idioms.csv

Idiom,Meaning,Sentence
A piece of cake,Very easy,Completing that assignment was a piece of cake.
Burn the midnight oil,Work late into the night,He had to burn the midnight oil to finish the project on time.
Cost an arm and a leg,Very expensive,Buying a new car can cost an arm and a leg.
Hit the nail on the head,To describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem,She really hit the nail on the head when she identified the main issue.
Jump on the bandwagon,Join a popular activity or trend,Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of sustainability initiatives.
Kick the bucket,To die,He's getting old but I hope he doesn't kick the bucket anytime soon.
Let the cat out of the bag,Reveal a secret,Don't let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Out of the blue,Something happening unexpectedly,She received a job offer out of the blue.
Piece of the pie,A share of something,Everyone deserves a piece of the pie in the success of the project.
Under the weather,Feeling unwell,He couldn't attend the meeting because he was under the weather.
Bite the bullet,Endure a painful experience,He had to bite the bullet and tell his boss about the mistake.
Break the ice,Initiate a conversation in a social setting,A joke can help break the ice at a networking event.
Burn bridges,Damage relationships,Don't burn bridges with colleagues; you might need their help in the future.
Bury the hatchet,Make peace,It's time to bury the hatchet and move on from past disagreements.
Cast in stone,Permanent and unchangeable,The decision to close the old factory is cast in stone.
Catch someone's eye,Attract someone's attention,Her unique style of painting always catches people's eyes.
Chew the fat,Have a casual conversation,We spent the evening just chewing the fat and enjoying each other's company.
Cry over spilled milk,Waste time worrying about things that have already happened,There's no use crying over spilled milk; let's focus on finding a solution.
Cut to the chase,Get to the main point,Let's cut to the chase and discuss the key issues at hand.
Devil's advocate,Argue the opposite viewpoint,Playing devil's advocate can help uncover potential flaws in the plan.
Drop the ball,Fail to meet expectations,The team dropped the ball in the final minutes of the game.
Eat humble pie,Admit one's mistakes,After the error was discovered, he had to eat humble pie and apologize.
Feather in one's cap,An achievement to be proud of,Winning the championship was a feather in his cap.
Flog a dead horse,Waste time on a hopeless situation,Continuing to argue about the issue is like flogging a dead horse.
Get a leg up,Get an advantage,Attending that workshop will help you get a leg up in your career.
Give someone the cold shoulder,Ignore someone,She decided to give him the cold shoulder after the argument.
Hit the hay,Go to bed,I'm exhausted; it's time to hit the hay.
Jump the gun,Act prematurely,It's better not to jump the gun; let's gather more information first.
Kick the can down the road,Delay making a decision,Don't just kick the can down the road; address the problem now.
Lend a hand,Offer help,If you need assistance, feel free to ask—I'm happy to lend a hand.
Miss the boat,Fail to take advantage of an opportunity,If you don't apply now, you might miss the boat on that job opening.
Nip it in the bud,Address a problem before it becomes worse,Let's nip this issue in the bud before it escalates.
On cloud nine,Extremely happy,After receiving the good news, she was on cloud nine for days.
Play devil's advocate,Argue against something for the sake of debate,I'm just playing devil's advocate to explore all possible angles.
Quick on the draw,Reacting quickly to a situation,Being quick on the draw is essential in emergency situations.
Raining cats and dogs,Raining heavily,We had to postpone the picnic because it was raining cats and dogs.
Save face,Avoid embarrassment,He tried to save face by making a joke after the awkward moment.
Take the bull by the horns,Confront a difficult situation head-on,It's time to take the bull by the horns and address the issue.
Up in the air,Uncertain or undecided,The project's future is still up in the air; we need more information.
Vanish into thin air,Disappear suddenly and completely,After the performance, the magician seemed to vanish into thin air.
Walk on eggshells,Be cautious in a delicate situation,When discussing sensitive topics, it's important to walk on eggshells.
X marks the spot,The specific location,We found the treasure; X marks the spot on the old map.
You can't have your cake and eat it too,You can't have everything,She wants a promotion and a shorter workweek, but you can't have your cake and eat it too.
Zero in on,Focus or concentrate on,Let's zero in on the most critical issues during the meeting.
All ears,Listening attentively,I'm all ears; go ahead and share your thoughts.
Bite off more than one can chew,Take on a task that is way too big,Don't bite off more than you can chew; it's better to focus on realistic goals.
Cost a pretty penny,Be very expensive,That designer handbag must have cost a pretty penny.
Drive someone up the wall,Annoy someone greatly,The constant noise from the construction site is driving me up the wall.
Eager beaver,Someone very enthusiastic and hardworking,She's always the first to volunteer—such an eager beaver.
Fit as a fiddle,In excellent physical condition,Despite his age, he's fit as a fiddle and goes for a run every morning.
Grin from ear to ear,Smile broadly,After winning the award, he grinned from ear to ear.
Hit the books,Study intensively,To ace the exam, you need to hit the books this weekend.
In the blink of an eye,Very quickly,The car disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Jump through hoops,Go through a lot of trouble or effort,She had to jump through hoops to secure the deal.
Keep an eye on,Watch or monitor closely,Please keep an eye on the simmering soup while I answer the phone.
Leave no stone unturned,Examine every possible option,In the investigation, we will leave no stone unturned to find the truth.
Make a long story short,Summarize a lengthy explanation,To make a long story short, we decided to cancel the trip.
Nest egg,Savings set aside for the future,It's wise to build a nest egg for unexpected expenses.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire,From a bad situation to a worse one,Escaping one problem, he found himself out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Play it by ear,Handle a situation without a plan,We'll play it by ear and see how the meeting unfolds.
Quick as a flash,Very quickly or suddenly,He responded to the question quick as a flash.
Rub someone the wrong way,Irritate or annoy someone,Her constant criticism tends to rub people the wrong way.
Spill the beans,Reveal a secret,Don't spill the beans about the surprise party.
Throw in the towel,Give up or surrender,After hours of trying, he decided to throw in the towel and admit defeat.
Under one's belt,Accomplished or achieved,Having a successful project under her belt, she was ready for a new challenge.
Vanishing point,Point where something disappears or is no longer visible,The road seemed to stretch endlessly until it reached the vanishing point.
Walk a tightrope,Manage a difficult situation carefully,Navigating the delicate negotiation was like walking a tightrope.
Xerox copy,Exact duplicate,The report should be a Xerox copy of the original document.
You can't judge a book by its cover,Don't judge someone or something based on appearance alone,You can't judge a book by its cover; he may seem quiet, but he's incredibly talented.
Zero tolerance,No acceptance of even minor violations,Our company has a zero-tolerance policy for workplace harassment.
A leopard can't change its spots,People cannot change their basic nature,He's always been unreliable; a leopard can't change its spots.
Back to the drawing board,Back to the beginning or starting over,The initial plan failed, so it's back to the drawing board for a new strategy.
Cutting corners,Taking shortcuts or doing something the easy way,Don't cut corners when it comes to safety; follow the proper procedures.
Down in the dumps,Feeling sad or depressed,After the breakup, she was down in the dumps for weeks.
Every cloud has a silver lining,There is something positive in every negative situation,Even though he lost his job, he believes every cloud has a silver lining.
Fool's gold,Something that appears valuable but is not genuine,Be cautious; what seems like a great deal might be fool's gold.
Get off someone's high horse,Stop behaving arrogantly or condescendingly,It's time for him to get off his high horse and treat others with respect.
Hit the jackpot,Experience a great success or win a large prize,Investing in that stock really paid off; we hit the jackpot.
In the doghouse,In trouble or disfavored,After forgetting their anniversary, he found himself in the doghouse with his wife.
Jump on the wagon,Join a popular trend or activity,Many people are jumping on the fitness wagon with the new workout program.
Kick the habit,Stop a bad habit,Quitting smoking is a challenging journey, but he's determined to kick the habit.
Let the chips fall where they may,Accept the outcome, whatever it may be,After presenting his idea, he decided to let the chips fall where they may.
Out of the frying pan,Escape from a bad situation,Getting a new job was like jumping out of the frying pan.
Peas in a pod,Very similar or close friends,They're like two peas in a pod; they always agree on everything.
Quick fix,A temporary and easy solution to a problem,Using tape for a quick fix may work temporarily, but we need a permanent solution.
Rule of thumb,A general principle or guideline,As a rule of thumb, always double-check your work before submitting it.
Spill the guts,Share one's feelings or secrets,In a moment of honesty, he decided to spill the guts and talk about his struggles.
Take the cake,Be the most outstanding or remarkable,Her performance truly takes the cake; it's the best I've ever seen.
Up in arms,Angry or agitated about something,The community was up in arms over the proposed construction project.
Vanish without a trace,Disappear completely,The missing person seemed to vanish without a trace.
Waste not, want not,Don't be wasteful, and you'll never go without,Her parents taught her the value of saving: waste not, want not.
Yellow-bellied,Cowardly or timid,Don't be yellow-bellied; stand up for what you believe in.
A dime a dozen,Very common or easy to find,Those collectible items used to be rare, but now they're a dime a dozen.
Backseat driver,Someone who gives unwanted advice,He couldn't focus with his backseat driver constantly offering suggestions.
Cut the mustard,Meet the required standards or expectations,To succeed in this role, you need to cut the mustard in terms of performance.
Down to the wire,Until the last possible moment,The competition was intense, and it came down to the wire.
Every man for himself,Everyone is responsible for their own well-being,In times of crisis, it's often every man for himself.
Fool's paradise,A false sense of security or happiness,Don't live in a fool's paradise; be prepared for challenges.
Get the ball rolling,Start an activity or process,Let's get the ball rolling on the new project; we have a tight deadline.
Hit the road,Leave or start a journey,It's getting late; we should hit the road before traffic gets worse.
In a nutshell,In summary,To put it in a nutshell, the project was a great success.
Jump to conclusions,Make hasty or premature judgments,Don't jump to conclusions without considering all the facts.
Kick the tires,Inspect or evaluate something,Before buying a used car, it's essential to kick the tires and check its condition.
Let the dust settle,Allow a situation to calm down,After the heated argument, it's best to let the dust settle before discussing it again.
Out of the loop,Not informed or unaware,Since she was on vacation, she was completely out of the loop regarding the recent changes.
Penny for your thoughts,Ask someone what they are thinking about,You seem lost in thought; a penny for your thoughts?
Quick on the uptake,Quick to understand or learn,She's quick on the uptake and grasps new concepts effortlessly.
Ride shotgun,Sit in the front passenger seat of a vehicle,Who wants to ride shotgun on the road trip?
Spinning one's wheels,Wasting time or energy without making progress,Continuing the debate without new information is like spinning our wheels.
Take the bull by the horns,Confront a difficult situation directly,Instead of avoiding the problem, it's time to take the bull by the horns.
Under one's thumb,Under someone's control or influence,He can't make decisions independently; he's under his boss's thumb.
Vanishing act,A sudden disappearance,After the disagreement, he pulled a vanishing act and didn't show up for days.
Walk on air,Feel extremely happy or elated,Winning the championship made her feel like she was walking on air.
X marks the spot,The specific location or target,We finally found the buried treasure; X marks the spot on the map.
You're a lifesaver,Someone who has helped in a difficult situation,Thanks for helping with the car breakdown; you're a lifesaver.
Zero in on,Focus or concentrate on a specific target,Let's zero in on the main issues during the discussion.
Apple of one's eye,Someone cherished or loved deeply,His granddaughter is the apple of his eye.
Bite the hand that feeds you,Hurt someone who has helped or supported you,It's not wise to bite the hand that feeds you; be grateful for the assistance.
Cost an arm and a leg,Be extremely expensive,Buying a house in the city can cost an arm and a leg.
Drive up the wall,Make someone extremely irritated,Constant noise from the construction site is driving me up the wall.
Easy as pie,Very easy to do,Solving that math problem was as easy as pie.
Fit like a glove,Perfectly suited or tailored,The dress fit her like a glove; it was made for her.
Grasping at straws,Trying to find a solution with little hope,His excuses were like grasping at straws; none of them made sense.
Have a chip on one's shoulder,Hold a grudge or be easily offended,He always seems to have a chip on his shoulder; everything offends him.
In the bag,Certain or secured,With his skills, victory in the competition is in the bag.
Jump down someone's throat,React angrily or sharply to someone's comment,She didn't mean to upset him, but he jumped down her throat.
Keep something at bay,Prevent something from approaching or affecting,Regular exercise helps keep health issues at bay.