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30 most commonly used idioms

Understanding English idioms might me tricky. But here is a list of commonly used idioms to help you understand their meanings as well as use them whenever and wherever needed.

Falguni

30 Jul 2021

As per “Definitions from Oxford languages”, an idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning deducible from those for those of the individual words. In simple words, a characteristic mode of expressions.

This article helps you understand the meaning of each idiom mentioned here so that you can use it either while speaking or writing.

Idiom	Meaning
Old as hill.	Very old.
Barrel of laugh.	Someone who is very funny.
Don't judge a book by it's cover.	Don't judge primarily by its appearance.
Spill the beans.	To reveal a secret.
It takes two to tango.	Both parties involved in a situation are responsible.
Up for grabs.	Available.
Raise a red flag.	Warn of trouble ahead.
Music to my ears.	Good to hear.
Chin music.	Meaningless/Idle talk.
It's raining cats and dogs.	To rain heavily.
Oddball.	A strange person.
Out of work.	Unemployed.
Hit the hay.	Go to bed.
Move up in the world.	To become successful.
Cry your eyes out.	To cry for a long time.
Burn the midnight oil.	Working late into the night.
Think outside the box.	To think creatively.
Other half.	Partner/Spouse
A piece of cake.	Very easy.
Going bananas.	To become crazy.
Beat around the bush.	Talk about unimportant matters because you don't want to talk about what is important.
Pie in the sky.	Something you hope will happen, but is very likely.
Go pear-shaped.	To fail or to go wrong.
To tie the knot.	To get married.
Out of the loop.	Not part of the group.
Add fuel to the fire.	To worsen the already existing question.
On cloud nine.	Very happy.
Get cold feet.	A loss or lack of courage or confidence.
In touch.	In contact or in communication.
Let your hair down.	To relax.

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