List of 50+ Common English Idioms

List of 50+ Common English Idioms | Other Ways to Say

(A) Few X Short of a Y

Meaning: Crazy, mentally impaired.
Example: Ned seems to make sense when you talk to him at first, but the more you listen, the more it seems he’s a few cards short of a deck.

Note: Examples: a few cards short of a deck, a few fries short of a Happy Meal.

(Get the) Short End of the Stick

Meaning: (Emerge with) a disadvantage in a deal or negotiation; (get a) bad deal
Example: My older brother left me with the short end of the stick – he said I could use his car if I lent him money, but it’s not running!

(In) Full Swing

Meaning: Completely in operation as planned
Example: Production was slow to ramp up, but now things are in full swing.

(The) Door Swings Both Ways

Meaning: The same principle can apply mutually in a relationship
Example: In the realm of food, the door often swings both ways. For example, American food has borrowed many influences from Japan, but Japanese food has also been influenced by America.

(The) Lights Are On, But Nobody’s Home

Meaning: This person appears normal but is deficient in mental functioning, stupid
Example: Carl couldn’t even answer basic questions about the budget. With him, sometimes I think the lights are on, but nobody’s home.

(The) Whole Kit and Caboodle

Meaning: The entire collection of something; all of something
Example: I’ll pay $300 for the whole kit and caboodle – we don’t need to waste time arguing over the value of each individual coin.

(The) X Factor

Meaning: An aspect of a situation with an unknown impact; an indefinable appeal
Example: The votes of women will be an X factor in this election. No one knows which way they’ll go.

(To Be) Hoist By Your Own Petard

Meaning: To be hurt by one’s own aggressive plans
Example: The dean implemented a foreign-language requirement for faculty, but then he couldn’t pass it himself. He was hoist by his own petard!

Note: This idiom comes from Shakespeare.

(To Be) Shit out of Luck (SOL)

Meaning: To be completely out of luck; to experience very bad fortune
Example: I went to a restaurant in Buffalo, and they were out of Buffalo chicken wings. I guess I was just shit out of luck!

Note: This is obscene and has a slightly humorous flavor.

(To) Grasp (Grab) at Straws

Meaning: To take desperate actions with little hope of success
Example: When the teacher called on her, Jean was grasping at straws – she had no idea how to answer the question.

Note: This is based on the behavior of people who are drowning-”they may grasp at straws in the water.

(To) Pull Strings

Meaning: Use influence that’s based on personal connections
Example: My uncle pulled strings and got me a summer job at a state legislator’s office.

Note: You can also say that someone is “pulling the strings.”

(To) Shit It In

Meaning: Succeed easily; be doing well
Example: Don’t worry. We had a bad practice, but when game time comes we’ll shit it in.

Note: This is obscene. Another form is “shit it in and carry a pig.”

A Life Of Its Own

Meaning: An indepdendent existence
Example: At first my weaving was just a side project, but it’s taken on a life of its own – people have been buying my blankets.

Note: Generally not said of living things, but of ideas or new phenomena.

Above Board

Meaning: Openly, without deceit. Honestly, reputably.
Example: You might want to sneak a misleading clause into the contract, but it’s better if we keep everything above board.

Ace Up One’s Sleeve

Meaning: A surprise advantage of which others are not aware.
Example: Susan had an ace up her sleeve when it came to dating Jason – she was friends with Jason’s sister, and she knew a lot about his interests.

Note: Also “an ace in the hole.”

Add Insult to Injury

Meaning: Humiliate someone in addition to doing damage to him or her
Example: My boyfriend broke up with me. Then he added insult to injury by lying about when he had started seeing Valerie.

Airy Fairy

Meaning: Whimsical, nonsensical, impractical
Example: The business plan is full of airy fairy ideas that would be impossible to actually implement.

All And Sundry

Meaning: Everyone (separately) Each one.
Example: She told all and sundry that she was ready to forget her breakup and begin dating again.

Note: Less common in North America.

All Set

Meaning: Ready, prepared, finished
Example: We’re all set. Everything’s packed, Now we just have to get to the airport on time.

All The Same

Meaning: Anyway; nevertheless; nonetheless.
Example: I know you want to leave. All the same, I’d rather stay and talk to a few more people.

Note: Rather old-fashioned.

All Very Well

Meaning: True to a certain extent
Example: That’s all very well, but your argument breaks down when you try to apply it to the real world.

Note: Primarily British.

American Dream (The)

Meaning: The belief among Americans that hard work leads to material success
Example: If we work hard, our children will have a better life than we had. That’s the American Dream.

And All That

Meaning: Et cetera, and so on.
Example: For a proper golf experience, you need the right clubs, the right shoes, the right golf balls, and all that.

And So Forth

Meaning: Indicates that a list continues in a similar manner, etc.
Example: Urban areas have many problems: unemployment, bad schools, crime, and so forth.

And The Like

Meaning: And other similar items, etc.
Example: We collect small antique home furnishings: lamps, ashtrays, platters, and the like.

And Then Some

Meaning: And even more than what has just been mentioned
Example: We’ll need all the equipment you’ve brought, and then some.

Answer Back

Meaning: Respond impertinently; to talk back.
Example: Teenagers like to answer back when you tell them to do something.

Note: Uncommon in American English.

Back At You

Meaning: Same to you (used to return a greeting or insult)
Example: Hey, it’s great to see you! – Back at you.

Note: Also written phonetically, “back atcha.” Also “right back at you.”

Back in the Day

Meaning: Formerly, when I was younger, in earlier times
Example: Back in the day, we used to bicycle all the way around the island, but I’m not in shape to do that anymore!

Beggar Thy Neighbour

Meaning: To do something beneficial for oneself without worrying about how it affects others
Example: The country’s beggar-thy-neighbour currency policy will earn it enemies in the long run.

Note: This expression is often used to describe the actions of governments.

Best of Both Worlds

Meaning: Combining two qualities that are usually separate
Example: With this car, you get the best of both worlds-it’s a high-performance car, but it’s also very durable.

Borrow Trouble

Meaning: Take needless risks, invite problems
Example: Probably nothing will happen if we overload the boat, but why borrow trouble?

Carry the Can

Meaning: To take the blame for something one did not do
Example: The general manager is being forced to carry the can for the mistakes of the owner, who refused to invest in top-flight talent.

Catch-22

Meaning: A difficult situation from which there is no escape because options for avoiding it involve contradictions
Example: It’s a Catch-22 – we can’t get the fare discount without the loyalty card, but to get the loyalty card we’d have to take this flight.

Note: This idiom comes from a novel, Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, and describes a situation in which a soldier is considered insane and unfit for combat if he willingly continues to fly missions. However, asking to be relieved from duty on the basis of insanity shows that he is mentally competent. Consequently, he must continue to serve.

Come By Something Honestly

Meaning: Acquire something honestly, or inherit it
Example: I came by that knife honestly – my father gave it to me.

Come Clean

Meaning: To confess; to admit to wrongdoing
Example: Son, we all know you stole the liquor from the cabinet. It’s time for you to come clean.

Come to Grips With

Meaning: To acknowledge a problem as a prelude to dealing with it
Example: We need to come to grips with the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Draw a Line Under (Something)

Meaning: To conclude something and move on to something else
Example: It’s time to draw a line under that relationship. I’m ready to look for someone new.

Draw the Line

Meaning: To set a limit to what one will accept
Example: It’s OK if you have a bottle of beer from time to time, but using drugs is where I draw the line.

Drop a Line
Meaning: To write a letter or send an email
Example: Drop me a line when you’re back in the country, and we’ll get together.
Dry Run
Meaning: A practice execution of a procedure
Example: The flight went perfectly in a dry run. I think we’re ready to start accepting charters.
Face the Music
Meaning: To accept judgment or punishment
Example: We broke the rules for stock trading. It’s time to face the music – they’re going to catch us sooner or later.
Fall Prey to
Meaning: Be victimized by; be harmed by; be vulnerable to
Example: When you’re sick, it’s very easy to fall prey to scammers who sell you worthless medicines.
Flash in the Pan
Meaning: A one-time occurrence, not a permanent phenomenon
Example: Some believed that Donald Trump’s popularity was a flash in the pan; others thought he would have a more lasting impact.
Note: This idiom comes from an old expression about exploding gunpowder
Follow In Someone’s Footsteps (Tracks)
Meaning: Follow the example laid down by someone else; supplant
Example: I know you’re worried about what will happen after Ruth retires, but I’m sure that with Jack following in her footsteps things will continue normally.
For Xyz Reasons
Meaning: For multiple reasons, not worth specifying individually
Example: For xyz reasons I don’t want to go to the party. You go ahead!
Note: This is more common in the UK.
Fourth Estate
Meaning: The media and newspapers
Example: The Fourth Estate can direct public opinion, but they can’t shape it.
Note: This is usually capitalized.
Get Along (with Someone)
Meaning: To have a satisfactory relationship
Example: Andrew isn’t a perfect employee, but he gets along with everyone, and that’s important – it helps create a harmonious workplace.
Get the Run around
Meaning: Be given an unclear or evasive answer to a question
Example: Every time I try to ask the boss when we might get raises, I get the run around.
Get With the Program
Meaning: Figure out what everyone else already knows. Often used sarcastically, as a command
Example: Everyone else has already moved on to stage three. C’mon, get with the program!
Go Along (With)
Meaning: Agree to something, often provisionally
Example: I’ll go along with the plan for now, but if the dollar drops I’ll have to reconsider.
Note: Compare this with “get along.”
Go Down in Flames
Meaning: Fail in a spectacular way
Example: After the new model had to be recalled due to the diesel emissions scandal, the entire brand went down in flames.

English Library

List of 50+ Common English Idioms | Other Ways to Say