40 American English Idioms with Meanings | American Idioms PDF

Break the ice – Start talking to someone
He told a joke to break the ice.

Hit the nail on the head – Say something exactly right
You hit the nail on the head with your answer.

Piece of cake – Very easy
That test was a piece of cake.

Bite the bullet – Do something hard even if you don’t want to
I had to bite the bullet and do my homework.

Burn the midnight oil – Stay up late to work
She burned the midnight oil to finish her project.

Spill the beans – Tell a secret by accident
He spilled the beans about the surprise party.

Cost an arm and a leg – Very expensive
That new phone costs an arm and a leg.

Under the weather – Feeling sick
I’m feeling under the weather today.

The ball is in your court – It’s your turn to decide
I made my offer, now the ball is in your court.

Hit the sack – Go to bed
I’m tired, time to hit the sack.

Miss the boat – Miss a chance
I missed the boat on that job.

Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret
She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise.

Sit tight – Wait patiently
Just sit tight, I’ll be back soon.

Once in a blue moon – Something that happens rarely
I see him once in a blue moon.

When pigs fly – Something that will never happen
He’ll stop playing video games when pigs fly.

Break a leg – Good luck
Break a leg at your performance!

Pull someone’s leg – Joke with someone
He’s just pulling your leg.

Hit the road – Leave or go somewhere
It’s time to hit the road.

Cut corners – Do something in an easy but not good way
Don’t cut corners on your homework.

On the ball – Doing a good job
She’s really on the ball today.

Jump the gun – Start too soon
You jumped the gun by starting the project early.

Blow off steam – Release stress
He goes for a walk to blow off steam.

Cold feet – Nervous about something
She got cold feet before the wedding.

Burn bridges – Ruin relationships
Don’t burn bridges with your friends.

Go the extra mile – Do more than expected
She always goes the extra mile to help.

Bend over backward – Make a big effort to help
They bent over backward to help me.

In hot water – In trouble
He’s in hot water for skipping class.

A blessing in disguise – Something good that seemed bad at first
Losing my job was a blessing in disguise.

Add fuel to the fire – Make things worse
His comments added fuel to the fire.

A dime a dozen – Very common
Cheap toys are a dime a dozen.

Barking up the wrong tree – Looking in the wrong place
You’re barking up the wrong tree.

Beat around the bush – Avoid saying what you mean
Stop beating around the bush and tell me.

Call it a day – Stop working for now
Let’s call it a day and rest.

Cut to the chase – Get to the point
Let’s cut to the chase and talk about the problem.

Hit the jackpot – Be very lucky or successful
They hit the jackpot with their new business.

Keep your chin up – Stay positive
Keep your chin up, things will get better.

Let sleeping dogs lie – Don’t disturb a calm situation
Just let sleeping dogs lie, don’t bring it up.

The elephant in the room – A big issue everyone is ignoring
We need to talk about the elephant in the room.

Through thick and thin – Stay loyal in good and bad times
They have been friends through thick and thin.