American idioms are commonly used in daily conversations, TV shows, and many other situations. Here you will learn 40 of the most famous American English Idioms and their meanings. Learning these English idioms will help you understand and speak more effectively in America as well. We have also made a complete American Idioms PDF that you can download from the bottom of this page.
What are American Idioms?
American idioms are special phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say. They have a hidden meaning that people understand through common use.
List of American English Idioms
- Break the ice
- Hit the nail on the head
- Piece of cake
- Bite the bullet
- Burn the midnight oil
- Spill the beans
- Cost an arm and a leg
- Under the weather
- The ball is in your court
- Hit the sack
- Miss the boat
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Sit tight
- Once in a blue moon
- When pigs fly
- Break a leg
- Pull someone’s leg
- Hit the road
- Cut corners
- On the ball
- Jump the gun
- Blow off steam
- Cold feet
- Burn bridges
- Go the extra mile
- Bend over backward
- In hot water
- A blessing in disguise
- Actions speak louder than words
- Add fuel to the fire
- A dime a dozen
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Beat around the bush
- Call it a day
- Cut to the chase
- Hit the jackpot
- Keep your chin up
- Let sleeping dogs lie
- The elephant in the room
- Through thick and thin
American English Idioms
American Idioms and Meanings
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.
