8/7/23, 2:18 AM 63 Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking Exam

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Dinesh Pandiyan
updated on 26-06-2023
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63 Useful IELTS Speaking Idioms

An idiom is a phrase or expression with a figurative or non-literal meaning. For example: Don’t
judge a book by its cover. Candidates are able to speak like native English speakers by learning
the given idioms for IELTS speaking. Practising and using a lot of idioms and collocations
can help you to get a high band score in the IELTS speaking exam .

In the IELTS speaking module, you will find four band descriptors. Those are fluency and
coherence, lexical resource, grammatical range and accuracy, and pronunciation. Your speech
will be natural and fluent by using English-language idioms. Our list of idioms for IELTS
speaking is designed by our experts to help you to get a band 9 score.
FREE Online IELTS Mock Test 2023
List of 63 Useful Idioms for Band 9 Score
Take Test

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8/7/23, 2:18 AM 63 Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking Exam

Practising idiomatic language in your IELTS preparation can be helpful to get a band 9 score.
Use the list of 63 English-language idioms in your IELTS speaking preparation to achieve a
better band score.

( Note: The given list of idioms for the IELTS speaking exam has taken from a different set of
topics including hometown, work, relationships, environment, etc. )

S.no Idioms Definition Example

I had some
problems with my
Water Under The Past things that are not
1. friends. But, those
Bridge important anymore
are water under
bridges now.

Try to do the math

Practice makes Constant practice leads as much as
2.
perfect! to improvement possible. Practice
makes perfect!

In debate, you have

Saying things in a
Hit the nail on the hit the nail on the
3. precise and right
head head towards the
manner
opposite group.

We have done a
Attempts are failed. So,
poor job in our
Back to the now it's time to start
4. project. Back to
drawing board! over again with
the drawing
different methods
board!

BMW and all is an

5. An Arm and A Leg Very costly arm and a leg for
me.

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6. Over the Moon Extreme happiness moon when I got
selected for a job

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I don’t like my
partner. If I leave
Between a rock Two equally bad her, she could hurt
7.
and a hard place choices herself. I am
between a rock
and a hard place.

I got rejected from

Problems are a job. Now, I broke
It’s Not One Thing,
8. happening my legs. If it’s not
It’s the Other
simultaneously one thing, it’s the
other.

Don’t take it
Teasing or Joking
9. Pulling your Leg personally. I am just
around
pulling your leg

Eating healthy food can

You are what you
You are what you make you healthy. And,
10. eat. So, Eat good
eat eating junk food could
food.
worsen your health

Don’t judge a
Judging someone based
Don't judge a book by its cover,
11. on their appearance is
book by its cover he is an intelligent
misleading
person.

Rejecting an invitation I can't come to the

12. Take a rain check now. But, when you party now. I have to
would like to do it later. take a rain check.

Doing or saying Sorry for what I

The heat of the something suddenly have said. I said in
13.
moment without thinking about the heat of the
it. moment

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14. Bite my Tongue Stopping yourself from I have to bite my
saying something tongue now to

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prevent bad
situations

Why are you

Starting or Initiating jumping the gun?
15. Jumping the Gun
something too early Tomorrow is only a
festival

We can see him

Once in a Blue
16. Occurring so rarely once in a blue
Moon
moon

Please cut to the

Getting to the point and
chase. We don’t
17. Cut to the chase leaving out all the non-
want to listen to all
essential information
your stories.

He seems a little
Keep an eye on Watching someone in a suspicious. So,
18.
him careful manner keep an eye on
him

A principle or guideline As a rule of

19. Rule of Thumb based on practice thumb, you should
rather than theory take 2000 calories

We have to work
Work against the Not having sufficient against the clock
20.
clock time to do something to complete this
project

I think we are
Working on something flogging a dead
Flogging a dead
21. that is not going to horse. It’s better to
horse
change focus on some
other thing
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22. Smell a rat Sensing something that Don’t try to conceal
is not right the truth. I can

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smell a rat

Jack kicked the

23. Kicked the bucket Died bucket when he
dived into the sea

Don’t put all your

Putting all of one’s eggs in the
Put all your eggs
24. resources into one basket. Invest the
in the basket
thing money in different
stocks.

He feels a chip on
Chip on his The feeling of inferiority his shoulder when
25.
shoulder or unpleasantness he thinks about his
job.

Achieving high
marks in science is
26. Piece of cake Very easy
a piece of cake for
me.

Don’t worry about

Cloud has a silver Seeing the positive side
27. that. Every cloud
lining in a negative situation
has a silver lining.

I don’t want to
discuss it with him
Let the sleeping Avoiding a conflict or
28. anymore. It's better
dogs lie problem
to let the sleeping
dogs lie.

He’s a spitting
Looking exactly the
29. Spitting Image image of her
same thing
brother.

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30. Bent over Put a lot of effort to do I bent over
Backwards something backwards to help
her. But, she

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doesn’t even care

about me.

Today, you are

going to take a
31. Break a leg Good luck
major exam, right?
Break a leg.

Who are you going

To tell someone it’s
The Ball's in your to marry? The
32. their turn to make a
court ball’s in your
decision
court, now.

I am playing
Argue for an
Playing a devil's devil’s advocate
33. unfavourable side to
advocate to know the flaws in
provoke a debate
my position

He is eating slowly.
Until the cows He will be there
34. Taking a very long time
come home until the cows
come home.

Hold your horses,

Telling someone to be
35. Hold your horses you're behaving so
patient
idiotically

Sorry for what I

Something said it
have said. It was
36. Tongue-in-cheek humorously rather than
just tongue-in-
seriously
cheek.

I don't know which

career he is going to
Sitting on the Not able to make firm
37. choose. He is
fence and strong decisions
sitting on the
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At first, I wasn't able

Become comfortable to cook. But, now I
38. Found my feet
with what one is doing have found my
feet.

He has a lot of
A drop in the A minute part of a wisdom. What he
39.
ocean bigger thing. just said is a drop
in the ocean.

I failed the previous

At first, it seems like the exam which was a
Blessing in
40. wrong thing but it turns blessing in
disguise
out to be good. disguise. Now, I got
higher marks.

He is driving me
Driving me up the Irritating or Annoying up the wall. He
41.
wall somebody keeps on doing
that.

He is not talking
Under the with us. I guess he
42. Unwell
Weather is under the
weather.

We have to act
instead of thinking
Actions speak Actions have a better too much about
43.
louder than words impact than speaking that. Actions
speak louder than
words.

Meeting someone who I met George in the

44. It’s a small world is close in an supermarket. It’s a
unexpected context. small world.
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45. Fixed in their Sticking to conventional My relatives are

ways or normal ways of fixed in their

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things. ways. They are

compelling me to
marry.

Doing more than what He will go the

46. Go the extra mile is necessary or extra mile to
required. irritate others.

Your excitement is
over the top. It
47. Over the top Excessive
does not deserve
that much.

Be with your
parents when they
Bite the hand that Hurting someone who
48. are old. Don’t bite
feeds you helped you
the hand that
feeds you.

I told your secret to

Telling something to Sanjay. Sorry, I
Let the cat out of
49. someone that you are didn’t mean to let
the bag
not supposed to the cat out of the
bag.

I guess he got up
on the wrong side
Got up on the of the bed this
50. wrong side of the Being in a bad mood morning. That’s
bed this morning why he is in a
terrible state of
mind.

Though my mother
Someone who is active,
51. Fresh as a daisy aged, she is stills as
lively, and jovial
fresh as a daisy

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52. Couch potato A lazy person or My friend is a
someone who is couch potato. He
is watching TV
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watching TV without programmes

doing any work. though he has a lot
of work.

I think you should

A person who is not not tell your secrets
53. Bad egg
trustworthy. to mohan. He is
such a bad egg.

A person who is not Why Sam is so sad

54. Party Pooper participating in fun in this function.
activities or enjoyment. Party Pooper!

Vignesh is an eager
A person who is
beaver. He can
55. Eager beaver enthusiastic and
finish any work on
hardworking.
time.

I don’t think it will

Throw in the work anymore. I’ll
56. Giving up
towel throw in the
towel.

The only way to win

57. Get a headstart Start prior to others the competition is
to get a headstart.

George is such a
down to earth
person. He can
A person who is
58. Down to earth offer practical
practical and realistic
solutions to
problems rather
than confusing us.

I burned the
FREE Burned the midnight oil to
59.Online IELTS Mock Test 2023 Staying up too late
Midnight oil complete the
homework.

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8/7/23, 2:18 AM 63 Useful Idioms for IELTS Speaking Exam

I have done an
IELTS crash course
60. Crash course A quick lesson
to get a good band
score.

I got shocked since

Something occurred in
61. Out of the blue he surprised me,
an unexpected way
out of the blue

My daughter
Pass with flying Passing a test with high passed with flying
62.
colours grades or marks colours in her
college exams

Following
To follow in
Achieving things that someone's steps
63. someone's
someone already did is not a bad thing
footsteps
since it guides us.

Download the list of useful idioms for IELTS speaking pdf as a reference for your IELTS
speaking preparation.

Top 12 Phrases to help you in the IELTS Speaking

Exam
Make sure to use the phrases appropriately in the IELTS speaking exam. Overusing the
phrases could make your speech more unnatural and scripted. Use the phrases in the proper
places to speak like native English Speakers.

I guess you could say

This phrase can be used when you are lacking in subject knowledge. You can use it in the
IELTS speaking test since IELTS is a language test rather than an Intelligence test.

Example: I guess you could say that people lack motivation when they are in stressful
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situations.

Well, I think nowadays it’s a difficult question because…

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