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IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH


LANGUAGE
English Language 1123







IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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Idioms/Saying Explanation
To have ants in your pants.

For example:

Theres a test tomorrow, and he cant
concentrate or keep still. He looks like hes got
ants in his pants.


To unable to keep still because you are very
excited or worried about something
To badger someone

For example:

Dont let people badger you into having a drink.


To pester someone into during something
To be like a bear with sore head

For example:

My husband is like a bear with sore head before
he gets his cup of tea in the morning.


To be in bad mood
A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

For example:

I would stay with your current firm, rather than
look for something better. After all, a bird in the
hand is worth two in the bush.


Having something for certain is better than the
possibility of getting something better.
The early bird catches the worm.

For example:

Ill go to work early tomorrow. After all, the early
bird catches the worm.


If you do something in a timely manner you will
succeed.
A birds eye view

For example:

If you look like at google Maps you can get a
birds eye view of your street.


The appearance of something seen from above
Birds of a feather flock together

For example:

At the party, all the teenagers gathered in the
kitchen. Birds of a feather flock together.


People who have similar characters or similar
interests will choose to spend time together.
To kill two birds with one stone



IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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For example:

I went to the dentist, and asked him to fill the
molar, and remove the wisdom tooth at the same
time. Might as well kill two birds with one stone.
Two solve two problems with one single action
To be like a bull in china shop

For example:

Dont let him touch those glass baubles; hes like
a bull in a china shop.


To be clumsy
A cat nap

For example:

I always have a cat nap after lunch.


A short sleep, during the day
To be like a cat on a hot tin roof

For example:

Shes waiting for her boyfriend to call, and shes
been like a cat on a hot tin roof all day.


To be nervous and unable to keep still
A fat cat

For example:

Too many fat cats have made money out of the
recession.


Someone who is very rich and powerful
A scaredy-cat

For example:

Its only a little spider, dont be such a scaredy-
cat.





Someone who is frightened for no reason
The cats whiskers

For example:

She thought she was the cats whiskers when she
got the party in the play.



When someone thinks theyre better than
everyone else
Has the cat got your tongue?

For example:

Why are you being so quiet? Cat got your
tongue?


Said when someone isnt saying anything
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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To let the cat out of the bag

For example:

Everybody knows about the redundancies,
someone let the cat out of the bag.


To reveal a secret
To look like the cat that got the cream

For example:

I guess you passed your exam. You look like the
cat that got the cream.


To look very pleased and a bit smug about
something
To put a cat among the pigeons

For example:

When the photos showed him kissing a young
woman, it really put the cat among the pigeons


To cause trouble
Not enough room to swing the cat

For example:

In our old flat there wasnt enough room to swing
a cat.


Used to describe a place that is very small
Its raining cats and dogs!

For example:

We had to run for shelter when it started raining
cats and dogs.


Its raining very heavily
Look what the cats dragged in!

For example:

Look what the cats dragged in! You look
terrible!


An insulting way of saying that someone has just
arrived and they dont look good
To be a chicken or To be chicken or To be chicken
livered.

For example:

She wouldnt get on the waltzers, because she
said theyre dangerous. Shes such a chicken.




Someone who is cowardly
A cuckoo in the nest

For example:

Someone who is part of a group but is different
and often disliked, or a problem that grows quickly
and crowds out everything else
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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The new manager is a real cuckoo in the nest.
Hes causing more problems than hes solving.
Living in cloud cuckoo land

For example:

He thinks the recession wont affect his business.
Hes living in cloud cuckoo land.


Used to describe someone who has ideas of plans
that are completely unrealistic
A dog and pony show

For example:

His campaign was a real dog and pony show, but
he still didnt win the election.


A show or other event that has been organized in
order to get peoples support or to persuade them
to buy something
A shaggy dog story

For example:

The way he kept going on led me to suspect it
was a shaggy dog story.


A joke or story thats obviously not true or has a
silly ending
To be like dog with two tails

For example:

When we found out we had won the contract,
our manger was like a dog with two tails.


To be very happy
To be dog-eared

For example:

I wont lend her any more books; the last one she
gave back to me was dog-eared.


If something is dog-eared, it is in bad condition
To be dog tired

For example:

The party went on till 4am. I was dog tired the
next day.


To be exhausted
A dead duck

For example:

The police admitted that they were giving up, the
case was a dead duck.


A failure
The elephant in the room

For example:



A problem or situation that everyone knows about
nut no one mentions
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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Her blindness was the elephant in the room.
A cold fish

For example:

Her husband is a real cold fish, its impossible to
tell whether hes happy or not.


Someone who doesnt dhow how they feel
A different kettle of fish

For example:

Oh! They want to place an order? Thats a
different kettle of fish. Of course Ill talk to them


A different matter or issue
To be as sly as a fox

For example:

He managed to get all his money out before the
bank collapsed. Hes a sly old fox.


To be sneakily clever
To get someones goat

For example:

The whole time I was singing she didnt stop
talking. She really got my goat.


To upset someone
A dark horse

For example:

I was surprised when he sat down to play the
piano. I didnt know he could! Hes a real dark
horse.


A person who is secretive and often does
something surprising
To close (shut) the stable door after the horse has
bolted

For example:

Giving the banks billions of dollars, is like closing
the stable door after the horse has bolted.



To try to fix something after the problem has
occurred
To eat like a horse

For example:

He had two helpings of everything. He eats like a
horse!


To eat a lot
Straight from the horses mouth

For examples:


To hear something interesting from someone
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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The rumor is true, the company will announce a
large contract today, I heard it straight from the
horses mouth; the managing director told me.
actually involved
Mutton dressed (up) as lamb

For example:

Shes over fifty and should really stop wearing
miniskirts if she doesnt want to look like mutton
dressed as lamb


Used to describe a woman who is dressed in a
style that is more suitable for much younger
woman
To put cat among pigeons

For example:

When the photos showed him kissing a young
woman, it really put the cat among the pigeons



To cause trouble
A dog and pony show

For example:

His campaign was a real dog and pony show, but
he still didnt win the election


A show or other event that has been organized in
order to get peoples support to persuade them to
buy something
To be like a rabbit in headlights

For example:

As I walked into the exam room, I was like a
rabbit in the headlights


To be so frightened or surprised that you cannot
move or think
To pull the rabbit out of the hat

For example:

He really pulled a rabbit out of the hat by getting
those orders


To Surprise everyone by suddenly doing something
clever
A wolf in sheeps clothing

For example:

I wouldnt borrow any money off him if I were
you. Hes a real wolf in sheeps clothing


Someone who is dangerous, but pretends to be
harmless
Even a blind Squirrel can find a nut once in a while

For example:

I was surprised when he came up with the solution, I
didnt think he was that clever. I guess that even a blind
squirrel can find a nut once in a while


Sometimes people can be correct just by being
lucky
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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To have a tiger by the tail

For example:

Trying to deal with the problem of drugs on the
streets is like grabbing a tiger by the tail


To have become associated with something
powerful and potentially dangerous
To talk turkey

For example:

We need to solve this problem and the only way
well do it is to talk turkey


To speak frankly and openly
To cry wolf

For example:

Dont take any notice of him, hes always crying
wolf


To raise a false alarm about something
The early bird catches the worm

For example:

Ill go to work early tomorrow. After all, the early
bird catches the worm


If you do something in a timely manner you will
succeed
To knock ones head against a brick wall

For example:

I have been knocking my head against a brick wall
trying to solve this weeks Mind Bender


To waste time trying to do something with little or
no success
To bank on something / someone

For example:

You can always bank on friends to help you


Something or Someone you can be sure of
To lock the barn door after the horse has bolted

For example:

Buying a burglar alarm after the break in was like
locking the barn door after the horse had bolted


To be careful or try to make something safe when
it is too late
To be banging/hitting your head against a brick
wall

For example:

Trying to get them to do their homework is like
banging my head against a brick wall


To keep asking someone to do something which
they never do
IDIOMS FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE

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Like a ton of bricks

For example:

The news of the accident hit me like a ton of
bricks


To be affected strongly or forcefully by
Something
You cant make bricks without straw

For example:

Its no good trying to build a website if you dont
know any html, you cant make bricks without a
straw


You cannot do something correctly without the
necessary materials/knowledge
To burn your bridges

For example:

When he handed in his resignation he had burnt
his bridges.


To do something that makes it impossible for you
to change your plans and go back to the situation
you were in before.
Rome wasnt built in a day

For example:

Its taken me years to build this site, and Im still
not finished! Still, Rome wasnt built in a day.


It takes a long time to do an important job
Castles in the air

For example:

She is always building castles in the air and is very
unrealistic


To have day dreams
To be in doghouse

For example:

He was really in the doghouse after borrowing his
fathers car without permission


To be in trouble
To hold the fort

For example:

He has been holding the fort at his company
while his boss is on vacation


To cope in an emergency, often by acting as a
temporary substitute
Close to home

For example:

What the fortune teller said about my past life hit


To be near to someones personal feelings, wishes
or interests
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close to home, it was uncanny
Make oneself at home

For example:

I always make myself at home when I visit my in-
laws


To act as if you were at home
House of cards

For example:

The peace agreement between the two countries
was like a house of cards and quickly fell apart


Something badly put together and easily knocked
down, a poorly thought out plan/action
On the house

For example:

The club was celebrating its anniversary so the
drinks were on the house


Something provided free by a business especially
in a bar or restaurant
Put ones own house in order

For example:

The government should put its own house in
order before it tells others what to do


Organize ones own private affairs
To bring the house down

For example:

The last act was so good they brought the house
down


To cause a lot of applause or laughter
People who live in glass house shouldnt throw
stones

For example:

He was always telling people to be honest and
then he stole the money; he should know that
people who live in glass houses shouldnt throw
stones.



Do not complain about other people if you are as
bad as they are
Run-of-the-mill

For example:

Nothing extraordinary happened the whole day
was very run-of-the-mill


Something that is ordinary or usual
To go through the mill



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For example:

Since his divorce he was really gone through the
mill
To experience a difficult situation
To go through the roof

For example:

When she saw how dirty his clothes were, his
mother went through the roof


To become very angry, go into a rage
To hit the roof

For example:

He hit the roof when he found out that his son
had wrecked the family car.


To become very angry, go into a rage
The elephant in the room

For example:

Her blindness was the elephants in the room


A problem or a situation that everyone knows
about but no one mentions
To be a tower of strength

For example:

He has been a real tower of strength all through
the divorce


Someone who gives strong and reliable support
A hole in the wall

For example:

1) We went for a drink at a little hole in the
wall near the university last night
2) I went to the hole in the wall to get some
cash



1) A small place to live, stay or work in

2) A cash Machine
To climb the wall

For example:

The journey was so boring she was soon climbing
the wall


To be so bored that you become anxious and
frustrated

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