idioms, uses examples. rules

What are idioms?

Idioms are an important part of the English language. They make our spoken English more interesting ,charming and fun.

Idioms are phrases or expressions which carry figurative meaning rather than their literal meaning.

Here are some idioms with their meanings.

Idiom Meanings 

A piece of cake.                  An easy task

To join the majority.           To die/ pass away

Break the ice.                   To break the silence

Black sheep.                    A bad character person

A man of letters.             A knowledgeable person

Carry the day.                To conquer     

Remember: if in an idiom there is a verb you can put its second form , third form   and can make sentences according to English language rules.

        LEARN THESES IDIOMS

all in all	fully Authorized person
all the same	yet, however
all told	altogether; in total
an old wives’ tale	false belief
an unknown quantity	person or thing that one has no experience of
as a last resort	when all else has failed
as the crow flies	in a direct line/ by a direct route
at close quarters	from a short distance
at large	free, not caught
at the cutting edge	at the forefront of

bark up the wrong tree	have a false idea about something
be ahead of one’s time	have modern ideas
be all at sea	be in a state of confusion
be all fingers and thumbs	be awkward, clumsy
be all very well	appear satisfactory but in fact not be
be as busy as a bee	very busy
be as thick as a brick	be stupid
be beside oneself with anger	to be extremely angry
be born yesterday	be easily deceived/ naive
be broke	have no/very little money
be caught red-handed	be caught while committing a crime
be dying for sth	really want sth
be fit for	be good enough for
be for the high jump	about to be punished
be full of beans	be very lively
be green	be inexperienced
be in the same boat	be in the same (usually bad) situation
be in two minds about sth	not be able to decide what to do
be on the cards	be likely to happen
be on the defensive	protect oneself because one feels insecure or threatened

catch sb red-handed	be caught while committing a crime
chair a meeting	preside over a meeting
chip off the old block	sb who is very like one of his parents
chop and change	keep changing (your mind)
claim to fame	thing which makes sb unusual
clear the air	remove suspicion/bad feeling
come clean	admit the truth
come out of one’s she	gain personal confidence
come to a head	reach a critical point
come to a standstill	not progress/stop
come to terms with	accept a difficult situation
come to the fore	become important or popular
come to the point	reach the main point in a discussion
cook one’s goose	end one’s plans abruptly
cost a bomb	very expensive
cost an arm and a leg	be very expensive
cramp one’s style	restrict one’s behaviour in some way
crocodile tears	false tears
cross one’s mind	think of sth
cry over spilt milk	grieve over sth that can’t be put right
cut corners	be less thorough
cut some body dead	ignore sb
cut sb to the quick	deeply hurt sb’s feelings
cut to the bone	reduced to the minimum

ill at ease	embarrassed; uncomfortable
in a flash	very quickly
in a nutshell	briefly; in few words
in a rut	be stuck in a monotonous routine
in a tick	shortly, soon
in abeyance	halted temporarily
in arrears	have not paid the money they owe
in black and white	in writing
in broad daylight	in full view of the public
in clover	living a luxurious and comfortable life
in deep water	in trouble/difficulty
in full flow	talking at length
in public	in the presence of other people
in the abstract	in a general way
in the act of	while performing the act
in the air	uncertain
in the balance	uncertain
in the black	not owing anybody any money
in the flesh	in person
in the long run	after a long period of time
in the nick of time	just in time
in the offing	likely to happen
in the red	owe money to a bank
it stands to reason	it is logical
it’s all Greek to me	something new or foreign; not easily understood