English Idioms List for ESL Learners
Idioms are fixed expressions whose meaning can’t be guessed from the individual words — like “break a leg” or “under the weather.” This list gathers every idiom lesson on ESL Word Wiz in alphabetical order. Open any entry for a plain-English explanation and real example sentences.
495 entries
A
- A blessing in disguise
- A change of heart
- A chip off the old block
- A clean slate
- A dime a dozen
- A fish out of water
- A hole in one
- A leopard can't change its spots
- A penny for your thoughts
- A picture is worth a thousand words
- A piece of cake
- A piece of work
- A stitch in time saves nine
- A storm in a teacup
- A walk in the park
- Above board
- Actions speak louder than words
- Add fuel to the fire
- Add insult to injury
- All at once
- All bark and no bite
- All ears
- All in good time
- All that glitters is not gold
- All thumbs
- An apple a day keeps the doctor away
- Around the clock
- As cool as a cucumber
- At the drop of a hat
- At the end of the day
- At the table
- At wit's end
B
- Back seat driver
- Back to square one
- Back to the drawing board
- Bad apple
- Ballpark figure
- Bark is worse than bite
- Barking mad
- Barking up the wrong tree
- Batten down the hatches
- Bean counter
- Beat a dead horse
- Beat around the bush
- Beating a dead horse
- Bench strength
- Bend over backwards
- Benefit of the doubt
- Bent out of shape
- Better late than never
- Big picture
- Birds of a feather flock together
- Bite off more than you can chew
- Bite the bullet
- Bite the dust
- Bite your tongue
- Black sheep
- Bleeding edge
- Blessing in disguise
- Blood is thicker than water
- Blow off steam
- Blow your own horn
- Blue in the face
- Blue sky thinking
- Boil the ocean
- Bolt upright
- Bookworm
- Boots on the ground
- Born with a silver spoon in your mouth
- Break a leg
- Break a sweat
- Break the bank
- Break the ice
- Break the news
- Bring home the bacon
- Brush up
- Bump up
- Burn bridges
- Burn one's bridges
- Burn the candle at both ends
- Burn the midnight oil
- Burning bridges
- Burning the candle at both ends
- Bury the hatchet
- Bury your head in the sand
- Butterflies in your stomach
- Butting in
- By the book
- By the skin of one's teeth
- By the skin of your teeth
C
- Call a spade a spade
- Call it a day
- Call it quits
- Can't judge a book by its cover
- Carry the weight of the world
- Cat got your tongue
- Caught between a rock and a hard place
- Caught red-handed
- Chime in
- Chip on one's shoulder
- Clean bill of health
- Cloud nine
- Cold feet
- Cold shoulder
- Come rain or shine
- Cost a pretty penny
- Cost an arm and a leg
- Couch potato
- Crocodile tears
- Cross that bridge when we come to it
- Cross that bridge when you come to it
- Cross the line
- Crossed wires
- Crunch time
- Cry over spilled milk
- Cry over spilt milk
- Cry wolf
- Cup of joe
- Curiosity killed the cat
- Cut a rug
- Cut corners
- Cut from the same cloth
- Cut it out
- Cut the mustard
- Cut to the chase
D
- Dead ringer
- Deep dive
- Devil's advocate
- Dialed in
- Dipping my toes in
- Do as the romans do
- Dog and pony show
- Dog days of summer
- Don't bite the hand that feeds you
- Don't count your chickens before they hatch
- Don't cry over spilled milk
- Don't put all your eggs in one basket
- Don't put the cart before the horse
- Double-click on that
- Down the road
- Down to earth
- Down to the wire
- Draw the line
- Drop in the bucket
- Drop the ball
- Dry powder
E
F
- Face the music
- Fair enough
- Fall on deaf ears
- Feather in your cap
- Feel under the weather
- Feeling down in the dumps
- Feeling out the situation
- Feeling under the weather
- Fence sitter
- Finding my footing
- Fish out of water
- Fishy
- Fit as a fiddle
- Flash in the pan
- Fly off the handle
- Food for thought
- From scratch
- Full of beans
G
- Game changer
- Get a taste of your own medicine
- Get ahead
- Get cold feet
- Get off on the wrong foot
- Get out of hand
- Get the ball rolling
- Get your act together
- Get your ducks in a row
- Get your feet wet
- Getting my feet wet
- Getting the hang of it
- Give it some thought
- Give it your best shot
- Give someone a hand
- Give someone the benefit of the doubt
- Give someone the cold shoulder
- Give the benefit of the doubt
- Give the cold shoulder
- Give up the ghost
- Go back to square one
- Go fly a kite
- Go out on a limb
- Go the extra mile
- Go with the flow
- Going with the flow
- Got it
- Grease the wheels
- Green light
- Green thumb
H
- Hang in there
- Hanging in there
- Harder they fall
- Have a bone to pick
- Have a chip on your shoulder
- Have a heart of gold
- Have a lot on your plate
- Head in the clouds
- Head over heels
- Heads up
- Herding cats
- Hit rock bottom
- Hit the books
- Hit the ground running
- Hit the hay / Hit the sack
- Hit the nail on the head
- Hit the road
- Hit the sack
- Hit the sack / Hay
- Hits the spot
- Hold your horses
- Hold your tongue
- Holding pattern
- Humiliation ritual
I
J
K
L
- Leave high and dry
- Leave no stone unturned
- Lend a hand
- Let bygones be bygones
- Let sleeping dogs lie
- Let someone off the hook
- Let something slide
- Let the cat out of the bag
- Let the chips fall where they may
- Let your hair down
- Level set
- Leverage your network
- Look a gift horse in the mouth
- Look before you leap
- Look on the bright side
- Loop in
- Loose cannon
- Lost in translation
- Low-hanging fruit
M
N
O
- Off the beaten path
- Off the hook
- Off the record
- On a need-to-know basis
- On a roll
- On board
- On cloud nine
- On my radar
- On pins and needles
- On the ball
- On the bright side
- On the fence
- On the horizon
- On the radar
- On the same page
- On the same wavelength
- On the tip of my tongue
- On the tip of the tongue
- On thin ice
- Once bitten, twice shy
- Once in a blue moon
- Open a can of worms
- Out of hand
- Out of sorts
- Out of the blue
- Out of the frying pan and into the fire
- Out of the loop
- Out of whack
- Over my dead body
- Over the hill
- Over the moon
P
- Paint the town red
- Park it
- Peeling the onion
- Piece of cake
- Piece of mind
- Pistol
- Platter
- Play it by ear
- Play second fiddle
- Playing it by ear
- Pregnant pause
- Pull / Get yourself together
- Pull someone's leg
- Pull the wool over someone's eyes
- Pull yourself together
- Pushing up daisies
- Put a pin in it
- Put all your eggs in one basket
- Put on your thinking cap
- Put your best foot forward
- Put your money where your mouth is
- Put yourself in someone's shoes
- Put yourself in their shoes
R
S
- Satanic panic
- Saved by the bell
- Scope creep
- See eye to eye
- See the light
- See where someone is coming from
- Sharp tongue
- Shoot from the hip
- Sit tight
- Skating on thin ice
- Skeleton in the closet
- Sleep on it
- Slip my mind
- Slip of the tongue
- Smell a rat
- Speak of the devil
- Speak volumes
- Spick and span
- Spill the beans
- Spill the tea
- Stack the deck
- Stand pat
- Start from scratch
- Steal someone's thunder
- Stick to your guns
- Stick your neck out
- Stole a base
- Straight from the horse's mouth
- Strike it rich
- Strike while the iron is hot
- Sweep under the rug
T
- Take a rain check
- Take a step back
- Take it to the next level
- Take it with a grain of salt
- Take offline
- Take the bull by the horns
- Take the cake
- Take the lead
- Take this offline
- Tearjerker
- Testing the waters
- That's the last straw
- The apple doesn't fall far from the tree
- The ball is in your court
- The best of both worlds
- The bigger they are
- The bigger they are, the harder they fall
- The calm before the storm
- The cherry on top
- The early bird catches the worm
- The flame fizzled out
- The grass is always greener on the other side
- The hand you're dealt
- The last straw
- The pot calling the kettle black
- The squeaky wheel gets the grease
- The whole nine yards
- The writing is on the wall
- Thick as thieves
- Think outside the box
- Thinking outside the box
- Through thick and thin
- Throw caution to the wind
- Throw in the towel
- Thumb a ride
- Thumbs up
- Tickled pink
- Tie the knot
- Tighten our belts
- Tip of the iceberg
- Tongue in cheek
- Tongue twister
- Tongue-tied
- Too many cooks spoil the broth
- Toot your own horn
- Trip up
- Turn a blind eye
- Turn over a new leaf
- Twist someone's arm
- Two birds with one stone
- Two faced
- Two heads are better than one
- Two peas in a pod
U
W
- Walk a mile in someone's shoes
- War room
- Water cooler talk
- Water under the bridge
- Wear many hats
- Wear your heart on your sleeve
- Weigh the pros and cons
- Well rounded
- Wet behind the ears
- When in rome (do as the romans do)
- When it rains, it pours
- When pigs fly
- When the going gets tough
- When the going gets tough, the tough get going
- Whole ball of wax
- Wild goose chase
- Window of opportunity
- Work smarter, not harder
- Worth its weight in gold
- Wouldn't hurt a fly
- Wrap your head around