50 Idioms Every Adult Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	Break the ice	to relieve tension or get conversation started in an awkward situation.
2.	Bite the bullet	to endure a painful or unpleasant task courageously.
3.	Hit the nail on the head	to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
4.	Let the cat out of the bag	to reveal a secret, often unintentionally.
5.	Kill two birds with one stone	to achieve two aims with a single effort.
6.	Barking up the wrong tree	to pursue a mistaken or misguided course of action.
7.	Piece of cake	something very easy to do.
8.	Cost an arm and a leg	to be very expensive.
9.	Cut corners	to do something poorly or cheaply.
10.	Under the weather	feeling unwell or sick.
11.	The ball is in your court	it’s your turn to take action or make a decision.
12.	Back to square one	to have to start over again.
13.	A blessing in disguise	something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good.
14.	A dime a dozen	very common and of little value.
15.	Beat around the bush	to avoid talking about what’s important.
16.	Better late than never	it’s better to do something late than not do it at all.
17.	Bite off more than you can chew	to take on more responsibility than you can manage.
18.	Actions speak louder than words	what people do is more important than what they say.
19.	Apple of my eye	someone who is cherished above all others.
20.	His bark is worse than his bite	someone’s threats are worse than their actions.
21.	Burn bridges	to destroy one’s relationships or opportunities.
22.	Call it a day	to stop working on something.
23.	Cry over spilled milk	to be upset about something that cannot be changed.
24.	Devil’s advocate	someone who argues a point for the sake of debate.
25.	Every cloud has a silver lining	every bad situation has some positive aspect.
26.	Get out of hand	to become uncontrolled.
27.	Give the benefit of the doubt	to choose to believe someone’s statement, without proof.
28.	Hit the sack	to go to bed.
29.	In the blink of an eye	very quickly; in a very short time.
30.	Jump on the bandwagon	to join others in doing something that is currently popular.
31.	Keep your chin up	to remain cheerful and hopeful in difficult circumstances.
32.	Let sleeping dogs lie	to avoid interfering in a situation that is currently causing no problems.
33.	Miss the boat	to miss an opportunity.
34.	Off the cuff	without preparation; spontaneously.
35.	Once in a blue moon	very rarely.
36.	Out of the blue	unexpectedly; without warning.
37.	Pull someone’s leg	to tease or joke with someone.
38.	On the ball	alert, knowledgeable, and competent.
39.	On thin ice	in a risky or precarious situation.
40.	Rain on someone’s parade	to spoil someone’s plans or enjoyment.
41.	Rome wasn’t built in a day	important things take time to complete.
42.	Saved by the bell	rescued from a difficult situation at the last moment.
43.	The best of both worlds	enjoying two desirable but normally incompatible things at once.
44.	Through thick and thin	in both good times and bad.
45.	Time flies when you’re having fun	time seems to pass quickly when you’re enjoying yourself.
46.	Twist someone’s arm	to persuade someone to do something they’re reluctant to do.
47.	Up in the air	undecided or unresolved.
48.	When pigs fly	something that will never happen.
49.	You can’t judge a book by its cover	you shouldn’t judge someone or something by appearance alone.
50.	Your guess is as good as mine	I have no more idea than you do.