Home of English Grammar

Grammar Guide
  • Home
  • Exercises
  • Matches
  • Rules
  • Tools
    • Grammar Checker
    • Very Replacer
    • Word Counter
  • Top Social Media Posts
  • Various Posts
  • Vocabulary
  • Writing Guides
  • Contact

Some common idiomatic expressions

May 3, 2016 - pdf

Idioms are a wonderful aspect of the English language. Your language skills will improve considerably if you learn the correct use of common idioms.

Here are some common idiomatic expressions in English.

To vanish into thin air

If something vanishes into thin air, it disappears entirely.

  • The police constable was confused, for the thief seemed to have vanished into thin air.

All at once

If something happens all at once, it happens suddenly and unexpectedly.

  • All at once, it started raining.

The apple of one’s eye

If something is the apple of your eye, it is extremely precious to you.

  • She was the apple of her father’s eye.

In apple-pie order

If something is in apple-pie order, it is perfectly arranged and tidy.

  • She always keeps her house in apple-pie order.

Once in a blue moon

If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely.

  • I visit my grandparents once in a blue moon.

By a hair’s breadth

If you miss something by a hair’s breadth, you miss it narrowly.

  • The huge boulder missed us by a hair’s breadth.

To break one’s word

To break one’s word is to fail to do what one has promised.

  • He broke his word and sided with my arch enemy.

To bury the hatchet

To bury the hatchet is to forget past differences and to become friends again.

  • The two warring nations finally decided to bury the hatchet.
  • Share
  • Post
  • Post
  • Email
NEW: Try Matches, our daily vocabulary challenge. Pick a topic and level and match words with definitions to boost your vocabulary.
2,485,429 
760,468 
Improve Your Grammar
  • Download 2026 Grammar Guide (PDF)
  • Free Weekly Exercises & Vocabulary
  • Join over 3 Million English Learners
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.

Grammar Checker

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

Latest Posts

  • 100 Idioms Expats Need for Everyday Life March 31, 2026
  • 100 Words Every Makeup Artist Should Know March 31, 2026
  • 100 Words DIY Crafter Should Know March 31, 2026
  • English binomials: why some word pairs have a fixed order March 31, 2026
  • Advanced Conditionals Exercise March 31, 2026
  • Collocations: natural word pairings in English March 31, 2026
  • 100 Words Wedding Planner Should Know March 31, 2026

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

Improve Your Grammar
  • Download 2026 Grammar Guide (PDF)
  • Free Weekly Exercises & Vocabulary
  • Join over 3 Million English Learners
We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.