20 English Idioms You Should Know

There are many interesting idioms that everyone should learn and apply in conversation. With more content being added to the internet every day, it is becoming more strenuous to choose among several blogs or websites to learn some good English Idioms. 

So, to make it incredibly easy and convenient for you to, I have meticulously selected some of them and listed them below, each with a sentence illustrating how it’s used.

Let’s cut to the chase. Here are top 20 English Idioms you should know:

1.       Donkey’s years - “a very long time.”
Example: Emily, I haven’t seen you in donkey’s years.

2.       Since sliced bread – “extremely good.”
Example: I love my iPhone X—It’s the best thing since sliced bread.

3.       Cat got your tongue? – “Why aren’t you talking?”
Example: You see, I told you that John stole the book, but you didn’t believe me. Cat got your tongue now?

4.       Over the moon – “very excited.”
Example: I have passed all my exams; I’m over the moon right now.

5.       Bite the bullet – “admit unwillingly.”
Zendaya was in the class, so I had to bite the bullet and tell Mrs. Beyoncé what had happened.

6.       Sleep on it – “think about something and respond (or solve it) the next day.”
Example: I can’t decide right now; I’ll sleep on it and give you an answer tomorrow.

7.       Bob’s your uncle – “There you go!”
Example: Just add a little salt to the stew and Bob’s your uncle!

8.       A race against time – “Very urgent”
Example: Solving this assignment is a race against time—We must submit it before 9:00 am.

9.       Drink like a fish – “Drink excessively.”
Example: Can you believe Justin drank 8 bottles of Tequila? He drinks like a fish.

10.    Burn the candle from both ends – “Sleep late and wake up very early.”
Example: I was really tired last week—I burnt the candle from both ends to finish my project.

11.    Bark up the wrong tree – “accuse someone innocently.”
Example: Benson is innocent because I’ve discovered the culprit. Now stop barking up the wrong tree!

12.     Get into hot water – “get into trouble.”
Example: I’ve gotten myself into hot water—I’ve accidentally cracked the egg.

13.     Build castles in the air – “to daydream or imagine.”
Example: Stop building castles in the air and get to work!

14.    At the eleventh hour – “in the final/ending moments.”
Example: You’ll fail the exams if you only study at the eleventh hour.

15.    Once in a blue moon – “very rarely.”
Example: Taylor comes here once in a blue moon.

16.    Under the weather – “unwell”
Example: I feel a bit under the weather today.

17.     Bite off more than you can chew – “do something beyond your capacity.”
Example: Don’t bite off more than you can chew by trying to do everything yourself.

18.    Call a spade a spade – “be straightforward or tell something as it is”
Example: Jesus Christ urges us to call a spade a spade.

19.     Give the benefit of doubt – “offer someone an advantage or chance”
Example: Okay, I’ll give you the benefit of doubt.

20.    A hard nut to crack – “a difficult situation”
Example: This arcade game is a hard nut to crack—I can’t finish it.
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