50 Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life

Hello English learners, and welcome to our lesson on 50 idioms and phrases used in everyday life! You will learn a great collection of idioms and phrases used in daily life to convey ideas in vibrant and metaphorical ways. Each idiom has a brief definition and an example sentence to help you understand its context and meaning. Whether you are trying to wish someone good luck with “break a leg” or inform someone how easy something is with “piece of cake,” these expressions will empower you to speak more confidently and easily in English. Let’s move on and study these idioms to improve your vocabulary and flavour your conversations!

Idiom/phrase	Meaning	Example sentence
Break a leg	a way to wish someone good luck, especially before a performance or an exam.	You’re performing tonight? Break a leg!
Piece of cake	something that is very easy to do.	That math problem was a piece of cake.
Under the weather	feeling unwell or slightly sick.	I’m feeling under the weather, so I might skip the meeting today.
Costs an arm and a leg	very expensive.	Buying a new car these days can cost an arm and a leg.
Spill the beans	to reveal a secret unintentionally or prematurely.	Don’t spill the beans about the surprise party!
Once in a blue moon	very rarely.	We go out to dinner once in a blue moon.
The ball is in your court	It’s your turn to take action or make a decision.	I’ve made my offer; now the ball is in your court.
Hit the nail on the head	to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.	When you said that our lack of planning was the issue, you hit the nail on the head.
Let the cat out of the bag	to accidentally reveal a secret.	I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about their engagement.
When pigs fly	something that will never happen.	He’ll clean his room when pigs fly!
Bite the bullet	to endure a painful or otherwise unpleasant situation which is unavoidable.	Simon decided to bite the bullet and admit his mistake.
Call it a day	to stop working on something.	After fixing computers for eight hours, we decided to call it a day.
Break the ice	used to start conversation in a social setting to ease tension.	He told a funny story to break the ice at the conference.
Keep your chin up	stay positive in a difficult situation.	I know things are tough, but keep your chin up.
Hit the sack	to go to bed.	I’m exhausted – time to hit the sack.
Get out of hand	to become uncontrolled or chaotic.	The discussion got out of hand when everyone started shouting.
Sit on the fence	to remain neutral or undecided about an issue.	You can’t sit on the fence forever; you need to choose a side.
Burn the midnight oil	to work late into the night.	Miriam had to burn the midnight oil to finish her assignment.
At the drop of a hat	immediately; without any hesitation.	He’s ready to travel at the drop of a hat. Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life
Bite off more than you can chew	To take on a task that is too big or too difficult.	I think I’ve bitten off more than I can chew with this new project.
By the skin of your teeth	Barely; just managing to do something.	Sandra passed the exam by the skin of her teeth.
Cut to the chase	to get to the point without wasting time.	Let’s cut to the chase: are you accepting the offer or not?
Jump on the bandwagon	to join others in doing something that is currently popular.	Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of remote working.
Miss the boat	to miss an opportunity.	I missed the boat on buying tickets early for the concert.
No pain, no gain	hard work is necessary to achieve success.	You have to train hard for that marathon – no pain, no gain.
On the ball	being quick to understand and react to things.	Our new manager is really on the ball.
Pull someone’s leg	to tease or joke with someone.	I was just pulling your leg about the ghost story.
Raining cats and dogs	raining very heavily.	It’s raining cats and dogs, so take your umbrella.
The best of both worlds	a situation wherein one can enjoy the benefits of two very different things at the same time.	Working from home gives her the best of both worlds: family time and career progress.
Time flies when you’re having fun	time passes quickly when you’re enjoying yourself.	I can’t believe it’s already midnight; time flies when you’re having fun!
A blessing in disguise	something that seems bad at first but eventually has a good outcome.	Losing that job turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
A dime a dozen	very common and not valuable.	Books like these are a dime a dozen in big cities.
Beat around the bush	to avoid talking about what is important.	Stop beating around the bush – what really happened?
Better late than never	it’s better to do something late than not at all.	He finally apologised – better late than never.
Easy come, easy go	things that are acquired easily can be lost just as quickly.	I didn’t worry too much about the money, easy come, easy go.
Hit the road	to leave or start a journey.	We should hit the road if we want to beat the traffic.
On cloud nine	extremely happy; in a state of bliss.	After she got her exam results, she was on cloud nine.
Right under your nose	something very close by and obvious.	The missing keys were right under your nose on the table.
Up in the air	uncertain; undecided.	Our vacation plans are still up in the air.
Water under the bridge	past events that are no longer important.	We had our disagreements in the past, but that’s all water under the bridge now.
Your guess is as good as mine	I have no idea.	Why did the meeting get cancelled? Your guess is as good as mine.
Steal someone’s thunder	to take the credit for someone else’s idea or achievement.	She felt he was stealing her thunder by announcing her idea as his own.
Cross that bridge when you come to it	to deal with a problem when it arises, not before.	I’m not worried about the interview yet – I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life
Hit the books	to study hard.	I have a final exam next week, so it’s time to hit the books.
Cut someone some slack	to be lenient or give someone a break.	He was late because of traffic, so cut him some slack.
In hot water	in trouble or in a difficult situation.	She got in hot water for missing the deadline.
Put all your eggs in one basket	to risk all of your resources in one venture.	It’s wise not to put all your eggs in one basket when investing.
Let sleeping dogs lie	avoid stirring up a problem that has settled.	I decided not to ask about the old argument; sometimes it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie.
Take it with a grain of salt	not to take something too seriously or literally.	When he tells a story, I take it with a grain of salt.
Every cloud has a silver lining	there is something positive in every negative situation.	Even though I lost my job, I know that every cloud has a silver lining.

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Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life

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50 Idioms and Phrases Used in Daily Life

Published by My Lingua Academy on 14 May 202514 May 2025