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02.20.2014 Melinda Makkos English Idioms, Infographics
Keywords
50 Popular English Idioms to SoundLike a Native Speaker
Do you want to go to the cinema after dinner?Im easy.
Does it mean Im not difficult? Well, not exactly. Im easy is an
idiomatic expression thatmeans I dont mind.
To understand English as it is spoken in real life, you have to
be familiar with idioms. Theyare used so much in everyday English
that it is important to be aware of them. You needto learn what
they mean, and how to use them to become an insider.
This blog post will show you some of the most popular English
idioms currently inuse.Remember, knowledge is power.
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1. CRUNCH TIMEthe period of time just before a project has to be
completed and everyone has to workhard
- Im not getting enough sleep these days. Its crunch time at
work.
2. LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLYto let others see your uniqueness
-
- My colleagues were surprised at the Christmas party- I let my
freak flag fly andshowed them a break dance routine.
3. PULL A RABBIT OUT OF A HATto do something unexpected that may
have seemed impossible
- I thought we were going bankrupt, but my partner pulled a
rabbit out of his hatand we landed a major contract.
4. GET OUT OF HANDwhen you lose control of things, they get out
of hand
- The party got out of hand and the guests started to throw
bottles at each other.
5. GET YOUR HEAD AROUND ITto understand something
- I just cant get my head around the fact that Joe is leaving
us.
6. DIG IN YOUR HEELS / STICK TO YOUR GUNSto refuse to compromise
or change your mind
- My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I dug in my heels
and went on tobecome a famous writer.
-My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I stuck to my guns
and went on tobecome a famous writer.
7. POUND THE PAVEMENTto walk the streets looking for a job
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- Id been pounding the pavement for months before I found a job
in a fast foodrestaurant.
8. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNEDto do everything you can to achieve
your goal
- Ill leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this.
9. BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETHwhen you do something by the skin of
your teeth, you only just succeed/ nearly fail
- I hadnt studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my
teeth.
10. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEMto do something youve wanted to do
for a long time and dont want to postpone anylonger
- I wasnt sure how she was going to react, but I had to get it
out of my system, so Itold her I had found another woman.
11. GO THE EXTRA MILEto make a special effort/try very hard to
achieve your goal
- If you want to become proficient in English, youll have to go
the extra mile andstart learning idioms.
- My English class was great, we learnt so much because our
teacher was the best, shealways went the extra mile for us.
12. STEP UP YOUR GAME
COMMUNITY
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to start performing better
- If you want to win this competition, youll have to step up
your game.
13. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHERto calm down and behave normally
- I understand youve had a bad day, but pull yourself together
and get on with yourjob, will you?
14. SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUTeither start performing better or
leave
- This is the last time Im telling you to arrive on time. Shape
up or ship out.
15. CUT SOMEBODY SOME SLACKto give somebody a break/ not to
judge somebody severely
- I was extremely busy last week. Cut me some slack and Ill
finish the report bytomorrow morning.
16. ONCE IN A BLUE MOONwhen something rarely ever happens
- We used to see him all the time, but now he just visits us
once in a blue moon.
17. GO DOWN IN FLAMESto end or fail suddenly and
spectacularly
- Shed wanted to become Managing Director, but her career went
down in flameswhen they found out shed been leaking information to
our competitors.
18. TAR SOMEONE WITH THE SAME BRUSHto believe that someone has
the same bad qualities as others in a group
- I dont think much of that band, but the singer shouldnt be
tarred with the samebrush. Shes got a fantastic voice.
19. COME OUT SWINGINGto be confrontational and strongly defend
yourself at the beginning of a debate
- Our local MP came out swinging against the current leadership
and demandedthat the government resign.
20. CRY WOLFto call for help when you dont need it
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- Do you think Peter is in trouble or is he just crying
wolf?
21. HANG IN THEREwait and be patient
- I know youd really like to call him, but I dont think thats
the right thing to do now.Just hang in there and he will call
you.
22. SHOOT FROM THE HIPto speak directly
- If you want to get on well with your boss, try not to shoot
from the hip next time.You dont want to offend him, do you?
23. LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAYto let something happen, no
matter what happens next
- I must tell John how I feel about him, let the chips fall
where they may.
24. RUNNING ON FUMESto continue to stay awake when feeling
exhausted
- Im sorry, but Ive got to go home now. I havent slept for
twenty hours and Imrunning on fumes.
25. SOLD ME OUTto snitch on someone, or let their secret out
- I asked you to keep it to yourself! I cant believe you sold me
out, I trusted you!
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26. YOU SOLD ME (ON SOMETHING)you convinced me of something,
because you were persuasive
- OK, youve sold me. Ill go to the match with you.
27. YOU ROCKyou are great
- Thanks for the tickets, Rob. You rock!
28. BLEW ME AWAYwhen something blows you away, youre extremely
impressed by it
- The exhibition just blew me away. Id never seen so many
beautiful paintingsbefore.
29. BLOW SMOKEto exaggerate or say things that arent true to
make you seem better/ moreknowledgeable than in reality
- Im not blowing smoke. I have honestly read War and Peace by
Tolstoy.
30. COULDNT CARE LESSused to express total lack of interest in
something
- That man stole a bottle of wine from the shop. Oh, really? I
couldnt care less.
31. BE CHUFFED TO BITSto be pleased and happy
- Hey, thanks for the present! Im chuffed to bits.
32. FEELING UNDER THE WEATHERto be ill or unable to do regular
activities
- I think Im going to have to take the day off work. I feel
quite under the weathertoday.
32. BE TICKLED PINKto be excited and happy
- She was tickled pink by all the compliments shed received.
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33. A BAKERS DOZENthirteen
- Check out our bakers dozen language learning tips.
34. COMFORT FOODfood that makes you feel better, because it
reminds you of your childhood
- After a tiring day, its so nice to make some comfort food and
settle down with agood book.
35. SKELETON CREWthe minimum number of people needed to keep a
service/office operating
- Can you come back after the holidays? Were operating with a
skeleton crew atthe moment.
36. NO-BRAINERan easy decision
- Do you think I should propose to Judy? Come on, its a
no-brainer. Shes such a fantastic woman!
37. A STONES THROWvery near
- The hotel was a stones throw from the beach. I loved it.
38. HEAR ON THE GRAPEVINEto hear a rumour or unconfirmed
story
- I heard on the grapevinethat Charlie and Sarah are dating at
the moment.
39. SIT ON THE FENCEto stay neutral and not take sides
- Well dont you think Im right, hes been acting differently
hasnt he? Im sitting on the fencewith this one, youre both my good
friends.
40. TAKE WHAT SOMEONE SAYS WITH A PINCH OF SALTregard something
as exaggerated, or only believe a part of something
- Did you hear what Tina said happened in the office yesterday?
Oh, I would take anything she says with a pinch of salt.
41. FREAK OUTto become very angry, scared or excited
- Mum, dont freak out! I married a guy in Las Vegas.
42. BE A CATCHbe someone worth marrying/having
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- John is taking me out tonight. Hes such a catch, I hope hell
propose.
43. PIECE OF CAKE
When something is extremely easy to do
Do you think you could beat him in a race?
Yeah, piece of cake. Im definitely a lot faster than him.
44. HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD
used if something someone says, is precisely correct
- My doctor hit the nail on the head. He knew exactly what was
wrong with me!
45. COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG
when something is very expensive
- My son wants that mountain bike for his birthday, but itll
cost an arm and a leg!
46. HIT THE BOOKS
to study very hard
- Do you want to go for lunch somewhere nice?- No thanks, Im
going to hit the books. I have an exam coming up soon.
47. BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW
to take on something that is too much for you to handle
- He recently got promoted and took on some new
responsibilities, but hes just toobusy. He bit off more than he
could chew, and I dont think he can handle itanymore.
48. WHEN PIGS FLY
this means that something will never happen
- Arent you going to buy that dream house you told me about?
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- Ugh, I will when pigs fly. Its just so expensive, I dont think
itll happen.
49. DONT JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
this means dont make a decision based on a brief impression or
outward appearance
- I dont like our new neighbours very much, theyre quite
strange.- Hey, you shouldnt judge a book by its cover. Give them a
chance, I think theyrejust a bit quirky but really nice!
50. MISS THE BOAT
when someone has missed their opportunity to do something
- Have you applied for that job yet?- No, I think I may have
missed the boat. I shouldve done it last week.
I hope you are tickled pink to have learnt all these exciting
idioms. For more ways toexpress how happy you are, check out idioms
about being happy, idioms about money,idioms about time, idioms
about life, idioms about knowledge, idioms about love, idiomsfor
going crazy, idioms used in business english, idioms about weather,
idioms aboutfood, idioms about bodyand idioms about animals.
Is there anything else you would like to learn about? Let us
know in the comment areabelow!
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WRITTEN BY: MELINDA MAKKOS
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Melinda Makkos enjoys a rewarding and successful career as an
EnglishLanguage Teacher. She was living in London, England when she
fell in lovewith the language and decided to study English and
American Literature atcollege. Her fantastic tutors guided her
towards teaching- passing on herknowledge soon became her passion.
After being awarded grade 'A' at theCambridge Proficiency Exam and
doing several teaching methodologycourses, she was given her first
ever teaching job in 2002, which was also alife-changing
experience: working with asylum seekers. Since then, she hasworked
for schools and language schools all over Europe teaching
generaland business English to various age groups. Nowadays you
will findMelinda here at MyEnglishTeacher.eu's Blog and facebook
page. Comefind me on Google+
MyEnglishTeacher.eu
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RachelDillonIlikethearticlebut'I'measy'doesn'tusuallymean'Idon'tmind'tomostBritsitmeans'I'llsleepwithanyone'!Youmightwanttochangeyouropeningparagraphasithadmeinstitches)ReplyLike
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DarwinJamesApolinaresThisarticleisveryhelpful.Youcouldalsolearnenglishthroughskype.Thankstotechnology.Ihavealsotriedsomelessonsbyskypewithanativespeakerfromhttp://preply.com/en/skype/englishnativespeakersanditwasalsoworthtrying.ReplyLikeFollowPostMarch9at2:26pm
RockRahilWorksatNotYetWorkingiAmStillaStudentWhat'sskypeid.Iwannatalkandlearn.SombodyhelpReplyLikeFollowPostMarch13at2:14pm
SujitDasGuhatiuniversitygoodcollectionsReplyLike
FollowPostOctober20,2014at9:26pm1
MelindaMakkos
TopCommenterEaling,HammersmithandWestLondonCollegeThanksalot:)I'mgladyoulikeit!
MelReplyLikeOctober21,2014at9:05pm
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HoneyPretty()ISLAMICAZADUNIVERSITYKARAJBRANCHThanks,welldone,itryallmybest,2learnallofthem)ReplyLike
FollowPostFebruary20,2014at5:01pm1
MelindaMakkos
TopCommenterEaling,HammersmithandWestLondonCollegeThat'sthespirit!:)I'mgladyoulikethispost!Keeplearning!ReplyLike
February20,2014at9:12pm
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