100 Everyday English Idioms

100 everyday English idioms you should know for EFL/ESL learners (and curious minds everywhere!)

Idioms are one of the most colourful and expressive parts of the English language. They pop up in films, conversations, songs, and even in news headlines! But here’s the thing: idioms don’t always make sense at first glance. After all, what does it really mean to “hit the nail on the head” or to be “over the moon”? This blog post is your guide to 100 everyday English idioms that native speakers use all the time. They’re perfect for intermediate learners, especially if you’re preparing for exams like B2 First (FCE) or C1 Advanced (CAE), or if you just want to sound more natural and fluent in daily conversation.

Each idiom comes with a short, simple meaning and an example sentence so you can learn them in context—the best way to remember them!

Don’t forget—at the end of this post, you’ll find a free downloadable PDF with all 100 idioms. You can print it out, add it to your study folder, or share it with your students or classmates.

Idiom	Meaning	Example sentence
Hit the nail on the head	say exactly the right thing	John hit the nail on the head with that comment.
Know something inside out	know something very well	She knows the system inside out.
Miss the point	not understand something correctly	I think you missed the point of the story.
Make sense	be logical or reasonable	This plan makes sense to me.
Be over the moon	be extremely happy	She was over the moon when she passed the exam.
Down in the dumps	feeling sad or depressed	He’s been down in the dumps since the breakup.
Blow off steam	release stress or anger	I go for a jog to blow off steam.
On edge	nervous or anxious	I’ve been on edge all day before the interview.
Lose your temper	get angry suddenly	Will you please try not to lose your temper in the meeting?
Cheer someone up	make someone feel happier	A good laugh will cheer you up.
Get straight to the point	talk about the main idea	Let’s get straight to the point: we need results.
Keep it to yourself	don’t tell anyone	It’s a secret—keep it to yourself.
Speak your mind	say what you really think	He always speaks his mind, even at work.
Beat around the bush	avoid saying something directly	Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.
Get along with	have a good relationship	I get along well with my neighbours.
Break the ice	start a conversation	A funny story can help break the ice.
Hit it off	get on very well from the beginning	We hit it off right away.
Have a falling out	argue and stop being friendly	They had a falling out over money.
Be on the same wavelength	think alike	We’re on the same wavelength about politics.
Call it a day	stop working for the day	It’s late—let’s call it a day.
From time to time	occasionally	I check my social media from time to time.
Around the clock	all day and night	Doctors worked around the clock.
In no time	very quickly	She finished the essay in no time.
Once in a blue moon	very rarely	He visits, but only once in a blue moon
Give it a shot	try something	I’ve never tried sushi, but I’ll give it a shot.
Go the extra mile	make more effort than expected	She always goes the extra mile for her students.
Pull your weight	do your fair share	You need to pull your weight on this project.
Bite the bullet	do something unpleasant	I hate going to the dentist, but I’ll bite the bullet.
Put your heart into	do something with passion	He put his heart into the performance.
Learn the ropes	learn how to do a job	It took me a week to learn the ropes.
On the ball	quick to understand or react	The new assistant is really on the ball.
Get the hang of	learn how to do something	I finally got the hang of driving.
In hot water	in trouble 100 everyday English idioms	He’s in hot water for missing the meeting.
Burn the midnight oil	work late into the night	She’s burning the midnight oil for her exams.
Cost an arm and a leg	be very expensive	That phone costs an arm and a leg!
Money doesn’t grow on trees	money is limited	Don’t waste it—money doesn’t grow on trees.
Live from hand to mouth	have just enough money to live	They lived from hand to mouth after the job loss.
A rip-off	something too expensive for its value	£10 for coffee? What a rip-off!
Be loaded	have lots of money	Her brother’s loaded—he drives a Porsche.
Pick up the tab	pay the bill	Don’t worry, I’ll pick up the tab tonight.
Under the weather	feeling unwell	I’m staying in today—I’m feeling under the weather.
A storm in a teacup	a big fuss over something small	Their argument was nothing but a storm in a teacup.
Come rain or shine	no matter what happens	He jogs every day, come rain or shine.
Steal someone’s thunder	take the attention	He stole her thunder by announcing his news first.
Break the ice	make people feel relaxed	A group game helped break the ice.
On the fence	undecided	I’m still on the fence about the holiday.
Take it or leave it	accept it as it is	£100 is my final offer—take it or leave it.
At a crossroads	facing an important decision	She’s at a crossroads in her career.
Think twice	consider carefully	Think twice before you post online.
In the nick of time	just in time	He arrived in the nick of time for the train.
A stroke of luck	a bit of unexpected good luck	Finding that old photo was a stroke of luck.
Hit the jackpot	be very lucky or successful	She hit the jackpot with her new job.
By chance	without planning	We met by chance at the market.
Push your luck	take too many risks	You got lucky once—don’t push your luck!
Mess things up	make a mistake	I really messed things up in the interview.
Back to square one	start over again	The design failed—we’re back to square one.
In a pickle	in a difficult situation	I’m in a bit of a pickle—I lost my keys!
Drop the ball	make a mistake	He dropped the ball by forgetting the deadline.
Let the cat out of the bag	reveal a secret	You let the cat out of the bag about the party!
A people person	someone who likes being with others	She’s a people person—everyone loves her.
A couch potato	lazy person who watches too much TV	Stop being a couch potato—go outside!
A go-getter	ambitious and motivated person	He’s a real go-getter at work.
A pain in the neck	someone annoying 100 everyday English idioms	That printer is a pain in the neck!
Full of beans	very energetic	The kids are full of beans today.
Call the shots	be in control	She calls the shots at home.
Go out of your way	make extra effort	He went out of his way to help me.
Go with the flow	adapt without resistance	On holiday, I just go with the flow.
In the long run	eventually, over time	It’s better for your health in the long run.
Out of the blue	unexpectedly	She called out of the blue after five years.
Break the news	tell someone important news	He broke the news gently.
Put in a good word	recommend someone	I’ll put in a good word for you at the interview.
Hit the books	study hard	Time to hit the books before the test.
Spill the beans	tell a secret	Come on—spill the beans!
Talk the talk	speak confidently (but not always act)	He talks the talk but doesn’t do the work.
Get a move on	hurry up	We need to get a move on or we’ll miss the train.
Hit the road	leave or begin a journey	Let’s hit the road before traffic builds.
Off the beaten track	in a quiet, unknown place	They live off the beaten track.
On the go	busy and active	I’ve been on the go all day.
Miss the boat	miss an opportunity	He missed the boat by not applying earlier.
Think on your feet	respond quickly	You need to think on your feet in this job.
Cross your mind	occur to you	It never crossed my mind to ask.
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes	fool someone	He tried to pull the wool over my eyes.
Ring a bell	sound familiar	That name rings a bell.
Have second thoughts	doubt a decision	I’m having second thoughts about quitting.
Change your mind	decide differently	She changed her mind at the last moment.
Turn over a new leaf	start again in a better way	He’s turning over a new leaf this year.
Out with the old, in with the new	replace old with new	We’re redecorating—out with the old, in with the new!
Get the ball rolling	start something	Let’s get the ball rolling on this project.
A breath of fresh air	something new and refreshing	Her ideas are a breath of fresh air.
Bury the hatchet	make peace	They finally buried the hatchet after years.
Blow things out of proportion	exaggerate a problem	He blew the comment out of proportion.
Add fuel to the fire	make a situation worse	Yelling just adds fuel to the fire.
Get on someone’s nerves	annoy someone 100 everyday English idioms	His humming gets on my nerves.
Sweep it under the carpet	hide a problem	Don’t just sweep it under the carpet.
The best of both worlds	enjoy two advantages	Working from home gives me the best of both worlds.
Easier said than done	not as easy as it sounds	Quitting sugar is easier said than done.
Practice makes perfect	keep trying and you’ll improve	Don’t worry—practice makes perfect.
Actions speak louder than words	what you do is more important than what you say	He said sorry, but actions speak louder than words.
Better late than never	it’s good you did it, even if late	You finally cleaned the garage—better late than never!