| No. | Term | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A blessing in disguise | A good thing that seemed bad initially. |
| 2. | A dime a dozen | Very common; not unique. |
| 3. | A drop in the bucket | A small amount; barely makes impact. |
| 4. | A far cry from | Very different from. |
| 5. | A feather in one’s cap | An achievement to be proud of. |
| 6. | A fish out of water | Uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings. |
| 7. | A leopard can’t change spots | People cannot change inherent traits. |
| 8. | A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you’re thinking. |
| 9. | A picture’s worth 1,000 words | Images convey meaning better than words. |
| 10. | A piece of cake | Very easy to do. |
| 11. | A stitch in time saves nine | Fix early to avoid bigger problems. |
| 12. | A tough nut to crack | A difficult problem or person. |
| 13. | A wolf in sheep’s clothing | Dangerous person disguised as harmless. |
| 14. | Above board | Honest and legal. |
| 15. | Achilles’ heel | A fatal weakness. |
| 16. | Across the board | Applying to everyone or everything. |
| 17. | Add fuel to the fire | Make a bad situation worse. |
| 18. | Against the clock | Racing to finish before deadline. |
| 19. | All ears | Listening attentively. |
| 20. | All in a day’s work | Normal part of the job. |
| 21. | All talk, no action | Says much, does little. |
| 22. | An arm and a leg | Very expensive. |
| 23. | Apple of one’s eye | Someone dearly loved. |
| 24. | As luck would have it | By chance; fortunately or unfortunately. |
| 25. | At the drop of a hat | Immediately; without hesitation. |
| 26. | Back to the drawing board | Start over after failure. |
| 27. | Bark up the wrong tree | Pursue a mistaken course. |
| 28. | Beat around the bush | Avoid saying something directly. |
| 29. | Beggars can’t be choosers | Don’t be picky when needy. |
| 30. | Behind the eight ball | In a difficult position. |
| 31. | Bite off more than you can chew | Take on too much. |
| 32. | Bite the bullet | Endure pain; face difficulty bravely. |
| 33. | Bite the hand that feeds you | Harm someone who helps you. |
| 34. | Blow off steam | Release pent-up emotion. |
| 35. | Break the ice | Ease tension in a new situation. |
| 36. | Bring home the bacon | Earn a living. |
| 37. | Burn the midnight oil | Work late into the night. |
| 38. | By the skin of your teeth | Barely; by a narrow margin. |
| 39. | Call it a day | Stop working for now. |
| 40. | Call the shots | Be in control; make decisions. |
| 41. | Can’t hold a candle to | Not as good as. |
| 42. | Cast a wide net | Seek broadly for results. |
| 43. | Caught between two stools | Torn between two choices. |
| 44. | Chip on your shoulder | A resentful attitude. |
| 45. | Close but no cigar | Nearly successful but not quite. |
| 46. | Cold feet | Nervousness causing hesitation. |
| 47. | Cost an arm and a leg | Be extremely expensive. |
| 48. | Cry over spilled milk | Regret something that can’t be changed. |
| 49. | Cut corners | Do something cheaply or carelessly. |
| 50. | Cut to the chase | Get to the point. |
| 51. | Devil’s advocate | Argue opposing view to test ideas. |
| 52. | Don’t count your chickens | Don’t assume success before it happens. |
| 53. | Don’t put all eggs in 1 basket | Don’t risk everything on one plan. |
| 54. | Down to the wire | At the last possible moment. |
| 55. | Draw the line | Set a limit or boundary. |
| 56. | Easier said than done | Harder to do than to say. |
| 57. | Eat humble pie | Admit fault and feel embarrassed. |
| 58. | Elephant in the room | Obvious issue being ignored. |
| 59. | Every cloud has a silver lining | Good can come from bad times. |
| 60. | Face the music | Accept consequences. |
| 61. | Far and away | By a great margin. |
| 62. | Feather your nest | Enrich yourself, often selfishly. |
| 63. | Feel under the weather | Feel ill. |
| 64. | Fifth wheel | An unwanted extra person. |
| 65. | Find your feet | Become comfortable in a new role. |
| 66. | Fish for compliments | Seek praise indirectly. |
| 67. | Fit as a fiddle | Very healthy. |
| 68. | Fly by the seat of your pants | Improvise without a plan. |
| 69. | Get a taste of your own medicine | Suffer treatment you gave others. |
| 70. | Get cold feet | Lose nerve at the last moment. |
| 71. | Get out of hand | Become uncontrollable. |
| 72. | Get the ball rolling | Start an activity. |
| 73. | Give the benefit of doubt | Assume good intentions without proof. |
| 74. | Go the extra mile | Make special effort beyond required. |
| 75. | Good Samaritan | One who helps a stranger. |
| 76. | Grasp at straws | Try desperate measures. |
| 77. | Green light | Permission to proceed. |
| 78. | Haste makes waste | Rushing causes mistakes and inefficiency. |
| 79. | Have a bone to pick | Have a complaint to discuss. |
| 80. | Hit the nail on the head | Be exactly right. |
| 81. | In a nutshell | In brief; summarized. |
| 82. | In the same boat | In the same situation. |
| 83. | It takes two to tango | Both parties share responsibility. |
| 84. | Jump on the bandwagon | Join a popular trend. |
| 85. | Jump the gun | Act too soon. |
| 86. | Keep your chin up | Stay positive despite difficulties. |
| 87. | Kill two birds with 1 stone | Achieve two goals with one action. |
| 88. | Know the ropes | Understand how things work. |
| 89. | Last straw | Final annoyance that ends patience. |
| 90. | Let sleeping dogs lie | Avoid restarting old conflicts. |
| 91. | Like a bull in a china shop | Clumsy and tactless. |
| 92. | Make a long story short | Summarize briefly. |
| 93. | Miss the boat | Miss an opportunity. |
| 94. | No pain, no gain | Effort is required for improvement. |
| 95. | Not my cup of tea | Not to my liking. |
| 96. | Off the beaten path | Away from usual routes. |
| 97. | On the same page | In agreement; understanding alike. |
| 98. | Once in a blue moon | Very rarely. |
| 99. | Out of the frying pan | From bad situation to worse. |
| 100. | Play devil’s advocate | Argue contrary position for discussion. |