35 Commonly Used Idioms in a Classroom

Learn the 35 commonly used idioms in a classroom in English with meanings and example sentences. In this lesson, we are going to cover the classroom idioms that use in our classroom. Learning idioms for the classroom will improve your conversation and communication skills in English. Learn the entire lesson and enhance your English language learning skills. Don’t forget to download a free PDF book of these idioms from the bottom of this page. Let’s learn together…

Table of Contents

35 Commonly Used Idioms in a Classroom

In this section, we are going to learn 35 commonly used idioms in a classroom with their meanings and their use in a sentence. Learning idioms with their meanings and use in a sentence will help us to memorize these idioms in an easy way.

1. Hit the books: To study hard. I need to hit the books tonight if I want to pass the exam tomorrow.

2. Piece of cake: Something very easy to do. That math test was a piece of cake.

3. Break the ice: To initiate conversation in a social setting. The teacher told a joke to break the ice on the first day of class.

4. In hot water: In trouble or in a difficult situation. She was in hot water for forgetting to turn in her homework.

5. Out of the blue: Unexpectedly; without warning. The teacher announced a pop quiz out of the blue.

6. Pull an all-nighter: To stay up all night working or studying. He had to pull an all-nighter to finish his research paper.

7. Burn the midnight oil: To stay up late working or studying. She burned the midnight oil to prepare for her final exams.

8. Cut corners: To do something in the easiest or quickest way, often at the expense of quality. If you cut corners on your project, the teacher will notice.

9. Make the grade: To reach the required standard or level of quality. He studied hard to make the grade in his science class.

10. On the same page: To have the same understanding or agree on something. The group worked well together because they were all on the same page.

11. Hit the nail on the head: To do or say something exactly right. You hit the nail on the head with your analysis of the poem.

12. Miss the boat: To miss an opportunity. If you don’t sign up now, you might miss the boat on the extra credit assignment.

13. Spill the beans: To reveal a secret or tell something that was supposed to be kept confidential. Someone spilled the beans about the surprise quiz.

14. Call it a day: To stop working on something, typically after a long session. After finishing the project, the group decided to call it a day.

Related: Love Idioms in English

15. Bite off more than you can chew: To take on more work than you can manage. She realized she bit off more than she could chew by signing up for five advanced classes.

16. A blessing in disguise: Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good. Failing that test was a blessing in disguise because it made me study harder for the final exam.

17. Hit the ground running: To start something and proceed quickly and successfully. The new student hit the ground running and caught up with the class within a week.

18. In the same boat: To be in the same difficult situation as others. We’re all in the same boat, so let’s help each other with the group project.

19. Take it with a grain of salt: To not take something too seriously or literally. When he said the homework was easy, I took it with a grain of salt because he’s really good at math.

20. Buckle down: To start working seriously on something. It’s time to buckle down and finish your essay before the deadline.

21. Get the ball rolling: To start something, especially an activity or process. Let’s get the ball rolling on our science project by gathering all the materials.

22. A dime a dozen: Something very common and not of much value. Online tutorials are a dime a dozen, but finding a good one takes time.

23. A tough nut to crack: A difficult problem or situation to solve. Understanding this math concept is a tough nut to crack.

24. Under the weather: Feeling ill or unwell. She missed school today because she’s feeling under the weather.

25. Let the cat out of the bag: To reveal a secret unintentionally. He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party for the teacher.

26. On the ball: Being alert, quick, and efficient. You were really on the ball during the discussion today.

27. Keep your chin up: To remain cheerful in a difficult situation. Even though the test was hard, keep your chin up; you did your best.

28. Go the extra mile: To do more than what is required. She went the extra mile by adding visuals to her presentation.

29. The ball is in your court: It’s up to you to make the next decision or take action. You’ve got all the materials; now the ball is in your court to start the project.

30. Burn out: To become very tired or exhausted due to overwork. Be careful not to burn out by studying too much without taking breaks.

31. Give someone a hand: To help someone. Can you give me a hand with this science experiment?

32. Jump to conclusions: To make a decision or form an opinion too quickly without enough information. Don’t jump to conclusions about the test results until you see the feedback.

33. Read between the lines: To understand the hidden meaning or implied message. You need to read between the lines to understand what the author is really saying.

34. Keep an eye on: To watch or monitor something or someone carefully. Please keep an eye on your homework deadlines.

35. Know the ropes: To be familiar with how something works. After a few weeks of practice, you’ll know the ropes of using the new software.