Definition of Idiom Examples of Idioms with Meanings

 Definition of Idiom

An idiom is a group of words or a phrase that has a figurative meaning different from the literal meanings of the individual words. Idioms are commonly used expressions in a language and often cannot be understood simply by knowing the meanings of the separate words.

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Key Features of Idioms

1. Figurative Meaning:
   The meaning is not literal; for example, "spill the beans" means to reveal a secret, not actually dropping beans.
2. Fixed Structure:
   Idioms usually have a set form that cannot be changed easily without losing the meaning.
3. Cultural Context:
   Idioms often reflect the culture, history, or traditions of a language, and may not translate well into other languages.
4. Common in Daily Speech:
   Native speakers frequently use idioms in conversation, writing, and even media (songs, movies, etc.).

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Examples of Idioms with Meanings

Idiom	Meaning
Break the ice	To start a conversation in a social setting
A piece of cake	Something very easy to do
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret
Hit the nail on the head	To describe exactly what is causing a situation
Under the weather	Feeling sick or unwell

 

100 Idioms and Their Meanings

1.      A blessing in disguise – A good thing that seemed bad at first

2.      A dime a dozen – Something very common and not special

3.      Beat around the bush – Avoid saying something directly

4.      Better late than never – It's better to do something late than not at all

5.      Bite the bullet – To do something difficult or unpleasant

6.      Break the ice – Start a conversation in a social setting

7.      By the book – To follow rules strictly

8.      Call it a day – Stop working for the day

9.      Cut corners – Do something cheaply or quickly and carelessly

10. Cut to the chase – Get to the point

11. Devil’s advocate – Argue the opposite side for the sake of discussion

12. Don't cry over spilled milk – Don’t regret what can’t be undone

13. Don’t judge a book by its cover – Don’t judge by appearance only

14. Down to earth – Practical and realistic

15. Every cloud has a silver lining – There's good in every bad situation

16. Feel under the weather – Feel sick or unwell

17. Get a taste of your own medicine – Be treated the way you treat others

18. Give someone the cold shoulder – Ignore someone

19. Go the extra mile – Do more than expected

20. Hit the sack – Go to bed

21. Hit the nail on the head – Be exactly right

22. In hot water – In trouble

23. It takes two to tango – Both people are responsible

24. Jump on the bandwagon – Follow a trend or join others

25. Keep an eye on – Watch carefully

26. Kick the bucket – To die

27. Kill two birds with one stone – Achieve two things at once

28. Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret

29. Make a long story short – Tell something briefly

30. Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity

31. No pain, no gain – You must work hard to achieve something

32. On thin ice – In a risky situation

33. Once in a blue moon – Very rarely

34. Out of the blue – Unexpectedly

35. Piece of cake – Very easy

36. Put all your eggs in one basket – Rely on only one plan

37. Rain on someone’s parade – Ruin someone’s plans

38. Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning

39. Rome wasn’t built in a day – Important things take time

40. See eye to eye – Agree completely

41. Speak of the devil – When the person you were talking about appears

42. Spill the beans – Reveal a secret

43. Steal someone’s thunder – Take credit for someone else’s idea

44. Take with a grain of salt – Don’t take it too seriously

45. The ball is in your court – It's your decision now

46. The best of both worlds – Have two advantages

47. Throw in the towel – Give up

48. Time flies – Time passes quickly

49. To add fuel to the fire – Make a situation worse

50. Turn a blind eye – Ignore something bad

51. Up in the air – Uncertain

52. Walk on eggshells – Be very careful with someone

53. Water under the bridge – Past events no longer important

54. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen

55. You can't judge a book by its cover – Don't judge based on looks

56. Your guess is as good as mine – I don’t know either

57. Bite off more than you can chew – Take on too much work

58. Break a leg – Good luck (especially before a performance)

59. Cry wolf – Raise a false alarm

60. Hit the road – Leave or start a journey

61. Go down in flames – Fail spectacularly

62. Keep your chin up – Stay strong in a tough situation

63. Kick the habit – Stop a bad habit

64. Know the ropes – Know how something works

65. Lose your touch – No longer be good at something

66. Off the hook – Free from blame or responsibility

67. On cloud nine – Extremely happy

68. Play it by ear – Improvise

69. Pull someone’s leg – Joke or tease someone

70. Put a sock in it – Be quiet

71. Raining cats and dogs – Raining very heavily

72. Rock the boat – Cause trouble or change

73. Rule of thumb – General principle

74. Sit on the fence – Avoid making a decision

75. Smell a rat – Suspect something is wrong

76. Take the bull by the horns – Face a problem boldly

77. Taste of your own medicine – Get treated as you treat others

78. Throw someone under the bus – Betray a friend

79. Tie the knot – Get married

80. Under your nose – In plain sight

81. Weather the storm – Survive a difficult situation

82. Wrap your head around – Understand something difficult

83. Zip your lip – Keep quiet

84. Go back to the drawing board – Start over

85. Burn the midnight oil – Work late into the night

86. A leopard can’t change its spots – People don't change their true nature

87. Add insult to injury – Make a bad situation worse

88. At the drop of a hat – Without hesitation

89. Back to square one – Start again from the beginning

90. Barking up the wrong tree – Looking in the wrong place

91. Behind closed doors – Secretly

92. Between a rock and a hard place – Faced with two bad options

93. Burn bridges – Ruin relationships

94. Caught red-handed – Caught in the act

95. Change your tune – Change your opinion

96. Cold feet – Nervous before something important

97. Come rain or shine – No matter what happens

98. Cross that bridge when you come to it – Deal with the problem later

99. Drop the ball – Make a mistake

100.                     Face the music – Accept the consequences