B2 LESSON 16 ENGLISH IDIOMS

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. 

Idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Learning to use common idioms and expressions will make your English sound more native, so it's a good idea to master some of these expressions.

You can start by learning the very common English idioms, since these are the ones you'll encounter regularly watching American movies or TV. 

When you've mastered some, move on to rest. None of the idioms  are unusual or old fashioned, so you can be confident using any of them with native English speakers from all English-speaking countries.

IDIOMS WITH COLOURS

IDIOM	MEANING	EXAMPLE SENTENCE
black and blue	bruised and beaten	We found the poor guy black and blue near the train tracks.
black and white	straight forward, very clear	The rules we gave the kids were black and white. No answering the phone or the door.
black out	faint	I always black out at the sight of blood.
black sheep	the odd or bad member of the group	My oldest brother was the black sheep in our family. He dropped out of school at fifteen.
born with a silver spoon in one's mouth	born into a rich family	Keiko hasn't worked a day in her life. She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.
catch red handed	catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal	The kids were caught red handed stealing chocolate bars.
golden opportunity	the perfect chance	The models' conference was a golden opportunity for me to sell my beauty products.
grey area, gray area	something without a clear rule or answer	Writing personal email in the office is a grey area that needs to be discussed at the next meeting.
the green light	permission	The builders were given the green light to begin the tower.
green with envy	very jealous	I am green with envy over Julio's new wardrobe.
(have a) green thumb	be skillful in the garden	You can tell by her flower garden that Sheila has a green thumb.
have the blues	be sad or depressed	I always have the blues during the winter time.
in the dark	unaware	Antoine left his wife in the dark about their honeymoon destination until they got to the airport.
in the red	in debt	When we were in the red we almost had to sell the house.
once in a blue moon	very rarely	We only go out for dinner once in a blue moon.
out of the blue	unexpectedly	I got a phone call from a long lost cousin out of the blue last week.
red tape	official or bureaucratic tasks	There is still some red tape to deal with in terms of the inheritance.
roll out the red carpet	treat someone like royalty	When relatives come to town my grandmother rolls out the red carpet.
see red	be very angry	I saw red when that guy grabbed my sister's purse.
true colours	real self	Suzanne doesn't show her true colours when we have guests over.
white lie	an innocent lie to protect another person's feelings	We told Grandma that her cake was delicious, which was actually a white lie.
with flying colours	with distinction	I passed my road test with flying colours.

IDIOMS WITH PARTS OF THE BODY

IDIOM	MEANING	EXAMPLE SENTENCE
all ears	fully listening	Give me a minute to finish my work and then I'll be all ears to hear about your project.
break a leg	good-luck	Today's the big game, eh? Break a leg!
cold feet	nervous just before a big event	My sister didn't get cold feet until she put her wedding gown on.
cost an arm and a leg	be very expensive	These cakes are delicious, but they cost an arm and a leg.
cry your heart out	cry very hard	I cried my heart out when my best friend moved away.
face the music	meet, stand up to unpleasant consequences, for example criticism or punishment	I stayed out all night. When I eventually got home I had to face the music from my wife.
(my) flesh and blood	relative	I have to hire Mia. She's my own flesh and blood.
get something off one's chest	tell someone your problems	Thanks for listening to me complain about my boss. I just needed to get this off my chest.
give a hand, lend a hand	help (someone) do something	I can give you a hand when you move if you like.
have one's head in the clouds	be unaware or unrealistic about something	Amy has her head in the clouds if she thinks she's going to pass her exams without studying.
head over heels	deeply in love	My brother is head over heels for his new girlfriend.
keep an eye on	take care of, watch in order to protect	I'll keep an eye on the dinner while you're on the phone.
keep one's chin up	try to be cheerful	Keep your chin up. I'm sure you'll make some friends soon.
learn by heart, know by heart	memorize	I learned my multiplication tables by heart in the fourth grade.
let one's hair down	relax, have fun	Go to the cottage and let your hair down this weekend.
(my) lips are sealed	promise to keep a secret	Don't worry, I won't tell your mother how much you spent. My lips are sealed.
makes my blood boil	makes me very angry	It makes my blood boil when people don't tie up their dogs.
neck of the woods	nearby location or region	I heard that they might be opening a post office in our neck of the woods soon.
(an) old hand	an experienced person	My uncle's an old hand at car repair. He'll know what the problem is.
over my dead body	not unless I'm dead and can't stop you	My daughter wants a tattoo. I told her she'd get one over my dead body.
pat on the back	recognition or a thank-you	The party organizers deserve a pat on the back for a job well done.
play something by ear	do something without a plan	We don't know if the weather will be good enough for camping. We'll have to play it by ear.
pull one's leg	joke or tease someone	I was just pulling your leg. I'm not really a police officer.
rule of thumb	basic rule (not always followed)	The rule of thumb is that the students wear black pants and white shirts.
see eye to eye	agree	The couple don't see eye to eye on how to train their pets.
stick your neck out	help someone a lot, with possible bad consequences for oneself	I stuck my neck out for Bessie when she was thrown out of her house.
sweet tooth	a love of sugar or sweet things	I need three spoonfuls of sugar in my tea. I have a sweet tooth.
thick in the head	not very intelligent	I'm a bit thick in the head when it comes to reading a map.
wash one's hands of something	stop dealing with an issue or problem	I'm washing my hands of Mary's addiction. She is going to have to get some professional help.

UPGRADE YOUR ENGLISH WITH THE USE OF IDIOMS!

See you at the videocall!

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