Essential english idioms (part 3 – K to R)

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A complete list of the most common English idioms and expressions:

ENGLISH IDIOMS (K to R)	MEANINGS
Keep an eye on	To keep under careful observation.
Keep me in the loop	Keep me informed
Keep me posted.	Keep me informed.
Keep my head above water.	to just be able to manage, especially when you have financial difficulties
Keep something at bay	Hold something at a distance
Keep someone on their toes.	to make someone concentrate so that they are ready to deal with anything that might happen
Keep your cool	To maintain a calm and controlled attitude.
Keeping my fingers crossed	Hoping for good luck
Kill two birds with one stone	to succeed in achieving two things in a single action
Know something inside out	to know someone or something very well
Know which way the wind is blowing	Understand the situation (generally negative)
Larger than life	Bigger than life
Last straw	Last drop (The last problem of a series of problems.)
Leave no stone unturned	Don’t neglect any details
Let me know…	Keep me informed……
Let me see if I can move some things around.	I’ll see if I can move some things.
Let sleeping dogs lie	Stop discussing a problem
Let someone off the hook	Letting someone get away with it
Let the cat out of the bag	Accidentally revealing a secret
Let the chips fall where they may	Let something happen, whether it’s good or bad.
Let’s get down to business.	Used to mark a transition to a business discussion or serious talk.
Like riding a bicycle	Something you never forget how to do
Like two peas in a pod	They’re always together.
To live beyond your means.	You spend more money than you can afford.
Living the dream.	Living the good life
Long time no see	It’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other.
Look before you leap	Only take calculated risks
Lose your marbles	Going crazy
Maddening	Enrageant
Make a long story short	Get to the point
Make hay while the sun shines	Enjoy a good situation
Make time for (something).	Plan time for (something).
Make up one’s mind	To finally decide something.
Miss the boat	to say that someone missed their chance
My hands are full	I’m busy.
My two cents	To give or share your opinion
Nature Calls	means we have to go to the toilet!
Never mind	Forget what I said, it’s okay.
No pain, no gain	You have to work for what you want
No Strings Attached	Doing something for someone without asking for anything in return.
No Sweat	No problem
No Worries	No problem
Not playing with a full deck	to talk about someone who’s not very smart.
Nothing Matters	To express nothing else is important
To be on cloud nine	To be very happy
To be on the same page	to understand and agree with what is being done or suggested
On thin ice	On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.
Once bitten, twice shy	You are more careful when you have already been injured.
Once in a blue moon	When something rarely happens
Once in a while	not very often
Out of the blue	from nowhere
Out of the frying pan and into the fire	Things are going from bad to worse
Out of this world	incredible
Over my dead body!	I will do everything you can to prevent something!
Over the moon	to be happy
Pain in the ass	Annoying (vulgar)
Picture paints a thousand words	a picture can express a complex idea in the same way a large amount of descriptive text can.
Plain as day	Obvious, clear
To play it by ear (=go with the flow)	Everything will be done when it’s done (spontaneously)
Play second fiddle	Be less important.
Pull a rabbit out of a hat	Do something unexpected
Pull someone’s leg	Joking, making fun of someone
Pull yourself together	Get a grip on yourself.
Push back the appointment.	postpone the appointment
Put (something) on hold	To pause, postpone, or suspend an activity
Put oneself in someone’s shoes	To try to look at a situation from a different point of view; as if one were the other person; to empathise.
Put something on ice	Put a project on hold
Put wool over other people’s eyes	cheating on someone to make them think well of them.
Put your foot in your mouth	Say something you shouldn’t have said
Rain on someone’s parade	To ruin something
Read between the lines	To try to understand someone’s real feelings or intentions from what they say or write
Read one’s mind	To know what someone is thinking without being told
Reduced to ashes	destroyed or made useless
Does that ring a bell?	Does it seem familiar? Does it remind you of something?
Rise and Shine	Get up! (in the morning)
Rub shoulders	be around people
Run like the wind	to run very fast.

©Englishfornoobs.com

Essential english idioms (part 4 – S to Z)

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Feel free to leave a comment if you find any errors or if you have any suggestions to make to improve this lesson.

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A complete list of the most common English idioms and expressions:

ENGLISH IDIOMS (S to Z)	MEANINGS
Saving for a rainy day	Saving for bad days
See eye to eye (with someone)	to agree with someone
Sell somebody out	Telling on someone or revealing their secret
Shame on You	Shame on you
Shape up or ship out	Work better or leave
I’ll meet you at 8 o’clock sharp.	exactly at a that time
Shoot from the hip	Speak directly
Sick and tired	being disturbed or annoyed by something
Sit on the fence	Remain neutral and do not take sides
Skeleton crew	The minimum number of people required to operate a service or office.
Sleep on it	Think about something for a while before making a decision.
Sleep Tight	Sleeping in cramped conditions
Slow and steady wins the race	Reliability is more important than speed
Snowed under	Busy
Snug as a bug in a rug	Warm and cozy; happy.
So far so good	an expression of satisfaction with progress made
So glad you could make it.	I’m glad you could come.
Sooner or later	at some future time; eventually.
Sort Of	In a way
Speak of the devil	when the person you just mentioned arrives.
Spill the beans	To reveal secret information unintentionally or indiscreetly.
Stay out of trouble.	Don’t get in trouble. Don’t do anything wrong.
Steal someone’s thunder	To take credit for something someone else did.
Step up your game	start to perform better, improve
Stick your nose into something	interfere into other people’s business.
Stop being so hard on yourself.	Don’t feel guilty about everything
Straight from the horse’s mouth	Directly from the person concerned.
Sure Thing	Certainly
Take a rain check	Let’s do this another time.
take it easy	Relax!
Take it with a grain / a pinch of salt	Don’t take it too seriously.
Taste of your own medicine	means that something happens to you, or is done to you, that you have done to someone else.
Thank Goodness	Thank God for that.
That ship has sailed	It’s too late for that.
That’s easier said than done	something seems like a good idea but it would be difficult to do.
That’s the last straw	the latest in a series of unpleasant or undesirable events, and makes you feel that you cannot tolerate a situation any longer.
The apple does not fall far from the tree	Children grow up to become like their parents
The ball is in your court	It’s your decision.
The best of both worlds	An ideal situation, to take advantage of two different possibilities at the same time.
The devil is in the details	when you look more closely, there are problems…
The early bird gets the worm	The first people who arrive will receive the best things.
The new Iphone Blew Me Away.	I was surprised in a good way by the new Iphone
The pot calling the kettle black	Someone criticizing someone else as being just as bad
The whole nine yards	Everything, to the end.
There are clouds on the horizon	Trouble is coming
There are other fish in the sea	Other opportunities will arise.
There’s a method to his madness	He looks crazy, but he’s actually smart.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch	Nothing is entirely free
Think fast!	Catch! (when throwing something at someone)
Think outside the box	use your imagination
Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones	Morally questionable people should not criticize others.
Through thick and thin	In good times and bad
Throw caution to the wind	Taking a risk
Throw in the towel	To give up
time flies	time passes quickly
Time is money	time is a valuable resource
time on your hands	have some free time
Tip of the iceberg	The visible part of the iceberg
Tit for tat	an action done to take revenge on someone who has hurt you
To add insult to injury	to make the situation worse.
To cut corners	do something wrong or cheap.
To feel under the weather	not feeling well.
To hear something straight from the horse’s mouth	hear something from the authoritative source.
To hit the nail on the head	describe exactly what causes a situation or problem.
To kill two birds with one stone	Killing two birds with one stone
To make matters worse	Make a problem worse
To not see the wood for the trees	be so involved in the details that you don’t get the most important facts.
Turn a blind eye	Ignore
Turned a deaf ear	Ignore
Twenty-four seven	24h/24: all the hours of the day
Uncharted waters	Being in unfamiliar territory, in a situation you don’t know, without experience and we don’t know what could happen.
We All Have To Pitch In.	We all have to get involved, participate
We Got Off On The Wrong Foot.	to begin a relationship or project badly
We’re short on time.	We are running out of time.
Well begun is half done	It is important to get off to a good start
What a Small World!	When you meet someone in unexpected circumstances.
What gives?	What’s going on?
What’s Eating You?	What’s bothering you?
What’s up?	What’s the matter?
Whatever…	It doesn’t matter…
When pigs fly	Never
Who cares?	used to say that something is not important
Who do you think you are?	Rhetorical question asked of or when discussing a person who is acting in an annoying, stereotypical manner or is a poser.
Who knows?	Rhetorical question to say: I don’t know, and I don’t know anybody who does know.
Whole nine yards	Everything that is available.
Wrap your head around something	Understand something complicated
You Bet!	you may be sure; certainly.
You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar	You’ll get what you want by being nice.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink	You can’t force someone to make the right decision
You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs	it is hard to achieve something important without causing unpleasant effects
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks	It is difficult to change the way someone does something when they have been doing it the same way for a long time.
You can’t be serious.	I don’t believe what you just said
You get what you pay for	Something very cheap is usually not of very good quality.
You have your head in the clouds.	You’re dreaming, you’re not focused
You know better than that	used to express disappointment when someone makes a mistake which they probably shouldn’t have / to show disapproval of someone’s actions
You look like a deer in headlights.	to be stunned, frightened or surprised that you cannot move or think
You made it!	You succeeded at something.
You pulled a fast one on me.	you have cheated or tricked me.
You rock!	You’re awesome!
You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours	if you do something for me, I’ll do the same for you.
You went too far.	You did more than is acceptable
You win some, you lose some.	You cannot always succeed.
You’re dressed to kill	You’re wearing very smart or fashionable clothes
You’re toast	You’re in big trouble.
You’ve got to be kidding	Is this a joke?
You’re all over the place.	something is happening in many different places, or spread over a very large area, usually disorganized
You’re killing the mood.	You’re ruining the moment.
You’re playing both sides.	To manipulate two opposing sides against one another for your own benefit
You’re pushing your luck.	You are taking a bigger risk than is sensible, and may get into trouble.
Your call!	It’s your decision.
Your guess is as good as mine	I have no idea.

©Englishfornoobs.com

English phrases for daily use (2/2)

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ENGLISH PHRASES FOR DAILY USE (2/2)

At this point in time,…

Be sensible!

Congratulations!

Don’t go back on your word!

Don’t look so surprised!

Don’t make a fuss about it!

Fantastic/terrific/Excellent/Great!

Get this!

Have I made myself quite clear?

How awful!

How come they’re so late?

I can’t believe it!

I can’t complain.

I have no complaints about it.

I hope I’ve made myself quite clear!

I know what i’m talking about!

I nearly / I almost…

I very nearly…

I would be surprised if…

I’d be surprised!

I’ve got to the point where…

I’ve said my last word on the subject.

I’ve told you again and again!

It’s a matter of chance.

It’s a wonder that…!

It’s a wonder to me that…

It’s beyond me!

It’s crazy!

It’s hardly surprising. / It hardly comes as a surprise.

It’s just not the point !

It’s no accident that…

It’s not the end of the world.

It’s nothing to be proud of!

It’s nothing to get worked up about!

It’s sheer madness!

Just don’t make a big deal out of it!

Let’s face the issue!

Much to my surprise,…

No wonder…

Pull yourself together! / get a hold on yourself! / Get a grip (on yourself)!

See for yourself!

Shame on you!

So what?

Tell me another!

Tha’s not the point / problem!

That wasn’t very clever!

That’s absolute nonsense!

That’s another question!

That’s beside the point!

That’s going a bit far !

That’s not quite all!

Well done!

Well said!

What a coincidence!

What a pity!

What a question!

What a surprise !

What an idea!

What are you complaining about?

What did you expect?

Where did you get hold of that?

You don’t say! / No wonder!

You won’t get away with it!

You’ll never hear the end of it!

You’re imagining things.

You’re just talking nonsense!

You’re missing the point!

You’re overreacting!

©Englishfornoobs.com

 

 

English phrases for daily use (1/2)

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ENGLISH PHRASES FOR DAILY USE (1/2)

Arrangements have been made for you to…

As you may expect, … / As one would expect, …

Don’t turn a deaf ear to…

Everything will be fine / Everything will go smoothly

I didn’t think it right to…

I don’t feel up to it.

I don’t feel up to…

I find it hard to understand why…

I had no idea he/she would…

I must congratulate you on…

I never suspected it for a moment.

I see him/her as a (+adjective) person.

I should have known that…

I thought it right to…

I thought so. / I suspected as much.

I was weak enough to…

I was wise enough to…

I wonder if…

I’d given up on you!

I’m not surprised.

I’ve wasted so much time

It comes as no surprise.

it doesn’t make sens

It makes you wonder why…

It makes you wonder.

It may still come in handy.

It seemed only right to…

It surprises me that…

It took ages!

It was a risky venture.

It was bound to happen.

It was worth a try.

It went off smoothly / It went like a dream

It’s easier said than done!

It’s getting better and better.

It’s hard to tell.

It’s no small matter

It’s not much to look at, but…

It’s quite clear

It’s too sad for words.

It’s worth having a go.

It’s worth it!

It’s worth… (v+ing)

It/things couldn’t be better

Let’s hope this is not the case.

Little did I know/suspect that…

My guess was right.

Not that I care but…

People would know about it!

Something’s wrong / There’s something not quite right here.

That can easily be put right.

That was predictable.

That was sensible of you.

That was the right thing to do.

That was wise of you.

That wasn’t meant to happen!

That’s easy for you to say

That’s quite something!

That’s quite understandable.

Thats was to be expected.

There’s only one thing wrong

There’s something amiss.

Things are getting worse and worse.

Things are going pretty well

We’re off the hook

You can’t but…

You certainly took your time!

You gave me your word you would…

You got me off the hook!

You’ve set your sights too high.

You’ve got a point there.

©Englishfornoobs.com

 

Comparative Idioms in English

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COMPARATIVE IDIOMS

It’s as light as a feather.

He’s as mad as a hornet.

He’s as proud as a peacock.

He’s as strong as an ox.

It’s as clear as mud.

It’s as dry as a bone.

It’s as flat as a pancake.

It’s as good as new.

It’s as old as the hills.

It’s as quick as lightning.

It’s as solid as a rock.

She’s as sick as a dog.

She’s as stubborn as a mule.

She’s as white as a sheet.

They’re as different as night and day.

©Englishfornoobs.com

Complete list of insults, swearing, and vulgar expressions

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INSULTS, SWEARING, AND VULGAR EXPRESSIONS

ass / arse (UK)

asshole, arsehole

bastard

bitch

Bloody hell

Blowjob

Bollocks

Boobs

Bullshit

Calm the fuck down

Cocksucker

cunt

Damn it!

Damn you!

Dickhead

dike

Don’t loose your shit

Douchebag

Douchebaggette

Drunkard

Dude, you smell like crap

dumbass

Eat shit.

Fanny

Fatass

Fool

Fuck

Fuck off

fuck you

Fuckface

fucking bastard

Get lost!

Go fuck yourself

Go to hell

Goddamit

I don’t give a shit / a damn / a fuck

Idiot

Inbred

It tastes like dog shit

Jerk

Kiss my arse!

Lazy bitch

MILF (Mother I’d Like to Fuck)

Motherfucker

Oh crap

Old fart

Pain in the ass

Piece of shit

Piss off!

Pussy

Retard

Scumbag

Sex on the rag

Shit

Shit happens.

Shut the fuck up

shut up

slut

smartass, smart-ass

snot/boogers

son of a bitch

stupid

Suck my dick!

This is shit among shit

This is total shit

This restaurant fucking sucks

tits

to jerk-off

to jizz

to screw

to take a dump

Turd

Twat

wanker

what a bastard!

What a fool!

What the fuck!

When the shit hits the fan…

Whore

You ain’t got the balls

You bitch!

You dirt-eating piece of slime

You fucking cripple

You idiot!

You loser

You pathetic bed wetter

You smelly hooker

You suck

You’re an asshole

You’re pissing me off

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

♡ The Best English quotes about love ♡

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The Best English quotes about love:

1. ‘A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and man cannot live without love.’ -Max Muller
2. ‘A loving heart is the truest wisdom.’ – Charles Dickens
3. ‘A man is already halfway in love with any woman who listens to him.’ – Brendan Francis
4. ‘Age does not protect you from love, but love to some extent protects you from age.’ – Jeanne Moreau
5. ‘Each time you love, love as deeply as if it were forever – only, nothing is eternal.’ – Audre Lorde 
6. ‘Every thing that you love, you will eventually lose, but in the end, love will return in a different form.’ – Franz Kafka
7. ‘First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity.’ – George Bernard Shaw
8. ‘He is not a lover who does not love forever.’ – Euripides
9. ‘Him that I love, I wish to be free – even from me.’ – Anne Morrow Lindbergh
10. ‘I have found that if you love life, life will love you back.’ – Arthur Rubinstein
11. ‘I swear I couldn’t love you more than I do right now, and yet I know I will tomorrow.’ – Leo Christopher
12. ‘If I know what love is, it is because of you.’ – Hermann Hesse
13. ‘If music be the food of love, play on.’ – William Shakespeare
14. ‘If thou must love me, let it be for naught except for love’s sake only.’ – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
15. ‘If you love it enough, anything will talk with you.’ – George Washington Carver
16. ‘In order to be happy oneself it is necessary to make at least one other person happy.’ – Theodor Reik
17. ‘In the end we discover that to love and let go can be the same thing.’ – Jack Kornfield
18. ‘It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not.’ – Andre Gide 
19. ‘It is the time you have wasted for your rose that makes your rose so important.’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
20. ‘It was love at first sight, at last sight, at ever and ever sight.’ – Vladimir Nabokov
21. ‘Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profundity. Kindness in giving creates love.’ – Lao Tzu
22. ‘Life is the first gift, love is the second, and understanding the third.’ – Marge Piercy
23. ‘Love does not consist of gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupery
24. ‘Love is a better master than duty.’ – Albert Einstein
25. ‘Love is a game that two can play and both win.’ – Eva Gabor
26. ‘Love is a great master. It teaches us to be what we never were.’ – Moliere
27. ‘Love is a trap. When it appears, we see only its light, not its shadows.’ – Paulo Coehlo
28. ‘Love is an energy which exists of itself. It is its own value.’ – Thornton Wilder
29. ‘Love is friendship set on fire.’ -Jeremy Taylor
30. ‘Love is when you meet someone who tells you something new about yourself.’ – Andre Breton
31. ‘Love must be as much a light as it is a flame.’ Henry David Thoreau
32. ‘Love yourself. Then forget it. Then, love the world.’ Mary Oliver
33. ‘Love’s gift cannot be given, it waits to be accepted.’ -Rabindranath Tagore
34. ‘Love’s greatest gift is its ability to make everything it touches sacred.’ Barbara De Angelis
35. ‘Never make someone a priority when all you are to them is an option.’ Maya Angelou
36. ‘One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love.’ Sophocles
37. ‘Stand by your man. Give him two arms to cling to and something warm to come to.’ -Tammy Wynette
38. ‘The giving of love is an education in itself.’ -Eleanor Roosevelt
39. ‘There is more pleasure in loving than in being beloved.’ -Thomas Fuller
40. ‘To love is nothing. To be loved is something. But to love and be loved, that’s everything.’ – T. Tolis
41. ‘True love stories never have endings.’ Richard Bach
42. ‘Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality.’ -Emily Dickinson
43. ‘Unless you love someone, nothing else makes sense.’ E.E. Cummings
44. ‘We accept the love we think we deserve.’ -Stephen Chbosky
45. ‘We love because it’s the only true adventure.’ -Nikki Giovanni
46. ‘We love the things we love for what they are.’ -Robert Frost
47. ‘We must love one another or die.’ W. H. Auden
48. ‘When love is at its best, one loves so much that he cannot forget.’ -Helen Hunt Jackson
49. ‘When love is not madness, it is not love.’ -Pedro Calderon de la Barca
50. ‘You don’t love someone because they’re perfect, you love them in spite of the fact that they’re not.’ – Jodi Picoult

 

©Englishfornoobs.com

Quotes about travel and adventure

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Quotes about travel and adventure:

1. ‘A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.’ – Tim Cahill
2. ‘A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving.’ – Lao Tzu
3. ‘A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.’ – John Steinbeck
4. ‘A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.’ – Lao Tzu
5. ‘A traveler without observation is a bird without wings.’ – Moslih Eddin Saadi
6. ‘A wise traveler never despises his own country.’ – Carlo Goldoni
7. ‘Adventure is worthwhile in itself.’ – Amelia Earhart
8. ‘All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.’ – Martin Buber
9. ‘Discovery consists not in seeking new lands but in seeing with new eyes.’ – Marcel Proust
10. ‘Don’t let your luggage define your travels, each life unravels differently.’ – Shane Koyczan
11. ‘He who would travel happily must travel light.’ – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
12. ‘I am not the same having seen the moon shine on the other side of the world.’ – Mary Anne Radmache
13. ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will get you there.’ – Lewis Carroll
14. ‘It is not down in any map; true places never are.’ – Herman Melville
15. ‘Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.’ – Neale Donald Walsch
16. ‘Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.’ – Helen Keller
17. ‘Like all great travelers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen.’ – Benjamin Disraeli
18. ‘Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.’ – Andre Gide
19. ‘Never go on trips with anyone you do not love.’ – Ernest Hemingway
20. ‘No place is ever as bad as they tell you it’s going to be.’ – Chuck Thompson
21. ‘Not all those who wander are lost.’ – J. R. R. Tolkien
22. ‘One always begins to forgive a place as soon as it’s left behind.’ – Charles Dickens
23. ‘One travels more usefully when alone, because he reflects more.’ – Thomas Jefferson
24. ‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things’ – Henry Miller
25. ‘People travel to faraway places to watch, in fascination, the kind of people they ignore at home.’ – Dagobert D. Runes
26. ‘Some beautiful paths can’t be discovered without getting lost.’ – Erol Ozan
27. ‘The first condition of understanding a foreign country is to smell it.’ – Rudyard Kipling
28. ‘The journey not the arrival matters.’ – T. S. Eliot
29. ‘The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have.’ – Anna Quindlen
30. ‘The most beautiful thing in the world is, of course, the world itself.’ – Wallace Stevens
31. ‘The road is there, it will always be there. You just have to decide when to take it.’ – Chris Humphrey
32. ‘The traveler sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.’ – Gilbert K. Chesterton
33. ‘The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.’ – St. Augustine
34. ‘There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.’ – Robert Louis Stevenson
35. ‘There is no moment of delight in any pilgrimage like the beginning of it.’ – Charles Dudley Warner
36. ‘To awaken quite alone in a strange town is one of the pleasantest sensations in the world.’ – Freya Stark
37. ‘To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.’ – Aldous Huxley
38. ‘Tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travelers don’t know where they’re going.’ – Paul Theroux
39. ‘Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.’ – Seneca
40. ‘Travel brings power and love back into your life.’ – Rumi
41. ‘Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.’ – Lawrence Durrell
42. ‘Travel is like knowledge, the more you see, the more you know you haven’t seen’ – Mark Hertsgaad
43. ‘Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.’ – Ibn Battuta
44. ‘Two roads diverged in a wood and I – I took the one less traveled by.’ – Robert Frost
45. ‘We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls.’ – Anais Nin
46. ‘We wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.’ – Hilaire Belloc
47. ‘Where curious and curiosity keep leading us down new paths’ – Walt Disney
48. ‘Wherever you go, go with all your heart.’ – Confucius
49. ‘Without new experiences, something inside of us sleeps. The sleeper must awaken.’ – Frank Herbert
50. ‘You can’t control the past, but you can control where you go next.’ – Kirsten Hubbard

 

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Idioms and phrases in English with colors

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IDIOMS AND PHRASES	MEANINGS
A blue-eyed boy	A critical description of a boy or young man who is always chosen for special favours by someone in a position of superior authority.
A bolt from the blue	When unexpected bad news is received
A golden handshake	A significant amount of money that is paid to a retiring manager or administrator, or to a laid-off worker.
A golden opportunity	An opportunity that may never come up again.
A grey area	Something that is not clearly defined, and there is still a debate about whether it is “black or white” in one way or another.
A highly coloured report	Refers to a report that is exaggerated or has a biased opinion.
A red flag	A signal indicating that something is not working properly or is not working properly
A white lie	A “small” lie or a “harmless” lie told in order to be polite and avoid hurting someone’s feelings, or doing something that is not seriously wrong.
A yellow streak	Someone who has cowardice in his character
As white as a sheet	When someone is in a state of great fear or anxiety
Beet red	Also used to describe dark red, usually the colour of a face (beet derivative).
Black and blue	Used to describe something that is seriously wounded
Black as a skillet	Used to describe something very dirty, black with dirt.
Black as night	In a very dark place, when it is difficult to see anything.
Black eye	A bruise near the eye
Black market	A term used to refer to places where goods are purchased and sold illegally for profit.
Black out	This means either obscuring by turning off or obscuring the lights or losing consciousness.
Black sheep	Used to describe a person who is the “weird person” in a group, and who does not integrate with others around her. It could also be used to talk about a person who is a shame or embarrassment to his or her group.
Black tie event/affair	A formal event where male guests wear black bow ties with tuxedos or evening jackets.
Blackball someone	Exclude or ostracize someone socially, reject them.
Blacklist someone	Put someone’s name on a list if they break rules and prohibit them from participating again.
Blackmail someone	Extorting or taking money from someone by using their secrets against them and threatening to reveal them to others.
Blood red	Used to describe the dark red color of something
Blue blood	Used to describe someone from a noble, aristocratic or rich family.
Blue collar	Used to describe men used as workers or factory workers.
Blue in the face	Try very hard to win someone’s agreement, but usually without success.
Blue pencil	To censor something, or limit the information that is shared
Blue ribbon	To be of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth	born into a rich family
Browned off	Being bored or bored with someone or something
Catch someone red-handed	Catching someone committing a crime or doing something wrong that they shouldn’t be doing.
Chase rainbows	When someone tries to get or achieve something that is difficult or impossible
Dyed-in-the-wool	Used to describe someone or something that is permanent (such as wool that is dyed a certain color).
Feel blue	When a person seems or feels depressed or dissatisfied
Golden boy	Term given to a young man idolized for great skill, usually in sport.
Grass is always greener on the other side	Used to describe a distant place, and better than, where you are now, or the situation of another person who is very different from yours.
Green belt	An area of fields and trees around a city
Green thumb/green finger	Used to describe someone with a talent for gardening, with the ability to grow plants.
Green with envy	Used to describe someone who is extremely jealous, full of envy
In someone’s black books	To be in disgrace or disgrace with someone.
In the black	Meaning successful or profitable
Local colour	Allows to describe the traditional characteristics of a place that give it its own character.
Men/boys in blue	Used to describe the police, because of the color of their uniforms.
Off colour	When someone is not feeling at his best, is very sick or uncomfortable
Once in a blue moon	Occur extremely rarely, or only once in a lifetime.
Out of the blue	Appearing out of nowhere without any warning, occurring suddenly or randomly by surprise
Paint the town red	To go out and have a good time at a party.
Pitch black	Another term for somewhere that is very dark, and you are unable to see anything.
Pot calling the kettle black (shorten version: pot kettle black)	It is used when the person who hypocritically criticizes or accuses someone else is as guilty as the person he or she is criticizing or accusing.
Put something down in black and white	Write or have written something on paper for confirmation or proof.
Raise a white flag	This indicates that we have accepted the defeat and surrendered to the other party.
Red herring	An unimportant subject that misleads everyone and distracts attention from the main subject.
Red hot	Something new and exciting, creating a lot of demand
Red in the face	Become embarrassed
Red tape	A term used to refer to bureaucratic delays, excessive formalities and attention to rules and regulations, which often result in injustice to the ordinary citizen.
Red-carpet treatment	(Similar to the one above) To receive special or royal treatment, and to be received with a great and warm welcome.
Red-eye	A trip that leaves late at night and arrives early in the morning.
Red-letter day	A memorable day due to an important event
Roll out the red carpet	Welcome a person with great respect and give them a warm and welcoming welcome.
Sail under false colours	Pretend to be something you’re not
See someone’s true colours	Understand a person’s real character, often for the first time.
See the colour of someone’s money	To prove that someone has enough money for something
Talk a blue streak	When someone talks a lot and very quickly
The silver screen	A term for cinema
To be colourless	Used to describe someone who lacks personality, and who is really boring
To be given something on a silver plate/platter	When something is offered to someone with all my heart (in a metaphorical sense)
To be green	Used to describe someone who is immature or inexperienced.
To be in the red	To have an overdraft, be in debt to your bank or owe money to a financial institution
To be kept in the dark	Keeping someone’s secret, protecting the truth
To be out of the red	To be free from debt
To be shown the red card	This stems from football terminology, and means being fired from your work.
To give/lend colour to	To help make a story or explanation more credible and easier to believe, or to accompany something
To look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles/glasses	When someone sees things in a way that is too flattering or optimistic.
To paint in bright/dark colours	Describe something flattering (bright) or unflattering (dark)
To see red	Reacting with uncontrollable rage against someone or something
To see the red light	Recognize the approaching danger. The red light is referred to as
To show one’s true colours	Reveal your true nature
White as a ghost	someone who is very pale because of pain, fear, shock or disease.
White collar	A term used to refer to office workers who traditionally wear a white white-collar shirt.
White elephant	A term used to describe unnecessary possession, something that is useless.
Whitewash something	To conceal or conceal wrongdoing or wrongdoing
With flying colours	Complete something with a lot of distinction and excellent results.
Yellow-bellied	Someone who is considered a coward or extremely shy

 

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Useful english expressions: War and conflict

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WAR AND CONFLICT

a loose cannon

a No man’s land

a score to settle

an uphill battle

Arrow in the quiver

At daggers drawn

At gunpoint

Axe to grind

Battle of nerves

Bite the bullet

Bring a knife to a gunfight

Bury the hatchet

Close ranks

Cross swords

Dodge the bullet

Don’t shoot the messenger

Double-edged sword

Drop a bombshell

fight fire with fire

fight tooth and nail

Hang fire / Hold fire

hold your ground

In your sights

Knight in shining armour

Lock and load

Long shot

Off like a shot

Off your guard

on the warpath

Open old wounds

Pull the trigger

Quick on the trigger

To get the final word

To have more than one string to their bow

To jump the gun

To make peace

To pull the trigger

To throw in the sponge

wash your dirty linen in public

 

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