| No. | Item | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A blessing in disguise | A good thing that seemed bad |
| 2. | A dime a dozen | Very common and not special |
| 3. | A leopard can’t change spots | People can’t change their nature |
| 4. | A little bird told me | I heard it from someone |
| 5. | A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you’re thinking |
| 6. | A stitch in time saves nine | Fix problems early to prevent worse |
| 7. | A watched pot never boils | Waiting makes time feel longer |
| 8. | Actions speak louder than words | Deeds matter more than talk |
| 9. | Add fuel to the fire | Make a bad situation worse |
| 10. | All bark and no bite | Threatening but not dangerous |
| 11. | All ears | Listening closely and attentively |
| 12. | All in a day’s work | Normal part of the job |
| 13. | All talk and no action | Promises without doing anything |
| 14. | All thumbs | Clumsy with the hands |
| 15. | An ounce of prevention | Prevention beats cure |
| 16. | As busy as a bee | Very busy and active |
| 17. | Back to square one | Return to the beginning |
| 18. | Back to the drawing board | Start over with a new plan |
| 19. | Bark up the wrong tree | Blame the wrong person |
| 20. | Beat around the bush | Avoid saying it directly |
| 21. | Beggars can’t be choosers | Take what you can get |
| 22. | Behind the eight ball | In a difficult position |
| 23. | Bend over backwards | Try very hard to help |
| 24. | Better late than never | Late is better than not |
| 25. | Better safe than sorry | Caution prevents regret |
| 26. | Bite off more than you can chew | Take on too much |
| 27. | Call it a day | Stop working for now |
| 28. | Call the shots | Be in charge |
| 29. | Calm before the storm | Quiet period before trouble |
| 30. | Can’t hold a candle to | Not nearly as good as |
| 31. | Cat got your tongue? | Why are you silent? |
| 32. | Catch someone red-handed | Catch in the act |
| 33. | Chalk it up to experience | Learn from a mistake |
| 34. | Chew the fat | Chat casually |
| 35. | Chip off the old block | Very similar to a parent |
| 36. | Clam up | Become suddenly silent |
| 37. | Devil is in the details | Small details cause problems |
| 38. | Don’t beat a dead horse | Waste time on the pointless |
| 39. | Don’t count your chickens | Don’t assume success too early |
| 40. | Don’t cry wolf | Don’t raise false alarms |
| 41. | Don’t judge a book by its cover | Don’t judge by appearance |
| 42. | Don’t put all eggs in one basket | Don’t risk everything on one thing |
| 43. | Don’t rock the boat | Don’t cause trouble |
| 44. | Don’t throw the baby out | Don’t discard the good with bad |
| 45. | Down to earth | Practical and realistic |
| 46. | Draw the line | Set a firm limit |
| 47. | Easy come, easy go | Gains are quickly lost |
| 48. | Eat crow | Admit you were wrong |
| 49. | Eat humble pie | Apologize and accept embarrassment |
| 50. | Elephant in the room | Obvious issue everyone avoids |
| 51. | Every cloud has a silver lining | Good can come from bad |
| 52. | Face the music | Accept consequences |
| 53. | Fall off the wagon | Return to a bad habit |
| 54. | Feather your nest | Make yourself comfortable or rich |
| 55. | Few and far between | Rare and uncommon |
| 56. | Fight fire with fire | Use same tactics against opponent |
| 57. | Find your feet | Become comfortable in a new role |
| 58. | Fish out of water | Uncomfortable in unfamiliar situation |
| 59. | Fit as a fiddle | Very healthy |
| 60. | Fly off the handle | Get angry suddenly |
| 61. | Follow your nose | Go straight ahead |
| 62. | For the birds | Useless or worthless |
| 63. | From rags to riches | From poor to wealthy |
| 64. | Get a taste of your own medicine | Receive the same treatment you gave |
| 65. | Get off your high horse | Stop acting superior |
| 66. | Get the ball rolling | Start something happening |
| 67. | Get the hang of it | Learn how to do it |
| 68. | Get your act together | Become organized and responsible |
| 69. | Give it a rest | Stop talking or doing that |
| 70. | Give someone the cold shoulder | Ignore someone deliberately |
| 71. | Go down in flames | Fail spectacularly |
| 72. | Go the extra mile | Do more than required |
| 73. | Go to pot | Deteriorate badly |
| 74. | Haste makes waste | Rushing causes mistakes |
| 75. | Have a heart | Show compassion |
| 76. | Have a sweet tooth | Like sugary foods |
| 77. | Have your cake and eat it too | Want two incompatible things |
| 78. | Head over heels | Deeply in love |
| 79. | Hear it on the grapevine | Hear rumors informally |
| 80. | Hit the hay | Go to bed |
| 81. | Hit the nail on the head | Be exactly right |
| 82. | Hold your horses | Wait and be patient |
| 83. | Honesty is the best policy | Truthfulness is best |
| 84. | In a nutshell | In brief |
| 85. | In hot water | In trouble |
| 86. | In the same boat | In the same situation |
| 87. | It takes two to tango | Both sides share responsibility |
| 88. | It’s not rocket science | It’s not very difficult |
| 89. | Jump on the bandwagon | Join because it’s popular |
| 90. | Jump the gun | Start too soon |
| 91. | Keep an eye on | Watch carefully |
| 92. | Keep your chin up | Stay positive |
| 93. | Keep your nose clean | Stay out of trouble |
| 94. | Kill two birds with one stone | Achieve two goals at once |
| 95. | Knee-high to a grasshopper | Very young or small |
| 96. | Know the ropes | Understand how things work |
| 97. | Last but not least | Final item is still important |
| 98. | Let sleeping dogs lie | Don’t stir up old trouble |
| 99. | Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| 100. | Like a bull in a china shop | Very clumsy and careless |