Idioms and Sentence Examples

30 Most Popular Idioms with Examples for Students Here are the most common 30 idioms with their meanings and sentences: 1.Shoot from the hip Meaning: To speak bluntly or rashly without thinking carefully Example: Don’t feel bad about what he said. He has a habit of shooting from the hip, but he means no harm 2. Shoot oneself in the foot Meaning: To harm one’s own cause inadvertently Example: Foolishly harm one’s own cause, as in He really shot himself in the foot, telling the interviewer all about the others who were applying for the job he wanted. 3. In cold blood Meaning: If you do something violent and cruel in cold blood, you do it deliberately and in an unemotional way. Example: In a purposely ruthless and unfeeling manner, as in The whole family was murdered in cold blood. 4. Draw first blood Meaning: If you draw first blood, you cause the first damage to an opponent in a conflict or contest. Example: To be the first to gain an advantage or score against an opponent. I drew first blood in the tournament and quickly dispatched my opponent. 5. Ace up one’s sleeve Meaning: A secret or hidden advantage that you can use when you need it Example: Cheating at a card game by hiding a favourable card up one’s sleeve. I have an ace up my sleeve for this race—my stamina. 6. Play your cards right Meaning: To behave or work in a way that gives you an advantage or improves your odds of success. Example: Play your cards right in college and you’ll get a great job after you graduate 7. Egg on your face Meaning: If you’ve egg on your face, you look stupid and face embarrassment because of something you’ve done. Example: Terry had an egg on his face after boasting that the examinations were really easy, but ended up failing most of his papers. 8. Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs Meaning: To destroy something that gives you a lot of money to get immediate returns Example: Tearing down the top attraction in the theme park, “The Haunted House”, would be akin to killing the goose that lays the golden egg. 9. An arm and a leg Meaning: If something costs an arm and a leg, it costs a lot. Example: I want to buy a house by the beach, but it may cost me an arm and a leg. 10. Behind one’s back Meaning: If you do something behind someone’s back, you do it secretly without their knowledge (used negatively). Example: My colleague is nice to me but I don’t trust him because I know he talks negatively about me behind my back 11. Stab someone in the back Meaning: Harm someone who trusts you. Example: Don’t trust George; he’s been known to stab his friends in the back 12. Take a back seat Meaning: If you take a back seat, you choose not to be in a position of responsibility or power. Example: The founder of the company decided to take a back seat and let the board members run the business. 13. Back to the drawing board Meaning: If you go back to the drawing board, you make a fresh start or try another idea because the earlier one didn’t succeed. Example: It looks like my plans to kill the weeds in the garden failed. Back to the drawing board 14. Right off the bat Meaning: If you do something right off the bat, you do it immediately. Example: Nathan was in the mood for a cheeseburger, so he hopped into his car and bought some fast food. After unwrapping the burger, he took a bite and right off the bat he knew that something was wrong; it didn’t taste right. 15. Heart misses (skips) a beat Meaning: If your heart misses a beat, you feel excited or nervous. Example: Her heart missed a beat when she heard her name called out in the list of finalists, or When the bear appeared in front of us, my heart skipped a beat, or My heart stands still at the very thought of flying through a thunderstorm 16. Have your heart in your mouth Meaning: If you’ve your heart in your mouth, you’re feeling extremely nervous. Example: You sure don’t seem relaxed—in fact, it seems like your heart is in your mouth. 17. Not the only fish in the sea Meaning: Not the only suitable thing or person one can find Example: When Bob walked out on Sally, all we could tell her was that he was not the only fish in the sea, or Bill knew she wasn’t the only pebble on the beach but he was determined to win her over. 18. Not your cup of tea Meaning: If you say that someone or something is not your cup of tea, you mean that they’re not the kind of person or thing you like. Example: We couldn’t decide which movie to watch, so we ended up settling on a comedy. Halfway through the movie, I concluded that its humour was not my cup of tea. 19. A piece of cake Meaning: If something is a piece of cake, it’s easy to do. Example: The boy found the project to be a piece of cake because it was incredibly easy. 20. Call it a day Meaning: If you call it a day, you stop what you’re doing because you’re tired of it or you’ve not been successful. Example: I think we have done enough work today, I am feeling tired now, let’s call it a day. 21. The pot calling the kettle black Meaning: Accusing someone of faults that you have Example: I can’t believe that you are upset because I was late. That is the pot calling the kettle black. Peter called me a liar! That is the pot calling the kettle black. 22. Call a spade a spade Meaning: To speak the truth even if it’s unpleasant Example: That dress made her look fat, let’s call a spade a spade before she goes out wearing it and embarrasses herself. 23. A bolt from the blue Meaning: A sudden, unexpected event Example: Let us hope the pandemic disappears. It came as a bolt from the blue in 2020. 24. In the same boat Meaning: If two or more persons are in the same boat, they’re in the same difficult situation. Example: If you lose your job, I’ll lose mine. We are both in the same boat. 25. Miss the boat/ bus Meaning: To miss an opportunity Example: He missed the boat when he did not apply for the job in time. 26. Over my dead body Meaning: If you say something will happen to your dead body, you mean you dislike it and will do everything you can to prevent it. Example: I told John that he could shave his head, over my dead body. 27. Make one’s blood boil Meaning: To make someone extremely angry Example: When I hear stories of cruelty to animals, it makes my blood boil. 28. Bounce something off someone Meaning: If you bounce something off someone, you discuss ideas or plan with someone to get their view on it. Example: I caught the rubber ball when it bounced off the wall. The light bouncing off of that mirror is blinding me—can we close the curtains? 29. Bell the cat Meaning: To undertake a risky or dangerous task. Example: Someone has to bell the cat and tell the commissioner that his own started the violence. 30. Pour out one’s heart Meaning: To express openly Example: I can’t pour my heart out to you if you are too distracted by everything around you. 5 Best Idioms with Examples for Happiness Sometimes it’s difficult to express yourself, so idioms help you to express your feelings in a better and more sophisticated way. There are a lot of idioms you can use to express happiness, some of them are mentioned below. On Top of The World: She was on top of the world after he agreed to marry him. In Seventh Heaven: I was in seventh heaven when I saw my appraisal letter. Over The Moon: When she sent me chocolates and a note, I was over the moon. Walking on Air: He’s been walking on air ever since he got the job. On Cloud Nine: She was on cloud nine when she saw her result. Also Read: Top 10 Idioms For Excitement That You Should Know! 10 Best Idioms for Money You Should Know Here are the top 10 idioms related to money, along with their meanings and examples: Break the Bank: To spend a lot of money or exceed one’s budget. Rolling in Dough: To be very wealthy or have a lot of money. Penny-Pincher; Someone who is extremely frugal and careful with their money. Cash Cow: A consistent and reliable source of income or profits. Broke the Bank: To deplete all available funds; to spend more than expected or affordable. Cost an Arm and a Leg: Something that is very expensive. In the Black: To be financially successful On a Shoestring Budget: Operating with very limited funds or resources. Money Talks: The power and influence that come with having a lot of money. Rob Peter to Pay Paul: To take from one source to pay off another, often resulting in a cycle of debt or financial instability. Also Read: 9+ Best Idioms for Angry You Should Know 7+ Idioms for Great Things or Ideas Here are 10 idioms that convey the idea of greatness, along with their meanings and examples: The Bee’s Knees: Her performance in the play was simply the bee’s knees The Cream of the Crop: Only the cream of the crop made it to the final round of the quiz. A Cut Above the Rest: His culinary skills were a cut above the rest, making him the top chef in town. Have the World at One’s Feet: After winning the championship, he seemed to have the world at his feet. In a League of One’s Own: Her dedication to her craft put her in a league of her own among her peers. Rise Above the Crowd: Her ability to stay focused helped her rise above the crowd and achieve her goals. Second to None: The quality of their customer service is second to none in the industry. Stand Head and Shoulders Above: Her innovative approach to problem-solving allowed her to stand head and shoulders above her colleagues Also Read: Top 9 Idioms for Expensive You Should Know! Most Popular Idioms for Kids with Example Here are some of the best idioms that every kid should know: A Piece of Cake: The math test was a piece of cake for me. Break a Leg: Break a leg on your performance tonight. Cat Got Your Tongue: Why aren’t you answering my call? Cat got your tongue? Cry over Spilled Milk: Don’t cry over spilt milk, let’s just clean it up. Explore more exciting reads on idioms here! Top 10 Idioms for Help 7+ Best Idioms for Surprise Idioms for “Experience” 7 Best Idioms for Hard Work Top 10 Idioms for Reading 11+ Idioms for Difficult Task 11+ Idioms for Celebration 9 Idioms About Education 9 Common Idioms For Travelling 7 Idioms for Health FAQs Suggests some Idioms for Kids It’s raining cats and dogs is an idiom, that means it is raining very hard. What are examples and idioms? Idioms are expressions that are difficult to understand by examining the meanings of their constituent words alone. We frequently utilize colloquial language. Your friend is avoiding having a frank conversation with you if they are “beating around the bush.” What is an easy Idiom in English? It’s a doddle, it means there’s nothing to it. What are Idioms and phrases with examples? Get your act together, it means you need to improve your behaviour/work Pull yourself together, it means calm down I’m feeling under the weather, it means I’m sick It’s a piece of cake, it means it’s easy Break a leg, it means good luck What is an Idiom? A set of words, or, to put it another way, a phrase, that has a meaning beyond the words’ literal meanings is known as an idiom. Where to not use any idiom? Idioms should not be utilised in writing for academic or professional purposes. Learning idioms with examples and their meaning is the best way to master them and make your writing more engaging. Try to practice idioms with examples of your own. If you wish to seek further guidance on your English-language proficiency test preparation like TOEFL or IELTS and your career, you can check out Leverage Edu today and schedule a free consultation session now. Share this article Leave a Reply Your contact details will not be published. Required fields are marked * What are your thoughts ? Ashok Giri June 10, 2021 at 11:08 am Good collection of idioms Reply Team Leverage Edu June 10, 2021 at 8:20 pm Thank you, Ashok! Reply Vaishnavi Mishra June 27, 2021 at 11:06 pm Very impressive I like to read this such a very nice Reply Team Leverage Edu June 30, 2021 at 2:36 pm Thank you, Vaishnavi! 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