| 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. |