Common and Useful English Idioms

1. a piece of cake – something very easy

2. to see something eye to eye – to agree with someone

3. to toot your own horn – to tout oneself, to brag or boast

4. to swim against the tide – to do something that is in opposition to the prevailing opinion

5. to catch a second wind – a feeling of new energy after feeling tired

6. bright-eyed and bushy-tailed – happy and fully of energy

7. to piggyback- to use something that someone else has made or done in order to get an advantage

8. to hit the ground running – to begin something energetically and successfully

9. between a rock and a hard place – faced with a tough choice between two options

10. to spill the beans – to (accidentally) share information/a secret

11. to rock the boat – to disturb an existing situation

12. to nip something in the bud – to stop a bad situation from getting worse by taking early action

13. to be in hot water – to be in (serious) trouble

14. to go with the flow – to be relaxed and accept a situation

15. to be down to earth – to be practical and realistic

16. to bark up the wrong tree – to do something that won’t give you the results you want

17. to walk on eggshells – to be very careful about what you say or do to someone

18. to fly off the handle – to lose control of one’s emotions

19. to be thrown in the deep end – to be put in a completely new situation without any help or preparation

20. to burn the midnight oil – to work late into the night

21. to shoot from the hip – to react or speak suddenly or without careful consideration

22. to take a raincheck – to cancel or reschedule

23. to run something into the ground- to ruin or destroy something

24. to fly under the radar – to go without being noticed, detected, or addressed

25. to cut corners – to do something in the easiest, cheapest or fastest way

26. to break the ice – to do something to reduce shyness/tension

27. to miss the boat – to miss your chance to do something

28. to bite the bullet – to force yourself to do something unpleasant

29. to hit the nail on the head – to do or say something precisely right

30. to be/sit on the fence – to be unable to make a decision, to be undecided

31. to join the bandwagon – to join a popular trend, activity, or opinion

32. to take something with a grain of salt- to view something with skepticism

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