Everyday English Idioms

By Ric Phillips

This resource is great for ESL (English as a Second Language) students, immigrants, or ESL teachers to use in class or for tutoring. Idioms and conversational expressions are highly sought after by ESL learners and foreign-trained workers. How do we use everyday English idioms to greatly improve English fluency? Read the expression, understand how to use it in proper context, then put these everyday English idioms to use immediately!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257563043

Book preview

Phillips

Introduction:

If your goal is to greatly improve your English fluency, then you will need to use idioms, and use them wisely. The thing about idioms is that if you mis-use one, that is use an old, inappropriate or mis-spoken idiom, it makes you seem less fluent in English! So how can we avoid this mess?

The reason why idiom study is difficult is because many of these expressions are culturally-specific. There are some idioms that work well in Britain but not at all in the U.S., and vise-versa. Now add in the other English-speaking countries, then break them down by states, provinces, regions, cities and country-sides, and suddenly you can see that idioms can often be country or region or culture-specific.

You also do not want to use an idiom that does not sound like it is coming from ‘your generation’. If a young 20-something year old states it’s raining cats and dogs it just doesn’t sound ‘natural’. It is an old idiom.

What I present to you today is a good starting list, in alphabetical order, of everyday English idioms. To use this ebook wisely to quickly improve your English fluency you need to pace yourself and do a little homework. That’s right – it is not enough just to read the list of expressions – you need to integrate the new expressions.

Step One: Decide how many idioms you will study this day, or every day. My suggestion is no more than three a day.

Step Two: Read the idioms and make sure you understand what the point of it is. Ask yourself if there is a similar idiom in your own language?

Step Three: Write out a sentence (or 2, or 3...) using the new idiom but writing it from your own real-life perspective. In other words, write out a sentence that has a good chance of coming up in your everyday conversations at work, home, out shopping or socializing, etc. Start to create the mental picture of you actually saying this idiom ‘live’ with someone, and having it fit in beautifully.

For example, let’s look at the idiom apple of my eye, which is used to show that something or someone is very special to you. If you are a man and your wife’s name is Sara, you can practice the idiom in use like this:

Sara honey, do you know that you are the apple of my eye?

The apple of my eye for sure is my wife, Sara.

If anything ever happened to my wife I don’t know what I’d do – she’s the apple of

my eye.

Etc.

The next step after writing out examples is to actually use them in real conversations with friends, family and co-workers, or even with strangers whom you come across when you are doing your daily activities and errands. This allows you to integrate the idioms. This example also illustrates why I recommend that you only work on a handful of idioms a day. Give yourself time to work on them first at home, and then integrate them in ‘life’.

Everyday English Idioms

A

A bit much

If something is excessive or annoying, it is a bit much.

A fool and his money are soon parted

This idiom means that people who aren’t careful with their money spend it quickly. ‘A fool and his money are easily parted’ is an alternative form of the idiom.

A little bird told me

If someone doesn’t want to say where they got some information from, they can say that a little bird told them.

A-OK, A 1, A one

Things are absolutely fine, very good or excellent.

Abide by a decision

If you abide by a decision, you accept it and comply with it, even though you might disagree with it.

About face

If someone changes their mind completely, this is an about face. It can be used when companies, governments, etc, change their position on an issue.

Above board

If things are done above board, they are carried out in a legal and proper manner.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder

This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows stronger.

Achilles’ heel

A person’s weak spot is their Achilles’ heel.

Acid test

An acid test is a process that proves whether something is good, effective, or not.

Across the board

If something applies to everybody, it applies across the board.

Against the Grain

If doing something goes against the grain, you’re unwilling to do it because it contradicts what you believe in, but you have no real choice.

Ahead of the pack

If you are ahead of the pack, you have made more progress than your rivals.

Albatross around your neck

An albatross around, or round, your neck is a problem resulting from something you did that stops you from being successful.

All and sundry

This idiom is a way of emphasizing ‘all’, like saying ‘each and every one’.

All ears

If someone says they’re all ears, they are very interested in hearing about something.

All hell broke loose

When all hell breaks loose, there is chaos, confusion and trouble.

All over the place

If something is completely disorganized or confused, it is all over the place.

All over the shop

If something is completely disorganized or confused, it is all over the shop.

All skin and bone

If a person is very underweight, they are all skin and bone, or bones.

All talk and no trousers

(UK) Someone who is all talk and no trousers, talks about doing big, important things, but doesn’t take any action. American English is all talk and no action.

All the tea in China

If someone won’t do something for all the tea in China, they won’t do it no matter how much money they are offered.

Alter ego

An alter ego is a very close and intimate friend. It is a Latin phrase that literally means ‘other self’.

Ambulance chaser

A lawyer who encourages people who have been in accidents or become ill to sue for compensation is an ambulance chaser.

Amen

Some use ‘Amen’ or ‘Amen to that’ as a way of agreeing 100% with something that has just been said.

An old flame

An old flame is a person that somebody has had an emotional, usually passionate, relationship with, who is still looked on fondly and with affection.

Ants in your pants

If someone has ants in their pants, they are agitated or excited about something and can’t keep still.

Apple of your eye

Something or, more often, someone that is very special to you is the apple of your eye.

Arm and a leg

If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.

As cold as ice

This idiom can be used to describe a person who does not show any emotion.

As cool as a cucumber

If someone is as cool as a cucumber, they don’t get worried by anything.

As mad as a hatter

This simile means that someone is crazy or behaves very strangely. In the past many people who made hats went insane because they had a lot of contact with mercury.

As neat as a pin

This idiom means tidy and clean.

As one man

If people do something as one man,