The list that follows gives a selection of common idioms with an explanation of
the meaning, the origin of the idiom where appropriate and a short piece
of
dialogue showing how the idiom is used.
Achilles’ heel
This idiom indicates that someone has a weak
spot of some kind. (In Greek legend, Achilles is said to have been dipped by
his mother in the River Styx in order to make him invulnerable, but his heel
was left vulnerable because she was holding him by it and he was killed by an
arrow shot through his heel.) Bill:
I’m surprised you decided to fire Lucy.
Tony: I was sorry to have to do it but we had to
lose some members of staff and
we wanted to keep our best people.
Bill: I thought Lucy was one of
those.
Tony: She’s very talented but her lack of
concentration is her Achilles’ heel.
acid test
This idiom refers to a test that will prove or disprove something so
that there is
no doubt. (Nitric acid was
once used as a test for gold. If the metal tested was not gold, it decomposed
because of the action of the acid on it.)
Sally:
Doesn’t the new range of cosmetics look wonderful? The packaging is very stylish, isn’t it?
Mary:
It is and many people have admired it, but
the acid test will be how well it
sells.
have an axe to grind
This idiom means to have a
personal or selfish reason to be involved in something. (From a story told by
the American politician Benjamin Franklin about an incident in his boyhood when
a man asked him to show him how well his grandfather’s grindstone worked. The
man gave Franklin his own axe to demonstrate on and so got it sharpened for
nothing.)
Liz:
Jenny must be very fond of her parents-in-law. She’s trying to persuade them to buy a house in the street
where she and Bob live.
Pat: I don’t think that’s because she likes them.
She has an axe to grind.
Liz: What do you mean?
Pat:
She’s finding it difficult to get a reliable childminder and she thinks it would be hard for them to refuse to
look after their grandchildren if they lived close by.
the back of beyond
This idiom refers to a remote
place which is difficult to get to and probably has very few people living
there.
Sam:
You’ve obviously lived in the city a long time. Were you brought up here? Ken: No, I came to university here and
stayed on. I was brought up on a farm in
the north of the country in the back
of beyond.
beat about the bush
This idiom means to approach
a subject in an indirect way, rather than getting straight to the point. (When
hunters are shooting game birds people are employed to beat the bushes,
heather, etc to make the birds fly up.)
Jane:
The new assistant I hired is no good. I’m going to have to let her go, but she’s so keen and she really needs the
money. I don’t know how to tell her.
Sue:
There’s no point in beating about the
bush. You’re just going to have to tell
her straight.
having a bee in your bonnet
This idiom means that you are unable to stop
thinking or talking about something so that it becomes an obsession. (A bee
trapped under a hat cannot escape and goes buzzing around under it.) Pat: What’s wrong? You look very
annoyed.
Kate:
I’m annoyed with Ben. He’s just spent half-an-hour criticizing me for buying a car.
Pat: I can’t say I’m surprised.
He has a bee in his bonnet about
private cars. He thinks everyone
should use public transport and save the environment. Kate: I can sympathize with that, but he has no right to be so
nasty to me.
a big fish in a small pond
An important or influential
person whose importance is restricted to a small group, organization, area, etc.
Jim: Do you think Pete’s wise to
take the new job he’s been offered?
Ben: No, I don’t. It’s a very senior job and I’m
not sure Pete could cope with it.
Jim: But he has a very senior job in his present
company.
Ben:
But it’s a small firm and Pete’s a big
fish in a small pond. The firm that’s
offered him the job is a huge multi-national.
burn your bridges/boats
This idiom means to take an action that means
that you cannot return to your original position or situation. (If you
literally burn your bridges/boat after arriving, you have no means of getting
back to where you came from.) Sam :
Did Ben really shout at the boss?
John : Yes, he did and he was very rude to him. I was
there when it happened.
Sam: Do you think the boss will forgive him?
John:
Absolutely not. Ben’s really burnt his
bridges. The boss fired him and won’t
give him a reference.
the buck stops here
This idiom is used to
indicate the person who is finally responsible for something that has to be
dealt with. (The expression refers to a card game such as poker, the buck being
a marker passed around to indicate who the dealer is. Harry S. Truman, US
President [1945–53], had a sign on his desk with this
Will: Why are you going to resign? The mistake
wasn’t your fault.
Mike:
I know it wasn’t, but it was the fault of someone in my department and I’m in charge. So I’m afraid it’s a
case of the buck stops here.
carry the can
This idiom means to take the blame or
responsibility for something that has gone wrong, even although someone else
may be at least partly responsible. Eve:
I can’t believe that Joe’s been found guilty of cheating in the exam.
Anne:
Neither can I, but some people say that he just carried the can and that a lot
of people were involved in a cheating scam. They got away with it, but Joe
didn’t.
catch someone red-handed
This idiom means to find
someone in the actual act of doing something wrong. (This is reference to the
blood on the hands of someone who has just murdered someone.)
Alison:
Do you think young Joe really broke into the Brown’s house? He seems such a nice quiet boy.
Jenny:
There’s no doubt about it, I’m afraid. The police caught him red-handed when he was trying to sell some of the
stolen jewellery.
catch someone with their hand
in the till
This idiom, means to discover
someone in the act of stealing or doing something dishonest.
Paul: I hear the company
accountant’s been fired.
Robbie:
Yes. They say he’s been caught with his
hand in the till. The auditors have
found out that he’s been embezzling money for months.
chalk and cheese
This idiom is used to
emphasize a measure of how completely different two things are.
Mary: Amy and Lily are sisters,
but they’re as different as chalk and
cheese. Kate: I agree. They
don’t look the least alike and they have completely different personalities.
cross that
bridge when you come to it
This idiom means to worry
about a problem or try to cope with it only when it actually affects you.
Mary:
It’s a lovely flat and we can just about afford the rent between us, but what if the landlord puts the rent up?
Alice:
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to
it. Let’s go and tell the landlord
we’ll take it before someone else takes it.
be at daggers drawn
This idiom means that two
people are being extremely hostile towards each other. (This is a reference to
people pulling out their daggers when they were ready to fight.)
Amy:
I didn’t know that Dave was Tom’s brother. They never seem to speak each other.
Pam:
They don’t. They’ve been at daggers
drawn since their father died more than
ten years ago.
Amy: What did they quarrel
about?
Pam:
I’ve no idea, but it was something to do with the money left to them by their father.
a rough diamond
This idiom refers to a person
who behaves in rather a rough manner but who has some very good qualities.
Ken: What do you think of Sue’s
new boyfriend?
Alice:
The first time I met him he seemed a bit boorish, but he’s a rough diamond. He’s really very kind and helpful.
Ken:
I much prefer him to her previous boyfriend. He was very smooth and polite on the surface, but he had a
really nasty side to him.
dog eat dog
This idiom is used to refer to a situation in
which rivals or opponents are prepared to do anything at all to get what they
want. Dave: My son’s just graduated
and he’s job-hunting.
Bob: Unemployment’s so high just now. It’s not a
good time to be looking for a
Dave:
No, it’s not. There’s a lot of competition. It’s a case of dog eat dog out there.
get (all) your ducks in a row
This idiom means to get everything organized and under control.
Liz:
Jill always looks exhausted. She’s really not coping with her job and the children.
Mary:
She’s in a difficult situation, but she really needs to get her ducks in a row. She can’t do her job properly until she
gets help with childcare.
Dutch courage
This idiom refers to a confidence or lack of
nervousness that has been brought about by consuming alcohol. (This is perhaps
a reference to a former Dutch custom of drinking alcohol before going into battle.) Pete:
It’s a bit early for you to be drinking.
Mark:
I need a bit of Dutch courage. I’m
going on a date with Sally and I’m really
nervous.
Pete: I’m sure you’ll be fine.
Don’t drink too much!
be at the end of your tether
This idiom means that you are no longer able to
tolerate or put up with something. (A tether is literally a rope that is used
to tie up an animal, such as a goat, and that extends a certain distance to let
the animal graze.) Janet: You look
very tired, Molly.
Molly: I’m exhausted and at the end of my tether.
Janet: Why’s that?
Molly:
I’m hardly getting any sleep because of my upstairs neighbours. They’re students and they play loud music all
night.
flog a dead horse
This idiom means to go on trying to rouse
interest or enthusiasm in something when this is no longer of interest, making
your efforts likely to be unsuccessful. Diane:
Jack keeps trying to get Jenny to forgive him for cheating on her, but he’s flogging a dead horse.
Lily: He certainly is. Jenny has no intention of
forgiving him. Her last boyfriend
cheated on her and she won’t put up with that
sort of treatment again.
with flying colours
With great success. (This is
a reference to a ship leaving a place of battle with its colours or flag still
flying, rather than being lowered in surrender.)
Frank: My son’s just got his exam results. He’s
passed with flying colours!
Ben: That’s great, especially as he was nervous
about his results.
Frank. He was and I can see he’s
very relieved!
go by the board
This idiom is used to
indicate that something is being abandoned or is no longer likely to be
possible or successful. (This is a nautical reference. The expression
originally meant literally to go overboard and vanish.)
Jill: Are you still thinking of going back to work
full-time after the summer?
Wendy: No, my work plans have gone by the board. I’m having another baby.
Jill: That’s great news! Congratulations!
have green fingers
This idiom means to be very skilful at growing plants.
Kate:
I’m looking after my mother’s house plants and I’m scared they’re going to die. My mother has green fingers, but I’m hopeless with
plants.
Helen:
Remember to water them, but don’t water them too much. They should be OK.
hit the ground running
This idiom means to begin some kind of new
activity immediately and energetically. (A reference to soldiers running
swiftly into battle immediately after leaving a helicopter or being dropped by parachute.)
Lucy: I must say our spring fashion
range looks very good.
Emma:
It does, but there’s a lot of competition around. We really need to find some exciting ways to promote our
range and hit the ground running
when we launch it.
This idiom means to go to bed.
John: Mark and I are going
clubbing later. Want to come?
Dan: I can’t. I’ve a busy day
tomorrow. I’m going to hit the sack.
the jewel in the crown
This idiom refers to the most
valuable or successful thing associated with someone or something.
Susan: What a wonderful painting.
Jennifer: Yes, it is, isn’t it? The gallery has a marvellous collection, but
this is definitely the jewel in the crown.
jump on the bandwagon
This idiom means to become
involved in something because it is fashionable or because it will be
profitable, although you may not be really interested in it. (From the brightly
coloured vehicle carrying a band at the head of a procession which often
encourages people to follow the procession.)
Tom:
I hear George has gone into the real estate business. I didn’t know he was interested in property.
David:
George’s not the least bit interested in it. The property market’s doing very well just now and he’s just jumping on the bandwagon.
kill two birds with one stone
This idiom means to carry out two aims by means of one action.
Sue: What are you planning to do
in the city?
Rosemary: I’m going to kill two birds
with one stone. I have an appointment
with my dentist and I need to collect some books I ordered from the central
library.
be left holding the baby
This idiom means to be left
to cope with a situation on your own which was really the responsibility of
other people.
Joe: What’s wrong with you? You
look really cross.
Mark: I’m furious. My boss is responsible for
organizing the sales conference,
but he’s suddenly decided to go on holiday. I’ve
been left holding the baby.
let off steam
This idiom means to do
something active that helps you get rid of your excess energy or strong
feelings about something. (This is a reference to steam being released from a
steam engine in order to reduce pressure.)
Harry: I don’t think Dad should
write such a rude letter to the store manager. Bob: Don’t worry. He won’t send it. He’s just letting off steam. He was so
annoyed when it wouldn’t work.
lock, stock and barrel
This idiom is used to emphasize how complete
something is, with everything included. (This is a reference to the main parts
of a gun.) Ben : Has Sam really
bought a house?
James: Yes, he has. He bought it with the money his
aunt left him.
Ben: He’ll have to buy furniture
now.
James: No, he won’t. He bought the contents and house lock, stock and barrel.
make a mountain out of a
molehill
This idiom means to
exaggerate the extent of a difficult situation or problem to make it seem much
worse than it really is.
Lucy: What did Tony say to Jane? She says that
she’ll never speak to him again.
Jill: Emma was there when it happened and she said
that Tony was just teasing
Jane. He apologized when he saw she was upset, but she wouldn’t listen.
Lucy:
I’m sure Emma’s right. Jane’s always
making mountains out of molehills.
the moment of truth
This idiom refers to a
crucial time when you find out whether something has proved to be successful,
will work etc. (This is a translation
of the Spanish expression el momento de
la verdad, which refers to the moment in a bullfight when the matador is
about to kill the bull.)
Mary: Your brother’s spent ages working on that old
car.
Pat: He certainly has and he’s
spent quite a lot of money on it.
Mary: I hope it’s worth all that
time and money.
Pat: So do I. He’s taking it for a test drive
tomorrow. That’ll be the moment of
the final nail in someone’s
coffin
This idiom refers to something, often the latest
in a series of events, which helps to bring about someone’s ruin or
destruction. Bob: Joe’s just told me
that Mike’s been fired.
Bill:
Has he? I can’t say I’m surprised. Quite a few customers have complained about him recently.
Bob:
Apparently the boss heard him being very rude to one of our most regular customers this morning. That was the final nail in his coffin. The boss
told him to leave immediately.
once in a blue moon
This idiom means almost never
or very rarely. (A blue moon is the appearance of the third full moon in a
season that has four full moons, instead of the usual three and as a blue moon
occurs only every two or three years, the term blue moon is used to mean
a rare event, as in this phrase once in a
blue moon.)
Joan:
I remember that you and Pete were real movie buffs at college. Do you go to the movies much these days?
Alice: Once in a blue moon. It’s hard to get out with three young
children. We usually have to make do
with DVDs.
be over the moon
This idiom means to be extremely happy or joyful.
Lucy: Amy seems in a very good mood today.
Anne: She’s over the moon. She’s just got engaged. She’s getting married next year.
paddle your own canoe
This idiom means to be independent enough to
manage your own affairs without help or support from anyone else.
Jane: Jenny has finally decided
to leave home.
Sue: And about time too! She’s far too old to be so
dependent on her parents.
Jane: Yes, it really is time for her to paddle her own canoe.
This idiom means to go out
and celebrate something, usually in a lively, extravagant way.
Anne: I can’t come to the meeting
tonight. I’m going out.
Mary: What are you doing?
Anne:
We’re going to paint the town red.
We’re celebrating our daughter’s graduation.
Mary: Have a good time!
be par for the course
This idiom refers to what
usually happens or what might be expected to happen, often used with reference
to something undesirable or bad. (This is a golfing reference to the number of
strokes that would be made in a perfect round on a golf course.)
Jack: Dan’s had to close down his computer business.
Will: I’m afraid that’s par for the course for small businesses these days.
Jack: Yes. The recession’s hit a lot of them very
badly.
pass the buck
This idiom means to try to
shift the blame or responsibility for something onto someone else instead of
accepting it yourself. (The expression refers to a card game such as poker, the
buck being a marker passed around to indicate who the dealer is.)
Pete:
The sales are very bad again this month. It’s all the fault of the new sales manager. He’s hopeless.
Ken:
You’re quite right, but he’s trying to
pass the buck. He says the poor sales
are down to the marketing department.
pie in the sky
This idiom refers to an idea,
hope or plan, relating to something good, that is unlikely to happen. (This
phrase is from the words of a song by Joe Hill, an American who wrote many
radical songs for a labour organisation known as the Industrial Workers of the
World: ‘You’ll get pie in the sky when you die.’)
Sally:
Joe was desperate to be a doctor when we were at school but it was all pie in the sky. Although he worked
really hard, he was not at all academic.
Amy:
It was a real shame, but I believe he went into his father’s business and is doing very well.
the rat race
This idiom refers to a way of
life in which people compete aggressively for success in business etc.
Mark: I’m amazed that Steve’s given up his job and
gone to live in the country.
He was doing so well.
Goerge:
Yes. He was making a lot of money as a stockbroker, but he got really tired of the financial world and he
was doing nothing but work. He hardly ever saw his wife and children. He’s
tired of the rat race.
Mark: I think he’ll be back. Country life’ll be too
quiet for him.
a red herring
This idiom refers to a piece of information,
sometimes a false clue laid deliberately, which misleads someone. (A reference
to a strong-smelling fish whose scent could mislead hunting dogs and distract
them from their prey.) Molly: Do the
police think that Frank was killed by a burglar?
Sue:
Not any more. They did at first because his apartment was in such a mess. Now they think that was done by the
murderer as a red herring. They
think that someone went to Frank’s place intending to kill him, not to steal
anything.
rest on your laurels
This idiom refers to the fact
that you are not trying very hard for further success because you are relying
on the good reputation brought about by past successes. (This is a reference to
the ancient Greek practice of crowning successful poets and winners with laurel
wreaths.)
Jim:
Bob didn’t play very well in the match today. If he doesn’t start trying harder he’ll get dropped from the
team.
Frank:
I’m sure you’re right. He used to be the best player by far but there are now quite a few good young players in
the team. Bob really can’t afford to rest
on his laurels.
This idiom means to do something that is harmful
or disadvantageous to your own interests. (This is a reference to kicking a
ball into your own team’s goal.) Mike:
Did Kate get the job?
Sam: No, she didn’t and she scored an own goal at her interview.
She told the owner of the firm that
one of the other applicants had been in prison. Mike: What happened?
Sam:
They gave the job to the woman who had been in prison. Apparently the boss had been in prison himself when
he was young and sympathized with ex-prisoners.
shoot yourself in the foot
This idiom means to do
something which is disadvantageous or harmful to yourself or to your situation.
John:
I’m not taking my car back to that garage again. The guy charged me a fortune for servicing it.
Tom: I’ve stopped using them.
They kept putting their prices up.
John:
They’re shooting themselves in the foot.
Everyone’s going to go somewhere
cheaper.
sing from the same hymn sheet
This idiom means to show
agreement with each other about something, especially in public.
Chief executive: There may be minor differences of opinion among members of the board, but it is vital that we all
sing from the same hymn sheet at the
annual general meeting.
Company accountant: I quite agree. We must make sure that shareholders continue to have confidence in the company.
smell a rat
This idiom means to suspect
that something is not right or normal. (This is a reference to a dog hunting
rats by scent.)
Sally: How did Alice find out that
her husband was having an affair?
Lily: She
smelt a rat when he started saying he had to work late every night.
Then a friend told her that
she had seen him a couple of times in a club with his secretary.
Sally: What happened then?
Lily: He admitted to the affair
and moved out.
stab someone in the back
This idiom means to behave
treacherously towards someone, often a friend or colleague, or to betray
someone.
Ben: I thought Pete was my friend, but he stabbed me in the back. I told him in
complete confidence that I had pretended to be off ill for a few days
when I had
really taken my kids on holiday.
Harry: So what?
Ben:
Pete went and told our boss. It turns out that he wants my job. He was trying to get me sacked.
Harry: But you still have your
job, don’t you?
Ben: Only just. I got an
official warning.
stick to your guns
This idiom means to refuse to
change your decision or opinion about something, no matter what happens. (This
is reference to a soldier who keeps firing at the enemy even when his life is
in great danger.)
Liz: Is Pat still thinking of
reporting her boss for bullying her?
Jane:
I think so, but some of her colleagues are trying to persuade her not to. They say that management will be on
the side of the boss and will take no notice of her complaint.
Liz:
I hope she sticks to her guns. Her
boss has been horrible to her. He deserves
to be punished.
This idiom means a great fuss
over something not at all important. The American version of this idiom is a
‘tempest in a teacup’.
Lucy: Was Alice hurt? Somebody
said she’d been bitten by a dog.
Jenny: No. The whole thing was a storm in a teacup. The dog just
jumped up on her but it was a large
dog and Alice caused a big fuss about it. Lucy:
Well, she is terrified of dogs, so you can’t blame her.
This idiom refers to
something that is particularly surprising, shocking, or annoying.
Bob: My brother’s always borrowing my things
without asking me, but this
takes the biscuit. He’s gone away for a few days and borrowed my
car and I
need it to get to work.
Mark: How do you know?
Bob: He’s left me a note!
a tempest in a teacup see a storm in a teacup
throw someone a curve/curved
ball
This idiom, more common in
American English, means to surprise someone by doing something unexpected and
perhaps putting them at some kind of disadvantage. (The expression has its
origins in baseball when a curved ball suddenly and unexpectedly swerves away
from the person trying to hit the ball just as it reaches his or her bat.)
Mike: John and Will were
expecting their grandfather to leave them a lot of money. They were planning to use it to set up their own business. Jack: What happened?
Mike:
The old man threw them a curve and
changed his will just before he died.
He had lung cancer and he left all his money to a cancer charity. John and Will
were shocked but there was nothing they could do about it.
throw a spanner in the works
This idiom means to stop,
prevent or delay a plan, project, etc from going ahead. Phil: You’re holiday starts next week, right?
Harry: Not any more. My boss has thrown a spanner in the works. He wants
me to go on a management course then.
Phil: That’s too bad.
tighten your belt
This idiom means to reduce
the amount of money which you spend regularly. (If you spend less money on food
and so lose weight you will have to tighten your belt to hold up your jeans.)
Jackie: Prices seem to keep going
up and up.
Lorna:
But our pay’s not going up. With three children we’re finding it difficult to manage.
Jackie: So are we. We’re really
having to tighten our belts.
too big for your boots
This idiom means that you
have become very conceited and think that you are superior to others.
Julie: Are you still friendly with
Amy?
Sarah:
No, not any longer. She’s become far too
big for her boots since she married
Mike Brown. He’s very rich.
turn over a new leaf
This idiom means to start to act in a better, more acceptable way.
Teacher:
We’re very pleased with Paul’s work this term. It shows a great improvement and he’s certainly working
much harder.
Paul’s mother: Yes, thank goodness. He’s spending a lot more
time studying.
He really seems to have turned
over a new leaf.
twist someone’s arm
This idiom means to try to
persuade or force someone to do something that they really do not want to do.
(If you literally twist someone’s arm you use physical force.)
Peter:
I thought you weren’t coming to Jill’s party, Joe. You’ve always said you hate parties.
Joe:
I do hate them. I told Jill several times that I wasn’t coming, but she twisted my arm. You know how
determined she is!
be up in the air
This idiom means to be still
undecided or uncertain about something. Jill:
Where are you and Jim going on holiday this year?
Trisha:
Our plans are still up in the air.
We’d like to go to Greece with my brother
and sister-in-law but it’s very difficult for us all to get off work at the same
time.
Jill: I hope you can sort something out.
Trisha:
So do I. We’ll have to book soon if we’re going to get a reasonably priced flight.
be up in arms
This idiom means to protest
in a very angry way. (‘Arms’ in this sense means ‘weapons’.)
John:
Apparently they’re planning to extend the airport. They’re thinking of adding another runway. The people who
live near the airport are up in arms.
They are planning to hold a protest.
Mary: I’m not surprised. The noise from the planes is
terrible at the moment.
Goodness knows what it will be like if there are more flights.
wash your hands of
someone/something
To indicate that you are no
longer going to be responsible for, or involved with, someone or something.
(From a reference in the Bible to such an action by Pontius Pilate after the
crucifixion of Jesus.)
Wendy: Jill’s teaching young Tom to play the piano,
isn’t she?
Sue:
She was, but not any more. She says that Tom has a lot of talent, but he just refuses to practise. She’s washed her hands of him.
