An IDIOM is a group of words or a phrase that differs from their literal meaning. Idioms enrich the language.
In this post, we present you the top 100 Idioms and their Meanings with Examples.
100 Idioms and Their Meanings
A
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
|---|
| ABC | basic knowledge | She doesn’t have the ABC of cooking. |
| Above all | most importantly | Above all, we need to prioritize safety in this project. |
| Above board | completely transparent and honest | The financial records of the company are always above the board. |
| All Greek | completely incomprehensible | The instructions in the manual were all Greek to him. |
| Apple of one’s eye | a person or thing that is cherished above all others | His dog is the apple of his eye. |
| Apple of discord | a source of conflict | The inheritance became an apple of discord among the siblings. |
| At one’s fingertips | easily accessible | The lawyer always has the latest legal information at his fingertips. |
B
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Bad blood | ill feeling | Let’s try to resolve our issues and avoid any bad blood between us. |
| Bag and baggage | with all belongings | She left the apartment with her bags and baggage. |
| Be-all and end-all | ultimate goal | For him, achieving success in his career is the be-all and end-all. |
| Birds of a feather | people with similar interests | They are birds of a feather, both passionate about environmental conservation. |
| Bosom friend | a very close friend | My childhood friend is my bosom friend; we share everything. |
| Build castles in the air | indulge in unrealistic dreams | Instead of building castles in the air, let’s focus on our goals and work hard to achieve them. |
| By hook or by crook | by any means necessary | She was determined to win the competition by hook or by crook. |
C
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Call a spade a spade | to speak the truth | Let me call a spade a spade and tell you that you’re not doing your job well. |
| Carry the day | win victory | The home team carried the day with their last-minute goal. |
| Cats and dogs | raining very heavily | It’s been raining cats and dogs all day. |
| Cock and bull story | absurd story | I don’t believe his cock and bull story about being abducted by aliens. |
| Cold water | discouragement | The negative comments threw cold water on his idea. |
| Crocodile tears | fake tears | I don’t trust her crocodile tears, she’s just trying to manipulate us. |
D
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Dead against | strongly opposed to | I’m dead against the proposal to build a highway through the national park. |
| Dead language | no longer in use as a spoken language | Latin is a dead language but is still used in academic settings. |
| Dead of night | midnight | The burglars broke into the store at the dead of night. |
| Die in harness | die while working | The burglars broke into the store in the dead of night. |
| Dark horse | relatively unknown | The political newcomer surprised everyone by winning the election, he was a real dark horse. |
E
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| End in smoke | fail to materialize | The company’s plans to expand overseas ended in smoke due to lack of funding. |
| Every now and then | occasionally | The company’s plans to expand overseas ended in smoke due to a lack of funding. |
| Eke out | manage to survive with difficulty | The family was able to eke out a living by farming a small plot of land. |
| Every inch | completely | She’s every inch a professional with her confident demeanour and attention to detail. |
F
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Far cry | very different from something | The new restaurant is a far cry from the old one. |
| Far and away | by far or significantly | She was far and away the best singer in the competition. |
| Fish out of water | feeling uncomfortable in a new or unfamiliar situation | Being the only vegetarian at the barbecue, she felt like a fish out of water. |
| Fool’s paradise | a false or unrealistic sense of happiness or security | If you think you can get rich quick without any effort, you’re living in a fool’s paradise. |
| For good | permanently or forever | She left the city for good and moved to the countryside. |
| French leave | leaving without telling anyone or without permission | He took French leave from the party early, without saying goodbye. |
G
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Gala day | a special or festive occasion | The wedding was a gala day, with lots of music, dancing, and food. |
| Get by heart | to memorize something | In order to pass the exam, she had to get the formulas by heart. |
| Give one’s word | to make a promise or give an assurance | He gave his word that he would always be there to support her. |
| Gain the day | to win or be victorious | Despite the odds against them, the underdog team gained the day and won the championship. |
| Go without saying | to be obvious or not need to be stated | It goes without saying that he loves his family very much. |
H
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Hair-breadth escape | a narrow or close escape | He had a hair-breadth escape from the burning building, just managing to get out in time |
| Hard nut to crack | a difficult problem or challenge | Finding a cure for cancer is a hard nut to crack, but scientists are working tirelessly to achieve it. |
| Herculean task | very difficult task | Starting a new business from scratch is always a Herculean task. |
| Hold good | remain valid | The contract between the two parties will only hold good if both parties fulfil their obligations. |
| Hue and cry | a loud outcry or protest | The citizens made a hue and cry against the government’s decision to raise taxes. |
| Hush money | money paid to keep someone quiet | The politician offered hush money to the journalist to suppress a negative story. |
I
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| In a fix | in a difficult situation | After losing his job, he found himself in a fix and unable to pay his rent. |
| In black and white | in writing | We need to have the contract in black and white before we proceed. |
| In cold blood | done intentionally and without emotion | The murder was committed in cold blood and shocked the community. |
| In the good books | in favour with someone | After completing her project on time, she was in the good books of her boss. |
| In vogue | currently popular | This style of clothing is currently in vogue among teenagers. |
| In a nutshell | briefly summarizing something. | In a nutshell, the company’s profits have been declining for the past year. |
J
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Jail Bird | a repeat criminal | The detective recognized the suspect as a jail bird who had been in and out of prison for years. |
| Jack of all trades | skilled in many areas | He’s a jack of all trades and can fix anything around the house. |
| Jaundiced eye | a biased attitude | The employer viewed all candidates with a jaundiced eye, assuming they were all unqualified. |
| jot or little | the smallest amount | He didn’t know even a jot or little about the subject. |
K
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Kith and kin | near and dear ones | She prefers to spend time with her kith and kin. |
| Keep pace with | match the speed of | He had to run faster to keep pace with his athletic friend. |
| Kill time | engage in leisurely activities | She watched TV to kill time before her flight. |
| Know no bounds | be limitless | The love a mother has for her child knows no bounds. |
| Knock at the door | announce arrival or opportunity | A new opportunity was knocking at his door, and he had to decide whether to take it or not. |
L
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Lame excuse | weak argument | His explanation for the late submission of the report was a lame excuse. |
| Laughing stock | object of amusement | His clumsy dancing made him the laughingstock of the party. |
| Lion’s share | the major part | The CEO took the lion’s share of the company’s profits. |
| Loaves and fishes | spiritual benefits | He volunteers at the shelter not for the loaves and fishes, but to give back to the community. |
| Lead a cat and dog life | have a tumultuous relationship | The couple had been leading a cat and dog life for years, but they still loved each other. |
| Long and short | bottom line | The long and short of the matter is that we need to increase our sales revenue. |
M
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Make both ends meet | live frugally | They had to make both ends meet after losing their jobs. |
| Maiden speech | first public address | The newly elected representative gave her maiden speech at the town hall. |
| Man of straw | an insignificant person | The small-time crook was a man of straw compared to the big-time criminals. |
| Moot point | an irrelevant matter | Whether or not to have dessert after dinner is a moot point when you’re on a diet. |
| Make up one’s mind | come to a decision | She couldn’t make up her mind about which dress to wear to the party. |
| Man in the street | the average person | The politician’s speech was meant to appeal to the man in the street rather than the elite. |
| Make bold | to take a risk or do something courageous | He made bold to propose to his girlfriend in front of a large crowd. |
N
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Now and then | infrequently | I only indulge in sweets now and then, as I am trying to eat healthier. |
| Null and void | having no legal or binding effect | The contract became null and void when one of the parties breached the terms. |
| Narrow escape | a close call or lucky avoidance of danger | I had a narrow escape from a car accident yesterday. |
| Nip in the bud | to stop something at an early stage | The company nipped the security breach in the bud before any sensitive information was compromised. |
| Near at hand | close or imminent | The deadline for the project is near at hand and we need to speed up the work. |
O
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Of late | recently or lately | Of late, I have been experiencing a lack of motivation towards my work. |
| Out of doors | outside or in the open air | We decided to have a picnic out of doors to enjoy the beautiful weather. |
| Out of order | not functioning or broken | The elevator is out of order and we need to take the stairs. |
| Out of temper | in a bad mood or irritable | The boss was out of his temper today due to the delays in the project. |
| Out of the wood | no longer in a difficult or dangerous situation | The patient is out of the woods and is expected to make a full recovery. |
| Out and out | completely or thoroughly | The team played an out and out aggressive game. |
P
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Palmy days | a period of prosperity and success | The company enjoyed its palmy days during the economic boom of the early 2000s. |
| Pick a quarrel | intentionally start an argument or fight | I could tell he was trying to pick a quarrel with me, but I refused to engage. |
| Plain sailing | easy or smooth going | The project was plain sailing, thanks to the efficient team management. |
| Play ducks and drakes | waste or squander something valuable | Don’t play ducks and drakes with your money if you want to save for a secure future. |
R
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Rank and file | ordinary members | The management should listen to the opinions of the rank and file of the company. |
| Red-tape | excessive bureaucracy | The red tape in the government system is causing delays in the implementation of policies. |
| Red-letter day | special occasion | Winning the championship was a red-letter day for the team. |
| Red-handed | caught in the act | The robbers were caught red-handed by the police. |
| Root and branch | completely eradicate | The government needs to uproot corruption root and branch from the country. |
S
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Salt of the earth | a good and honest person | My grandfather was the salt of the earth, always helping others in need. |
| Smell a rat | sense something suspicious | I smell a rat in his story about why he was late for the meeting. |
| Square deal | fair and honest treatment | The company offered a square deal to all its employees, ensuring equal opportunities and fair wages. |
| Stone’s throw | a short distance away | The grocery store was just a stone’s throw from his apartment. |
T
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Take heart | to gain confidence | After a string of rejections, he took heart and continued to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. |
| Three R’s | basic literacy skills | Many schools in underdeveloped countries focus on teaching the three R’s. |
| To the backbone | completely | She is a feminist to the backbone and fights for women’s rights. |
| To the contrary | to express the opposite opinion | Despite what many people believe, to the contrary, cats can be trained. |
| Turning point | a critical moment | Graduating from college was a turning point in her life, as it marked the beginning of her career. |
U
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Up and doing | to be active and energetic | If you want to succeed in life, you must be up and doing. |
| Ups and downs | the highs and lows of life | Marriage is a journey with its ups and downs. |
| Under age | not yet of legal age | He couldn’t join the army because he was still under age. |
| Under the circumstances | considering the situation | Under the circumstances, it’s best to postpone the event. |
| Up and down | hither and thither | The waves of the ocean were moving up and down. |
V
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Vexed question | a complex and much-debated issue | Climate change remains a vexed question among policymakers. |
W
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Wild goose chase | an unsuccessful pursuit | Searching for the lost ring in the park proved to be a wild goose chase. |
| White elephant | an expensive and unprofitable possession | The luxurious yacht he bought turned out to be a white elephant. |
| Weal and woe | both joy and sorrow in life | The couple had experienced their fair share of weal and woe during their long marriage. |
| Widow’s mite | a small but meaningful contribution | The donation of a single dollar may seem small, but it can be a widow’s mite to someone in need. |
| Well and good | satisfactory and acceptable | It’s well and good that you want to help, but we need a more concrete plan. |
Y
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Yeoman’s service | diligent and valuable work | The volunteer organization provided yeoman’s service to the community after the natural disaster. |
Z
| IDIOMS | MEANINGS | EXAMPLES |
| Zenith of power | the peak of one’s authority or influence | The president’s approval ratings were at the zenith of power after his successful foreign policy initiative. |
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