie	Someone who is very intelligent and capable.	Everyone agreed that Lily was a smart cookie, solving riddles with ease.
A student of life	a person who continually learns from various experiences, not just formal education.	He calls himself a student of life, always eager to learn from new challenges.
A teachable moment	an opportunity that presents itself for learning something important. Idioms related to learning and education	When the experiment failed, it became a teachable moment* for the entire class.*
A tough nut to crack	a problem or person that is very difficult to understand or deal with.	Solving that complex math problem was a tough nut to crack.
A brainiac	a person who is extremely intelligent.	The new transfer student is a brainiac* – he solved every challenge in class effortlessly.*
A diamond in the rough	a person with raw potential who needs guidance or refinement.	The teacher recognized in him a diamond in the rough* with great promise.*
A drop in the bucket	a very small amount or insignificant contribution compared to the whole.	Although his donation was generous, it was just a drop in the bucket* for the university fund.*
A square peg in a round hole	a person who does not fit well in a certain situation or environment.	Being a square peg in a round hole, she struggled to adapt to the rigid teaching style.
A sponge	someone who absorbs information very easily.	The new intern is like a sponge – he picked up all the procedures on his first day. Idioms related to learning and education
A master class	an exemplary lesson or session conducted by an expert.	The professor’s lecture was a master class* in modern literature.*
A greenhorn	a beginner or someone inexperienced.	As a greenhorn,* he asked many questions during his first week at school.*
A paint-by-numbers approach	a method that is overly formulaic and lacks creativity.	Critics said the lesson used a paint-by-numbers approach, leaving little room for creativity.
Teach someone a lesson	to make someone learn from their mistake, often through a challenging experience.	The failed project was meant to teach the team a lesson* about poor planning.*
Put one’s thinking cap on	to start thinking seriously or creatively about a problem or task.	It’s time to put our thinking caps* on and come up with a solution for the project.*
Rack one’s brain	to think very hard or struggle to remember or solve something. Idioms related to learning and education	I racked my brain* trying to recall the formula for the experiment.*
Draw a blank	to fail to remember something or come up with an answer.	In the middle of the exam, I drew a blank* on one of the key concepts.*
Cut class	to skip school or a class without permission.	He got into trouble for cutting class* one too many times.*
Pull an all-nighter	to stay awake all night, typically to study or finish a project.	With the deadline approaching, the group decided to pull an all-nighter* to complete the assignment.*

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Idioms related to learning and education

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