What is an Idiom?
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning is figurative and different from the actual words of the expression. Idioms are used widely in everyday speech and appear in every form of written text like poetry, prose, and even scientific or business writing.
Idioms are powerful expressions because in just a few words they can convey a lot of information in a vivid and imaginative way. Idioms are present in many languages. An idiom’s meaning is sometimes easy to understand. However, sometimes idioms can make little or no sense. Idioms do not have to be logical. In fact, idioms are often cultural. Since English is widely spoken across cultures, there are different idiomatic expressions that arise. For example, in Britain, one might say “pop your clogs” to mean “to die.” What makes an expression an idiom is that its figurative meaning is understood by a culture, sub-culture, or social group. We’ve comprised a huge list of idioms so that you can familiarize yourself with this device. Many of these you will already know and use, but some may be new.
List of Idiom Examples
- a bitter pill
- a dime a dozen
- Achilles’ heel
- actions speak louder than words
- add insult to injury
- all ears
- As Easy as Pie
- at the drop of a hat
- Back to the Drawing Board
- ball is in your court
- barking up the wrong tree
- beat a dead horse
- Beat Around the Bush
- beats me
- bent out of shape
- best of both worlds
- best thing since sliced bread
- bite off more than one can chew
- Bite the Bullet
- bite the dust
- blessing in disguise
- blow one’s top
- bottom line
- break a leg
- break one’s heart
- buck stops here
- burn the midnight oil
- by the skin of one’s teeth
- call it a day
- catch some sleep
- caught my eye
- chew the cud
- chomp on the bit
- Chow Down
- clean as a whistle
- clam up
- Cold Shoulder
- cost an arm and leg
- cool down
- copy cat
- counting chickens before they hatch
- cut the cheese
- cut the rug
- crash course
- cry over spilt milk
- Curiosity Killed the Cat
- cut corners
- cut it out
- Devil’s advocate
- don’t give up one’s day job
- down in the dumps
- drag one’s feet
- drop a dime
- drop a line
- eager beaver
- easy does it
- elbow grease
- every dog has its day
- fall in love
- fed up with
- feel blue
- fire someone
- fit as a fiddle
- free-for-all
- from the horse’s mouth
- give the benefit of the doubt
- hard feelings
- have a blast
- have eyes in the back of one’s head
- have one’s hands full
- heard it on the grapevine
- hit the books
- hit the hay
- hit the nail on the head
- hit the pavement
- hit the road
- hit the sack
- in over one’s head
- it takes two to tango
- in the black
- in the heat of the moment
- in the long rum
- in the read
- in the zone
- jump the gun
- jump on the bandwagon
- jump to conclusion
- junk mail
- keep an eye on
- keep an eye out
- keep at bay
- keep in touch
- keeping up with the Jones’s
- keep one’s chin up
- keep one’s eyes peeled
- keep one’s fingers crossed
- kick the bucket
- kill two birds with one stone
- know something backwards and forwards
- know something inside and out
- know something like the back of one’s hand
- last straw
- lend a hand
- let sleeping dogs lie
- let the cat out of the bag
- live and let live
- live hand to mouth
- lose track of
- low blow
- make a mountain out of a molehill
- make heads or tails of
- make up one’s mind
- meet in the middle
- miss the boat
- nest egg
- New York Minute
- nip it in the bud
- no horse in this race
- not on your life
- off one’s rocker
- once in a blue moon
- on the ball
- on the cutting edge
- on point
- on the horn
- on the road
- on/off the wagon
- off the hook
- over one’s head
- pay the piper
- pen is mightier than the sword
- penny for one’s thoughts
- pick your poison
- piece of cake
- pull an all-nighter
- pull someone’s leg
- pushing up daisies
- put all of one’s eggs in one basket
- put the cart before the horse
- R and R
- Rain check
- Raining Cats and Dogs
- Rain or shine
- read between the lines
- read one’s mind
- right as rain
- rub the wrong way
- see eye to eye
- sell the farm
- shoot the breeze
- sit on the fence
- speak of the devil
- sleep on it
- sleep with the fishes
- a snap
- spill the beans
- state of the art
- steal someone’s thunder
- take it easy
- take the cake/biscuit
- take with a grain of salt
- under the weather
- until hell freezes over
- wet behind the ears
- when pigs fly
- whole nine yards
- wouldn’t be caught dead
- yes-man
- zip it
- zero in
