Idioms & Expressions Vocabulary

very common and of little value

“Good ideas are a dime a dozen; execution is what matters.”

Origin: American English idiom from early 20th century, referring to cheap items sold at ten cents per dozen

to make a bad situation worse

“They fired him and, to add insult to injury, escorted him out.”

Origin: From Aesop`s fable `The Bald Man and the Fly', translated from Latin injuriae qui addideris contumeliam

at the last possible moment

“The deal was saved at the eleventh hour.”

Origin: Biblical reference from Matthew 20:1-16, parable of laborers hired at the eleventh hour before sunset

returning to the starting point after a setback

“The project failed, so we're back to square one.”

Origin: Possibly from board games or BBC radio football commentary dividing the field into numbered squares

pursuing a mistaken or misguided course

“If you think I took your keys, you're barking up the wrong tree.”

Origin: American English from hunting dogs barking at base of wrong tree after prey escaped

to avoid getting to the point; speak evasively

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.”

Origin: From medieval hunting practice of beating bushes to flush out game birds

to take on more responsibility than you can handle

“By accepting three projects, she bit off more than she could chew.”

Origin: American English idiom from 1800s, literal reference to taking too large a bite of food

to endure a painful situation with courage

“I decided to bite the bullet and have the difficult conversation.”

Origin: From practice of wounded soldiers biting on bullets during surgery without anesthesia

to initiate conversation in a social setting

“His joke helped break the ice at the awkward meeting.”

Origin: From literal breaking of ice to allow ships passage, used figuratively since 1600s

to destroy relationships or opportunities permanently

“Don't burn bridges—you might need those contacts later.”

Origin: From military tactic of burning bridges to prevent enemy pursuit or retreat

to work late into the night

“She burned the midnight oil to finish the proposal.”

Origin: From era before electricity when oil lamps were burned late at night for light

to make peace; end a conflict

“After years of feuding, they finally buried the hatchet.”

Origin: Native American peace ceremony of literally burying weapons to signify end of hostilities

just barely; by a very narrow margin

“He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.”

Origin: Biblical phrase from Job 19:20 `I am escaped with the skin of my teeth`

a paradoxical situation with no escape due to contradictory rules

“It's a catch-22: you need experience to get hired, but you need a job to get experience.”

Origin: From Joseph Heller`s 1961 novel `Catch-22' describing paradoxical military regulation

to do something in the easiest or cheapest way

“The contractor cut corners, and the building had problems.”

Origin: From literally cutting across corners instead of following a path, to save time or effort

to get to the point without wasting time

“Let's cut to the chase—what's your offer?”

Origin: From silent film era, editing instruction to skip to exciting chase scene

one who argues against something for the sake of debate

“Let me play devil's advocate and challenge your assumptions.”

Origin: Latin advocatus diaboli, official role in Catholic canonization to argue against sainthood

don't waste time worrying about things that can't be changed

“The mistake is done—don't cry over spilled milk.”

Origin: English proverb documented since 1600s, referring to futility of lamenting irreversible accidents

an obvious problem that everyone ignores

“The company's debt was the elephant in the room.”

Origin: From 1950s fable of elephant in living room that people politely ignore despite its obviousness

to become nervous and hesitate before doing something

“He got cold feet and canceled the wedding.”

Origin: Possibly from frozen feet preventing soldiers from fighting, or poker players with poor hands

to become uncontrolled or unmanageable

“The protest got out of hand quickly.”

Origin: From falconry or horse riding, when bird or horse becomes uncontrollable

to describe exactly what is causing a situation

“You hit the nail on the head—that's exactly the problem.”

Origin: From carpentry, striking nail precisely on its head for effective result

in trouble or in a difficult situation

“He's in hot water with his boss after missing the deadline.”

Origin: From discomfort of being in uncomfortably hot water, used figuratively since 1500s

to join others in doing something fashionable

“Every company jumped on the AI bandwagon.”

Origin: From American circus wagons carrying bands, politicians encouraging supporters to `jump on`

remain cheerful in difficult circumstances

“Keep your chin up—things will improve.”

Origin: From physical posture of holding head high as sign of confidence and resilience

to accomplish two things with a single action

“Biking to work lets me kill two birds with one stone—exercise and commuting.”

Origin: Ancient proverb, possibly from Ovid's story of Daedalus, achieving two goals with one effort

to reveal a secret accidentally

“She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”

Origin: Possibly from fraudulent market practice of substituting cat for piglet in bag

to miss an opportunity

“If you don't invest now, you'll miss the boat.”

Origin: From literal missing of boat departure, losing opportunity for passage

in agreement; having the same understanding

“Let's make sure we're all on the same page before proceeding.”

Origin: From choir or orchestra members literally looking at same page of music

very rarely

“He only visits once in a blue moon.”

Origin: From rare astronomical occurrence of second full moon in calendar month, appearing bluish

something very easy to do

“The test was a piece of cake.”

Origin: Possibly from 1870s cakewalk competitions where cake was prize for easiest dance

to risk everything on a single venture

“Diversify your investments—don't put all your eggs in one basket.”

Origin: From Don Quixote and American proverb warning against risking everything in one place

raining very heavily

“We can't go outside—it's raining cats and dogs!”

Origin: Origins debated; possibly from 17th century England when heavy rain washed dead animals through streets, or from thatched roofs where animals sheltered

to understand the hidden meaning

“Read between the lines—she's not happy here.”

Origin: From cryptography practice of writing hidden messages between lines of visible text

to reveal secret information

“Who spilled the beans about the merger?”

Origin: Possibly from ancient Greek voting with beans, or American slang from early 1900s

to view something with skepticism

“Take his claims with a grain of salt.”

Origin: Latin cum grano salis, from Pliny's reference to antidote taken with grain of salt

it's your turn to take action

“I've made my offer—the ball is in your court.”

Origin: From tennis or similar court sports where player must return ball from their court

the final problem that makes a situation unbearable

“The pay cut was the last straw—she resigned.”

Origin: From proverb `the straw that broke the camel`s back', final burden causing collapse

to give up; admit defeat

“After three failures, he threw in the towel.”

Origin: From boxing, where trainer throws towel into ring to signal surrender

feeling ill or unwell

“I'm feeling a bit under the weather today.”

Origin: Nautical term for sailors going below deck due to seasickness from bad weather

uncertain; not yet decided

“The project timeline is still up in the air.”

Origin: From literal image of something suspended in air, unsettled and without clear resolution

a good thing that seemed bad at first

“Losing that job was a blessing in disguise as it led to a better career.”

Origin: From 18th century hymn by James Hervey about misfortunes that prove beneficial

a situation where you have the advantages of two different things

“Working part-time gives her the best of both worlds: income and free time.”

Origin: From philosophical concept of enjoying material and spiritual worlds simultaneously