Figures of Speech List for ESL Learners
Figures of speech are colorful, non-literal expressions English speakers use every day. This list gathers every figure-of-speech lesson on ESL Word Wiz in alphabetical order. Open any entry for a plain-English explanation and example sentences.
261 entries
A
B
- Bark worse than your bite
- Bated breath
- Beard the lion in his den
- Bee in your bonnet
- Beggars can't be choosers
- Behind the eight ball
- Bells and whistles
- Between a rock and a hard place
- Bigger fish to fry
- Blind as a bat
- Bolt from the blue
- Brain freeze
- Bread and butter
- Break new ground
- Bring to the table
- Bull in a china shop
- Burning the midnight oil
- Busy as a bee
C
D
E
F
G
H
- Halcyon days
- Hands are tied
- Hands down
- Hanging by a thread
- Hard as nails
- Haste makes waste
- Have a chip on one's shoulder
- Have a frog in your throat
- Have a leg to stand on
- Have your cake and eat it too
- Hear it through the grapevine
- Heart skipped a beat
- Heartbroken
- Henpecked
- Herculean task
- Hit a snag
- Hit the hay
- Hit the jackpot
- Hold the fort
- Hot off the press
I
J
K
L
- Last straw
- Learn the ropes
- Lend an ear
- Light as a feather
- Light at the end of the tunnel
- Light bulb moment
- Like a broken record
- Like a deer in headlights
- Like a fish out of water
- Like a kid in a candy store
- Like two ships passing in the night
- Like watching paint dry
- Lion's share
- Live and learn
- Live and let live
- Long shot
- Lose your marbles
- Lose your touch
- Lotus eater
M
N
O
P
- Pandora's box
- Pass the buck
- Pay through the nose
- Penny wise, pound foolish
- Phoenix rising from the ashes
- Pick someone's brain
- Pick up the pieces
- Piece of the pie
- Plain as day
- Play hardball
- Plenty of fish in the sea
- Pot calling the kettle black
- Practice makes perfect
- Pretty as a picture
- Procrustean bed
- Pull strings
- Pulling my leg
- Push the envelope
- Put a sock in it
- Put your foot in your mouth
- Pyrrhic victory
Q
R
S
- Sail through
- Salt of the earth
- Save face
- Save the day
- Second wind
- Sell like hotcakes
- Separate the wheat from the chaff
- Set in stone
- Sharp as a tack
- Shoot yourself in the foot
- Show your true colors
- Sick as a dog
- Sigh of relief
- Silver lining
- Sing someone's praises
- Sink or swim
- Sisyphean task
- Sit on the fence
- Sleep like a log
- Slip your mind
- Slippery slope
- Sly as a fox
- Smell something fishy
- Smell test
- Snug as a bug in a rug
- Sour grapes
- Spitting image
- Spread yourself too thin
- Stab in the back
- Stab in the dark
- Stand the test of time
- Steal the show
- Stick out like a sore thumb
- Strong as an ox
- Stubborn as a mule
- Sword of damocles
T
- Take it on the chin
- Take it with a pinch of salt
- Take with a grain of salt
- Test the waters
- That ship has sailed
- The ball is rolling
- The bottom line
- The elephant in the room
- The icing on the cake
- The last laugh
- The pen is mightier than the sword
- The tip of the iceberg
- Throw a wrench in the works
- Throw the book at someone
- Throw under the bus
- Tighten the screws
- Tighten your belt
- Tilt at windmills
- Time flies
- Time is money
- To each his own
- Touch base
- Tough as old boots
- Trial by fire
- Trojan horse
- Two wrongs don't make a right