100 Idioms Every College Student Should Know

No.	Term	Definition
1.	A blessing in disguise	A good thing that seemed bad.
2.	A dime a dozen	Very common; not special.
3.	A drop in the bucket	A tiny amount; negligible.
4.	A far cry from	Very different from.
5.	A fish out of water	Uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
6.	A leopard can’t change spots	People rarely change their nature.
7.	A long shot	Unlikely to succeed.
8.	A penny for your thoughts	Tell me what you’re thinking.
9.	A picture is worth 1,000 words	Images convey meaning better than words.
10.	A piece of cake	Very easy to do.
11.	A storm in a teacup	A big fuss over little.
12.	A tough nut to crack	A difficult problem or person.
13.	Against the clock	Racing to finish before time.
14.	All ears	Listening attentively.
15.	All in the same boat	Sharing the same situation.
16.	All talk, no action	Says much; does little.
17.	An arm and a leg	Very expensive.
18.	Around the clock	Continuously; all day and night.
19.	As cool as a cucumber	Calm under pressure.
20.	At the drop of a hat	Immediately; without hesitation.
21.	Back to square one	Return to the beginning.
22.	Barking up the wrong tree	Pursuing the wrong cause.
23.	Beat around the bush	Avoid saying directly.
24.	Beggars can’t be choosers	Take what’s offered; no demands.
25.	Bend over backwards	Try very hard to help.
26.	Bite off more than you can chew	Take on too much.
27.	Bite the bullet	Face something painful bravely.
28.	Break the ice	Start conversation; ease tension.
29.	Bring home the bacon	Earn money; provide support.
30.	Burn the midnight oil	Work late into the night.
31.	By the book	Following rules exactly.
32.	Call it a day	Stop working for now.
33.	Call the shots	Be in charge; decide.
34.	Catch-22	No-win situation; rules trap you.
35.	Caught red-handed	Caught doing something wrong.
36.	Change of heart	A shift in opinion.
37.	Chip on your shoulder	Resentful; ready to argue.
38.	Cold feet	Nervousness causing hesitation.
39.	Cost an arm and a leg	Be extremely expensive.
40.	Cross that bridge later	Deal with it when needed.
41.	Cry over spilled milk	Regret something that can’t change.
42.	Cut corners	Do something cheaply or carelessly.
43.	Cut to the chase	Get to the main point.
44.	Devil’s advocate	Argue opposite side to test ideas.
45.	Don’t count your chickens	Don’t assume success too early.
46.	Don’t judge a book by cover	Don’t judge by appearance.
47.	Down to the wire	At the last moment.
48.	Drop the ball	Make a mistake; fail duties.
49.	Easy come, easy go	Gained easily; lost easily.
50.	Elephant in the room	Obvious issue everyone ignores.
51.	Every cloud has a silver lining	Something good in every bad situation.
52.	Face the music	Accept consequences of actions.
53.	Fall through the cracks	Be overlooked or neglected.
54.	Feather in your cap	An achievement to be proud of.
55.	Fight tooth and nail	Fight fiercely; with determination.
56.	Find your feet	Become comfortable in new situation.
57.	Fish for compliments	Seek praise indirectly.
58.	Fit as a fiddle	In very good health.
59.	For the birds	Worthless; not worth attention.
60.	Get a taste of your own medicine	Receive same bad treatment given.
61.	Get cold feet	Lose nerve before action.
62.	Get out of hand	Become uncontrollable.
63.	Get the hang of it	Learn how to do something.
64.	Get your act together	Organize yourself; behave responsibly.
65.	Give the benefit of doubt	Assume good intentions without proof.
66.	Go the extra mile	Do more than required.
67.	Good things come to those who wait	Patience brings rewards.
68.	Grain of salt	Doubt; don’t take literally.
69.	Hit the books	Study hard.
70.	Hit the nail on the head	Be exactly right.
71.	In a nutshell	In brief; summarized.
72.	In hot water	In trouble.
73.	In the same boat	In the same situation.
74.	It takes two to tango	Both sides share responsibility.
75.	Jump on the bandwagon	Join a popular trend.
76.	Jump the gun	Start too early.
77.	Keep an eye on	Watch carefully.
78.	Keep your chin up	Stay positive despite difficulty.
79.	Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two goals at once.
80.	Know the ropes	Understand how things work.
81.	Last straw	Final annoyance causing action.
82.	Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret.
83.	Like a needle in haystack	Very hard to find.
84.	Make ends meet	Manage financially; cover expenses.
85.	Miss the boat	Lose an opportunity.
86.	No pain, no gain	Effort required for improvement.
87.	Not my cup of tea	Not something I like.
88.	Off the top of my head	From memory; without preparation.
89.	On cloud nine	Extremely happy.
90.	On the fence	Undecided.
91.	Once in a blue moon	Very rarely.
92.	Out of the blue	Suddenly; unexpectedly.
93.	Out of the woods	Safe from danger or trouble.
94.	Over the moon	Very delighted.
95.	Pass the buck	Shift responsibility to others.
96.	Piece of the pie	A share of benefits or money.
97.	Pull an all-nighter	Stay awake all night working.
98.	Pull someone’s leg	Joke; tease playfully.
99.	Put all eggs in one basket	Risk everything on one plan.
100.	Put your foot in your mouth	Say something embarrassing.