70 Essential English Idioms

Idioms that are easy to understand

These idioms are easy to remember because they have a visual meaning or are similar to expressions in other languages!

Expression	Explanation	Audio
a bitter pill	Something difficult or unpleasant to accept.
Achilles’ heel	A weakness or vulnerable point.
from A to Z	Covering everything from start to finish.
proud as a peacock	Very proud or self-satisfied.
put the cart before the horse	Doing things in the wrong order.
don’t judge a book by its cover	Don’t make decisions based on appearances.
add insult to injury	Make a bad situation worse.
kill two birds with one stone.	Achieve two things at once.
all ears	Listening attentively.
cross one’s fingers	Hope for good luck.
the apple of my eye	Someone very special or cherished.
it’s not my cup of tea	Not something I like or enjoy.
put all your eggs in one basket	Risk everything on a single plan.

Must-Know Basic Idioms

Expression	Explanation	Audio
drive you crazy	Make someone feel very annoyed or upset.
to beat around the bush	To avoid talking directly about something.
as good as gold	Very well-behaved or admirable.
a piece of cake	Something very easy to do.
feel under the weather	To feel unwell or sick.
Bob’s your uncle	Everything is fine; it will all work out well.
like taking candy off a baby	Something extremely easy to do.
to do something for Britain	To do something with great enthusiasm or effort.
every cloud has a silver lining	There is always something positive in a negative situation.

Idioms Related to Body Parts

Expression	Explanation	Audio
a pain in the neck / in the ass	Someone or something very annoying or bothersome.
cost an arm and a leg	Something very expensive.
play it by ear	To improvise or handle a situation as it unfolds.
to get something off your chest	To talk about something that has been bothering you.
to have cold feet	To feel nervous or have second thoughts about something.
to keep an eye on something	To watch or monitor something closely.
to go over your head	To not understand something.
the apple of my eye	Someone very special or cherished.
work one’s fingers to the bone	To work very hard.
to catch somebody red-handed	To catch someone in the act of doing something wrong.

Idioms Related to Food

Expression	Explanation	Audio
it is a piece of cake	Something very easy or simple to do.
to bite off more than you can chew	To take on more responsibility than you can handle.
to be in a pickle / a bit of a pickle	To be in a difficult or tricky situation.
to butter someone up	To flatter someone to gain their favor.
in a nutshell	To explain something clearly.
spill the beans	To reveal a secret or disclose information.
icing on the cake	An additional benefit or bonus that makes a good situation even better.

Idioms Related to Animals

Expression	Explanation	Audio
a little bird told me	I heard something from a secret or unknown source.
and pigs can fly	Something that will never happen (used sarcastically).
kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two things with a single action.
sleep with the fishes	To die or be killed (often used in a threatening context).
put the cat among the pigeons	Cause trouble or stir up a situation.
let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret, often by accident.
to have a frog in one’s throat	Having difficulty speaking because of a sore throat.
it’s raining cats and dogs	It’s raining very heavily.
to eat like a horse	Eat a lot or have a large appetite.

Idioms to Use at Work

Expression	Explanation	Audio
put off	Delay or procrastinate something until later.
take off	Grow or increase rapidly.
people person	Someone who is good at interacting with others; a social person.
have a lot on your plate	To have many responsibilities or tasks to handle.
selling like hotcakes	Selling quickly and in large quantities.
think outside the box	To think creatively or differently from the norm.
win-win situation	A situation where all parties benefit.
test the waters	To try something out to see how it will be received or work.
bang for the buck	Getting the most value or profit for the money or effort spent.
on the back burner	Not a priority; something that can be dealt with later.
in the red	Financially in debt or losing money.
in the black	Financially profitable or in a good financial situation.

Remember, these are 70 of the most common idiomatic expressions.

Take your time learning them and, most importantly, try to use them in your daily conversations!

Why is it important to know English idiomatic expressions?

Idioms are a big part of everyday English. Just like in many other languages, native English speakers use them frequently.

If you don’t know any idioms, you might misunderstand some conversations—or even think something completely different from what was meant!

For example:

If someone says:

“She’s sleeping with the fishes“

You might burst out laughing and wonder what kind of adventure this woman had with fish…

But in reality, it doesn’t mean that at all! It actually means that she is dead.

Do you see how this could lead to a very awkward situation?