Idioms and their usages

 

1. To paddle one’s own canoe – To be independent and self-reliant

2. To throw in the towel – To give up or admit defeat

3. To strike while the iron is hot – To take advantage of an opportunity while it lasts

4. To blow one’s own trumpet – To boast or praise oneself

5. To turn over a new leaf – To start afresh or change one’s behavior for the better

6. To lay one’s cards on the table – To be open and honest about one’s intentions or plans

7. To leave no stone unturned – To try every possible means to achieve something

8. To bury the hatchet – To make peace and end a conflict

9. To hit the nail on the head – To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem

10. To get into hot water – To get into trouble

11. A blessing in disguise – Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good

12. A piece of cake – Something very easy to do

13. Burn the midnight oil – To work late into the night

14. Cry over spilt milk – To worry about something that cannot be undone

15. Hit the sack – To go to bed or go to sleep

16. The ball is in your court – It’s your turn to take action or make a decision

17. Add fuel to the fire – To make a bad situation worse

18. Once in a blue moon – Something that happens very rarely

19. Pull someone’s leg – To joke or tease someone playfully

20. Cost an arm and a leg – To be very expensive

21. Walk on eggshells – To be very cautious about what you say or do to avoid offending someone

22. Break the ice – To start a conversation in a social setting to relieve tension

23. Under the weather – Feeling sick or unwell

24. Bite the bullet – To face a difficult situation with courage

25. Let the cat out of the bag – To reveal a secret unintentionally

26. Hit the road – To leave or begin a journey

27. Jump on the bandwagon – To join others in doing something that is currently popular or trending

28. Throw cold water on something – To discourage or reduce enthusiasm for something

29. Go the extra mile – To do more than what is expected

30. Kick the bucket – To die (used in informal or humorous contexts)

31. Spill the beans – To reveal a secret or disclose information.

32. Break a leg – A way to wish someone good luck.

33. Cut corners – To do something poorly to save time or money.

34. Bite off more than you can chew – To take on too much responsibility.

35. Burn your bridges – To destroy one's path, connections, or opportunities.

36. Every cloud has a silver lining – There is something good in every bad situation.

37. In hot water – In trouble or difficulty.

38. Let sleeping dogs lie – To avoid restarting old conflicts.

39. Off the hook – No longer in trouble.

40. On cloud nine – Extremely happy or joyful.

41. See eye to eye – To agree fully.

42. Steal someone’s thunder – To take attention or credit from someone else.

43. Take it with a grain of salt – To not take something too seriously.

44. Under your nose – Something obvious happening nearby.

45. Up in the air – Unsettled or undecided.

46. Wrap your head around something – To understand something complex.

47. On the ball – Alert and efficient.

48. By the skin of your teeth – Just barely managing something.

49. Put all your eggs in one basket – To risk everything on a single plan.

50. Back to the drawing board – To start over after a failure.

Usage of idioms in sentences 

1. To paddle one’s own canoe – She likes to paddle her own canoe and make her own decisions.

2. To throw in the towel – After failing twice, he threw in the towel.

3. To strike while the iron is hot – Apply for the job now—strike while the iron is hot!

4. To blow one’s own trumpet – He’s always blowing his own trumpet about his success.

5. To turn over a new leaf – He turned over a new leaf and started studying hard.

6. To lay one’s cards on the table – Let’s lay our cards on the table and talk honestly.

7. To leave no stone unturned – We left no stone unturned to find her lost cat.

8. To bury the hatchet – They finally buried the hatchet and became friends again.

9. To hit the nail on the head – You hit the nail on the head with that answer!

10. To get into hot water – He got into hot water for breaking the rule.

11. A blessing in disguise – Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.

12. A piece of cake – The math test was a piece of cake.

13. Burn the midnight oil – She burned the midnight oil to finish her homework.

14. Cry over spilt milk – Don’t cry over spilt milk. It’s already done.

15. Hit the sack – I’m really tired. I’m going to hit the sack now.

16. The ball is in your court – I’ve done my part, now the ball is in your court.

17. Add fuel to the fire – Don’t shout; you’ll just add fuel to the fire.

18. Once in a blue moon – We go to the beach once in a blue moon.

19. Pull someone’s leg – Are you serious or just pulling my leg?

20. Cost an arm and a leg – That phone cost an arm and a leg!

21. Walk on eggshells – I have to walk on eggshells around my angry boss.

22. Break the ice – She told a joke to break the ice.

23. Under the weather – I’m feeling under the weather today.

24. Bite the bullet – I had to bite the bullet and tell the truth.

25. Let the cat out of the bag – She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

26. Hit the road – Let’s hit the road early to avoid traffic.

27. Jump on the bandwagon – He jumped on the bandwagon and started using that app too.

28. Throw cold water on something – She threw cold water on my great idea.

29. Go the extra mile – The teacher goes the extra mile to help us.

30. Kick the bucket – Sadly, the old man kicked the bucket last night.

31. Spill the beans – He spilled the beans about the secret.

32. Break a leg – Good luck in the play! Break a leg!

33. Cut corners – They cut corners while building the house, and now it leaks.

34. Bite off more than you can chew – He bit off more than he could chew by taking two jobs.

35. Burn your bridges – Don’t burn your bridges with your old friends.

36. Every cloud has a silver lining – She failed the test but learned a lot—every cloud has a silver lining.

37. In hot water – He’s in hot water for being late again.

38. Let sleeping dogs lie – Don’t ask about that fight—let sleeping dogs lie.

39. Off the hook – You’re off the hook; someone else confessed.

40. On cloud nine – She was on cloud nine after winning the game.

41. See eye to eye – We don’t see eye to eye on politics.

42. Steal someone’s thunder – He stole my thunder by taking credit for my idea.

43. Take it with a grain of salt – Take his words with a grain of salt—he likes to exaggerate.

44. Under your nose – The keys were right under your nose!

45. Up in the air – Our vacation plans are still up in the air.

46. Wrap your head around something – I can’t wrap my head around that hard math problem.

47. On the ball – She’s really on the ball with her studies.

48. By the skin of your teeth – He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.

49. Put all your eggs in one basket – Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; try different things.

50. Back to the drawing board – That plan failed, so it’s back to the drawing board.

Happy learning with Noor E Alam 

University of Dhaka