COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS

Question 1

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

Answer 1

What you have is worth more than what you might have later

Question 2

A penny for your thoughts

Answer 2

Tell me what you’re thinking

Question 3

A penny saved is a penny earned

Answer 3

Money you save today you can spend later

Question 4

A perfect storm

Answer 4

the worst possible situation

(as part of a sentence)

Question 5

A picture is worth 1000 words

Answer 5

Better to show than tell

Question 6

Actions speak louder than words

Answer 6

Believe what people do and not what they say

Question 7

Add insult to injury

Answer 7

To make a bad situation worse

(as part of a sentence)

Question 8

Barking up the wrong tree

Answer 8

To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place

(as part of a sentence)

Question 9

Bite off more than you can chew

Answer 9

Take on a project that you cannot finish

(as part of a sentence)

Question 10

Break the ice

Answer 10

Make people feel more comfortable

(as part of a sentence)

Question 11

By the skin of your teeth

Answer 11

Just barely

(as part of a sentence)

Question 12

Comparing apples to oranges

Answer 12

Comparing two things that cannot be compared

(as part of a sentence)

Question 13

Costs an arm and a leg

Answer 13

Very expensive

(as part of a sentence)

Question 14

Do something at the drop of a hat

Answer 14

Do something without having planned beforehand

(as part of a sentence)

Question 15

Don’t cry over spilt milk

Answer 15

There’s no reason to complain about something that can’t be fixed

Question 16

Don’t give up your day job

Answer 16

You’re not very good at this

Question 17

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket

Answer 17

What you’re doing is too risky

Question 18

Every cloud has a silver lining

Answer 18

Good things come after bad things

Question 19

Get a taste of your own medicine

Answer 19

Get treated the way you’ve been treating others (negative)

(as part of a sentence)

Question 20

Give someone the cold shoulder

Answer 20

Ignore someone

(as part of a sentence)

Question 21

Go on a wild goose chase

Answer 21

To do something pointless

Question 22

Good things come to those who wait

Answer 22

Be patient

Question 23

He has bigger fish to fry

Answer 23

He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now

Question 24

He’s a chip off the old block

Answer 24

The son is like the father

Question 25

Hit the nail on the head

Answer 25

Get something exactly right

Question 26

Ignorance is bliss

Answer 26

You're better off not knowing

Question 27

It ain't over till the fat lady sings

Answer 27

This isn't over yet

Question 28

It takes one to know one

Answer 28

You're just as bad as I am

Question 29

It's raining cats and dogs

Answer 29

It's raining hard

Question 30

Kill two birds with one stone

Answer 30

Get two things done with a single action

Question 31

Let the cat out of the bag

Answer 31

Give away a secret

Question 32

Live and learn

Answer 32

I made a mistake

Question 33

Look before you leap

Answer 33

Take only calculated risks

Question 34

On thin ice

Answer 34

On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.

Question 35

Once in a blue moon

Answer 35

Rarely | (as part of a sentence)

Question 36

Play devil's advocate

Answer 36

To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument (as part of a sentence)

Question 37

Put something on ice

Answer 37

Put a projet on hold | (as part of a sentence)

Question 38

Rain on someone's parade

Answer 38

To spoil something | (as part of a sentence)

Question 39

Saving for a rainy day

Answer 39

Saving money for later | (as part of a sentence)

Question 40

Slow and steady wins the race

Answer 40

Reliability is more important than speed

Question 41

Spill the beans

Answer 41

Give away a secret | (as part of a sentence)

Question 42

Take a rain check

Answer 42

Postpone a plan | (as part of a sentence)

Question 43

Take it with a grain of salt

Answer 43

Don’t take it too seriously | (as part of a sentence)

Question 44

The ball is in your court

Answer 44

It's your decision

Question 45

The best thing since sliced bread

Answer 45

A really good invention

Question 46

The devil is in the details

Answer 46

It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems

Question 47

The early bird gets the worm

Answer 47

The first people who arrive will get the best stuff

Question 48

The elephant in the room

Answer 48

The big issue, the problem people are avoiding

Question 49

There are other fish in the sea

Answer 49

It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise.

Question 50

There's a method to his madness

Answer 50

He seems crazy but actually he's clever

Question 51

There's no such thing as a free lunch

Answer 51

Nothing is entirely free

Question 52

Throw caution to the wind

Answer 52

Take a risk | (as part of a sentence)

Question 53

You can't have your cake and eat it too

Answer 53

You can't have everything

Question 54

You can't judge a book by its cover

Answer 54

This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside