English Idioms
You Rock! • Great job today, you rock!
“Cry wolf” Do you think Peter is in trouble or is he just crying wolf?
“Pull a rabbit out of a hat” • I thought we were going bankrupt, but my partner pulled a rabbit out of his hat and we landed a major contract.
“It’s crunch time” • I’m not getting enough sleep these days. It’s crunch time at work.
“Get out of hand” • The party got out of hand the guests started to throw bottles at each other.
“Get your head around it” • I just can’t get my head around the fact that Joe is leaving us.
“Leave no stone unturned” • I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this.
“Get it out of your system” • I wasn’t sure how she was going to react, but I had to get it out of my system, so I told her I had found another woman.
“Step up your game” • If you want to win this competition, you’ll have to step up your game.
“Pull yourself together” • I understand you’ve had a bad day, but pull yourself together and get on with your job, will you?
“Cut somebody some slack” • I was extremely busy last week. Cut me some slack and I’ll finish the report by tomorrow morning.
“By the skin of your teeth” • I hadn’t studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
“Hang in there” • I know you’d really like to call him, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do now. Just hang in there and he will call you.
“Go the extra mile” • If you want to become proficient in English, you’ll have to go the extra mile and start learning idioms.
“Blow smoke” • I’m not blowing smoke. I have honestly read War and Peace by Tolstoy.
“Feeling under the weather” • I think I’m going to have to take the day off work. I feel quite under the weather today.
“No-brainer” • Do you think I should propose to Jessica? • Come on, it’s a no-brainer. She’s such a fantastic woman!
“To hear through the grapevine” • I heard through the grapevine that Charlie and Sarah are dating at the moment.
“Sit on the fence” • Well don’t you think I’m right, he’s been acting differently hasn’t he? • I’m sitting on the fence with this one, you’re both my good friends.
“freak out” • Mum, don’t freak out! I married a guy in Las Vegas.
“Piece of cake” • Do you think you could beat him in a race? • Yeah, piece of cake. I’m definitely a lot faster than him.
“Hit the books” • Do you want to go for lunch somewhere nice? • No thanks, I’m going to hit the books. I have an exam coming up soon.
“Cost an arm and a leg” • My son wants that mountain bike for his birthday, but it’ll cost an arm and a leg!
“Bite off more than you can chew” • He recently got promoted and took on some new responsibilities, but he’s just too busy. He bit off more than he could chew, and I don’t think he can handle it anymore.
