148 Idiom Examples To Enrich Your Language

Scrape the barrel.

Meaning: making the most of the worst situations because you can’t do anything about it.

Burn your boats/bridges.

Meaning: destroy all possible ways of going back to that situation.

Break fresh/ new ground.

Meaning: doing something that has never been done before.

Run around in circles.

Meaning: putting efforts into something that is not a worthwhile result.

Throw caution to the wind.

Meaning: to take a risk.

A sandwich short of a picnic.

Meaning: a humorous way of saying someone is stupid or a bit crazy.

Call a spade a spade.

Meaning: to state the truth about something even if it’s unpopular or unpleasant.

Chinese whispers.

Meaning: information or rumors that have been passed on by many people and are no longer reliable.

Straight from the Horse’s mouth.

Meaning: directly from the person involved.

Has bigger fish to fry.

Meaning: has more important work to do.

Look before you leap.

Meaning: calculate the risks before advancing towards a possibility.

Ignorance is bliss.

Meaning: better off not knowing some things.

Cut corners.

Meaning: choose to do something in an easier and least expensive manner.

A snowball effect.

Meaning: a situation in which one action causes many other similar actions.

Like two peas in a pod.

Meaning: two people who are always together.

Taste of one's own medicine.

Meaning: when someone does something unpleasant and the same is wished on him/her.

The ball is in your court.

Meaning: to take the initiative or make the next move.

The best of both words.

Meaning: all the advantages of two different situations and none of the disadvantages.

Beside yourself with joy.

Meaning: to be extremely happy.

Play devil’s advocate.

Meaning: to argue, just for the sake of it.