AMERICAN MOST COMMONLY USED IDIOMS

AA ballpark figure A rough estimate or figure

A bed of roses An easy life

A drop in the bucket A very small amount compared to what is needed

A nervous wreck Extremely nervous

A rip-off Too expensive

A sight for sore eyes Someone or something that you are pleased to see

Across the board Applying to all members, groups or categories

Alive and kicking Full of energy, active

All in a day’s work Something that is expected

All of a sudden Suddenly

Around the clock 24 hours a day

At stake In danger of being lost

BBe a steal To be a bargain, a good deal, very cheap

Be all set To be ready or prepared

Be better off To be in a more satisfactory position

Be in charge of Be responsible for

Be in someone else’s shoes To experience someone’s life

Be looking up To be improving

Be on the safer side Better to be cautious about a situation

Be the apple of someone’s eyes To be someone’s favorite

Be up to something Doing or planning something secretly

Bark up the wrong tree To have a wrong idea, to complain to the wrong person

Beat around the bush To not go straight to the point

Beats me! To not have any idea, to not have any clue

Bend over backwards To try very hard, to do your best

Bite the dust Ti fail, to fall to defeat, to die

Blow one’s top To become very angry, lose one’s temper

Blow the whistle on To report someone’s wrongdoing

Bounce back To recover to a previous level

Break even To have no profit or loss

Break the news To tell someone something bad that has just happened and which is of his/her interest

Burn one’s bridges To end a relationship in an unpleasant way

Bur the midnight oil To stay up late working or studying

Buy something / buy it To believe something

By chance By coincidence

By heart From memory

By the book According to the rules

By word of mouth Hearing from another person

CCall it a day To declare an end to the day’s activity

Call the shots To give orders, to make the decisions

Catch someone red-handed To catch someone doing something wrong

Change hands To change from one owner to another

Come clean To admit to a wrongdoing, to confess to something

Come of age To attain an age being able to get married, sign legal contracts and own property

Come to terms with To accept and deal with a situation, to face reality

Come what may No matter what happens

Could do with To need or want something a lot

Cut to the chase To say what is really important with no delay, to get to the point

DDay in, day out One day after another

Deliver the goods To do what you have promised or what someone expects you to

Dirt cheap Extremely cheap

Do the trick To provide what is necessary to have the desired effect

Down on one’s luck To be experiencing bad luck

Down the drain Wasted or lost

EEasier said than done Simple to suggest, but difficult to accomplish

Eat like a horse To eat a lot

Every other day/week/month etc. On alternate days/weeks/months

FFace the music To experience criticism or punishment for something you have done

Fall into place To start to understand how things are connected

Find fault with To look for imperfections, to criticize someone or something

Fishy Suspicious, seeming dishonest or false

Fly into rage To become very angry

Food for thought Something that makes you think seriously

Foot the bill To pay for something

For good Forever, permanently

From scratch From nothing, from the beginning

GGet a kick out of To enjoy something greatly

Get cold feet To become timid or scared

Get even with To get revenge on

Get into the swing of things To become fully involved in an activity and start understand how it works

Get out of hand Get out of control

Get rid of To eliminate, to throw away, to dispose of

Get the hang of To learn how to do something

Get the picture To understand the situation

Get to grips with To understand and deal with a situation, to face something

Give notice To warn an employer that you are going to leave your job

Give someone the cold shoulder To ignore or show no interest in someone

Go bust To go bankrupt

Go down in history To be remembered as historically important

Go Dutch To share the cost of a bill in a restaurant or some other event

HHad better It would be better to

Hand over fist Very quickly and continuously

Hands down Easily

Have a good time Have fun, enjoy yourself

Have a hard time To have difficulties

Have a way with To have an ease at doing something

Have someone wrapped around one’s finger To have complete control over someone

Have to do with To have connection with

Head over heels for To be totally in love

Hear through the grapevine To hear news that has been passed from one person to another

Hit the hay / Hit the sack To go to bed

Hit the jackpot To be very successful

Hit the road To set off, to begin a journey, to leave

IIf worst comes to worst If the worst situation actually happens

In a nutshell Very briefly, using as few words as possible

In a row In a series, consecutively placed

In full swing In its highest level of activity

In mint condition In perfect condition

In the nick of time Just in time, at the last possible moment

JJack-of-all-trades Someone who can do many different jobs or things

Jump on the bandwagon To join or to take a popular position or side

Jump the gun To say or to do something before it should be done or said, to rush into things

KKeep a low profile To not draw attention

Keep an eye on To watch over

Keep track of To maintain a record of

Keep up with the Joneses To stay financially equal with one’s friends and neighbors

Kick the bucket To die

Killjoy Someone who spoils other people’s fun or pleasure

Know something like the back of your hand To know something very well

LLaugh one’s head off To laugh very loudly

Lose one’s head To lose control

Lose one’s temper To become very angry

Lose track of To not be informed about someone or something anymore

MMake a pass at To make romantic advances toward someone

Make a scene To have a heated and loud argument with someone in a public place

Make a stand (against) To make an effort to stop something from happening

Make believe To pretend

Make clear To explain

Make ends meet To have enough money to pay for your expenses

Make fun of To joke about, to laugh at

Mind your own business Don’t ask questions about something that doesn’t concern you, do no interfere

NNever mind Don’t worry

No hard feelings No lasting resentment, no bad feelings

No strings attached Without any conditions or restrictions

Nosy / nosey Too interested in matters that do not concern you

Not sleep a wink To not sleep at all

OOff the record Not intended to be recorded or made public

On a shoestring On a very tight budget

On behalf of In place of someone else or as their representative, in somebody’s bet interests

On duty At work

On the dot Punctual, on time, sharp

Once and for all Finally, definitively, decisively

Out of order Not working properly, not functioning

Out of shape In bad physical condition

Out of the blue Suddenly and unexpectedly

PPain in the neck Something or someone that is very annoying and/or unpleasant

Pick up the tab To pay for something

Pull someone’s leg To kid, to tell a make-believe story

Pull (the, a few) strings To use your influence to get something

R(from) rags to riches From poverty to wealth

Red tape Bureaucracy, lots of documents

Right away Immediately

Ring a bell To remind one of something, to seem familiar

Run a business To manage a business, to be in charge of a business

SSafe and sound Safe and secure

Sell like hot cakes To sell quickly and a lot

Shoot the breeze To chat, to talk about things of little importance

Sick (and tired) of Fed up with

Small talk Unimportant chatter

Speak one’s mind To tell someone what you think about something

Spill the beans To reveal a secret by accident

Swamped (with work) Overburdened with work

TTake a nap To sleep for a short period of time

Take a toll on To show wear and tear on someone or something , to damage

Take into account To take into consideration

Take one’s time To not hurry, to do something slowly

Take pity on To feel sorry for

Take place to happen, to occur, to be held

Take something for granted To accept as true without making sure

Take turns To alternate

The bottom line The most important thing to consider, the end result

The last straw The last in a series of problems or unpleasant events that makes you get angry or give up

The REAL MCCOY Something that is real and not a copy, genuine

Think straight To have clear thoughts

Throw in the towel To quit, to give up, to admit defeat

Tighten one’s belt To save, to cut expenses

Time’s up Time expired

Turn a blind eye to To ignore something

UUnder the weather Not feeling well

(to be) up and running To be functioning, to be actively working

Ups and downs Highs and lows, good and bad times

WWell-off Very well financially, wealthy, rich

Wet blanket Someone who spoils other people’s fun or pleasure

Work one’s fingers to the bone To work excessively hard

YYou can say that again You are right, that’s true