English idioms

[moonlighting]

[TẶNG BẠN] TRỌN BỘ Bí kíp học tốt 08 môn
Chắc suất Đại học top - Giữ chỗ ngay!!

ĐĂNG BÀI NGAY để cùng trao đổi với các thành viên siêu nhiệt tình & dễ thương trên diễn đàn.

An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words. It's hard for non-native English speaker to understand.

I do hope we can build up a big library of common-used idioms ><

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 picture worths a thousand words
A picture can often get a message across much better than the best verbal description

 

[moonlighting]

Babe in the woods
A babe in the woods is a naive, defenceless, young person.

Back the wrong horse
If you back the wrong horse, you give your support to the losing side in something.

Back to back
If things happen back to back, they are directly one after another.

Bad taste in your mouth
If something leaves you with a bad taste in your mouth, you feel there is something wrong or bad about it.

 

[moonlighting]

Cake's not worth the candle
If someone says that the cake's not worth the candle, they mean that the result will not be worth the effort put in to achieve it.

Call the shots
If you call the shots, you are in charge and tell people what to do.

Calm before the storm
A calm time immediately before period of violent activity or argument is the calm before the storm.

Case by case
If things are done case by case, each situation or issue is handled separately on its own merits and demerits.

Cast your mind back
If somebody tells you to cast your mind back on something, they want you to think about something that happened in the past, but which you might not remember very well, and to try to remember as much as possible.

 

[moonlighting]

Dead duck
If something is a dead duck, it is a failure.

Dead man walking
A dead man walking is someone who is in great trouble and will certainly get punished, lose their job or position, etc, soon.

Devil finds work for idle hands
When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people don't have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality.

Devil's advocate
If someone plays Devil's advocate in an argument, they adopt a position they don't believe in just for the sake of the argument

 

[moonlighting]

Eagle eyes
Someone who has eagle eyes sees everything; no detail is too small.

Earn a living
To make money Ex: We need to get a good job to earn a decent living.

Easier said than done
If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it sounds. It is often used when someone advises you to do something difficult and tries to make it sound easy.

Eat humble pie
If someone apologises and shows a lot of contrition for something they have done, they eat humble pie.

 

[amaranth]

(Just a little note: please distinguish proverbs from idiomatic expressions)

A black sheep: someone who individually spoils the group's reputation.

A white elephant: something very nice to display but too fragile to use.

 

[moonlighting]

Blind leading the blind

Another common phrase is the "blind leading the blind", by which it is meant that the person in charge of the situation knows no more about it than those whom he is leading. This is Biblical in origin, coming from Jesus: "Let them alone; they are blind leaders of the blind. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall in a pit.".