ENGLISH IDIOMS (A to G) |
MEANINGS |
A bird’s eye view |
An unobstructed view from above |
A drop in the ocean |
Something very unimportant, insignificant. |
A hot potato |
Talk about an issue (from the News) that many people talk about and that is usually contested. |
A penny for your thoughts |
Tell me what you’re thinking. |
A perfect storm |
the worst possible situation |
A picture is worth 1000 words |
Better to show than tell |
A piece of cake |
Something very easy to do |
A snowball effect |
A snowball effect |
A storm in a teacup |
A big commotion about a small problem |
A taste of your own medicine |
Ill-treatment rightly received for abusing others. |
Actions speak louder than words |
Actions speak louder than words |
Add fuel to the fire |
Put some oil on the fire |
Add insult to injury |
To aggravate an unfavourable situation |
I’m all ears |
Listen with great attention. |
An apple a day keeps the doctor away |
Apples are good for you! |
An early bird |
Person who is used to getting up early. |
As right as rain |
Perfect |
At the bottom of the ladder |
At the bottom of the scale, at the lowest level |
At the drop of a hat |
As soon as possible…, without hesitation |
back in the day |
at that time |
Ball is in your court |
It is now up to you to talk, to act, to prove yourself… |
Barking up the wrong tree |
Accusing the wrong person |
Be a good catch |
Be someone worth being married or having |
Be at each other’s throat |
two people arguing in anger |
Beat around the bush |
To treat a topic, but omit its main points, often intentionally. |
Best of both worlds |
have all the advantages |
Better late than never |
It is better to do an action late than not to do it. |
Bite off more than you can chew |
Taking on a task that is too big |
Bite the bullet |
Get something over with because it’s inevitable. |
Bite your tongue |
Stop saying something because it would be better not to say it. |
Blessing in disguise |
Something good that is not recognized as such at first. |
Blow somebody away |
Impressing someone |
Blow someone’s mind |
Impressing someone |
Bored to death |
I’m so bored I could die |
Bread and butter |
The basic things you need to survive, such as food and shelter. Also used to describe the job or activity that provides you with the money you need to live. – ‘Fishing is my bread and butter.’ |
Break a leg |
Good luck! |
Break the ice |
Untie a tense atmosphere by initiating a group discussion or animation. |
Broke |
Means that you have no more money |
Burn bridges |
Destroy relationships |
Butterflies in my stomach |
Being nervous |
By the skin of your teeth |
Barely, just barely |
Call it a day |
That’s it for today. (at work) |
Calm before the storm |
a lull, a respite before something bad |
Can’t judge a book by its cover |
This proverb means that you cannot know a man by his appearance. |
Cat got your tongue? |
to be silent, to be speechless |
Caught between two stools |
Caught between two alternatives |
Comparing apples to oranges |
Compare two things that cannot be compared |
Costs an arm and a leg |
The cost is very expensive, even too expensive. |
Couch potato |
refers to a person who spends a lot of time sitting on his couch |
I couldn’t care less |
I don’t give a damn about that. |
To cry wolf |
By giving false alarms, the real alarm is no longer heard. |
Curiosity killed the cat |
Put yourself in an unpleasant situation by being curious |
Cut corners |
When something is done wrong to save money. |
Cut someone some slack |
Don’t judge someone severely |
Cut to the chase |
Get to the point |
Devil’s Advocate |
to defend an opinion that the majority thinks is wrong. |
Dig in your heels / Stick to your guns |
Refuse to compromise or change your mind |
Do something at the drop of a hat |
Do something without planning ahead |
Don’t beat a dead horse |
Stop talking about a subject that is already finished. |
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch |
Don’t count on anything good until it happens. |
Don’t cry over spilt milk |
Complaining about a loss of the past |
Don’t give up the day job |
You’re not very good at anything. You certainly couldn’t do it professionally. |
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket |
you have to be careful and not risk everything on a unique opportunity or project. |
Don’t sweat it |
Don’t worry about it. |
Don’t be so quick to judgment. |
Don’t judge so quickly. |
Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do. |
Behave yourself, don’t do anything stupid |
Don’t play dumb with me. |
to pretend to not know or not understand something |
Don’t push me. |
Don’t make me angry. |
Down to Earth |
Realistic |
Down to the wire |
To denote a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute. |
Drastic times call for drastic measures |
When you are extremely desperate, you must take drastic measures. |
Draw the line |
Setting limits |
Drive someone up the wall |
irritate or annoy a lot |
Easier said than done |
Used to describe a relatively difficult action. |
Elephant in the room |
a problem that everyone knows very well but that no one talks about because it is taboo, embarrassing, etc. |
Every cloud has a silver lining |
Sometimes misfortune gives us advantages that we would not have had without it. |
Everybody Was Freaking Out. |
feel extremely surprised, upset, angry, or confused. |
Fair Enough |
All right, certainly, okay. |
Far cry from (something) |
Being far from (e. g. reality) |
Feel blue |
Be depressed or sad |
Finding a needle in a haystack |
Looking for something that we’re very unlikely to find |
Fish out of water |
be out of place |
Fit as a fiddle |
to be very healthy and strong |
Fortune favours the bold |
You have to take risks to succeed. |
Get back to me. |
Come back and see me again. |
Get on one’s nerves |
annoy, exasperate |
Get out of hand |
get out of control |
Get Out of Here |
Go away! |
Get out of your comfort zone. |
doing things that you don’t feel comfortable with doing. |
Get over yourself. |
Reprends-toi en main. |
Get real. |
Sois réaliste. |
Get something off your chest |
Parler de quelque chose qui vous tracasse depuis longtemps |
Get to the Point |
Speak frankly, get to the heart of the matter directly |
Get wind of something |
be informed of something |
Get your act together |
Get control of one’s thoughts and emotions and stop behaving in a foolish or uncontrolled way |
Get your head around it |
Make yourself comfortable. |
Get your head in the game. |
To focus on the task at hand. |
Give it to me straight |
Give it to me directly |
Give me a break. |
Stop bothering me. |
Give me five |
Means slapping palms above each other’s heads as a a greeting, celebration gesture |
Give somebody a hard time |
Cause difficulty, trouble, embarrassment to someone |
Give someone a hand |
Give a momentary help. |
Give someone the benefit of the doubt |
In the absence of clear evidence, refrain from considering someone guilty. |
Give someone the cold shoulder |
Receive a cold welcome |
Go ahead |
Go For It! Do it! |
Go For It |
Go ahead! Do it! |
Go bananas |
Going crazy, hysterical |
Go down in flames |
Sudden and dramatic failure |
Go back to the drawing board |
Start over |
Go on a wild goose chase |
A completely unsuccessful search and a waste of time because the person or thing sought does not exist or is elsewhere |
Go the extra mile |
Make an extra effort |
Go with the flow |
Be relaxed and accept a situation, rather than trying to alter or control it. |
Good for Nothing |
Lazy person |
Good For You |
Can be used in seriousness or sarcastically |
Good Luck |
Hope you will be lucky! |
Good Point |
you’re right |
Good things come to those who wait |
Good things happen to those who know how to wait, who know the value of patience, who know how to be patient |
Good Thinking |
Good point, you’re right |
Good to know. |
It’s a good thing to know |
Goose bumps |
When you are scared the hairs rise up |
Got It |
Understood! |
Grab a bite |
Eat something, a snack for example |