Useful Idioms II

‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed to get the best of both worlds.”
‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually appears at that moment.
“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”
‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.
“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”
‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.
“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”
‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.
“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”
‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.
“Fuel these days costs an arm and a leg.”
‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.
“The English test was a piece of cake.”
‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.
“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”
‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”
‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go away but also spend time with him.”
‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.
“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”
‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.
“To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off my bike.”
‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – to not judge someone or something based solely on appearance.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
‘Break a leg’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on stage).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”
‘To hit the nail on the head’ – to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem.
“He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR support.”
‘A blessing in disguise’ – An misfortune that eventually results in something good happening later on.
‘Call it a day’ – Stop working on something
‘Let someone off the hook’ – To allow someone, who have been caught, to not be punished.
‘No pain no gain’ – You have to work hard for something you want.
‘Bite the bullet’ – Decide to do something unpleasant that you have avoiding doing.
‘Getting a taste of your own medicine’ – Being treated the same unpleasant way you have treated others.
‘Giving someone the cold shoulder’ – To ignore someone.
‘The last straw’ – The final source of irritation for someone to finally lose patience.
‘The elephant in the room’ – A matter or problem that is obvious of great importance but that is not discussed openly.
‘Stealing someones thunder’ – Taking credit for someone else achievements.
get your act together - to start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way