At the start of the meeting, Mike tried to break the ice by telling a joke.

ak the ice Definition

I went out of my way to help Jenny find an apartment, and she didn’t even say

go out of your thanks!

way to do sth Definition

cross your The thought never even crossed my mind.

mind Definition

I don’t like being in the car with Gary. He has difficulty controlling his road

rage.

road rage Definition

The old man went on about his school days for nearly an hour.

go on about Definition

I was going to return the library books today after work, but the thought

slipped my mind.

slip your mind Definition

The baby threw a fit when I took his toy away.

have/throw a Definition

fit = to get angry and begin acting like an angry child

The ball is in The ball is in their court now. Let’s wait for their decision.
your court Definition

Finding a fifty-dollar bill on the ground made my day.

make your day Definition

Six dollars for a cup of coffee?! What a rip off!

a rip off / to rip Definition

sb off = sth very over-priced

get a kick out I get a kick out of reading science fiction novels.

of sth Definition

The bright advertisement caught my eye.

catch sb’s eye Definition

I jumped the gun and asked Gail to marry me. She said she wasn’t sure what

to say.

jump the gun Definition

give sb a piece The angry worker gave his boss a piece of his mind.

of your mind Definition

cross your Kate crossed her fingers and hoped it wouldn’t rain on her wedding day.

fingers Definition

cost (sb) an The designer handbag cost her an arm and a leg.

arm and a leg

 Definition

Ken was in hot water about forgetting his wedding anniversary.

be in hot water Definition

Susan is really in a bind. She has two essays due tomorrow and she hasn’t

started either of them.

in a bind Definition

The film on global warming was a real eye-opener for Tom.

an eye-opener Definition

Ted plays squash when he needs to let off steam.

let off steam Definition

read between You can figure out the author’s opinion by reading between the lines.

the lines Definition

We went all out and booked a five-star hotel for our trip.

go all out Definition

Mark’s comment was out of line. He shouldn’t have said that to a client.

out of line Definition

be on sb’s My manager is on my back about being at work on time.

back Definition
would not be

seen/caught I wouldn’t be seen dead wearing an ugly dress like that.

dead Definition

have mixed Larry has mixed feelings about his new job.

feelings Definition

When asked for her postal code, Amy drew a blank.

draw a blank Definition

A: Daddy, can I have anything on the menu?

B: Sure. You name it, you got it.

You name it. Definition

know your Jim has been a mechanic for 20 years. He really knows his stuff.

stuff Definition

left, right and Businesses were closing in town left, right and centre.

centre Definition

After seeing a mouse on the floor, I had a change of heart about eating at the

a change of restaurant.

heart Definition

Peter told his boss that he wouldn’t quit. He’s in it for the long haul.

a long haul Definition

 George was the only one man enough to admit he had made a mistake.

be man enough Definition

be second to The apple pie at this restaurant is second to none.

none Definition

know/learn the It took me a month to learn the ropes at my new job.

ropes Definition

a breath of The new employee, Gail, is a breath of fresh air in the office.

fresh air Definition

The coach told me that if I didn’t get my act together, I’d be kicked off the

get your act team.

together Definition

set your heart Eric has his heart set on participating in the Olympics.

on sth Definition

Keith took it for granted that his girlfriend would always stay with him. Then,

take sb/sth for one day, she was gone.

granted Definition

A: How long will you stay in Australia?

B: I’m not sure. I’m just going to play it by ear.

play it by ear Definition

put all your Greg invested his money in a few different areas. He didn’t want to put all his

eggs in one eggs in one basket.

basket Definition

Birds of a A: It’s funny that all of Kate’s friends are attractive.

feather (flock B: So is she. I guess birds of a feather flock together.

together) Definition

have second I’m starting to have second thoughts about my new apartment.

thoughts Definition

pay the price Don’t touch my stuff. If you do, you’ll pay the price.

for sth Definition

Darryl’s ex-wife is a total basket case.

a basket case Definition

We arrived at 8 o’clock on the dot.

on the dot Definition

I don’t have a clue where Nunavut is.

not have a clue Definition

Our team has a shot at winning the championship.

have a shot at Definition

the word It took only an hour for word to spread around the office that John had been
 fired.

spread Definition

safe and sound I arrived home from my trip safe and sound.

Definition

be a pain (in My brother is a real pain in the neck sometimes.

the neck) Definition

be in the same The governments of Portugal and Greece are in the same boat. They both

boat need financial assistance.

Definition

be/feel at After two years, James felt at home in Prague.

home Definition

be in sb’s good Ryan is not in his father’s good books right now because he scratched his car.

books Definition

get out of bed I’d avoid talking with Bob today. He must’ve got out of bed on the wrong side.

on the wrong Definition

side

up-and-coming Roger is an up-and-coming hockey player from Toronto.

Definition

get into gear You’d better get into gear or you’ll be late.
 Definition

One day, out of the blue, I received a letter from my former schoolmate.

out of the blue Definition

In a TV interview, the politician set the record straight about his experiences

set the record in the military.

straight Definition

The security guard kept an eye on the suspicious man.

keep an eye on Definition

Because of a grey area in his job description, Peter was not exactly sure what

all of his responsibilities were.

a grey area Definition

Luckily for her, the policeman let Jane off the hook for parking her car in a no-

get/let sb off parking zone.

the hook Definition

Jim was happy when his ex-girlfriend moved out of his apartment — out of

out of sight, sight, out of mind.

out of mind. Definition

give sb the Ted gave his ex-girlfriend the cold shoulder when he saw her at the party.
cold shoulder Definition

The ins and It took Alan a year to learn all the ins and outs of his job.

outs Definition

The fireman said that injuries were common in his line of work.

line of work Definition

I forgot to buy groceries so I had to make do with what was left in the fridge.

make do Definition

A: Keith, there’s something I need to get off my chest.

get sth off your B: What’s bothering you? Tell me.

chest Definition

know sth like

the back of Takeshi knows the streets of Kyoto like the back of his hand.

your hand Definition

After scoring their fourth goal, the victory was in the bag.

in the bag Definition

Greg isn’t on the ball today. He keeps making silly mistakes.

be on the ball Definition

off and on / on Tara and Mike have been seeing each other off and on for a year now.

and off
 Definition

I plan to move into my own apartment in September. For the time being, I’m

for the time staying with friend Doug.

being Definition

Jack tried to be kind to his boss when he quit in job because he didn’t want to

burn your burn his bridges.

bridges Definition

get/be given

the sack / sack Alan got the sack for repeatedly coming into work late.

(verb) Definition

The project was put on the back burner while the company focused on a more

on the back immediate problem.

burner Definition

It’s normal to get cold feet before your wedding day.

get cold feet Definition

After being fired and then kicked out of his apartment, Jake really hit rock

hit rock bottom.

bottom Definition

talk shop Everyone agreed not to talk shop at the staff party.
 Definition

start/get the It’s time we start the ball rolling on the new project.

ball rolling Definition

Janice took a position as an administrative assistant to get her foot in the

get your foot in door at the famous fashion company.

the door Definition

Lloyd comes from a well-to-do family. His friends often ask to borrow money

well-off / well- from him.

to-do Definition

Lisa had to work extra hard because a few members of the team weren’t

pull your pulling their weight.

weight Definition

I have a gut feeling that something bad is going to happen today.

a gut feeling Definition

If need be, we can take a taxi home.

if need be Definition

in the middle Their car broke down in the middle of nowhere.

of nowhere Definition

go with the Jake didn’t want to go to another bar, but everyone else did, so he went with
 the flow.

flow Definition

play your cards If Linda plays her cards right, she could be the department manager by next

right year.

Definition

follow in sb’s Bill chose to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a dentist.

footsteps Definition

have your Alan has his heart set on participating in the 2020 Olympics.

heart set on Definition

sth

You can say A: I met your boss today. He’s a real jerk.

that again! B: You can say that again!

Definition

A: Doug, I’ve discovered the meaning of life.

B: Really? I’m all ears.

I’m all ears Definition

small talk After some small talk, the interview began.

Definition

put sth on hold Greg had to put his weekend plans on hold and go into the office on Saturday
 for a few hours.

Definition

common The two boys had some common ground: they both loved football.

ground Definition

politically Marcel told a politically incorrect joke at the company party. No one laughed.

(in)correct Definition

have had it up “I’ve had it up to here with this mess! Clean your room now!”

to here Definition

If we want to finish this by Friday, then we’ve really got our work cut out for

have your work us.

cut out Definition

A: The fight was horrible. One man kept punching the other again and again

and again–

B: OK. That’s enough. I get the picture.

get the picture Definition

Mike and his father don’t see eye to eye on the issue of abortion.

see eye to eye Definition

It’s already 6 pm. Let’s call it a day.

call it a day Definition

 I really had to twist my sister’s arm to get her to pick me up from the airport.

twist sb’s arm Definition

The report brought some previously unknown facts to light about the causes

bring sth to of cancer.

light Definition

be in the dark / Most of the employees were kept in the dark about the merger until the last

keep sb in the minute.

dark Definition

After breaking his leg, Darryl’s dream to play professional hockey went up in

smoke.

go up in smoke Definition

After his wife divorced him, Victor’s life really went downhill.

go downhill Definition

With the World Wide Web, people have a vast amount of information at their

at your fingertips.

fingertips Definition

poke fun at The kids poked fun at George because he was wearing his t-shirt backwards.

Easier said A: You should get a girlfriend who’s beautiful AND kind.

than done. B: Easier said than done.

 Definition

A: Doctor, what’s the bottom line?

B: If you don’t quit smoking, you’ll die within a year.

the bottom line Definition

The boss told Janet to call the shots while he was away.

call the shots Definition

know/learn sth Hank knows every Elvis song by heart.

by heart Definition

If we don’t get a move on, we’ll miss the bus.

get a move on Definition

“You missed the point. The book was about the problems of capitalism, not

how to make money.”

miss the point Definition

hold/stand your Although their enemy outnumbered them, the soldiers stood their ground.

ground Definition

The tennis match was child’s play for Ben.

be child’s play Definition

be only a The scientist said it’s only a matter of time before a big earthquake hits

matter of time
 California.

Definition

A: Dad, can I have another ice cream cone?

B: Don’t push your luck, kid.

push your luck Definition

raise (a few) Francine’s short skirt raised a few eyebrows.

eyebrows Definition

a matter of The best restaurant in Europe is, of course, a matter of opinion.

opinion Definition

A: Tyler is such a selfish guy.

be that as it B: Be that as it may, he’s your brother. You have to love him.

may Definition

if/when push

comes to If push comes to shove, I’ll be here to support you.

shove Definition

against your

better Against his better judgement, Jim let his friend drive home drunk.

judgement Definition

add insult to To add insult to injury, Greg’s wife left him for his best friend.
injury Definition

When the boss told me to come in to work on Saturday, that was the last

straw.

the last straw Definition

Jim’s vacation plans were still up in the air.

be up in the air Definition

not have the

faintest/foggie I don’t have the faintest idea where Wollongong is.

st idea Definition

Paula enjoyed the concert, and getting to meet the artist backstage after the

the icing on show was the icing on the cake.

the cake Definition

get/jump/leap Janet doesn’t normally watch hockey but she jumped on the bandwagon

on the because her city’s team was in the playoffs.

bandwagon Definition

the fine/small My father reads the fine print on every contract he signs.

print Definition

stuck/be in a The singer was stuck in a rut. All of her recent songs sounded the same.

rut Definition
 Kate is a waitress at a run-of-the-mill bar and restaurant in London.

run-of-the-mill Definition

Tina knew that one day her parents would see her tattoo and then she’d have

to face the music.

face the music Definition

Bodyguards kept the reporters at bay while the movie stars entered the

to keep sth/sb theatre.

at bay Definition

People were up in arms [about/over] the government’s plan to raise the

retirement age.

be up in arms Definition

bite your Jack bit his tongue while his manager criticized his performance.

tongue Definition

leave a lot to The design of our office building leaves a lot to be desired.

be desired Definition

off the beaten Mike and Mary had dinner a quiet restaurant off the beaten track in Paris.

track Definition

pick sb’s Mike is a marketing genius. People often invite him to lunch or dinner so they

brains can pick his brains.

 Definition

whet your The 30-second trailer was designed to whet people’s appetites.

appetite Definition

A: People with nice cars just want attention.

B: That sounds like sour grapes because you can’t afford one.

sour grapes Definition

Losing his job turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Afterward, Roger found

a blessing in his dream job.

disguise Definition

give sb the I told the teacher that it wasn’t me who broke the window. Thankfully, he

benefit of the gave me the benefit of the doubt.

doubt Definition

Jeff said he couldn’t remember the song’s lyrics, but hearing the first few

jog sb’s words jogged his memory.

memory Definition

George agreed to foot the bill for dinner.

foot the bill Definition

have it in for A: Why are you hiding from your brother?

sb B: He has it in for me. He knows I lost his football.

 Definition

The company has been in the red since September.

be in the red Definition

Once the school principal caught wind of the problem, she called a teachers’

get/catch wind meeting.

of sth Definition

As a rule of thumb, I don’t eat food that smells bad.

a rule of thumb Definition

The group members were all on the same wavelength, so they were able to

be on the same finish their project quickly.

wavelength Definition

After her holiday, it took Kate a few hours to get back up to speed on the

recent developments in her company.

up to speed Definition

Although Jim is against the death penalty, he told his friend he was for it just

play devil’s to play devil’s advocate.

advocate Definition

bend/lean over Lisa bent over backwards to get her brother a job in her company, so she was

backwards surprised to learn he quit today.

 Definition

The politician passed the buck onto someone else instead of accepting

responsibility for the problem.

pass the buck Definition

Jerry has finally decided to take the plunge. Tomorrow he’s going to start

take the looking for an office job.

plunge Definition

When Mike heard his friend say she knew all of the world’s capitals, he called

her bluff and asked her to name the capital of Mozambique.

call sb’s bluff Definition

Tim has had a chip on his shoulder about businesswomen since he lost his job

have a chip on to a woman three years ago.

your shoulder Definition

breathe down Jim found it hard to focus on his work with his boss breathing down his neck.

sb’s neck Definition

climb to the

top of the Having children can be an obstacle for women who want to climb (to the top

career/corpora of) the corporate ladder.

te ladder Definition
 Mark’s visa application was held up for six months because of red tape.

red tape Definition

When his father died, Mark was given free rein to do whatever he liked with

give sb free the family business.

rein Definition

Getting into Harvard Law School became the be-all-and-end-all of Tony’s

the be-all-and- existence.

end-all Definition

blow sth out of The media blew the story out of proportion.

proportion Definition

Susan and Mike agreed that it was time to bury the hatchet. They apologized

bury the and decided to be friends again.

hatchet Definition

Can’t find an idiom? See page two. Want to study

more? Take the idioms quiz.
—-

Copyright Matthew Barton, July 2011, of Englishcurrent.com. Do not

remove website name or URL from printable materials.

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96 comments on “Useful North American Idioms List

(Intermediate to Advanced)”

1. vipin (Posted on 10-3-2012 at 12:02)

can u give me the mean of rettled the rooftop like thunder.
I hope u can……………..
1. mb Post author(Posted on 10-3-2012 at 15:57)
rettled isn’t a word. you probably mean ‘rattled the rooftop like
thunder’. this means the rooftop shook like it was in a storm.
2. Hase (Posted on 10-17-2012 at 14:01)
thaks a lot, can you help with the expressions
To take the plunge
To be a real bind
To be a pitch black
Yo stay on target
Shame on you
All the racket
1. mb Post author(Posted on 10-17-2012 at 21:26)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definitions of some of those idioms.
3. devani (Posted on 11-7-2012 at 05:16)
very interesting and so useful to all of the students in malaysia.i like to
find this like page to improve my english.i can learn so many new
words such as face the music and be in the red.i also say happy
deepavali to all the indians in the world
4. ryam (Posted on 11-17-2012 at 05:31)
thanks….. can you help me with this idioms;
To break the ice
To sell like hot cakes
Lion’s share
From a to z
Red letter day
To bury the hatchet
1. mb Post author(Posted on 11-17-2012 at 11:10)
 Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definitions of those idioms.
2. Gerald (Posted on 9-27-2013 at 23:24)
Lion’s share=For example, I have a cake and decided to share it
with my friends and when I share most of cake for me that’s I’m
having a lion’s share
5. priya (Posted on 11-18-2012 at 15:47)
i was asked to make a booklet on idioms . but this helped me to do my
works. thanks
6. mimi (Posted on 12-5-2012 at 07:14)
what was sth and sb means
1. mb (Posted on 12-5-2012 at 10:08)
sth = something, sb = somebody
7. dheepsika (Posted on 1-10-2013 at 15:11)
I need to know few idioms that can be used in regular to beautify the
flow of language. Can you please guide me with that.
1. mb Post author(Posted on 1-10-2013 at 22:26)
I’m not sure I can help. Can you be more specific? English can
sound more poetic and illustrative if you use metaphors and
similes (comparisons using ‘like’ or ‘as’). For example, “He is as
brave as a lion.”
8. sharmathi (Posted on 1-16-2013 at 13:41)
really worthy….thank you but could you please hep me with these:-
1)A leopard cannot change its thoughts.
2)A house divided against itself cannot stand.
3)A drop in the bucket.
1. mb Post author(Posted on 1-16-2013 at 21:46)
1) I don’t know this expression. Try Googling it. It may mean
something like “stubborn people cannot accept the ideas of
others” but I’m not totally sure.
2) “A house divided” means a house with inhabitants who have
different opinions amongst themselves. They are “divided” (in
opinion). Such a house, which is full of disagreement, cannot
“stand”. This means it will not last long; soon the house will fall
or the people will become unhappy.
3) I really need to see the whole sentence to give you the exact
meaning. But generally, a drop in a bucket is used to describe
something that is very small and almost insignifican (compared
to the size of the bucket). For example, donating $10 dollars to
 Africa is just a drop in a bucket (it’s such a little amount
compared to the amount of help that is needed).
2. Sinclairs (Posted on 2-15-2013 at 14:26)
Hi Sharmathi,
I am afraid it is not “A leopard can’t change its thoughts”, it is “A
leopard can’t change his spots”. It means someone who has born
with a evil nature cannot change. It is a quote from The Holy
Bible- Jeremiah 13:23.
9. flidiars (Posted on 1-23-2013 at 01:26)
got another, money doesn’t grow on trees
1. Emma (Posted on 9-23-2013 at 09:04)
‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’ means that you have to work for
money- it’s not free. Imagine a child asking their mother for more
money: Child: ‘Mum, can I have £10 to go to the cinema?’. Mother:
‘I gave you money yesterday, have you spent it already? Money
doesn’t grow on trees y’know!’
10. Sinclairs (Posted on 2-15-2013 at 14:31)
Great Job, Mr.Barton! I am a language and soft skills trainer in India. I
used your collection of Idioms to teach my pupils. It worked wonders!
Thanks for adding the definition- Now they are “Head over heels in love
with the Idioms” :-)
1. mb Post author(Posted on 2-20-2013 at 10:10)
I’m glad to hear it! Thanks for your support!
11. emilyana (Posted on 3-28-2013 at 07:46)
For a change add idioms like catch a cold, slow boat to china, pie in
the sky and toot your own horn and many more idioms for kids and
more this was just not helpful try changing it for good comments.
1. mb (Posted on 3-28-2013 at 19:53)
As per the title of the page, this is a list of *useful* idioms for
people in North America. It is not meant to be a list of all the
idioms in the English language.
12. Sampritha Nayak (Posted on 4-1-2013 at 07:41)
Thank you, sir. Being a english teacher it has really helped me. I can
make my students to understand and speak fluently in english. thanks
a lot. expecting more notes from you.
13. P.Augustin (Posted on 5-8-2013 at 14:13)
englishcurrent.com is very useful site in terms of increasing
vocabulary strength.please continue to update matters relevant.thank
you.
14. sabiha qureshi (Posted on 5-11-2013 at 11:22)
 It is good for language but I want it’s translation into Urdu.please
1. mb (Posted on 5-11-2013 at 11:56)
Sorry but I do not know Urdu :)
15. cristina jo (Posted on 6-6-2013 at 16:59)
it is great! would help me with these idioms:
make greart fuss about.
i dare say.
get sick of.
that is to say.
for instance.
be much better off than.
get on.
be some credit to…..
1. mb Post author(Posted on 6-6-2013 at 17:31)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definitions of those idioms.
16. Norcel (Posted on 7-9-2013 at 13:46)
can you help me with this idiom
1 still in fig leaves
2 another bone for the brutes
3 greedy dog by the society
4 straightening up the world
5 wear a straight jacket
6 half a century apart
7 keeping the lions share of oneself
8 go to the end of the earth
9 dragonflies of their dreams
10 bury myself
1. mb Post author(Posted on 7-10-2013 at 00:26)
Sorry. I cannot do all of your homework for you. Please try
searching the idiom + “meaning” on Google. You will usually get
results.
17. mb Post author(Posted on 7-20-2013 at 17:33)
This is not a list of all idioms in the world (that would take hundreds of
pages). It’s a list of ‘Useful North American Idioms.’
18. mb Post author(Posted on 8-22-2013 at 18:43)
By ‘brites,’ do you mean British? I’m not a British English speaker so I
will leave that to the British to do ;)
19. huma (Posted on 9-2-2013 at 14:19)
 can you help me with these idioms
1.bits and pieces
2.man in the street
3.raising spirit
4.pass through
5.fall a prey
1. mb (Posted on 9-2-2013 at 23:32)
Many of those are not idioms.
1 = bits and pieces literally means something has broken up into
small pieces. For example, “I will try to pick up the bits and
pieces of my shattered life.” means your life was broken into
pieces, and you are trying to put it back together.
5= ‘to fall prey to something’ means to become the victim of
something.
The others don’t sound like idioms to me. Without context, I am
not sure if they have any meaning other than their literal
meaning. Good luck.
1. Emma (Posted on 9-23-2013 at 08:59)
Hi,
I might be able to shed light (help you understand) on some
of these. Mb, are they specifically British then?
2. Man in the street – a normal person who doesn’t stand
out from the crowd
3. Raising you spirits – to do something to make you feel
happier/ more cheerful
Number 4, ‘passing through’ is a phrasal verb – in its literal
form it means ‘not stopping’ i.e. the train is passing through
the station. And in it’s phrasal form, it means ‘won’t be
around for long’ e.g. Ben has a new girlfriend but knowing
him she’s only passing through.
20. Nursultan (Posted on 9-3-2013 at 05:26)
hey everybody!! can i use these words as a set expressions??
1. mb (Posted on 9-3-2013 at 11:49)
Most are set expressions. Generally, you can’t change the words
in these idioms. Otherwise, the expressions will lose their
meanings.
21. huma (Posted on 9-3-2013 at 13:03)
what does “a three dog night”idiom means
1. mb Post author(Posted on 9-11-2013 at 09:53)
 For quick answers, you can just search “three dog night idiom”
on Google. I’d never heard of the expression. According to the
web, it means a night that is so cold you need to sleep with 3
dogs in your bed to keep you warm.
22. [email protected] (Posted on 9-6-2013 at 02:23)
Respected Sir
All the selected phrases written by you are very useful for me as well
as all the readers, teachers and the students of English Literature and
Language. I am very happy to read these idioms and phrases and being
a very ordinary writer I Wii use these phrases to make my sentences
meaningful and impressive.
Thank you very much sir for providing us these materials to read and
we religiously share these beautiful phrases to our good students.
Congratulations & Thanks once again & hope we will get more new
phrase in this website in the days to come.
R M Jha.
1. John hlyan (Posted on 1-7-2014 at 22:27)
I’ve printed this idioms to improve and speak just like American
native speaker .
23. karim (Posted on 9-16-2013 at 11:34)
hello
it was one of the most interesting and informative sites i have ever
visited.
I learned so many things about the meaning of idioms.
THANKS
24. priyaa shen (Posted on 9-16-2013 at 12:44)
Can you please say me the meaning and sentence of the idioms and
phrases.
1. mb Post author(Posted on 9-16-2013 at 16:38)
Hello. If you click on the link “Definition”, it will show you the
meaning.
1. Anonymous (Posted on 10-28-2013 at 09:13)
aren’t you happy on only these
atleast u should thank him
25. Javier (Posted on 9-19-2013 at 05:34)
In this site learning idioms is a piece of cake !! Thank you so much!!
1. kathryn (Posted on 7-27-2015 at 07:53)
\whats that hindi ko maintindihan yung definition
26. Emma (Posted on 9-23-2013 at 09:05)
 Great list – I was losing hope of finding something like this and
thinking I would have to do my own! Many thanks for putting in the
effort and saving me a lot of time!
27. kashifa (Posted on 11-17-2013 at 00:00)
kindly tell me the”mind of books”.
1. mb Post author(Posted on 11-17-2013 at 01:44)
Hmm. I’m not sure. Can you give me a full sentence as an
example?
28. fizzi (Posted on 1-1-2014 at 14:31)
i am totally impressed with your precious collection…. even though its
a best and splendid site i have ever seen….but i think you should add
more plzzzz ,,best of luck.
29. Jim Horton (Posted on 1-3-2014 at 04:49)
These idioms aren’t peculiar to North America, as the author seems to
suggest, they are also commonly used in the United Kingdom.
30. shagufta naheed (Posted on 2-14-2014 at 16:41)
this is good page i got today after 3 hours searching should i learn by
heart for speaking in english
31. Gururaj (Posted on 2-25-2014 at 14:22)
Hi all,
It's really good one!!! where have learned English phrases and idoms.
32. najiha (Posted on 3-9-2014 at 10:39)
looking for idioms to face an examination tomorrow. this site have
helping me little bit :) wish me luck.
33. Magdalena (Posted on 4-7-2014 at 12:12)
Wow! This really is a great website! Knowing all of these idoms by
heart would be a great project for my Easter vacation. They will be
very useful for my exams in may!
Thank you very much for sharing!
34. mb Post author(Posted on 4-19-2014 at 16:45)
Can you find someone to speak with in your town or city? Maybe there
is an English conversation group.
35. xserxes (Posted on 6-22-2014 at 03:30)
Really helped a lot. Thank you. Could you help to find the meaning of
“perhaps, its just as well”?
1. mb Post author(Posted on 6-22-2014 at 10:55)
'just as well' means it's fortunate that something happened
when compared to the alternative. For example:
A: I didn't go to the party yesterday.
B: It's just as well. Your ex-girlfriend was there.
 The meaning is that it is lucky/fortunate that you didn't go
because if he had gone, he would have met his ex-girlfriend (the
alternative), who he dislikes.
36. pauline (Posted on 7-1-2014 at 22:44)
can u please tell me what this means . im way ahead of u in the gam
of life.you thought you were in first place but im way ahead of you you
just forgot i was there

37. pauline (Posted on 7-1-2014 at 22:48)

my boyfriend said that to me ..marital satis
im confused plz help me figure this out

1. mb Post author(Posted on 7-2-2014 at 23:46)

1) "I'm way ahead of you in the game of life" means that I'm at a
higher stage/level than you are in life. For example, if you are still
a high school student and I'm already in university, you could say
that I am 'ahead' of you in life. Whoever said this to you was
bragging and staying that his/her life is better than yours.
2) marital satis = marital status. Your marital status is either
'married' or 'single'.
38. Smith Timung (Posted on 7-20-2014 at 05:27)
thanks alot,
can you help with the expression "pull the plug" and "walking disaster"
?
39. MYKEY (Posted on 8-12-2014 at 10:53)
HI I AM MIKEY AND I AM IN GRADE6. I WANTED TO ASK YOU, DO ALL
SENTENCES HAVE IDIOMS OR ARE IDIOMS SENTENCES
THEMSELVES? FROM SOUTH AFRICA
1. mb Post author(Posted on 8-12-2014 at 22:35)
Hi Mikey. Not all sentences have idioms. Idioms are words that
have special meaning when put together. For example, if I say
that you are "all ears", it doesn't mean that you are literally
completely ears. The words 'all' + 'ears', when combined, mean
that you are listening. This is a special meaning.
Most idioms are not sentences. Sentences contain a subject and
a verb. Most idioms are just expressions that are used within a
sentence. For example, "I went crazy". The idiom here is 'go
crazy', but it does not include the subject "I".
40. howard blaz (Posted on 10-20-2014 at 11:20)
 “pay attention” instead of “attend to” – Why “Pay”? What gives it a
commercial aspect and is this purely American?
1. mb Post author(Posted on 10-23-2014 at 22:06)
‘attend to’ has a different meaning in North America. Consider:
“Pay attention to the teacher.” and “Attend to the teacher.” In
North America, the latter would mean to take care of the
teacher. Yes, these idioms are North American, hence the title of
this page. As to why we say ‘pay’, your guess is as good as mine.
41. Anonymous (Posted on 11-24-2014 at 10:50)
can you help with these idioms.
along the way
to be about
to be fed up with
to be up to sb
every now and then
to get on with sb just as well there are left
1. mb Post author(Posted on 5-30-2015 at 13:16)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definitions of those idioms.
42. sumanth (Posted on 12-5-2014 at 20:38)
please give me the list of phrases with their meanings and examples
1. mb Post author(Posted on 12-22-2014 at 13:54)
Look up.
43. faiza (Posted on 1-1-2015 at 01:41)
will u get me to know an example for “odds and ends”
1. mb Post author(Posted on 1-7-2015 at 15:49)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definition of that idiom.
44. Leyla Açık (Posted on 1-9-2015 at 08:02)
Perfect, very usefull, but how can I save to my computer.
I think you are very good in your field. and I miss you.
Leyla
1. mb Post author(Posted on 1-12-2015 at 23:03)
Thank you. There is a link above to a .DOC file you can download
for free. The link is before the first idiom.
45. Anonymous (Posted on 1-11-2015 at 15:12)
all of the above idioms are just good to memorize but is there any
common idioms which can be used in a normal conversation. ??
46. garima (Posted on 5-9-2015 at 11:11)
Sir, can u please help me with this one-against your grain along with
its usage.?
1. mb Post author(Posted on 5-9-2015 at 11:51)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definition of that idiom.
47. bbbb (Posted on 5-14-2015 at 01:49)
good site but i want the meaning of
1.heavens group have formed a group
1. mb Post author(Posted on 5-14-2015 at 10:54)
That does not seem to be an idiom.
48. Anonymous (Posted on 5-29-2015 at 03:31)
It was a great helper for me
Thanks for these idioms
Can you please tell me the meaning of “hit the nail on the head”
1. mb Post author(Posted on 5-29-2015 at 12:24)
Comments are now closed. Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) to make a comment or request a definition of
an idiom.
49. shella (Posted on 5-29-2015 at 03:37)
I want the meaning of
1)A hard and fast rule
2)Through thick and thin
3)Back to the drawing board
4)Beat around the bush
5)Best of both worlds
6)Hit the nail on the head
7)A hard nut to crack
With sentences
1. mb Post author(Posted on 5-29-2015 at 12:15)
Please view page two
(https://www.englishcurrent.com/idioms/english-idioms-list-page-
2-student-requests/) for the definitions of those idioms.
50. Eric (Posted on 6-10-2015 at 10:42)
Hello
This is a great page, you helped me a lot. I took your first 100 idioms
and i did the phonetic symbols for the example sentences.
I am sharing you my link in google drive:
 https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0U7Ma67BbmtaFI0a3NscmxEbTQ/
view?usp=sharing
note: i checked twice but if you find any error please tell me.
1. mb Post author(Posted on 6-10-2015 at 11:16)
Wow. That looks like a lot of work. Did you do it as an
assignment as part of a course you are taking? Or are you just
interested in IPA and teaching pronunciation?
51. faseun ifeoluwa (Posted on 6-15-2015 at 21:18)
this idiom really help me alot thanks to the person who wrote it am
really grateful what is the meaning of body and soul,and a pat at the
back
1. mb Post author(Posted on 6-15-2015 at 23:12)
Those aren’t really idioms. Body and soul usually means literally
someone’s body and soul (e.g. I love him, body and soul.) A pat on
the back is also usually literally patting someone on the back. We
do this to congratulate someone.
52. karen (Posted on 8-4-2015 at 07:22)
what is break a leg for idiom
53. muhibba (Posted on 8-9-2015 at 16:37)
Can you please give me the meaning and examples of these:the man in
the street and to develop a cold feet
54. Eli (Posted on 8-10-2015 at 06:05)
This is by far the best compilation of idioms i have come across online
and its downloadble!! Thank you very much for this. It would have been
so much better if the downloaded doc could show the meanings too
and not just the idioms and their usages. Can you please look into it?
Thanks again!
55. AATA (Posted on 9-22-2015 at 11:41)
Thanks for you.this idioms are help me in ssc exam
56. Hery (Posted on 11-5-2015 at 05:49)
Make meaningful sentence using the text based idoms and phrases
given below : a mamoth task
57. victor (Posted on 11-11-2015 at 05:32)
thanks for giving an opportunity to shine in the class by this idioms
58. Noman Sheikh (Posted on 11-13-2015 at 01:04)
please tell me the correct idiom which is on diamond, like we says:
“worth of a diamond, knows only jeweler”
1. mb Post author(Posted on 11-15-2015 at 18:24)
 I’m not sure we have an idiom that matches this. However, if you
said that (“Only a jeweller knows the worth of a diamond.”), it
would make complete sense (and it sounds nice).
Comments are closed. Please join our community to ask a question.

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