A drop in the bucket – A very
small part of something
big/whole
A leopard cannot change his
spots – You cannot change
who you are
An arm and a leg – Very
Expensive. Cost a large
amount of money
At the crack of dawn – early
in the morning
A blessing in disguise –
something good behind an
event
At your fingertips – easily
accessible
Around the corner –
something is getting near
Brainstorm – to think very
hard
Birdbrain – expression for
someone who is not so smart
Bookworm – someone who
likes reading
Beating around the bushes –
avoid giving direct answer
Bear in mind – remember
Be in hot water – to be in
dangerous situation
Bite your tongue – to avoid
talking
Cut to the chase – Leave out
all the unnecessary details and
get straight to the point
Cross your fingers – To hope
something happens the way
you want it to
Chew someone out –
Verbally scold someone
Crack someone up – To
make someone laugh
Call it a day – to stop
something after working hard
USEFUL IDIOMS
FOR WRITING
Cross your fingers – to wish
good luck
Cross my mind – to think
about something
Don’t count your chickens
before they hatch – Don’t rely
on something until you are
sure of it
Every cloud has a silver
lining – something good
behind an event
Face the music – To accept
punishment for something you
have done
Feeling under the weather –
feeling unwell
Go to the extra mile – Going
above and beyond whatever is
required for the task at hand
Graveyard shift – Working
hours from about 12:00 am to
8:00 am. The time of the day
when most other people are
sleeping
Gut feeling – Personal
intuition you get, especially
when something may not be
right
Get up on the wrong side of
the bed – Someone who is
having a horrible day
Grab a bite – eat
Go to the extra mile – to
make extra effort for something
Get cold feet – getting
nervous
Give a piece of your mind –
give some of your
thoughts/ideas
Give/lend a hand – to help
someone
Give it a shot – give it a try
Get over it – To move beyond
something that is bothering
you
Go out on a limb – Put
yourself in a tough position in
order to support
someone/something
Head over heels – Very
excited/joyful, especially when
in love
Hit the sack - Go to bed or go
to sleep
Hold you horses – be patient
Eleventh hour – at the last
minute
Hit the books – study hard
Hang in there – don’t give up
yet
He lost his head – Angry and
overcome by emotions
I’m all ears – I’m listening
intently
Keep your chin up – To
remain joyful in a tough
situation
Know the ropes – To
understand the details
Make up your mind – to
decide something
Mumbo jumbo – words that
intend to confuse
On the cloud nine – feeling
very happy
Out of the blue – without
warning
Over the moon – feeling very
happy
Practice makes perfect – with
a lot of practices, you will get
better
Pig out – To eat a lot and
quickly
Rain check - to cancel
something now but will accept
it later
Raining cats and dogs – the
rain is heavy and noisy
Race against the clock – an
attempt to do something very
quickly
Rome was not built in a
day – things take time to
succeed
See eye to eye – agree with
each other
Safe and sound – safe
Stretch our legs – get some
exercise
Slip my mind – to forget
something
Speak your mind – say what
you honestly feel
The bottom line – the final
result
You can’t judge a book by its
cover – you cannot tell
someone’s true personality
simply by appearance
Time flies – time passing fast
Tie the knot – To get married
To Steal someone’s
thunder – Taking the credit
from someone else
You are what you eat – if you
eat healthy food, you will get a
healthy body