English Idioms - English phrases and their meanings

Have you ever heard someone speaking a certain phrase or sentence that do not mean exactly what they say but nevertheless conveying a certain message or lesson? Well, this is a style of artistic expression (phrases or a sentence) or a manner of speaking that is natural to native speakers of a given language. It is an expression (a group of words) in a fixed order that have a particular meaning that is different from the meanings of each word understood on its own. This manner of expression is called idiom.

The English language uses many idioms in all forms of communication whether it be, written, oral, casual or formal. Idiom differs from the figures of speech (for example, irony, sarcasm, metaphor) and other linguistic variants that are used in the English language ( euphemism, colloquialism, analogy, allegory, allusion, jargon, slang). Due to the fact that idioms have no literal meanings (do not mean exactly what they say) this therefore means that even if you know the meaning of every word that you read (see) or hear, you might not comprehend the meaning in the message because you don't understand the culture behind it. This also means you will not able to find the meanings of such a phrase or sentence by looking in a regular dictionary. Thus therefore, non-native speakers of the language (English language in this case) will find it very difficult and confusing when used in communication to them directly or indirectly ( books, amongst native speakers, plays etc). However, they are very easy and quick to learn when their meanings are explained. This weeks article provide a few collection of idioms and their meanings. There are many that cannot be listed here, however you can find more of these phrases and sentences in a dictionary of idioms.This will provide a comprehensive alphabetical list with their general meanings and uses. More will be added to the list below overtime. Now, learn some phrases that will make others around you ponder especially when communicating with another person who already know the hidden meanings. Have fun!

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A
A bed of roses
Meaning:
A pleasant or easy situation.

A cock and bull story
Meaning:
A fanciful and unbelievable tale.

A diamond in the rough
Meaning:
Someone who are basically good hearted but lacking social graces and respect for the law.

A dish fit for the gods
Meaning:
An offering of high quality.

A leopard cannot change its spots
Meaning:
The notion that things cannot change their innate nature.

As keen as mustard
Meaning:
Very enthusiastic.

B
Back to square one
Meaning:
Back to the beginning, to start again.

Baker's dozen
Meaning:
Thirteen.

Below the belt
Meaning:
An unfair tactic.

C
Call a spade a spade
Meaning:
To speak plainly - to describe something as it really is.

Chip on his shoulder
Meaning:
To harbour a grudge.

Cold shouldered
Meaning:
Be treated in an offhand unfriendly way.

Come hell or high water
Meaning:
Persevere no matter what difficulties are encountered.

Crocodile tears
Meaning:
Fake tears.

Cut to the chase
Meaning:
Get to the point - leaving out unnecessary .

D
Daylight robbery
Meaning:
Blatant and unfair overcharging.

E

Excuse my French
Meaning:
Please forgive my swearing.

End of story
Meaning
The talking is over - there's no more to be said.

F
A face like a bulldog chewing a wasp
Meaning:
Ugly

Fall on your sword
Meaning:
Commit suicide or offer your resignation.

From sea to shining sea
Meaning:
From one coast to another.

G
Get off on the wrong foot
Meaning:
Make a bad start to a project or relationship.

Get used to it
Meaning:
Accept that what you want isn't going to be.

Get your feet wet
Meaning:
To get your first experience of something.

H
Have an axe to grind
Meaning:
Have an ulterior motive.

Head over heels
Meaning:
Excited, and/or turning cartwheels to demonstrate one's excitement.

Hit the hay
Meaning:
Go to bed.

Hold your horses
Meaning:
Hold on; be patient.

Hot off the press
Meaning:
Freshly printed.

Hanky-panky
Meaning:
Trickery - double dealing. Also, more recently, sexual shenanigans.

I
In a Nutshell
Meaning:
In very few words; briefly; clearly and to the point.

In the limelight
Meaning:
At the centre of attention.

It never rains but it pours
Meaning:
When troubles come they come together.

J
Just deserts
Meaning:
To get that which is deserved - A reward for what has been done wether it be good or bad.

Jet-black
Meaning:
To emphasize just how black something is.

K

Keep your nose to the grindstone
Meaning:
Apply yourself conscientiously to your work

Kick the bucket
Meaning:
Die.

knee jerk reaction
Meaning:
An automatic response to something.

Knock off
Meaning:
To finish work for the day.

Know the ropes
Meaning:
To understand how an organisation works.

Know which way the wind blows
Meaning:
To understand what is happening in changing circumstances.

L
labour of love
Meaning:
Work undertaken for the pleasure of it or for the benefit of a loved one.

Last but not least
Meaning:
An indication that something or someone are not necessarily in order of importance.

Laughing-stock
Meaning:
A figure or object of ridicule and laughter.

Learn the ropes
Meaning:
Learn something new.

Level playing field
Meaning:
Fair competition, where no advantage is shown to either side.

Lie low
Meaning:
Keep out of sight.

Let the cat out of the bag
Meaning:
To reveal a big secret, often unintentionally.

Living on borrowed time
Meaning:
Living after the time you would have expected to have died.

M
Make hay
Meaning:
Be quick - To take advantage of a favorable opportunity as soon as it arises without wasting time.

Make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning:
To assume something is much worse than it actually is.

Make waves
Meaning:
To cause a lot of trouble.

Mind one's Ps and Qs
Meaning:
To be very careful and/or to behave correctly.

Mumbo jumbo
Meaning:
Nonsense.

N
Never never land
Meaning:
A utopia promised in the place of a real benefit.

New kid on the block
Meaning:
A new arrival in an area and in a group of young friends.

Nip in the bud
Meaning:
Put a stop to something while it is still in its early development.

No man is an island
Meaning:
Human beings do not thrive when isolated from others.

Not worth the candle
Meaning:
Worthless.

No-brainer
Meaning:
A problem that is especially easy to solve, if not outright obvious.

O
Off the hook
Meaning:
Someone have avoided punishment or criticism for something they have done.

Off the mark
Meaning:
It is inaccurate or incorrect.

On cloud nine
Meaning:
To be extremely happy.

On the fiddle
Meaning:
Engaged in corruption.

On the same page
Meaning
Two or more persons understanding a given situation the same way and are operating accordingly.

P
Paddle your own canoe
Meaning:
Act independently and decide your own fate.

Paper tiger
Meaning:
A person who appears to have power but is in reality ineffectual.

Pass the buck
Meaning:
Pass responsibility on to someone else.

Play by ear
Meaning:
Handle a situation in an impromptu manner, without reference to a set of guidelines.

Put your best foot forward
Meaning:
Embark on a journey or task with purpose and gusto.

Q
Queer Street
Meaning:
In debt.

Queer the pitch
Meaning:
Ruin a plan.

Quick buck
Meaning:
To make some money easily

R
Rags to riches
Meaning:
Someone who starts life very poor and becomes rich.

Red tape
Meaning:
Bureaucratic rules and paperwork.

Rise and shine
Meaning:
Get out of bed.

Rule of thumb
Meaning:
A means of estimation made according to a rough and ready practical rule, not based on science or exact measurement.

Run out of steam
Meaning:
Run out of energy.

S
Sacred cow
Meaning:
Something too highly regarded to be open to criticism.

Scot free
Meaning:
To escape pursuers or avoid payment.

Shot in the arm
Meaning:
A stimulus.

Shot in the dark
Meaning:
A hopeful attempt at something.

Sleep tight
Meaning:
Sleep well.

Smoke and mirrors
Meaning:
Trickery or deception.

Sour grapes
Meaning:
Acting meanly after a disappointment.

Strike a deal (or bargain)
Meaning:
To agree terms on a transaction.

T
Take a back seat
Meaning:
Take no active part.

Take with a pinch of salt
Meaning:
Accept a truth but with reservations.

The Ball is in your court
Meaning:
The next move is up to you.

The bitter end
Meaning:
To the limit of one's efforts - to the last extremity.

The blind leading the blind
Meaning:
Uninformed and incompetent people leading others who are similarly incapable.

The Full Monty
Meaning:
Complete, the whole thing.

Thorn in the flesh
Meaning:
A persistent difficulty or annoyance.

Time and tide wait for no man
Meaning:
No one is so powerful that they can stop the march of time.

Tie the knot
Meaning:
Get married.

Top notch
Meaning:
Excellent.

Two cents worth
Meaning:
Offer an opinion.

Turn a blind eye
Meaning:
To refuse to take notice of a situation.

Turn the tables
Meaning:
Reverse the positions of adversaries. Usually used when the weaker position subsequently becomes dominant.

U
Up a blind alley
Meaning:
On the wrong track.

V
Veg out
Meaning:
Relax in a slothful and mindless manner.

W
Wake up on the wrong side of the bed
Meaning:
Be very grumpy.

Water under the bridge
Meaning:
A past event that is no longer worth agonizing over.

What goes around comes around
Meaning:
What ever a person do, it will eventually come back to him/her. If a person does something bad, for example, something bad will happen to him.

What's good for the goose is good for the gander
Meaning:
The sexes should be treated the same way and not be subjected to different standards.

When in Rome, do as the Romans
Meaning:
When you are visiting a different place or culture, you should try to follow their customs and practices.

Where there's smoke, there's fire
Meaning:
A suspicion or rumor usually has a basis in fact - There is always a basis for a rumor, no matter how untrue it appears.

White elephant
Meaning
Something that is more trouble than it is worth.

Willy-nilly
Meaning
Two slightly differing but related meanings.

X
X marks the spot
Meaning:
This is used to say where something is located or hidden.

Y
Yellow belly
Meaning:
Cowardly

You are what you eat
Meaning
The notion that to be fit and healthy you need to eat good food.

You can't get blood out of a stone
Meaning:
You cannot extract what isn't there to begin with.

Your name is mud
Meaning:
You are not popular

Z
Zero hour
Meaning:
The time when something important is to begin.

Zero tolerance
Meaning:
A form of policing that allows no crime to be overlooked.

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It is important to note that aphorisms and proverbs are not the same as idioms. An aphorism is a wise saying that bears repetition - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphorisms.
A Proverb is a short statement, usually known by many people for a long time, that gives advice or expresses some common truth- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proverb

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