Idiom Definition Sample Sentence

A short fuse A quick temper. Don’t get the coach mad; he has a very short fuse.

To avoid the main Stop beating around the bush and tell me why you’re
Beat around the bush
topic/not speak directly. here.
A fire can happen at any moment, so firemen always
Be on your toes Be ready/prepared.
need to be on their toes.

Breeze though To do something quickly Don’t worry about the math homework; I’m sure you’ll
something and easily. breeze through it.

Butterflies in your Tom always got butterflies in his stomach before giving
To feel nervous.
stomach a speech.

Costs an arm and a leg Is very expensive. That new purse of hers costs an arm and a leg.

You need to stop being such a couch potato and start

Couch potato Someone who is lazy.
joining me at the gym.

To do something badly to The architect cut corners on the bridge’s construction,

Cut corners
save time or money. which is why it eventually collapsed.

I heard Rachel’s dad is sick, so we should cut her some

Cut someone some slack To go easy on someone.
slack on this group project.

Erika’s been feeling blue every since her boyfriend

Feeling blue Feeling sad or depressed.
broke up with her.

Finding a needle in a Virtually impossible to These days, finding a job that doesn’t require
haystack find. experience is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

I have a big exam tomorrow, so I need to get some shut

Get some shut eye Sleep.
eye.
Kelsey has the highest grades in our class since she
Go the extra mile Put in extra effort. always goes the extra mile with homework
assignments.

I know it’s hard waiting for the exam results, but you
Hang in there Be patient.
just need to hang in there.

Hard up Lack money. Ellie knew I was hard up, so she paid for my coffee.

Have something to argue I have a bone to pick with the girl who stole my
Have a bone to pick
about. boyfriend from me.
To join something that’s I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and listen to
Jump on the bandwagon
popular. that new band everyone is talking about.

Let’s get this show on We have everything packed for the road trip, so let’s
Let’s get started!
the road! get this show on the road!
 The surprise party was ruined when my little brother
Let the cat out of the bag To tell a secret.
let the cat out of the bag and told our mom about it.

To be crazy. (Often said as Mrs. Thompson wants all this homework finished
Lose your marbles
a joke.) tomorrow? She must have lost her marbles!

To make a long story short, my neighbor found my lost

Make a long story short To quickly get to the point.
dog near the park.

Make your blood run

Frighten. That new horror movie made my blood run cold.
cold
Something that happens Only once in a blue moon will Mr. Smith let us get out
Once in a blue moon
very rarely. of class early.
To not have made a
I’m on the fence as to whether this new law is a good
On the fence decision or formed an
idea.
opinion yet.

The math homework has only three questions, so

Piece of cake Something easy to do.
finishing it will be a piece of cake.

You didn’t really believe that, did you? I was just pulling
Pulling one’s leg To joke with someone.
your leg.

Put your foot in your Say something you The husband put his foot in his mouth when he told his
mouth shouldn’t have. wife her dress was ugly.

You absolutely need an umbrella; it’s raining cats and

Raining cats and dogs Raining very hard.
dogs out there!
To detect a meaning that’s
Reading between the lines of this poem you wrote her,
Read between the lines implied but not stated
it seems as though you like Elizabeth.
outright.
Meet someone I ran into my old kindergarten teacher at the grocery
Run into someone
unexpectedly. store today.
Alan was sweating bullets when he asked the girl he
Sweating bullets To be very nervous.
liked to the dance.
I told my little sister she could tag along when we go to
Tag along Accompany.
the beach.
I have the flu, so I’ll need to take a rain check on going
Take a rain check Postpone a plan.
to the club.

Take it easy Relax. This summer, all I’m going to do is take it easy.

My father doesn’t know anything about cars, so take

Take with a grain of salt Don’t take too seriously. any advice he gives you about fixing your engine with a
grain of salt.

If you’re not sure if you want to join the club, you can
Test the waters Try something out.
test the waters by just going to the first meeting.

Way to go! Good job! You got 100% on your chemistry test? Way to go!