English Idioms with meanings

A blessing in disguise | something good that isn't recognized at first A hot potato | controversial or sensitive issue A penny for your thoughts | asking someone what they are thinking about A piece of cake | very easy A slap on the wrist | a very mild punishment A Toss-Up | a result that is still unclear and can go either way Add insult to injury | make a bad situation even worse Against the clock | rushed and short on time All Greek to me | meaningless and incomprehensible either due to complexity or imprecision All in the same boat | when everyone is facing the same challenges All of a sudden | something that happens very quickly and unexpectedly An arm and a leg | very expensive; a large amount of money An ax to grind | to have a dispute with someone At the drop of a hat | willing to do something immediately, on the slightest signal or urging Back to square one | having to start all over again Back to the drawing board | when an attempt fails and it's time to start all over Be sick and tired of | to be angry, bored or annoyed with something Beat a dead horse | to force an issue that has already ended Beat around the bush | avoiding the main topic Bend over backwards | do whatever it takes to help Break the ice | to break social formality and to initiate conversation Buy a lemon | to buy a car that constantly gives problems Call it a night | to stop an activity for the rest of the night Catch 22 | a situation in which a desired outcome is impossible no matter what choice is made Caught between two stools | when it is difficult to choose between two alternatives Come a long way | make a lot of progress and improvemen Costs an arm and a leg | to be very expensive Cut corners | to do something in the fastest or cheapest way Cut it out! | stop doing something bad Cut to the chase | leave out unnecessary details and just get to the point Devil's advocate | one who takes a position just for the sake of argument Down to the wire | something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds Draw a line in the sand | establish a limit beyond which things will not accepted Feeling a bit under the weather | feeling slightly ill For crying out loud! | expresses frustration or annoyance with somebody or something From the horse's mouth | to hear something from the authoritative or dependable source Get over it | to move beyond something that is bothering you Get the ball rolling | get a process started Go the extra mile | going above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand Good Samaritan | one who helps others when they are in need, with no thought of a reward Gut feeling | a personal, intuitive feeling or response, especially when something may not be right Head over heels | very excited and/or joyful, especially when in love Hear it on the grapevine | receive information indirectly, similar to a rumor High five | slapping palms above each others heads as celebration gesture Hit the books | to study; prepare for class Hit the nail on the head | do something or say something exactly right Hocus pocus | in general, a term used in magic or trickery In ages | for a very long time In hot water | in trouble; in difficulties In the blink of an eye | in an extremely short time It's a small world | something you say when seeing the same people, events or situations in different places. Jaywalk crossing the street without using the crosswalk Kick the bucket | to die Kill two birds with one stone | accomplish two tasks with only one effort Learn the ropes | to learn the basics Lend a hand | to help; to give assistance Let sleeping dogs lie | to avoid restarting a conflict Let the cat out of the bag | to share a secret that wasn't suppose to be shared Long time, no see! | an expression used to greet someone who you have not seen for a long time Long shot | highly unlikely Look like a million dollars | to be very well dressed; to look great Loose cannon | someone whose actions are unpredictable and uncontrollable Lose your head | to become upset, confused or overly emotional about something Lose your short | to lose all of or most of your money Miss the boat | to be too late; lose the opportunity; fail to take action Money talks | money has influence and power Mumbo jumbo | nonsense or meaningless speech or writing Nest egg | savings set aside for future use Off the hook | freed from a blame or obligation; having avoided a difficult situation On the ball | to understand the situation well Once in a blue moon | something that happens very rarely Once in a while | sometimes, not very often Out of the blue | something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs Over my dead body | when you absolutely will not accept or allow something to happen Over the top | very excessive; outrageously overdone Poker face | a face with no expression Pull the plug | to stop something; to bring something to an end Pulling your leg | tricking someone as a joke Rule of thumb | a useful principle, basic rule that is usually but not always correct Run out of steam | to be completely out of energy Saved by the bell | rescued from a danger at the last possible moment Scapegoat someone else who takes the blame See eye to eye | be in agreement Sit on the fence | undecided about an issue; not able to make a decision Sleep on it | wait until the next day before making an important decision Speak of the devil! | reference to a person who appears unexpectedly while being talked about Start from scratch | to do it all over again from the beginning Take it easy | good-bye; calm down; relax Take with a pinch of salt | do not completely believe it The ball is in your court | your turn to speak or act next The best of both worlds | get the benefits and advantages of two different things The last straw | the last little burden or problem that causes everything to collapse The whole nine yards | everything, all of it Time out | stop; take a break; calm down Turn a blind eye | to ignore something you know is real and pretend you do not see it Twenty-four/seven all the time; continuous operation Up to the minute | the most recent When pigs fly | something that will never ever happen You bet! | sure, yes, of course Zero Tolerance | no crime or law breaking to be overlooked