Home of English Grammar

Grammar Guide
  • Home
  • Exercises
  • Rules
  • Test Yourself
  • Tools
    • Grammar Checker
    • Word Counter
  • Top Social Media Posts
  • Vocabulary
  • Writing Guides
  • Contact
You are here: Home / Words / Common idiomatic expressions

Common idiomatic expressions

October 24, 2016 - pdf

Some common idioms and their meanings are given below with example sentences.

Pay homage

To pay homage is to show respect.

  • Thousands of people paid homage to their favorite leader.

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis is the changes in form.

  • These pictures show the metamorphosis in the life of a butterfly.

Settle a score

To settle a score is to take revenge on somebody.

  • He is waiting for an opportunity to settle scores with his former business partner.

Up to scratch

If something is up to scratch, it is satisfactory.

From scratch

To build something from scratch is to build it from the very beginning.

  • He built a business empire from scratch.

Screw someone up

To screw someone up is to make them emotionally disturbed.

  • Her tragic story screwed me up.

Screw something up

To screw something up is to make something go wrong.

Put someone in the shade

To put someone in the shade is to be better or more impressive than them.

Shake something up

To shake something up is to make major changes to it.

Like sheep

This is an expression used to refer to people who are easily led or influenced.

Come out of your shell

To come out of your shell is to stop being shy.

Take a shine to

When you take a shine to something, you develop a liking for it.

Take the shine off

To take the shine off something is to make it less attractive or good.

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes

To put yourself in someone else’s shoes is to imagine yourself in their situation.

  • Share
  • Post
  • Post
  • Email
2,485,429 
735,807 

Grammar Checker

GrammarCheck.net - Try online
Hint → Bookmark GrammarCheck for future use.

Latest Exercises

  • Finite And Non-finite Verbs Exercise for Class 8 December 31, 2025
  • Intermediate Level Grammar Exercise for ESL Students December 28, 2025
  • Gap Filling Verbs Exercise B1 Level December 28, 2025
  • Non-finite Verbs – Gerunds And Infinitives December 27, 2025
  • General Grammar Exercise for ESL Students December 26, 2025
  • B1 Level Grammar Exercise for ESL Students December 25, 2025
  • General Grammar Exercise Gap Filling December 24, 2025
  • Gerund or Infinitive ESL Grammar Exercise December 23, 2025
  • Determiners – Either, Neither, Both December 22, 2025

Copyright © 2026 · EnglishGrammar.org
Disclaimer · Privacy Policy · Sitemap