100 Idioms to Score 8+ in IELTS Speaking

No.	Term	Definition
1.	A blessing in disguise	A good result from something bad.
2.	A breath of fresh air	Something pleasantly new or different.
3.	A dime a dozen	Very common; not special.
4.	A drop in the ocean	A very small amount.
5.	A game changer	Something that changes everything.
6.	A piece of cake	Very easy to do.
7.	A shot in the dark	A guess with little information.
8.	A storm in a teacup	Big fuss over something small.
9.	A tough nut to crack	A difficult problem or person.
10.	About to hit the road	Ready to leave or travel.
11.	Across the board	Applying to everyone or everything.
12.	Add fuel to the fire	Make a bad situation worse.
13.	Against the clock	Racing to finish on time.
14.	Ahead of the curve	More advanced than others.
15.	All ears	Listening very carefully.
16.	All in the same boat	Sharing the same situation.
17.	All over the place	Disorganized; scattered; inconsistent.
18.	All set	Ready to start or leave.
19.	An arm and a leg	Very expensive.
20.	As good as gold	Very well-behaved and reliable.
21.	As right as rain	Feeling healthy again.
22.	At a loose end	Having nothing to do.
23.	At the drop of a hat	Immediately; without hesitation.
24.	Back to square one	Return to the beginning.
25.	Bark up the wrong tree	Accuse or pursue wrongly.
26.	Be on the safe side	Choose the least risky option.
27.	Beat around the bush	Avoid saying something directly.
28.	Bend over backwards	Try very hard to help.
29.	Between a rock and hard place	Stuck between two bad options.
30.	Bite off more than you can chew	Take on too much.
31.	Bite the bullet	Face something unpleasant bravely.
32.	Blow off steam	Release stress or anger.
33.	Break the ice	Make people feel more relaxed.
34.	Bring home the bacon	Earn money for the family.
35.	Brush up on	Improve a skill by practice.
36.	Burn the midnight oil	Work late into the night.
37.	Burst your bubble	Spoil someone’s hopes or excitement.
38.	By and large	Generally; on the whole.
39.	Call it a day	Stop working for now.
40.	Call the shots	Be in control; decide.
41.	Catch someone off guard	Surprise someone unexpectedly.
42.	Catch up	Reach the same level as others.
43.	Chalk and cheese	Completely different.
44.	Change of heart	A shift in opinion or feeling.
45.	Chip in	Contribute money or help.
46.	Close-knit	Having strong relationships.
47.	Come in handy	Be useful when needed.
48.	Come rain or shine	No matter what happens.
49.	Cost an arm and a leg	Be extremely expensive.
50.	Cross that bridge later	Deal with it when it comes.
51.	Cut corners	Do something cheaply or carelessly.
52.	Cut to the chase	Get to the main point.
53.	Down to earth	Practical and realistic.
54.	Draw the line	Set a limit.
55.	Drive someone up the wall	Annoy someone a lot.
56.	Drop the ball	Make a mistake; fail.
57.	Easy does it	Proceed slowly and carefully.
58.	Eat your words	Admit you were wrong.
59.	Eleventh hour	At the last possible moment.
60.	Enough is enough	No more can be tolerated.
61.	Face the music	Accept unpleasant consequences.
62.	Fall into place	Start working out naturally.
63.	Far and wide	Over a large area.
64.	Feel under the weather	Feel slightly ill.
65.	Find your feet	Become confident in a new situation.
66.	Fingers crossed	Hoping for good luck.
67.	Fish out of water	Uncomfortable in a new place.
68.	Fit as a fiddle	Very healthy and energetic.
69.	Get a handle on	Gain control or understanding.
70.	Get cold feet	Lose courage; become nervous.
71.	Get the ball rolling	Start an activity or process.
72.	Get the hang of it	Learn how to do something.
73.	Get your act together	Organize yourself; improve behavior.
74.	Give it a shot	Try something.
75.	Go the extra mile	Do more than required.
76.	Go with the flow	Accept things as they happen.
77.	Good things take time	Quality needs patience.
78.	Green with envy	Very jealous.
79.	Hang in there	Keep going; don’t give up.
80.	Have a lot on your plate	Have many responsibilities.
81.	Have mixed feelings	Feel uncertain; conflicting emotions.
82.	Hit the nail on the head	Say exactly the right thing.
83.	Hit the sack	Go to bed.
84.	In a nutshell	In a very short summary.
85.	In hot water	In trouble.
86.	In the long run	Over a long period.
87.	It takes two to tango	Both sides share responsibility.
88.	Jump on the bandwagon	Follow a popular trend.
89.	Jump the gun	Act too early.
90.	Keep an eye on	Watch carefully.
91.	Keep your chin up	Stay positive in difficulty.
92.	Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two goals at once.
93.	Know the ropes	Understand how things work.
94.	Last but not least	Final point; still important.
95.	Learn the hard way	Learn through difficult experience.
96.	Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret accidentally.
97.	Like a fish to water	Adapt easily and quickly.
98.	Make ends meet	Manage financially.
99.	Make up your mind	Decide.
100.	Miss the boat	Lose a good opportunity.