The Most Common English Expressions Made Easy

Learn the most common English expressions used by native speakers and take your conversational skills to an advanced level! From idioms to everyday phrases, this video will help you sound more natural and confident in your English conversations. Check it now and discover the key to mastering the English language.

Vocabulary

Practice how to use these expressions.

Transcript

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• Add fuel to the fire
  • Meaning: Worsen an already tense or problematic situation.
  • Bringing up pineapple pizza only added fuel to the fire of the ongoing pizza topping debate.
• Alive and kicking
  • Meaning: Still active and in good condition.
  • Grandpa might be 90, but he’s still alive and kicking at family gatherings.
• All in the same boat
  • Meaning: Facing the same challenges or circumstances.
  • Trying to assemble furniture had everyone in the same boat of confusion, laughing at the mysterious instructions.
• As easy as pie
  • Meaning: Very simple.
  • Making a paper airplane is as easy as pie for Timmy; he’s practically a mini engineer.
• At a crossroads
  • Meaning: Facing a crucial decision or a turning point in life.
  • After graduating high school, students find themselves at a crossroads; further studies or entering the workforce?
• Ballpark figure
  • Meaning: A rough estimate.
  • Estimating the number of jellybeans in a jar is a true ballpark figure challenge at a school fair.
• Barking up the wrong tree
  • Meaning: Pursuing a mistaken or misguided course of action.
  • Thinking my cat could understand Spanish commands was like barking up the wrong tree; she just wanted treats in any language.
• Be all ears
  • Meaning: Eager and ready to listen.
  • When my friend mentioned juicy gossip, I was all ears, ready for the latest tales of neighborhood drama.
• Be in a pickle
  • Meaning: To be in a difficult or tricky situation; facing a dilemma.
  • Realizing I had forgotten my lunch at home, I found myself in a pickle—having nothing to eat.
• Beat around the bush
  • Meaning: Avoiding the main topic; not getting to the point.
  • When asked about his crush, Josh beat around the bush, describing her as nice. 
• Bend over backwards
  • Meaning: Do whatever it takes to help.
  • In an attempt to impress his crush, Josh decided to bend over backwards and do a cartwheel—unfortunately, his flexibility had other plans.
• Between a rock and a hard place
  • Meaning: Facing a difficult choice between two unfavorable options.
  • Deciding between a movie that my partner likes and a movie I only enjoy is like being stuck between a rock and a hard place—I might just pick a comedy and compromise.
• Bite off more than one can chew
  • Meaning: Taking on a task that is too big for one to handle.
  • Signing up for five dance classes in a week seemed exciting until realizing I might have bitten off more than I could chew.
• Bite the bullet
  • Meaning: Facing a difficult or unpleasant situation with courage and determination.
  • Facing a mountain of laundry, I decided to bite the bullet, turn on some music, and make it a spontaneous dance party.
• Bite one’s tongue
  • Meaning: Refraining from speaking or expressing one’s opinion to avoid causing offense or conflict.
  • During family game night, I had to bite my tongue not to reveal the surprise ending of the movie we were about to watch.
• Bitter pill to swallow
  • Meaning: Something unpleasant or difficult to accept.
  • When the office decided to switch to decaf coffee, for caffeine enthusiasts like me, it was a bitter pill to swallow—we started a secret stash of espresso pods.
• Blessing in disguise
  • Meaning: Something that initially seems negative or unfortunate but later proves to be beneficial.
  • Losing my phone turned out to be a blessing in disguise; it gave me an excuse to unplug and enjoy the day offline.
• Blow off steam
  • Meaning: Releasing pent-up energy or frustration, often by expressing one’s emotions or engaging in physical activity.
  • After a week of exams, we decided to blow off steam by having a karaoke night.
• Break a leg
  • Meaning: A theatrical expression to wish someone good luck before a performance or event.
  • Wishing my friend “break a leg” before her stand-up comedy debut, I hoped it would bring her luck, not literal leg-breaking.
• Break the ice
  • Meaning: To initiate conversation in a social setting; to make people feel more comfortable.
  • Playing a silly game helped everyone break the ice at the team-building retreat, turning strangers into friends.
• Bring home the bacon
  • Meaning: To earn a living or provide financial support for one’s family.
  • I can’t stand my job, I only work here because it allows me to bring home the bacon. 
• Burn the midnight oil
  • Meaning: To work late into the night or early morning hours.
  • Determined to finish the novel, Paul decided to burn the midnight oil, powered by coffee and a playlist of motivating cat videos.
• Burn one’s bridges
  • Meaning: To create a situation that makes it impossible to go back to a previous state or relationship.
  • Sally decided to quit her job and tell her boss exactly how she felt—little did she know, she was burning her bridges for potential references and future opportunities.
• By the skin of one’s teeth
  • Meaning: Narrowly avoiding a difficult or dangerous situation.
  • Running for the bus, I made it on board by the skin of my teeth, narrowly avoiding a commute twice as long. 
• Call a spade a spade
  • Meaning: To speak bluntly and directly, even if it is unpleasant or uncomfortable.
  • In her straightforward style, Emily had a habit of calling a spade a spade, even when it came to critiquing homemade lasagna.
• Call it a day
  • Meaning: To decide to stop working or doing something for the remainder of the day.
  • After attempting to assemble the shelves for hours, the frustrated couple decided to call it a day and order a pizza instead.
• Call the shots
  • Meaning: To be in charge; to make important decisions.
  • If you have a question, ask Rebecca, she calls the shots around here. 
• Cold turkey
  • Meaning: Suddenly stopping a habit or addiction without gradual reduction.
  • Trying to cut down on social media, Cathy chose to go cold turkey, only to find herself scrolling through memes within an hour.
• Cost an arm and a leg
  • Meaning: Extremely expensive; costing a lot of money.
  • Decorating the entire house for Halloween may have cost an arm and a leg, but the smiles on the kids’ faces were worth every penny.
• Couch potato
  • Meaning: A person who spends a lot of time sitting and watching television; someone who is lazy.
  • Tom has become a couch potato; he spends his days binge-watching TV series and snacking.
• Cry over spilled milk
  • Meaning: Regretting a past mistake or loss that cannot be undone.
  • When Billy accidentally dropped his ice cream, he decided not to cry over spilled milk and instead got a new one.
• Cut corners
  • Meaning: To take shortcuts or use less effort and resources, often compromising quality.
  • Trying to save time on his homework, Alex decided to cut corners, but it resulted in a lower grade.
• Cut some slack
  • Meaning: To be lenient or understanding; to give someone a break or some leeway.
  • Understanding the stress of a new language, the teacher decided to cut some slack and allowed extra time for the students to finish their projects.
• Cut to the chase
  • Meaning: To get to the main point without unnecessary details; to focus on the essential information.
  • Instead of a long explanation, Bob prefers to cut to the chase and get straight to the main point during presentations.
• Dig one’s heels in
  • Meaning: To refuse to do something or to resist a change in plans; to be stubborn.
  • Jennifer had to dig her heels in and refused to change the venue for the event. 
• Dog eat dog
  • Meaning: A highly competitive and ruthless environment where people will do anything to succeed.
  • In the job market, it’s often a dog eat dog situation where everyone competes for the best positions.
• Down in the dumps
  • Meaning: Feeling sad or depressed.
  • After receiving bad news, Jake felt down in the dumps, but his friends cheered him up with a surprise party.
• Face the music
  • Meaning: To confront or accept the consequences of one’s actions, especially in a difficult or unpleasant situation.
  • Forgetting his lines in the play, Larry had to face the music, but the audience applauded his recovery.
• Fish out of water
  • Meaning: Someone in an unfamiliar or uncomfortable situation.
  • Attending a formal event in casual clothes, Maria felt like a fish out of water, surrounded by people in elegant attire.
• Full of baloney
  • Meaning: Speaking nonsense or making untrue statements; being insincere or dishonest.
  • When John claimed he could speak a foreign language fluently, his friends thought he was full of baloney until they heard him order coffee in French.
• Get a kick out of it
  • Meaning: To be delighted or amused by something. 
  • Every time Grandma tries VR gaming, she can’t stop laughing and gets a kick out of it.
• Get cold feet
  • Meaning: Nervousness or fear about a forthcoming event or decision.
  • Standing at the entrance of the roller coaster, Sarah got cold feet and decided to skip the thrilling loops.
• Get one’s hands dirty
  • Meaning: To get involved with all aspects of one’s job. 
  • Our manager Greta was ready to get her hands dirty with complex code, debugging, and late-night coding sessions.
• Go back to the drawing board
  • Meaning: To start over or rethink a plan because the current one isn’t working.
  • After the prototype failed to fly, the inventors had to go back to the drawing board and redesign their flying toaster.
• Go down in flames
  • Meaning: To fail dramatically.
  • Despite practicing for weeks, the performance went down in flames when the lead actor forgot his lines during the premiere.
• Go the extra mile
  • Meaning: To make a special effort or go above and beyond what is required.
  • Wanting to impress her boss, Jane always goes the extra mile at work, taking on additional tasks to ensure a project’s success.
• Have a crush on someone
  • Meaning: To have romantic feelings or a strong attraction toward someone.
  • Whenever Oliver’s neighbor was around, he couldn’t help but smile—he definitely had a crush on her.
• Hit the books
  • Meaning: To study or engage in academic pursuits.
  • With exams approaching, it was time for Thomas to hit the books and review diligently.
• Hit the sack
  • Meaning: To go to bed or to sleep.
  • After a long day of hiking, everyone was ready to hit the sack and get a good night’s sleep in their cozy tents.
• Hit the spot
  • Meaning: To satisfy a desire or need.
  • On a hot summer day, nothing hits the spot like a cold ice cream cone in the shade.
• Hold one’s horses
  • Meaning: To be patient; to wait and not rush into something.
  • Impatient to open the birthday presents, the kids were reminded to hold their horses until everyone was gathered.
• It takes two to tango
  • Meaning: A situation where both parties are involved or responsible.
  • Resolving conflicts is a joint effort; when finding a compromise it takes two to tango.
• It’s not rocket science
  • Meaning: Something not difficult to understand.
  • How could Sam fail his driving exam for a fifth time, it’s not rocket science!
• Jack up prices
  • Meaning: To increase prices, often significantly.
  • During the holiday season, some stores tend to jack up prices on popular toys, taking advantage of the high demand.
• Jump on the bandwagon
  • Meaning: To adopt a popular activity or trend; to join others in supporting something that has become fashionable or widely accepted.
  • When the new fitness trend emerged, everyone decided to jump on the bandwagon, joining yoga classes and green smoothie diets.
• Jump ship
  • Meaning: To abandon or leave a situation, group, or activity, especially when it becomes difficult or problematic.
  • Unhappy with the company’s changes, several employees decided to jump ship and seek new opportunities elsewhere.
• Jump the gun
  • Meaning: To act too quickly or start something before the appropriate time.
  • In their excitement to announce the surprise party, her friends jumped the gun, revealing the plan too soon.
• Kill two birds with one stone
  • Meaning: To accomplish two things with a single action.
  • Taking a scenic hike not only improved her overall health but also allowed Monica to kill two birds with one stone by enjoying nature.
• Let the cat out of the bag
  • Meaning: To reveal a secret or disclose something that was supposed to be kept confidential.
  • Trying to keep the gift a secret, Tom accidentally let the cat out of the bag, revealing the surprise party.
• Like two peas in a pod
  • Meaning: Very similar or nearly identical in appearance or behavior.
  • The inseparable twins were like two peas in a pod, sharing the same interests and finishing each other’s sentences.
• Miss the boat
  • Meaning: To miss an opportunity; to fail to take advantage of a favorable situation.
  • Buying Bitcoin when it was still new would have been a great investment, but unfortunately, I missed the boat on that opportunity.
• No pain, no gain
  • Meaning: Achieving success or improvement requires hard work, effort, or sacrifice
  • While lifting weights at the gym, Sophia reminded herself that no pain, no gain—each ache meant progress toward a stronger body.
• Not the sharpest tool in the shed
  • Meaning: Not very intelligent or lacking common sense.
  • When it comes to solving math problems, I’ll admit it, I’m not the sharpest tool in the shed.
• Off the hook
  • Meaning: No longer in trouble or no longer responsible for a difficult situation.
  • Forgetting about the meeting, Jenny was relieved when her boss said she was off the hook and could reschedule it.
• Out of the blue
  • Meaning: Unexpectedly or without any warning; coming as a surprise.
  • Receiving a message from an old friend out of the blue brought a smile to Skyler’s face and warmed her heart.
• Piece of cake
  • Meaning: Something very easy to do.
  • After mastering the basic dance steps, learning the advanced routine was a piece of cake for the talented dancer.
• Plead the fifth
  • Meaning: To refuse to answer a question, especially in a legal context, to avoid self-incrimination.
  • The suspect pleaded the fifth which made him look guilty. 
• Put all one’s eggs in the same basket
  • Meaning: To invest all of one’s resources or efforts in a single venture, making one vulnerable to failure if that venture fails.
  • Maria diversified her portfolio, deciding not to put all her eggs in the same basket.
• Ring a bell
  • Meaning: To sound familiar or trigger a memory; to be recognizable or remembered.
  • Hearing the familiar melody, the song instantly rang a bell, bringing back memories of summer campfires.
• Rock the boat
  • Meaning: To disturb the status quo or create problems by introducing change or controversy.
  • Jake warned his colleague not to rock the boat by bringing up controversial topics during the meeting.
• Roll with the punches
  • Meaning: To adapt to difficulties or setbacks; to cope with challenges.
  • Faced with unexpected changes at work, Barbara learned to roll with the punches, adapting to issues with a positive attitude.
• Rule of thumb
  • Meaning: A practical and approximate guideline or principle based on experience.
  • As a rule of thumb for cooking pasta, Nick follows the guideline of one liter of water for every 100 grams of pasta.
• Speaking of the devil
  • Meaning: When someone is mentioned and then suddenly appears.
  • Have you seen Morgan’s new hairstyle, hey, speaking of the devil, here she comes!
• Split hairs
  • Meaning: To make unnecessary or trivial distinctions; to argue about small or unimportant details.
  • While discussing the budget, the team decided not to split hairs over minor expenses and focus on the bigger financial picture.
• Spill the beans
  • Meaning: To reveal a secret or disclose information that was supposed to be kept confidential.
  • Pat couldn’t contain himself and spilled the beans about the upcoming proposal.
• Spread like wildfire
  • Meaning: To rapidly and widely spread, often referring to information or rumors.
  • The news of the massive price cuts spread like wildfire; people shared the discounts across social media platforms.
• Stab someone in the back
  • Meaning: To betray someone or act deceitfully toward them.
  • Karen promised to vote for her friend’s delicious brownies but ended up voting for her own—talk about stabbing someone in the back.
• Steal someone’s thunder
  • Meaning: To take the attention or recognition away from someone, especially by doing something impressive or noteworthy.
  • Announcing her engagement on the same day as her sister’s wedding would surely steal her thunder—so Susan decided to wait a week.
• Stop and smell the roses
  • Meaning: To take time to appreciate and enjoy the simple and pleasant things in life.
  • Amid her hectic work schedule, Claire reminded herself to stop and smell the roses, taking time to appreciate the small joys in life.
• Straight from the horse’s mouth
  • Meaning: Information or news that comes directly from the most reliable source.
  • To get accurate information about the project, Ed went to his manager to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.
• Swing and a miss
  • Meaning: An unsuccessful attempt or failure, especially in sports or any endeavor.
  • John’s soufflé collapsed, resulting in a culinary swing and a miss.
• Take a raincheck
  • Meaning: To decline and postpone an invitation or offer.
  • Unable to make it to movie night, Frank asked if he could take a raincheck and join the gang next week.
• Take with a grain of salt
  • Meaning: To be skeptical or not completely believe something; to consider something with a degree of doubt.
  • Listening to gossip, one should take it with a grain of salt, knowing that rumors often exaggerate the truth.
• Taste of one’s own medicine
  • Meaning: Experiencing the same negative treatment that one has given to others.
  • After pranking her friends for weeks, Jenny got a taste of her own medicine when they orchestrated a surprise water balloon attack.
• The ball is in one’s court
  • Meaning: It’s someone else’s turn to make a decision or take action.
  • After the job interview, the hiring manager assured Alex that the ball was in his court, awaiting his decision on the job offer.
• The elephant in the room
  • Meaning: An obvious and significant problem or issue that everyone is avoiding or ignoring.
  • During the family dinner, the unresolved argument became the elephant in the room, making conversation awkward and tense.
• The last straw
  • Meaning: The final and decisive irritation or problem that leads to a breaking point.
  • The constant delays were annoying, but the lost luggage was the last straw that led the frustrated traveler to demand a refund.
• Through thick and thin
  • Meaning: Supporting or being loyal to someone in good times and bad times.
  • Despite the ups and downs, the best friends stuck together through thick and thin, supporting each other no matter what.
• Throw in the towel
  • Meaning: To quit in defeat.
  • Determined to complete the challenging video game, Tim refused to throw in the towel, trying different strategies until he succeeded.
• Tie the knot
  • Meaning: To get married.
  • After years of dating, the couple decided it was time to tie the knot.
• Time flies
  • Meaning: Time passes quickly; a reminder of how time seems to move swiftly.
  • As Emily reminisced about her school days, she realized how time flies—it felt like just yesterday when she graduated.
• Tongue in cheek
  • Meaning: expressing something in a humorous or ironic way, often not meant to be taken seriously.
  • John’s sarcastic comment about the benefits of waking up early was meant to be tongue in cheek, to lighten up the mood.
• Tough nut to crack
  • Meaning: difficult problem or challenge that is hard to solve or overcome.
  • Teaching a complex concept proved to be a tough nut to crack, but the patient teacher found creative ways to make it understandable.
• Twist someone’s arm
  • Meaning: to convince someone to do something, often reluctantly.
  • Trying to sway her friend to join the road trip, Pam had to twist his arm with promises of breathtaking scenery and memorable adventures.
• Under the weather
  • Meaning: feeling unwell or sick.
  • Feeling a bit under the weather, Mike decided to stay home, sip hot tea, and watch movies to recover from the cold.
• Up in the air
  • Meaning: uncertain or undecided; not yet determined.
  • Plans for the weekend were still up in the air, with the group deciding whether to go hiking or explore the nearby town.
• Walk on eggshells
  • Meaning: to be very cautious and sensitive in dealing with a delicate situation.
  • Knowing her friend was upset, Tina was walking on eggshells around her, choosing words carefully to avoid conflict.
• When pigs fly
  • Meaning: referring to something that is highly unlikely or will never happen.
  • Barry promised to clean his room when pigs fly, making it clear that it was an unlikely event.
• Wild goose chase
  • Meaning: a futile or pointless search or pursuit.
  • Following the mysterious map turned out to be a wild goose chase, leading the treasure hunters in circles with no end in sight.
• Wrap one’s head around something
  • Meaning: to understand something that is complex or confusing.
  • Learning a new language can be challenging, but learners always manage to wrap their heads around unfamiliar expressions. 

Congrats on making it until the end! Try to add some of these expressions to your daily speech to build a more robust vocabulary and in no time, you’ll see how learning them is actually a blessing in disguise. Hopefully, this has been helpful. Click on the link to access some free vocabulary activities directly related to this topic. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it. Thank you for watching. Until next time!