Most Common Idioms

Every language has its own unique collection of sayings and phrases. These expressions often contain meanings that may not be obvious by simply looking at the individual words contained therein. We call these expressions “idioms.”

What’s the idiom ?

An idiom is a widely used saying or expression that contains a figurative meaning that is different from the phrase’s literal meaning. For example, if you say you’re feeling “under the weather,” you don’t literally mean that you’re standing underneath the rain. “Under the weather” is an idiom that is universally understood to mean sick or ill.

Idioms often summarize or reflect a commonly held cultural experience, even if that experience is now out of date or antiquated. For instance, you might say that someone should “bite the bullet” when they need to do something undesirable. The phrase’s origin refers to wounded soldiers literally biting down on a bullet to avoid screaming during a wartime operation. That common occurrence from the past resulted in a phrase we still use today.

These phrases are also unique to their language of origin. In other words, English idioms are different from Spanish or French idioms.

Why learn idioms?

Well, if you want to become as skilled as possible in English, you’ll need to know them. Textbooks don’t always teach you about them, but dropping an idiom into your conversations from time to time will help you fit in.

Here are 10 of the most common idioms that are easy to use in daily conversation:

1. “Hit the hay.”

“Sorry, guys, I have to hit the hay now!”

At first, it seems like the person saying this really wants to punch some hay. But it really just means that they’re really tired and want to go to sleep.

2. “Up in the air”

“Hey, did you ever figure out those plans?”

“No, they’re still up in the air for now. We’ll figure everything out later.”

Can plans actually be floating high in the sky? Theoretically, they could–if you wrote them down and threw them up! But this idiom really means that the situation being planned is still undecided, and that everything is still uncertain/unsure.

3. Hit the books

Literally, hit the books means to physically hit, punch or slap your reading books. However, this is a commonly used expression among students, especially American college students who have a lot of studying to do. It simply means “to study,” and is a way of telling your friends that you’re going to study.

It could be for a final exam, a midterm test or even an English exam.

“Sorry but I can’t watch the game with you tonight, I have to hit the books. I have a huge exam next week!”

4. “Stabbed in the back”

“I don’t want to be Hayley’s friend anymore, she stabbed me in the back!”

Literally stabbing someone in the back could bring someone to jail! That’s definitely not what this idiom means.

5. “Kill two birds with one stone.”

“Why not go to the post office on your way to the mall and kill two birds with one stone?”

Don’t worry, we’re not actually killing any birds here! When you kill two birds with one stone, a single action knocks out two tasks or responsibilities–accomplish two different things at the same time. (In this case, posting a letter and doing some shopping in one trip.)

6. “Piece of cake”

“Ha, that assignment was really a piece of cake!”

No, the professor didn’t give them a slice of cake to eat! When something is a piece of cake, it’s so simple that it’s as easy as eating one.

7. “Costs an arm and a leg”

– I’d like to have a new farmhouse, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.

– This dress is lovely, but it cost me an arm and a leg.

When something costs an arm and a leg, you won’t literally have to cut off your arm and leg to buy it. It just means that it costs a lot of money, so it would be as painful (for your wallet) as cutting off an arm and a leg to pay for it!

8. Under the weather

Can you be under the weather literally? Probably yes, if you think about standing under the clouds, rain and sun, but it makes no sense.

If you’re feeling under the weather, you’re not your usual self and could be feeling a little sick. The sick feeling is nothing serious—perhaps it’s just extreme tiredness from studying too much, or having a bad headache because you’re starting to get the flu.

“What’s wrong with Katy, mom?”

“She’s feeling a little under the weather so be quiet and let her rest.”

9. Rule of thumb

If you hear someone say as a rule of thumb, they mean that it’s a general unwritten rule for whatever they’re talking about. These rules of thumb are not based on science or research, and are instead just general principles. For example, there’s no written scientific rule that you must add oil to boiling water when cooking pasta, but it’s a rule of thumb and is practiced by most people so the pasta won’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
– As a rule of thumb, I do not start a new project on Fridays.

– A good rule of thumb is to add the ingredients when the water starts to boil.

10. “Find your feet”

If you find yourself in a new situation, for example living in a new country and having to get used to a new college, you could say I’m still finding my feet. It means that you’re still adjusting and getting used to the new environment.

– He’s still new in his job; give him some time to find his feet.

– How long did you take to find your feet in your new place of work?