IDIOMS CATEGORY “B” (80 IDIOMS)

1. A bad hair day = A day on which everything seems to go wrong.

2. a penny for your thoughts = A way of asking what someone is thinking
3. a red herring = unimportant matter introduced into a discussion to divert attention from the
main subject. Ex. Make sure he answers all your questions. Don't let him confuse you with any
red herring.
4. a red-letter day = an important or memorable day because something good happened on it.
5. acquired taste = Something that you dislike when you first taste it, but begin to like after trying
it several times, is an acquired taste. Ex. Tony has always loved olives, but for me it was an
acquired taste.
6. ants in my pants = People who have ants in their pants are very restless or excited about
something.
Ex. I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something today.
7. apple of your eye = A person, usually a child, who is the apple of your eye is one for whom you
have great affection. Ex. My grandson is the apple of my eye.
8. apple-pie order = If something is in apple-pie order, it is well organized or in perfect order.
Ex. They made sure the house was in apple-pie order before their parents arrived back home.
9. as fit as a fiddle = A person who is as fit as a fiddle is in an excellent state of health or physical
condition. Ex. My grandfather is nearly ninety but he's as fit as a fiddle.
10. bat out of hell = If something moves like a bat out of hell, it moves very quickly.
Ex. He grabbed the envelope and ran like a bat out of hell.
11. bats in the belfry =If you say that somebody has bats in the belfry, you mean that they are
eccentric or crazy. Ex. He comes up with the craziest ideas - he's got bats in the belfry!
12. be in the red = have no money in one's bank account.
13. be like a red rag to a bull = be likely to make somebody angry.
Ex. Mentioning his ex-wife's name was like a red rag to a bull.
14. be up to my eyes = be extremely busy.
Ex. I'm sorry I didn't call you yesterday, but I was up to my eyes in work.
15. bear with a sore head = If someone is behaving like a bear with a sore head, they are very
irritable and bad-tempered.
Ex. When his team lost the match, Brad was like a bear with a sore head.
16. bee in her bonnet = Someone who has a bee in their bonnet has an idea which constantly
occupies their thoughts.
Ex. She's got a bee in her bonnet about moving to New York.
17. bee's knees = To say that someone/something is the bee's knees means that you think they
are exceptionally good.
Ex. If you say "Chloe thinks she's the bee's knees" you mean that Chloe has a high opinion of
herself.
18. bitten by the bug = If you develop a sudden interest or enthusiasm for something.
Ex. My dad decided to take up golf and was immediately bitten by the bug.
19. blow the whistle = If you report an illegal or socially-harmful activity to the authorities, and
give information about those responsible for it, you blow the whistle, or you are a whistle-
blower.
20. break the back of the beast = If someone breaks the back of the beast, they succeed in
overcoming a major difficulty.
Ex. After hours of effort, the technicians finally broke the back of the beast and turned the
electricity back on again.
21. brown as a berry = To say that someone is as brown as a berry means that they are very
tanned.
Ex. Judy came back from her holiday as brown as a berry.