15 English Idioms That Everyone Should Know

English Idioms are phrases that might have a meaning but it is not complete in the actual sentence, meaning that it requires more action verbs to add a meaningful context to it.

15 Most Commonly Used English Idioms

Here are 15 English idioms that everyone should know:

Under the weather

Meaning: Feeling ill

Example: Priya was feeling a bit under the weather, so she decided not to go to the movie with her friends.

Spill the beans

Meaning: To give away a secret

Example: The Delhi Police have been trying to get him to spill the beans about the anomalies in the department but he won’t tell them a thing.

Break a leg

Meaning: To wish someone luck

Example: “Break a leg!” shouted the stage director to his actors before the beginning of the play.

Pull someone’s leg

Meaning: To play a practical joke

Example: Don’t worry about what he said. He’s just pulling your leg.

Add Insult to Injury

Meaning: To act in a way that makes a bad or displeasing situation even worse.

Example: The company rejected his application for a job, and to add insult to injury, refused to pay his expenses.

Miss the boat

Meaning: miss a chance

Example: The discounted price sale ended today and I just missed the boat on making a great deal.

Once in a blue moon

Meaning: very rarely

Example: I don’t know why she bought that music system — she uses it once in a blue moon.

Take it with a pinch/grain of salt

Meaning: Don’t take it too seriously

Example:I’ll take anything he says with a grain of salt. He has a habit of exaggerating things.

Stand your ground

Meaning: stay where you are when threatened; refuse to change your mind/opinion

Example: The school bully came up to George and threatened him, but he stood his ground even though he was petrified.

Go down in flames

Meaning: To fail spectacularly

Example: The company went down in flames after reports came out that it had been financing illegal activities.

Outside the lines

Meaning: not sticking to the rules

Example: I never thought they would be allowed to do their duties outside the lines.

See eye to eye

Meaning: To agree completely

Example: Though they work as a team, they often don’t see eye to eye on most issues.

Jump on the bandwagon

Meaning: Following a trend

Example: So many people are trying to quit smoking that I might as well jump on the bandwagon and quit as well.

As right as rain

Meaning: Perfect

Example: If she’d only worked on it another week everything would have been as right as rain.