Idiom

Meaning

Usage

A blessing in disguise

a good thing that seemed bad at first

as part of a sentence

A dime a dozen

Something common

as part of a sentence

Beat around the bush

Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable

as part of a sentence

Better late than never

Better to arrive late than not to come at all

by itself

Bite the bullet

To get something over with because it is inevitable

as part of a sentence

Break a leg

Good luck

by itself

Call it a day

Stop working on something

as part of a sentence

Cut somebody some slack

Don't be so critical

as part of a sentence

Cutting corners

Doing something poorly in order to save time or money

as part of a sentence

Easy does it

Slow down

by itself

Get out of hand

Get out of control

as part of a sentence

Get something out of your system

Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on

as part of a sentence

Get your act together

Work better or leave

by itself

Give someone the benefit of the doubt

Trust what someone says

as part of a sentence

Go back to the drawing board

Start over

as part of a sentence

Hang in there

Don't give up

by itself

Hit the sack

Go to sleep

as part of a sentence

It's not rocket science

It's not complicated

by itself

Let someone off the hook

To not hold someone responsible for something

as part of a sentence

Make a long story short

Tell something briefly

as part of a sentence

Miss the boat

It's too late

as part of a sentence

No pain, no gain

You have to work for what you want

by itself

On the ball

Doing a good job

as part of a sentence

Pull someone's leg

To joke with someone

as part of a sentence

Pull yourself together

Calm down

by itself

So far so good

Things are going well so far

by itself

Speak of the devil

The person we were just talking about showed up!

by itself

That's the last straw

My patience has run out

by itself

The best of both worlds

An ideal situation

as part of a sentence

Time flies when you're having fun

You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun

by itself

To get bent out of shape

To get upset

as part of a sentence

To make matters worse

Make a problem worse

as part of a sentence

Under the weather

Sick

as part of a sentence

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it

Let's not talk about that problem right now

by itself

Wrap your head around something

Understand something complicated

as part of a sentence

You can say that again

That's true, I agree

by itself

Your guess is as good as mine

I have no idea

by itself

Idiom

Meaning

Usage

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

What you have is worth more than what you might have later

by itself

A penny for your thoughts

Tell me what you're thinking

by itself

A penny saved is a penny earned

Money you save today you can spend later

by itself

A perfect storm

the worst possible situation

as part of a sentence

A picture is worth 1000 words

Better to show than tell

by itself

Actions speak louder than words

Believe what people do and not what they say

by itself

Add insult to injury

To make a bad situation worse

as part of a sentence

Barking up the wrong tree

To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place

as part of a sentence

Birds of a feather flock together

People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively)

by itself

Bite off more than you can chew

Take on a project that you cannot finish

as part of a sentence

Break the ice

Make people feel more comfortable

as part of a sentence

By the skin of your teeth

Just barely

as part of a sentence

Comparing apples to oranges

Comparing two things that cannot be compared

as part of a sentence

Costs an arm and a leg

Very expensive

as part of a sentence

Do something at the drop of a hat

Do something without having planned beforehand

as part of a sentence

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you

Treat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule"

by itself

Don't count your chickens before they hatch

Don't count on something good happening until it's happened.

by itself

Don't cry over spilt milk

There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed

by itself

Don't give up your day job

You're not very good at this

by itself

Don't put all your eggs in one basket

What you're doing is too risky

by itself

Every cloud has a silver lining

Good things come after bad things

by itself

Get a taste of your own medicine

Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative)

as part of a sentence

Give someone the cold shoulder

Ignore someone

as part of a sentence

Go on a wild goose chase

To do something pointless

as part of a sentence

Good things come to those who wait

Be patient

by itself

He has bigger fish to fry

He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now

by itself

He's a chip off the old block

The son is like the father

by itself

Hit the nail on the head

Get something exactly right

by itself

Ignorance is bliss

You're better off not knowing

by itself

It ain't over till the fat lady sings

This isn't over yet

by itself

It takes one to know one

You're just as bad as I am

by itself

It's a piece of cake

It's easy

by itself

It's raining cats and dogs

It's raining hard

by itself

Kill two birds with one stone

Get two things done with a single action

by itself

Let the cat out of the bag

Give away a secret

as part of a sentence

Live and learn

I made a mistake

by itself

Look before you leap

Take only calculated risks

by itself

On thin ice

On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.

as part of a sentence

Once in a blue moon

Rarely

as part of a sentence

Play devil's advocate

To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument

as part of a sentence

Put something on ice

Put a projet on hold

as part of a sentence

Rain on someone's parade

To spoil something

as part of a sentence

Saving for a rainy day

Saving money for later

as part of a sentence

Slow and steady wins the race

Reliability is more important than speed

by itself

Spill the beans

Give away a secret

as part of a sentence

Take a rain check

Postpone a plan

as part of a sentence

Take it with a grain of salt

Don’t take it too seriously

as part of a sentence

The ball is in your court

It's your decision

by itself

The best thing since sliced bread

A really good invention

as part of a sentence

The devil is in the details

It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems

by itself

The early bird gets the worm

The first people who arrive will get the best stuff

by itself

The elephant in the room

The big issue, the problem people are avoiding

as part of a sentence

The whole nine yards

Everything, all the way.

as part of a sentence

There are other fish in the sea

It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise.

by itself

There's a method to his madness

He seems crazy but actually he's clever

by itself

There's no such thing as a free lunch

Nothing is entirely free

by itself

Throw caution to the wind

Take a risk

as part of a sentence

You can't have your cake and eat it too

You can't have everything

by itself

You can't judge a book by its cover

This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside

by itself

Idiom

Meaning

Usage

A little learning is a dangerous thing

People who don't understand something fully are dangerous

by itself

A snowball effect

Events have momentum and build upon each other

as part of a sentence

A snowball's chance in hell

No chance at all

as part of a sentence

A stitch in time saves nine

Fix the problem now because it will get worse later

by itself

A storm in a teacup

A big fuss about a small problem

as part of a sentence

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Apples are good for you

by itself

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder.

by itself

As right as rain

Perfect

as part of a sentence

Bolt from the blue

Something that happened without warning

as part of a sentence

Burn bridges

Destroy relationships

as part of a sentence

Calm before the storm

Something bad is coming, but right now it's calm

as part of a sentence

Come rain or shine

No matter what

as part of a sentence

Curiosity killed the cat

Stop asking questions

by itself

Cut the mustard

Do a good job

as part of a sentence

Don't beat a dead horse

Move on, this subject is over

by itself

Every dog has his day

Everyone gets a chance at least once

by itself

Familiarity breeds contempt

The better you know someone the less you like him

by itself

Fit as a fiddle

In good health

as part of a sentence

Fortune favours the bold

Take risks

by itself

Get a second wind

Have more energy after having been tired

as part of a sentence

Get wind of something

Hear news of something secret

as part of a sentence

Go down in flames

Fail spectacularly

as part of a sentence

Haste makes waste

You'll make mistakes if you rush through something

by itself

Have your head in the clouds

Not be concentrating

as part of a sentence

He who laughs last laughs loudest

I'll get you back for what you did

by itself

Hear something straight from the horse's mouth

Hear something from the person involved

as part of a sentence

He's not playing with a full deck

He's dumb

by itself

He's off his rocker

He's crazy

by itself

He's sitting on the fence

He can't make up his mind

by itself

It is a poor workman who blames his tools

If you can't do the job, don't blame it on others

by itself

It is always darkest before the dawn

Things are going to get better

by itself

It takes two to tango

One person alone isn't responsible. Both people are involved.

by itself

Jump on the bandwagon

Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing

as part of a sentence

Know which way the wind is blowing

Understand the situation (usually negative)

as part of a sentence

Leave no stone unturned

Look everywhere

as part of a sentence

Let sleeping dogs lie

Stop discussing an issue

as part of a sentence

Like riding a bicycle

Something you never forget how to do

as part of a sentence

Like two peas in a pod

They're always together

as part of a sentence

Make hay while the sun shines

Take advantage of a good situation

as part of a sentence

On cloud nine

Very happy

as part of a sentence

Once bitten, twice shy

You're more cautious when you've been hurt before

by itself

Out of the frying pan and into the fire

Things are going from bad to worse

by itself

Run like the wind

Run fast

as part of a sentence

Shape up or ship out

Work better or leave

by itself

Snowed under

Busy

as part of a sentence

That ship has sailed

It's too late

by itself

The pot calling the kettle black

Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad

as part of a sentence

There are clouds on the horizon

Trouble is coming

by itself

Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones

People who are morally questionable shouldn't criticize others

by itself

Through thick and thin

In good times and in bad times

as part of a sentence

Time is money

Work quickly

by itself

Waste not, want not

Don't waste things and you'll always have enough

by itself

We see eye to eye

We agree

by itself

Weather the storm

Go through something difficult

as part of a sentence

Well begun is half done

Getting a good start is important

by itself

When it rains it pours

Everything is going wrong at once

by itself

You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar

You'll get what you want by being nice

by itself

You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink

You can't force someone to make the right decision

by itself

You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs

There's always a cost to doing something

by itself