You may understand every word in a sentence such as I’m on the fence, yet still have no idea what the speaker means. That is the curious thing about idioms: their real meaning is often different from the literal meaning of the individual words.
Learning everyday English idioms will help you understand conversations, films, television programmes, podcasts and news headlines. They can also make your own English sound more natural and expressive.
In this lesson, you will learn 100 everyday English idioms and expressions, each with a clear meaning and a natural example sentence. They are organised by topic and are particularly useful for B2 First, C1 Advanced and everyday conversation.
At the end of the lesson, you can download a free printable PDF containing all 100 expressions.
Everyday English Idioms for Communication
| Hit the nail on the head | say exactly the right thing about a situation | You hit the nail on the head when you said the team needed clearer instructions. |
| Know something inside out | know every detail of something | After working here for ten years, she knows the system inside out. |
| Miss the point | fail to understand the main idea | You are focusing on the cost, but you are missing the point: the product is not safe. |
| Make sense | be logical, reasonable or understandable | Her explanation did not make sense at first, but I eventually understood it. |
| Get straight to the point | begin talking about the main issue without delay | I will get straight to the point: we cannot afford to continue the project. |
| Keep it to yourself | not tell anyone else about something | I am telling you this in confidence, so please keep it to yourself. |
| Speak your mind | say honestly what you think | Laura is never afraid to speak her mind during meetings. |
| Beat around the bush | avoid talking directly about an uncomfortable subject | Stop beating around the bush and tell me why you are leaving. |
| Ring a bell | sound familiar, although you may not remember exactly why | His name rings a bell, but I cannot remember where we met. |
| Cross your mind | come into your thoughts briefly | It never crossed my mind that she might refuse the offer. |
Idioms for Feelings and Reactions
| Be over the moon | be extremely happy | Nadia was over the moon when she passed her driving test. |
| Be down in the dumps | feel unhappy or discouraged | He has been down in the dumps since his holiday was cancelled. |
| Blow off steam | release stress, anger or strong emotion | I usually go for a long walk after work to blow off steam. |
| Be on edge | feel nervous, tense or unable to relax | Everyone was on edge while we waited for the results. |
| Lose your temper | suddenly become angry | Try not to lose your temper when you speak to the manager. |
| Cheer someone up | make someone feel happier | I took my friend out for lunch to cheer her up. |
| Be under the weather | feel slightly ill | I am feeling under the weather, so I think I will stay at home today. |
| Be full of beans | be lively and energetic | The children were full of beans after spending the afternoon outdoors. |
| Get on someone’s nerves | repeatedly annoy someone | The constant sound of drilling is beginning to get on my nerves. |
| Blow something out of proportion | make a problem seem much more serious than it is | It was a minor mistake, but he blew it completely out of proportion. |
Language note: Down in the dumps, full of beans and get on someone’s nerves are informal and are most natural in conversation and informal writing.
Idioms for Relationships and Personality
| Get along with someone | have a friendly relationship with someone | I get along well with most of my colleagues. |
| Break the ice | make people feel more relaxed when they first meet | The teacher used a short game to break the ice on the first day. |
| Hit it off | immediately like and understand one another | We hit it off as soon as we started talking. |
| Have a falling out | have an argument that damages a relationship | The two brothers had a falling out over their parents’ house. |
| Be on the same wavelength | think about something in a similar way | My business partner and I are usually on the same wavelength. |
| A people person | someone who enjoys meeting and communicating with people | She is a real people person, so she is well suited to customer service. |
| A couch potato | someone who spends too much time sitting and watching television | I became a complete couch potato during the winter holidays. |
| A go-getter | an energetic and ambitious person | The company is looking for a confident go-getter to lead the sales team. |
| A pain in the neck | an annoying person, thing or situation | Filling in all these forms is a real pain in the neck. |
| Bury the hatchet | end an argument and become friendly again | After years of disagreement, the two neighbours finally buried the hatchet. |
Idioms for Time and Busy Lives
| Call it a day | stop working because you have done enough for the day | We have made good progress, so let us call it a day. |
| From time to time | occasionally | I still speak to my former classmates from time to time. |
| Around the clock | continuously throughout the day and night | Medical teams worked around the clock after the earthquake. |
| In no time | very quickly | Once you understand the system, you will finish the task in no time. |
| Once in a blue moon | extremely rarely | We eat at expensive restaurants only once in a blue moon. |
| In the nick of time | at the last possible moment | We reached the station in the nick of time. |
| On the go | constantly busy or active | I have been on the go since six o’clock this morning. |
| In the long run | after a long period of time | Taking regular breaks will make you more productive in the long run. |
| Burn the midnight oil | work or study late into the night | She has been burning the midnight oil to finish her dissertation. |
| Get a move on | hurry or begin moving more quickly | We had better get a move on or we will miss the train. |
Idioms for Work, Study and Effort
| Give it a shot | try doing something | I have never written a short story before, but I am going to give it a shot. |
| Go the extra mile | make more effort than is normally expected | A good teacher is often willing to go the extra mile for their students. |
| Pull your weight | do your fair share of the work | Everyone must pull their weight if we are going to meet the deadline. |
| Bite the bullet | force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant | I dislike public speaking, but I will have to bite the bullet and give the presentation. |
| Put your heart into something | do something with enthusiasm and commitment | She put her heart into organising the charity event. |
| Learn the ropes | learn how a job or activity is done | It took him a few weeks to learn the ropes at his new company. |
| Be on the ball | be alert, capable and quick to react | Our new receptionist is efficient and really on the ball. |
| Get the hang of something | gradually learn how to do something | It took me several lessons to get the hang of using the new software. |
| Hit the books | begin studying seriously | My exams start next week, so it is time to hit the books. |
| Think on your feet | react and make decisions quickly | Tour guides often have to think on their feet when unexpected problems arise. |
Idioms for Money, Luck and Opportunities
| Cost an arm and a leg | be extremely expensive | Renting a flat in the city centre costs an arm and a leg. |
| Money doesn’t grow on trees | money is limited and should not be wasted | You cannot buy a new phone every year—money does not grow on trees. |
| Live from hand to mouth | have only enough money for basic daily needs | After losing his job, he was forced to live from hand to mouth. |
| A rip-off | something that costs much more than it is worth | The meal was tiny and cost £40—it was a complete rip-off. |
| Be loaded | be very rich | Her uncle is loaded, but he lives surprisingly modestly. |
| Pick up the tab | pay a bill, especially in a restaurant | It is your birthday, so I will pick up the tab. |
| A stroke of luck | an unexpected piece of good fortune | Finding an empty room at such short notice was a stroke of luck. |
| Hit the jackpot | have great luck or achieve unexpected success | The company hit the jackpot with its new product. |
| Push your luck | take an unnecessary risk after already being fortunate | The manager has forgiven you once, so do not push your luck. |
| Miss the boat | lose an opportunity by acting too late | I wanted to apply for the course, but I missed the boat. |
Register note: A rip-off and be loaded are informal. They are suitable for conversation, stories, articles and informal emails, but not usually for formal reports.
Idioms for Decisions and Change
| Be on the fence | be unable to decide between two choices | I am still on the fence about whether to accept the job. |
| Take it or leave it | accept an offer exactly as it is or reject it | £200 is my final offer—you can take it or leave it. |
| Be at a crossroads | face an important decision or turning point | After graduating, she found herself at a crossroads in her life. |
| Think twice | consider something carefully before acting | You should think twice before sharing personal information online. |
| Have second thoughts | begin to doubt a previous decision | I am having second thoughts about moving abroad. |
| Change your mind | make a different decision | She changed her mind and decided to stay for another year. |
| Turn over a new leaf | make a fresh start and improve your behaviour | He has promised to turn over a new leaf and take his studies seriously. |
| Out with the old, in with the new | replace old ideas or possessions with new ones | We are completely redecorating the office—out with the old, in with the new. |
| Go with the flow | accept events without trying to control everything | We had no fixed plans and simply went with the flow. |
| The best of both worlds | enjoy the advantages of two different situations | Working from home gives her the best of both worlds: flexibility and a rewarding career. |
Idioms for Problems and Mistakes
| Be in hot water | be in trouble | He is in hot water after missing three important deadlines. |
| A storm in a teacup | a great deal of unnecessary excitement about a small problem | The disagreement was merely a storm in a teacup. |
| Mess something up | spoil something or make a mistake | I was so nervous that I completely messed up the interview. |
| Be back to square one | have to begin again after a plan has failed | The experiment did not work, so we are back to square one. |
| Be in a pickle | be in a difficult or awkward situation | I am in a bit of a pickle because I have lost my passport. |
| Drop the ball | make a careless mistake or fail to fulfil a responsibility | The company dropped the ball by ignoring its customers’ complaints. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | accidentally reveal a secret | Mark let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party. |
| Sweep something under the carpet | hide or ignore a problem instead of dealing with it | The organisation tried to sweep the scandal under the carpet. |
| Add fuel to the fire | make an already difficult situation worse | Criticising her in public only added fuel to the fire. |
| The last straw | the final problem that makes a situation impossible to tolerate | When he arrived late again, it was the last straw. |
British English note: A storm in a teacup is especially common in British English. American English often uses a tempest in a teapot.
Idioms for News, Influence and Secrets
| Steal someone’s thunder | take attention or praise away from another person | He stole her thunder by announcing his promotion during her celebration. |
| Call the shots | be the person who makes the important decisions | The regional director calls the shots, although the whole team offers advice. |
| Go out of your way | make a special effort to do something | Our neighbours went out of their way to make us feel welcome. |
| Out of the blue | suddenly and unexpectedly | She contacted me out of the blue after more than ten years. |
| Break the news | tell someone important, often unpleasant, information | The doctor broke the news as gently as possible. |
| Put in a good word for someone | recommend or praise someone to a person in authority | I will put in a good word for you with the manager. |
| Spill the beans | reveal secret information | Come on, spill the beans—who is getting married? |
| Talk the talk | speak confidently as though you are knowledgeable or capable | He certainly talks the talk, but I am not sure he can deliver the results. |
| Pull the wool over someone’s eyes | deceive someone and prevent them from discovering the truth | The salesman tried to pull the wool over my eyes. |
| Keep an eye on something or someone | watch something carefully | Could you keep an eye on my bag while I buy a ticket? |
Idioms for Journeys, New Beginnings and Life Lessons
| Come rain or shine | regardless of the weather or other difficulties | She cycles to work every day, come rain or shine. |
| By chance | accidentally or without planning | We met by chance at a bookshop in Edinburgh. |
| Get the ball rolling | start an activity or process | Let us get the ball rolling by deciding who will lead the project. |
| Hit the road | leave a place or begin a journey | We should hit the road before the traffic becomes heavy. |
| Off the beaten track | away from popular or frequently visited places | We stayed in a small village well off the beaten track. |
| A breath of fresh air | someone or something pleasantly new and different | Her practical approach was a breath of fresh air. |
| Easier said than done | much more difficult to do than it sounds | Staying calm during an exam is easier said than done. |
| Practice makes perfect | regular practice helps you improve | Keep using the new vocabulary—practice makes perfect. |
| Actions speak louder than words | what people do is more important than what they say | He keeps promising to help, but actions speak louder than words. |
| Better late than never | doing something late is better than not doing it at all | You have finally started exercising—better late than never! |
Using Idioms in Cambridge Exams
Idioms can demonstrate a flexible and natural vocabulary, but they should never be inserted simply to impress the examiner.
They are especially useful in:
- B2 First and C1 Advanced speaking tasks;
- informal emails and letters;
- articles;
- reviews;
- stories and personal narratives.
Highly conversational expressions such as spill the beans, be loaded, hit the books and hang on— pardon me, there is no hang on in this list; one hundred idioms are quite enough to keep under control—may sound inappropriate in a formal report or proposal.
More neutral expressions such as in the long run, at a crossroads, make sense and from time to time can be used in a wider range of contexts.
Compare:
- Starting a business can be difficult.
With:
- Getting a new business off the ground is often easier said than done.
The second sentence sounds more expressive, but only because the idiom suits the meaning and context.
How to Remember Everyday English Idioms
The most effective way to learn idioms is to study them in context rather than memorising isolated definitions.
Choose five expressions from one section and:
- write a sentence connected with your own life;
- say the sentence aloud;
- use the expression in a short dialogue;
- review it again several days later;
- notice it when you hear or read it in real English.
For example, instead of memorising:
on the fence = undecided
Write:
- I am still on the fence about whether to buy a new laptop.
Personal examples are easier to remember because they give the expression a real situation and purpose.
Download the Free PDF
Keep all 100 expressions together for revision, classroom use or independent study.
100 Everyday English Idioms and Expressions in PDF
Related posts:
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- 20 Work Idioms in English
- “Luck” Expressions in English
- 100 Business English Idioms + PDF
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- 100 Everyday English Collocations with Examples & PDF
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30 Comments
VASYL BONCHUK · 19 Jul 2025 at 12:03 pm
nice, thanks
spot the mistake “Break the ice” is in duplicate
My Lingua Academy · 19 Jul 2025 at 1:24 pm
Thanks!
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