Commonly Used English Idioms for Daily Conversations
An idiom is a group of words, or in other words, a phrase that has a meaning different from the literal meaning of the words in it. Commonly Used English Idioms for Daily Conversations – Learn popular idioms with meanings and examples to make your everyday English sound more natural and fluent.
According to the Cambridge Dictionary, an idiom is defined as “a group of words in a fixed order that has a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word on its own”.
According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, an idiom is defined as “a group of words whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words.”
Idioms can be a powerful linguistic tool only when they are used in the right way in the right places. The only thing that makes learning idioms a time-consuming process is the fact that one cannot depend merely on the meaning of individual words to understand what the entire phrase means.
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Idioms are not meant to be used in academic or professional writing. In a lighter context, the use of idioms can make your piece of writing or speech unique. Idioms can also be used to indicate pun or even sarcasm.
To make your learning process a lot easier, here is a table with the most common idioms in the English language that are used in our daily conversation:
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| Apple of my eye | Someone who is very dear to you | My brother is the apple of my eye |
| Under the weather | Feeling ill / Getting a cold | My dad was feeling a bit under the weather |
| Cold feet | Becoming nervous | While giving the interview, I was having cold feet |
| Break a leg | Used instead of good luck | I'm nervous about my piano recital, but my teacher told me to just go out there and break a leg.
|
| Beat around the bush | Not saying directly/avoiding a question | If you want to ask me, just ask; don't beat around the bush. |
| Through thick and thin | At all times – good or bad | The couple has been married for decades and has stayed together through thick and thin |
| Hang in there | Stay strong in a difficult situation | The team was exhausted in the second half of the game, but the coach told them to hang in there |
| Cup of tea | Not something a person can do | Cooking has never been my cup of tea |
| Speak of the devil | A phrase used to refer to a person who appears as soon as they are being mentioned | I was just thinking about you, and speak of the devil, you called! |
| A piece of cake | An easy task | Getting tickets to the game will be a piece of cake |
| On top of the world | Extremely happy | He was on top of the world after winning the tennis tournament |
| It’s not rocket science | Something which is not so difficult to understand | I'm sure you can learn to use this new software; it's not rocket science |
| That ship has sailed | Too late to do something | I was hoping to get that promotion, but I didn't apply in time. That ship has sailed |
| Pull someone’s leg | To make fun of someone | Is that really your car, or are you just pulling my leg? |
| Comparing apples to oranges | To compare two things that are completely different and cannot be compared | You can't compare the educational systems of two different countries; it's like comparing apples and oranges |
| Every dog has its day | Everyone gets a chance | I have been waiting for success for years, but every dog has its day |
| A pain in the neck | Refers to a person who is annoying | My little brother is a pain in the neck when he keeps asking questions |
| Rain cats and dogs | Raining heavily | It has been raining cats & dogs since yesterday |
| Judging a book by its cover | Judge or form an opinion on someone based on appearances | People are known to always judge a book by its cover |
| Put all your eggs in one basket | Do something risky | He put all his eggs in one basket by investing all his money in a single stock, and when that stock failed, he lost his entire investment |
| Miss the boat | It’s too late | He missed the boat on the job offer when he did not respond to the recruiter in time |
| No pain, no gain | Work hard to achieve success | You must put in a 12-hour day. No pain, no gain if you want to succeed in this world |
| The ball is in your court | Your turn to make a decision or take action | We have offered a generous salary, and now the ball is in your court to accept the job |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | She lives in a different city, so I only get to see my cousin once in a blue moon
|
| Hit the bull’s eye | Perfectly achieve the goal/ correct/accurate | His prediction about the stock market's performance hit the bull's eye |
| Walk in others' shoes | To understand what the other is going through | If you truly wanted to understand why he acts that way, you would need to walk a mile in his shoes |
| Break the ice | To make them feel comfortable with those who are unfamiliar to them | The communication trainer conducted an activity to break the ice |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | Good things come after bad things | I was upset about missing the concert, but every cloud has a silver lining because it meant I could spend the evening with my family |
| Get a taste of your own medicine | Get treated the way you have been treating others (negative) | I am tired of him always finding fault with me. I am going to give him a taste of his own medicine |
| Spill the beans | Give away the secret | My friend accidentally spilled the beans about the new job to her boss before it was officially announced |
| Run like the wind | To run fast | To make it to the airport on time, you'll have to run like the wind |
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