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What Are Idioms? Idioms are phrases that have a figurative meaning, different from their literal meaning. Learning idioms will help you understand English conversations more easily and use language that sounds natural to native speakers. English Idioms. Below is a list of common phrases with their idiomatic equivalents.
- A Blessing in Disguise
- A Dime A Dozen
- All Ears
- All in The Same Boat
- Barking Up The Wrong Tree
- Beat Around The Bush
- Bite The Bullet
- Bury The Hatchet
- By The Skin of Your Teeth
- Call It A Day
Meaning: Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good.Example: Losing that job was a blessing in disguisebecause it pushed me to start my own business.Meaning: Very common and easy to find.Example: Those souvenir keychains area dime a dozenat the tourist shops.Meaning: Fully listening and paying attention.Example: Go ahead, I’m all ears.Tell me what’s been on your mind.Meaning: In the same situation or predicament.Example: Everybody on staff got a pay cut – we’re all in the same boat.Meaning: Accusing or blaming the wrong person.Example: If you think I took your book, you’re barking up the wrong tree. I haven’t seen it.Meaning: Avoiding the main topic or being indirect.Example: Stop beating around the bushand tell me why you didn’t show up to my birthday party.Meaning: To face a difficult or unpleasant situation bravely.Example: I have to bite the bulletand tell him the truth, even though it might hurt him.Meaning: To reconcile or make peace after a conflict.Example: After years of not speaking to each other, they finally decided to bury the hatchetand become friends again.Meaning: Just barely or narrowly escaping a difficult situation.Example: I passed the exam by the skin of my teeth; I got the minimum required score.Meaning: To stop working or to end an activity.Example: We’ve been painting all afternoon; let’s call it a dayand continue tomorrow.- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. Meaning: Something you already have is more valuable than something you might get in the future. Example: John already has a job offer, but he is considering waiting for a better one.
- A blessing in disguise. Meaning: Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good. Example: Losing my job was a blessing in disguise because it gave me the opportunity to start my own business.
- A dime a dozen. Meaning: Something that is very common and easy to find. Example: People who claim to be professional photographers are a dime a dozen these days.
- A piece of cake. Meaning: Something that is very easy. Example: This math problem is a piece of cake. I can solve it in no time.
definition of the idiom 5 The idiom (1) is given first, followed by its definition (2). Then, two or three example sentences (3) are provided to illustrate how the idiom is used. Occasionally, an idiom has more than one meaning. Where this occurs, each meaning for the idiom is numbered with corresponding numbers in the sample sentences.
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Break the ice. To initiate a conversation or interaction. She told a joke to break the ice at the meeting. Cost an arm and a leg. To be very expensive. That designer purse costs an arm and a leg. Hit the nail on the head. To describe exactly what is needed or wanted. His explanation hit the nail on the head.
Free PDF download: 250 Essential idioms list. In this free download, we've included 250 really useful English idioms with their meaning and a few sentence examples. However, sometimes it's helpful to read several sentence examples in order to really understand the meaning. That's why you'll notice that each idiom in the PDF document is linked ...
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Here are some idioms you’ll find useful: 1. A Piece of Cake. Meaning: Something very easy. Example: “The test was a piece of cake for her.”. 2. When Pigs Fly. Meaning: Something that will never happen. Example: “He’ll apologize when pigs fly.”.
