Useful Idioms for IELTS

Useful Idioms for IELTS

1. Common Idioms for Opinions & Discussions (Task 2 + Speaking Part 3)

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
In the long run	After a long time / eventually	In the long run, investing in education benefits the whole nation.	अन्ततः / लामो समयपछि
The pros and cons	Advantages and disadvantages	We must consider the pros and cons of online learning before making decisions.	फाइदा र बेफाइदा
A double-edged sword	Something that has both good and bad sides	Technology is a double-edged sword — it connects us but also isolates us.	दुइ धारको तरबार
The tip of the iceberg	A small part of a much bigger problem	Cybercrime cases we hear about are just the tip of the iceberg.	समस्याको सानो भाग
A blessing in disguise	Something good that seems bad at first	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it led me to start my own business.	शुरुमा नराम्रो देखिए पनि अन्ततः फाइदाजनक कुरा
The bottom line	The main point or conclusion	The bottom line is that education reduces poverty.	अन्ततः मुख्य कुरा
Call it a day	To stop working for now	After five hours of studying, I decided to call it a day.	आजको लागि रोक्नु
At the end of the day	When everything is considered	At the end of the day, happiness matters more than money.	अन्ततः / सबै कुरा विचार गर्दा

---

2. Idioms for Giving Opinions (Speaking Part 3)

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
To be honest	Saying something sincerely	To be honest, I think students rely too much on technology.	साँचो भन्नुपर्दा
In my book	In my opinion	In my book, success means personal satisfaction, not wealth.	मेरो दृष्टिकोणमा
As far as I’m concerned	From my point of view	As far as I’m concerned, the environment should be everyone’s priority.	मेरो विचारमा
From where I stand	From my perspective	From where I stand, tourism brings more benefits than drawbacks.	मेरो दृष्टिबाट
It goes without saying	Obviously / clearly true	It goes without saying that education is the foundation of development.	यो भन्नै नपर्ने कुरा हो

---

3. Idioms for Advantages / Disadvantages Essays

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
A win-win situation	Beneficial for both sides	Promoting electric cars is a win-win situation for people and the planet.	दुबै पक्षका लागि लाभदायक अवस्था
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive	Studying abroad can cost an arm and a leg for many families.	निकै महँगो पर्नु
Break the bank	Spend too much money	Owning a house in the city can break the bank.	धेरै खर्च लाग्नु
Worth its weight in gold	Extremely valuable	Good teachers are worth their weight in gold.	अमूल्य हुनु
Food for thought	Something that makes you think	The idea of free public transport gives food for thought.	सोच्ने कुरा / विचारणीय कुरा

---

4. Idioms for Speaking (Fluency Boosters)

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	I eat fast food only once in a blue moon.	कहिलेकाहीँ मात्र
A piece of cake	Very easy	The IELTS listening test was a piece of cake for me.	सजिलो कुरा
Hit the books	To study hard	I have to hit the books this week for my exam.	धेरै अध्ययन गर्नु
Burn the midnight oil	Study or work late at night	I burned the midnight oil preparing for IELTS.	रातभर अध्ययन गर्नु
Under the weather	Feeling sick or unwell	I was a bit under the weather yesterday.	अस्वस्थ हुनु
Over the moon	Extremely happy	I was over the moon when I got my IELTS result.	निकै खुसी हुनु
Cut corners	Do something cheaply or carelessly	Some builders cut corners to save money.	छोटो बाटो अपनाउनु / गुणस्तर घटाउनु
A tough nut to crack	A difficult problem or person	Maths has always been a tough nut to crack for me.	कठिन समस्या / व्यक्ति
On cloud nine	Extremely delighted	She was on cloud nine after getting her visa.	अत्यन्त खुसी हुनु

---

5. Idioms for Problem–Solution Essays

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
In hot water	In trouble	Many cities are in hot water due to rising pollution levels.	समस्यामा हुनु
Find a middle ground	Reach a compromise	Governments must find a middle ground between growth and environment.	बीचको समाधान खोज्नु
Get to the root of the problem	Find the main cause	We need to get to the root of the problem to solve unemployment.	समस्याको जडमा पुग्नु
At the crossroads	Facing an important decision	Humanity is at the crossroads when it comes to climate change.	निर्णयको मोडमा हुनु
Turn a blind eye to	Ignore something	Many people turn a blind eye to traffic rules.	वेवास्ता गर्नु

---

6. Idioms for People & Personality (Speaking Part 2 – Describe a Person)

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
Down to earth	Practical and realistic	My father is a very down-to-earth person.	व्यवहारिक व्यक्ति
A people person	Friendly and sociable	She’s a people person who loves meeting new faces.	मिलनसार व्यक्ति
A cold fish	Unfriendly or unemotional	He seemed like a cold fish at first meeting.	असंवेदनशील व्यक्ति
The life and soul of the party	Very sociable and lively	Rahul is always the life and soul of the party.	रमाइलो गर्ने व्यक्ति
A jack of all trades	Skilled in many things	My uncle is a jack of all trades — he can fix anything!	सबै काममा सिपालु व्यक्ति

---

7. Idioms for Technology & Modern Life

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
The digital age	Modern era of technology	We are living in the digital age where everything is online.	प्रविधिको युग
Go viral	Spread rapidly online	The video of the invention went viral on social media.	छिट्टै फैलिनु
Break new ground	Do something innovative	Tesla has broken new ground in electric vehicle technology.	नयाँ खोज / आविष्कार गर्नु
Behind the times	Old-fashioned	Some teachers are behind the times in using technology.	पुरानो सोचको हुनु

---

8. Idioms for Environment & Global Issues

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
Every cloud has a silver lining	There’s something good in every bad situation	The lockdown was tough, but every cloud has a silver lining — families got closer.	हरेक खराब परिस्थितिमा पनि राम्रो पक्ष हुन्छ
Make ends meet	Manage financially	Many farmers struggle to make ends meet due to low income.	खर्च धान्नु / गुजारा गर्नु
A drop in the ocean	A very small amount compared to what is needed	Planting a few trees is just a drop in the ocean compared to deforestation.	अत्यन्तै सानो योगदान
Go green	Become environmentally friendly	More companies are going green to reduce waste.	वातावरणमैत्री बन्नु

---

9. Idioms for Success, Work, & Study

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
Hit the nail on the head	Say exactly the right thing	Her analysis hit the nail on the head.	ठ्याक्कै कुरा गर्नु
Back to the drawing board	Start again after failure	The plan failed, so we went back to the drawing board.	पुनः योजना बनाउनु
Pull one’s weight	Do one’s fair share of work	Everyone in the team must pull their weight.	आफ्नो जिम्मेवारी पूरा गर्नु
Learn the ropes	Understand how something works	New employees take time to learn the ropes.	सिक्ने प्रक्रियामा हुनु
Go the extra mile	Make extra effort	Teachers who go the extra mile really inspire students.	थप प्रयास गर्नु

---

10. Idioms for Conclusion / Summary

Idiom	Meaning	Example	Nepali Meaning
All in all	In summary	All in all, I believe online learning will dominate the future.	समग्रमा
To cut a long story short	To summarize briefly	To cut a long story short, hard work always pays off.	छोटकरीमा भन्नुपर्दा
In a nutshell	In brief	In a nutshell, health should be everyone’s priority.	संक्षेपमा

---

Tips to Use Idioms Naturally in IELTS 2025

Ø  Use idioms mainly in Speaking and informal essay examples, not in very formal contexts.

Ø  Avoid overusing them — 1 idiom per paragraph is enough.

Ø  Make sure you understand the meaning before using.

Ø  Don’t invent idioms — use well-known ones only.

Ø  Pronounce clearly and confidently in Speaking.