Top 100 Idioms in English with Their Meanings and Examples

Have you ever come across quirky phrases in English movies or books that seem to have a hidden meaning? Those are idioms, and they are a fascinating part of the language. Understanding idioms can greatly improve your grasp of English. In this article, a list of popular English idioms, explain what they mean, and give you examples of how to use them. This will help you speak and write English more naturally and fluently.

What are Idioms?

Idioms are phrases or expressions that have a figurative meaning different from the literal meaning of individual words. They are commonly used in everyday language to convey ideas in a more interesting and vivid way.

Why Use Idioms?

Idioms are an essential part of the English language. They help to make communication more engaging and relatable. Using idioms can also show a strong command of the language and add color to your speech and writing. They can express complex ideas quickly and effectively, making your language more expressive and dynamic.

The list of top 100 idioms with meaning and examples

Idiom	Meaning	Example
Cry wolf	To keep asking for help when you don't need it	If you keep crying wolf, no one will believe you when you're really in trouble.
Hit the pillow	To go to bed after a long day	After working late, I can't wait to hit the pillow.
Pie in the sky	Something good that is unlikely to happen	Winning the lottery is just a pie in the sky dream.
Cry over spilt milk	To be upset about a bad thing that cannot be changed	There's no use crying over spilt milk; let's move on and find a solution.
A penny saved is a penny earned	Saving money is just as important as making money	He always saves a portion of his income because he believes a penny saved is a penny earned.
Drink like a fish	To drink excessive amounts of alcohol	He needs to cut down on his drinking; he drinks like a fish.
Acid test	Something that proves the value of something else	The acid test of a good product is how it performs in the real world.
Bite your tongue	To stop yourself from saying something you really want to say	She had to bite her tongue to avoid arguing with her boss.
Put all your eggs in one basket	To depend on one resource for success	Investing all your money in one stock is like putting all your eggs in one basket.
Every rose has its thorn	Every good thing has some bad aspects	He has a great job, but he works long hours; every rose has its thorn.
As cool as a cucumber	Very relaxed and calm	Despite the pressure, she remained as cool as a cucumber during the presentation.
Head in the clouds	Dreamy and unaware of what is going on around you	He always has his head in the clouds, thinking about his next big idea.
Monkey on your back	A difficult problem or burden	Debt can be a real monkey on your back if you don't manage it properly.
Hard nut to crack	A difficult problem or person	Negotiating with him is tough; he's a hard nut to crack.
Have a bun in the oven	To be pregnant	She just announced that she has a bun in the oven.
Have a heart of gold	To be very kind and generous	She always helps those in need; she has a heart of gold.
In the red	Losing money or being in debt	After the poor sales quarter, the company is in the red.
Like a bat out of hell	Moving very quickly and wildly	When the fire alarm went off, they ran out of the building like a bat out of hell.
Kill two birds with one stone	To solve two goals with one action	By carpooling to work, we can save money on gas and reduce our carbon footprint, killing two birds with one stone.
Ants in one's pants	To be unable to stay still due to excitement	The kids had ants in their pants waiting for the birthday party to start.
Elephant in the room	An obvious problem that no one wants to discuss	Everyone knew about the budget issues, but it was the elephant in the room during the meeting.
Brainchild	An original idea or invention	The new software is the brainchild of our lead developer.
Hold your horses	To wait a moment or be patient	Hold your horses, we need to think this through before making a decision.
Fish out of water	Someone who is in an uncomfortable situation	He felt like a fish out of water at his new job.
Busy as a bee	Someone who is extremely busy	She's busy as a bee with all her volunteer work.
The cat's pajamas	Something that is outstanding or excellent	Her new car is the cat's pajamas.
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Wild goose chase	Doing something that is pointless	Trying to find that rare book without a title was a wild goose chase.
Like a moth to a flame	Attracted to something that is dangerous	He was drawn to the risky investment like a moth to a flame.
A bull in a China shop	Someone who is clumsy and upsets other people or plans	He handled the negotiations like a bull in a China shop.
Straight from the horse's mouth	Directly from the original source	I heard the news straight from the horse's mouth.
Eagle-eyed	Someone who notices everything	With her eagle-eyed attention to detail, she spotted the error immediately.
Lion's share	The largest part or most of something	He took the lion's share of the credit for the project.
A wolf in sheep's clothing	Someone who pretends to be good but is actually bad	Be careful of him; he's a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Snake in the grass	An untrustworthy person	Watch out for her; she's a snake in the grass.
Bite the bullet	To endure something difficult	He had to bite the bullet and accept the lower-paying job.
Beat around the bush	To avoid getting to the point	Stop beating around the bush and tell me what happened.
Add fuel to the fire	To make a bad situation worse	His comments only added fuel to the fire.
All ears	Listening intently	Tell me the story, I'm all ears.
All in the same boat	Everyone is facing the same challenges	We're all in the same boat, so let's support each other.
At the drop of a hat	Immediately, without any hesitation	She would help you at the drop of a hat.
Barking up the wrong tree	Making a false assumption	If you think I'm responsible for the mistake, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Bend over backwards	Try very hard to help someone	He bent over backwards to make sure we were comfortable.
Between a rock and a hard place	Facing two difficult choices	I'm between a rock and a hard place with this decision.
Blow off steam	To release pent-up emotions	After a long day at work, I need to blow off some steam at the gym.
Break a leg	Good luck	Break a leg at your performance tonight!
Burn bridges	To destroy relationships	Be careful not to burn bridges when you leave your job.
Burn the candle at both ends	To overwork yourself	She's been burning the candle at both ends studying for her exams.
By and large	Generally speaking	By and large, the event was a success.
Call it a night	To stop working for the night	I'm exhausted; let's call it a night.
Calm before the storm	A quiet period before chaos	The office was unusually quiet, the calm before the storm.
Cross that bridge when you come to it	Deal with a problem if and when it becomes necessary	We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Devil's in the details	Small things in plans that are often overlooked	The plan looks good, but the devil's in the details.
Don't count your chickens before they hatch	Don't assume something will happen before it does	Don't count your chickens before they hatch; wait until you get the official offer.
Every dog has its day	Everyone gets a chance eventually	Don't worry, every dog has its day.
Find your feet	To become comfortable in what you are doing	It took a few weeks, but I finally found my feet at the new job.
Fit as a fiddle	In good health	Even at 80, she's as fit as a fiddle.
Flash in the pan	Something that is only temporarily successful	His success was just a flash in the pan.
Get a second wind	To have a burst of energy after tiring	After the break, she got a second wind and finished the race.
Get cold feet	To become nervous	He got cold feet and canceled the wedding.
Get your act together	To start acting in a more organized or effective way	You need to get your act together if you want to succeed.
Give someone the benefit of the doubt	To believe someone even though it may not seem true	I gave her the benefit of the doubt despite the rumors.
Go back to the drawing board	To start over	The project failed, so we need to go back to the drawing board.
Go down in flames	To fail spectacularly	The company went down in flames after the scandal.
Go on a wild goose chase	To pursue something that is unattainable	Searching for the missing file was like going on a wild goose chase.
Hang in there	To persevere	Hang in there; things will get better.
Hit the nail on the head	To be exactly correct about something	You hit the nail on the head with your analysis.
Hit the road	To leave	We need to hit the road if we want to make it on time.
Jump the gun	To start too soon	He jumped the gun and submitted the report before it was finished.
Keep an eye on	To watch someone or something carefully	Can you keep an eye on the baby while I cook dinner?
Leave no stone unturned	To look everywhere	We need to leave no stone unturned in our search for the missing child.
Make ends meet	To manage on a given income	They struggle to make ends meet on a single income.
Make the best of a bad situation	To deal with a difficult situation as best as possible	Even though we missed our flight, we made the best of a bad situation by exploring the city.
Off the top of your head	Without thinking too much	I can't give you the exact number off the top of my head.
On the fence	Undecided	He's on the fence about whether to accept the new job offer.
Pull a rabbit out of a hat	To do something surprising and seemingly impossible	She pulled a rabbit out of a hat by finding a solution at the last minute.
Pull yourself together	To calm down and behave normally	You need to pull yourself together and face the situation.
Put a sock in it	To tell someone to be quiet	He told his noisy neighbor to put a sock in it.
Raining cats and dogs	Raining very heavily	It was raining cats and dogs, so we stayed inside.
Rock the boat	To do something that causes problems	Don't rock the boat; we need to keep things stable for now.
See which way the wind blows	To consider a situation before making a decision	Let's see which way the wind blows before finalizing our plans.
Sit tight	To wait patiently	We'll sit tight and wait for the results.
Smell a rat	To suspect something is wrong	I smell a rat; this deal seems too good to be true.
Snowed under	Overwhelmed with work	I'm completely snowed under with deadlines this week.
Stab someone in the back	To betray someone	He stabbed his friend in the back by revealing his secret.
Take the bull by the horns	To face a challenge directly	She took the bull by the horns and confronted her boss about the issue.
Taste of your own medicine	When you experience something bad that you have done to others	He got a taste of his own medicine when his prank backfired.
The best of both worlds	A situation in which you can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time	Working from home offers the best of both worlds: flexibility and comfort.
The bottom line	The most important aspect	The bottom line is that we need to increase sales to stay profitable.
The last straw	The final problem in a series	Losing his job was the last straw; he decided to move back home.
The whole nine yards	Everything possible or available	They went the whole nine yards to make sure the event was perfect.
Throw in the towel	To give up	After months of trying to fix the problem, he finally threw in the towel.
Up in the air	Uncertain	Our vacation plans are still up in the air due to the pandemic.
Water under the bridge	Past events that are no longer considered important	We had our differences, but that's water under the bridge now.
Wear your heart on your sleeve	To openly show your emotions	He's not afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve.
When pigs fly	Something that will never happen	He'll apologize when pigs fly.
Wrap your head around	To understand something complicated	It took me a while to wrap my head around the new system.

Examples from Popular Movies, TV Shows, and Literature

Now, discover some of the most common and amusing idioms featured in various movies, TV series, and books.

Break the ice
Movie: Titanic
Example: Jack wins a ticket to board the Titanic, and his lively personality helps him break the ice with fellow passengers.
Bite the bullet
TV Series: Breaking Bad
Example: In a pivotal scene, Jesse decides to bite the bullet and confront his past mistakes.
A piece of cake
TV Series: Friends
Example: Joey claims that acting is a piece of cake for him.
Spill the beans
Book: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
Example: Hagrid inadvertently spills the beans about the secret chamber at Hogwarts.
Hit the nail on the head
Movie: The Pursuit of Happiness
Example: Chris Gardner hits the nail on the head when he identifies the root cause of his struggles and works towards solving it.
Under the weather
TV Series: Grey's Anatomy
Example: Dr. Meredith Grey often works through being under the weather, showing her dedication to her patients.
Cut to the chase
Movie: Inception
Example: To keep the audience engaged, the film often cuts to the chase, diving straight into the action-packed dream sequences.
Let the cat out of the bag
Book: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Example: Scout accidentally lets the cat out of the bag about her father's role in defending Tom Robinson.

Frequently Asked Questions about Idioms

1. What is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase or expression whose meaning is different from the literal meanings of the individual words. For example, "kick the bucket" means "to die," which is not apparent from the meanings of "kick" and "bucket."

2. Why are idioms used in English?
Idioms add color and expressiveness to the language. They can convey complex ideas in a simple, relatable way and often reflect cultural nuances. Using idioms can make speech and writing more engaging and lively.

3. How can I learn idioms effectively?
To learn idioms effectively, immerse yourself in English content such as books, movies, TV shows, and newspapers. Take note of idioms you come across, understand their meanings, and practice using them in sentences. Additionally, language apps and learning platforms like Typezap can be valuable resources

4. Are idioms used in formal writing?
Idioms are generally used in informal writing and speech. They can add a conversational tone to your writing. However, they are usually avoided in formal writing, such as academic papers or professional reports, where clarity and precision are more important.

5. Can idioms be translated into other languages?
Idioms often do not translate well into other languages because their meanings are not literal. Instead, try to find equivalent idioms in the target language that convey the same idea or emotion.

6. Do native English speakers use idioms frequently?
Yes, native English speakers commonly use idioms in everyday conversation. They are a natural part of the language and can be heard in various contexts, from casual chats to media and literature.

7. What are some examples of common English idioms?
Some common English idioms include "break the ice" (to start a conversation), "hit the nail on the head" (to be exactly correct), and "let the cat out of the bag" (to reveal a secret).