200+ Best Idioms with Using Various Category | Best Idiom List with Example

Best Idioms: Here is a list of some important idioms with an example that will be very helpful for your English language skills.

What is Idiom?

Idiom means "an expression whose meaning is different from the meanings of the individual words in it"

Any one, two or more words, or a set of words when it has been used for a specific meaning instead of its original meaning is called an idiom.

For Example: “to spill the beans” is an Idiom. The general meaning of “to spill the beans” is different but it is used as an idiom so as an idiom it means “to reveal a secret”.

Why Idiom is so important?

To learn any language at a high level, it is necessary to have knowledge of various forms of language and depth of grammar. Knowledge of the grammar of the language along with its idiom, idiom, etc. can enhance the personal beauty of speaking or writing the language.

Here we have given you a list of some very common and used idioms in the language of everyday life, their examples, and meanings. Using such idioms, sayings, or expressions in speaking or writing a language will strengthen one’s personal grip on the language.

Usually, even in TV shows, movies, etc. idioms, sayings, or expressions are used in abundance, it is difficult to enjoy them if their knowledge is not enough.

Idiom List with Example

Here we bring you various categories like Fruit and Vegetable, Food, Animal and Bird, Nature, Color, Emotion, and Feeling, etc. I have shared Idiom with you, bookmark the table below to make it easier to read again.

Idiom using Fruits and Vegetable

Idiom	Meaning	Example
apple of one’s eye	a person liked or adored by someone	I am the apple of my father’s eye so he fulfills all my wishes
to spill the beans	to reveal secret	He spilled the beans about his affairs at the press conference
as cool as cucumber	calm and not nervous in any situation	She remained as cool as cucumber even when all were against her in a family dispute.
hold out/offer an olive branch	something offered in peace or goodwill	They offered an olive branch by releasing the prisoners of the enemy country.
couch potato	a person who watches TV for a long time	I was a couch potato during my college days
hard nut to crack	difficult problem to solve	Passing the IELTS exam is a hard nut to crack for many vernacular medium students
salad days	youthful period of one’s life	I enjoyed my salad days to the fullest and would cherish it a lifetime.
bear fruit	to produce or give result	They worked very hard on the project and ultimately it bore fruit after 3 years.
compare apple and oranges	to compare two completely different things	To compare the remuneration of movie stars and television stars are like comparing apple and oranges
cherry-pick	to choose the most beneficial from what is available	I am very good at cherry-picking, especially from the flea market
to be like two peas in a pod	to be very similar	I and my best friend are like two peas in a pod.

Idiom using Food

Idiom	Meaning	Example
to butter up	to flatter someone	He never leaves a chance to butter up his boss to seek a promotion.
a piece of cake	something easy or pleasant	Teaching English is a piece of cake for me.
to sell like hotcakes	to sell quickly or in large quantities	His recently released book is selling like hot cakes.
icing on the cake	an extra benefit that makes a good situation even better	On top of promotion getting a company car was an icing on the cake for me
bread and butter	one’s income or earning	My teaching job is my only bread and butter as of now
put all your eggs in one basket	depends on one plan or one source of income	A good businessman will never put all his eggs in one basket.
no use crying over a spilt milk	useless to complain or have a regret about something that is done and cannot be changed	My new purse is stolen and it was my favourite one but now there is no use crying over spilt milk.
one’s cup of tea	field of one’s skill	Handling small kids is not my cup of tea.

Idiom using Animals and Birds

Idiom	Meaning	Example
social butterfly	a person who having lots of friends and likes to move from one social event to another	My friend is a social butterfly so I always catch her up in one or the other social events
crocodile tears	shed false tears	Though she was not hurt, she shed crocodile tears to gain sympathy of people around
sounds fishy	feeling something suspicious	This new deal sounds fishy to me as they are not ready to reveal much information
wild goose chase	a foolish and fruitless search	The police tried to find the culprit but ended up with a wild goose chase
cash cow	Product and service which is a regular source of income for a company	The newly launched product has proved to be a cash cow for the company.
the lion’s share	the greatest percentage	The lion’s share from his property was donated to charity.
fish out of water	feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surrounding	In large crowds, I always feel like fish out of water
take the bull by horn	to take a difficult situation in your hand to solve the problem.	When the manager put the wrong blame on me I decided to take the bull by horn and inform the boss
night owl	a person whois habitually active at night	My friends call me night owl as I usually complete my work during night time
white elephant	something that is not useful costs lots of money to maintain	His collaboration with a new company proves to be white elephant to him

Idioms on Nature

Idioms	Meaning	Example
a drop in the ocean	very insignificant amount	My share of donation is just a drop in the ocean toward helping mankind
a ray of sunshine	bringing happiness to someone	Her young son is the only ray of sunshine in her life
at sea	confused about something	When it comes to solve a maths problem I am totaly at sea.
into deep water	in difficult situation	We will be in deep water if bank refuse to sanction our loan
nip in the bud	stop in the begining itself	Bad habits in children should b nipped in the bud
beat around the bush	avoid getting to the point	Stop beating around the bush and come to the point
make mountain out of molehill	make small problem look much bigger	some peaple have the habit of making mountain out of molehill
under the weather	not feeling well	I am under the weather due to sudden change of season
move heaven and earth	make extra ordinary effort	I moved heaven earth to fulfill my dream of becoming pilot
in the air	all about, prevalent	As soon as I entered the office I sensed tension in the air.
gain ground	become more important or popular	Alternative therapies in field of medicine are gaining ground in the last decade
go with tide	accepting decision taken by majority	I generally prefer to go with tide in my company decisions.
like wildfire	spread very fast	The news of ministers death in town spread like wildfire

Idioms using Color

Idioms	Meanings
roll out the red carpet	to give a warm and big welcome to a person	When the chief minister visited our town, we rolled out the red carpet for him
off-color	when someone is feeling ill or uneasy	She looked off color at the party
to show one’s true color	to reveal one’s true nature	When he got angry in front of everyone he showed his true color
put something down in black and white	to write down on paper for confirmation or evidence	I wanted him to put all the conditions down in black and white so that there no dispute in future
chase rainbows	try to achieve impossible	Many people thought he was chasing rainbows when he was struggling to become an actor.
to be kept in the dark	keeping secret from someone	He was kept in the dark about his family history all these years.
grey area	something that is not clearly defined	There are a lot of grey areas in the company policy which needs to be clarified
to be in red	to be in debt	After the failure of his project, he was in red
to be out of red	to be out of debt	After five years of continuous hard work, the company managed to settle all the bills and was out of red
catch someone red-handed	to catch someone in the act of committing a crime	police caught him red-handed taking the bribe
born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth	born in a rich family	All the star kids are born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

Idioms on Emotion and Feelings

Idioms on Happy Emotions	Meanings	Examples
music to your ears	some news or information that makes you happy	When students praised my teaching skill it was music to my ears
go overboard	to do something too much or with excessive enthusiasm	The boss went overboard about his tie-ups with a new company and threw a big party not only for employees but also for clients.
in stitches	to laugh a lot	I was in stitches when I watched the latest episode of my favorite comedy show.
in raptures	very enthusiastic and delighted	I was in rapture about my new car
over the moon / On top of the world / in seventh heaven / on cloud nine / walking on air	extremely happy	I was over the moon on my day of engagement
gut feeling	strong intuition about something	I have a gut feeling that I will be promoted this year.
Thrilled to bits or pieces	extremely pleased about something	I was thrilled to bits when I got a new i phone as a surprise gift
make my day	something that makes you happy	His compliments for my performance made my day.

Idioms on Sad Emotion	Meanings	Examples
go to pieces/ have a nervous breakdown/ go out of one’s mind/ fall apart	be upset or distressed due to terrible shock that one can not lead his normal life	Julia nearly went to pieces when her son died in a car crash
open/reopen old wounds	revive unpleasant memories	I did not want to talk about her husband’s death and open old wounds
strike a raw nerve	to upset someone by taking out a subject sensitive to him	He struck his raw nerve by taking out the subject of his divorce.
reduce someone to tears	to cause a person to cry	The teacher scolded him for his misbehavior in front of the whole class so he was reduced to tears
feel blue/ have the blues	feel depressed or sad	After meeting the victims of the disaster, I was having blues and I could not sleep for the whole night.

Idioms on Confusion, Choice, and Hesitation.	Meanings	Examples
sit on the fence/ in two minds/ in dilemma	to avoid or delay in making decision or choice	I was sitting on the fence when it comes to choose between my friendship and my love.
get cold feet	to begin to hesitate or be frightened about something	I was getting cold feet as my marriage date was coming near
up in the air	uncertain	The new project is up in the air
horns of dilemma	Faced with the choice between two equally undesirable alternatives or a difficult choice	I am on the horn of a dilemma as I have got a lucrative job in my city and have also got a work visa for the other country.

Idioms on Fear and Nervousness	Meanings	Example
tongue-tied	Difficulty in expressing yourself due to nervousness	At the start of the interview, I was completely tongue tied
on pins and needles/ on tenterhooks/ with one’s stomach in knots/ have one’s heart in one’s mouth	in a state of anxious suspense or excitement	I was on pin and needles before the announcement of my result
bundle of nerves	very nervous or worried	She was bundle of Nerves when called by her boss.
hold someone’s breath	to wait for something	I was holding my breath when the result were getting announced

Idioms on Anger and Irritation	Meanings	Examples
make the blood boils	make someone very angry	Seeing corruption in public sectors make my blood boils
get on someone’s nerves/ try someone’s patience/ get under someone’s skin/ drive mad or crazy	irritate someones	This new student in my class is getting in my nerve
look daggers at	look or glare angrily at	I was looking daggers at my colleague due to his irritational behavior

Idioms on surprise	Meanings	Examples
out of blue	to appear out of nowhere without any indication	One day out of the blue, I got a call from my childhood friend.
a bolt from the blue	a sudden and unexpected event	The news of his resignation to the company was a bolt from the blue.
drop a bombshell	to make an unexpected announcement that can change the situation	She dropped the bombshell by announcing her marriage at the party
take someone by surprise	to surprise someone	His sudden visit took us by surprise.
raise eyebrows	to cause surprise or shock	The sudden announcement of the new policy raised the eyebrows of many employees

Idioms on Feelings about Others	Meanings	Examples
speak volumes	expressing a reaction very clearly with no need for words	Her eyes spoke volumes for her feeling for Jhon.
no hard feeling	no bitter feeling	I do not carry any hard feelings for you.
wear one’s heart on one’s sleeves	easily allowing others to see one’s feeling or emotion	My friend wears her heart on her sleeves so can I easily judge her feeling by looking at her.
to read between the lines	to infer something which is not written or try to find hidden meaning from what others say or write	Though she did not react to my announcement of the new policy, I was able to read between the lines from the way she spoke.

Idioms Describing People

Idioms on Negative Qualities of People	Meanings	Examples
black sheep	disreputable member of a group or family	He is the black sheep in my family
rolling stone	a person unwilling to settle for a long time in one place	My colleague is a rolling stone as it is his fifth job in 3 years.
snake in the grass	a treacherous person	He proved to be a snake in the grass
do snow job	a deceptive story trying to hide the truth	Don’t try to fool me with your snow job all the time
laughing stock	dose something stupid which makes other laughs	He became the laughing stock in the party because of his funky dressing.
stubborn as mule	very obstinate and unwilling to listen to other	My partner is stubborn as mule in her decision and at times it becomes very difficult to deal with her
wet blanket/ spoilsport	a person who discourages fun or enjoyment for other people	My friend always proves to be a wet blanket in the party
worrywart	a person who worries constantly and excessively	My sister is a worrywart and worries about every little thing.
cheapskate	someone who hates to spend money even when it os required	My neighbor is a cheapstake and fights with small vendors for a penny.

Idioms on Positive Qualities of People	Meanings	Examples
go-getter	ambitious and once decided they would go out to get it	In today’s competitive age one has to have go-getter attitude to be successful
live wire	someone who is highly energetic and full of enthusiasm	My mother is live wire even at the age of 60 and takes active participation in all the social gathering
full of beans	a person who is lively, active, and healthy	Though he entered his 60s he is still full of beans
dark horse	a person who is secretive and little is known of his abilities	Though he was not good at studies in school days he proved to be a dark horse and made a fantastic career in acting
jack of all trades	have knowledge of the different field	It is required to be a jack of all trades in this age of high competition
call spade a spade	a person who is frank and speak openly and truthfully	I do not hesitate in calling spade a spade for which at times I am criticized
to be in someone’s good books	the person having a positive and good impression of yours	He was doing his best to be in the good books of his boss
nerves of steel	great patience and courage	Only people with nerves of steel can join the army force.
an open book	some who doesn’t keep any secret and easy to judge	My friend is an open book

Idioms on Fashion

Idioms	Meanings	Example
to have the sense of style	to know what looks good on you.	Over the years of grooming, now I can say that I have developed a Good sense of style
to have an eye for fashion	to have a good taste of fashion and knows the latest trend.	My friend has a good eye for fashion so mostly I rely on her for the choice of my clothes
dress for the occasion	to wear something in right place at the right time	It is very important to dress for the occasion in today’s age as our clothes reveal our personality.
to be slave of fashion/ fashion victim	blindly follows fashion	I am fashionable but I avoid becoming the slave of fashion
to be dressed to the nines	perfectly dressed	I was dressed to the nine in my brother’s wedding for which I received many compliments.

Idioms using Clothing

Idioms	Meanings	Example
below the belt	beyond what is fair or socially accepted	His comment about my friend was below the belt
buckle down	work extra hard	I have to finish my project before the deadline so I need to buckle down this week
pull one’s socks	try harder	I pulled my socks to get the project
put oneself in someone else’s shoes	to see how it feels putting yourself in someone’s place	First, put yourself in my shoes and then give the opinion
roll up one’s sleeves	prepare to work hard	I informed my staff to roll up their sleeves to achieve the target
a feather in one’s cap	a symbol of honor and achievement	Getting the best employee award was one of the feathers added to my cap
to wear a thinking cap	to start thinking seriously about solving the problem	I seriously need to wear a thinking cap for the solution of this mathematical sum

Idioms on Business

Idioms	Meanings	Example
give someone a run for their money	Give others the strong competition	After 30 years in film indusatry he can still give young actors a run for their money
go out of business	business closes down or go bankrupt	A lot of company went out of business during the economic recession
nitty gritty	most important point or practical details	I need to work on nitty gritty of the project befor finalizing the deal.
in the pipeline	plan currently in progress	A metro project is still in the pipeline for my city.
trade secret	a practice or formula kept secret by a company	The recipe of this dish is secret
rag to riches	a person rise from a state of proverty to being wealthy	I was highly inspired by his rags to riches journey
sleeping partner	person investing in the business without taking active part in the managment	I got sleeping partner to invest in my business.
seal of approval	formal suppurt from highr authorites	I could carry out my plans as I have got seal of approval from my boss
roaring trade	doing very sucessful business	Fast food company are doing a roaring trade in my city.
leaps and bound	in fast progress	My city is progressing leaps and bounds
keeps head above water	try to survive by staying out of debt	Due to high competition, many newly opened fast food joints are just able to keep their heads abov water.
get a foothold	to get a strong position that provide base further advancement	Many foreign companies are trying to get foothold in indian market.
corner the market	to have a greatest market share or success in a perticular industry	Local companies have yet to corner their market in the field of technology.
carve out niche	to successfully create a position in a perticular segment	He has carved out a niche in the fashion industry.
come a long way	to have advanced much	She has come a long way in her career.

Idioms on Job and Ambition

Idioms	Meanings	Examples
pay peanuts	having very low salary	The representative are paid peanuts in the marketing field
brain drain	skilled worker migrating to other countries	In this age of globalization, brain drain has become an accepted trend
to be sacked from the job	to be fired from the job	He was sacked from the job due to his misconduct to ward junior staff
plum job	easy and pleasant or desirable job that pays well	I am in the field of soft skill training which i consider a plum job as i earn good respect and name along with handsome money.
job redundancy	reducing the staff either due to lack of cash, work or that job is no longer needed	Due to economic downturn, last year, there was a high ammount of job redundancy in many big compnies.
dead-end job	job in which there is little or no chance of progression	I am searching a new jib as I no longer want to continue with dead end job.
to get feet under the table	to become familiar with and confident in a new job or situation	I took around a year to get feet under the table in my new job and then there was no looking back.
to burn the candles at both ends	to work whole day and till late night	My friend burnt the candle at the both end to clear her CA finals
to pull a few strings	to use your influence over important peopleto get the work done.	I need leagle approvement for my new project so I had to pull few strings to get the work done.
call the shots/ set the record straight	to take the charge or control of a perticular situation	In absense of the director I had o call the shots and take a major decision.

Idioms on Money

Idioms	Meanings	Example
to cost an arm and leg	to be very expensive	The holiday’s package taken during the vacation period cost us an arm and a leg
to pay through the nose	to pay too much money for something	we paid through the nose for out of court settlement
to splash out on something	so spend a lot of money on luxury which is not needed	We splashed out 50,000 rupees just on a weekend getaway
sitting on a goldmine	possess or in control of something really valuable	My neighbor has her ancestor’s land on her name so one can say she is sitting on a goldmine.
to have money to burn	to have a lot of money that you can spend any way you want.	I have got a good bonus this time so I have enough money to burn on shopping
to be broke	to be left with little or no money	I am broke this month so I am not going to a movie
dead broke, flat broke	completely broke and having no money at all	He cannot even pay his electricity bill for the month. He is flat broke.
make a fast buck or quick buck	money that is earned quickly and easily	He tried to make fast bucks by investing in some shares
pay the price	accept the unpleasant result of something that is done	I am paying a heavy price for my one wrong decision.
strike gold	to find or do something that makes you rich	Our company was able to strike gold with its new product.
rolling in money	have a large amount of money to spend	Once my new book is released, I will be rolling on money.
make ends meet	just have enough money to live on	With the increasing cost of living it is getting hard for common people to make their ends meet
live from hand to mouth	can just satisfy basics needs due to lack of enough money	The major percentage of rural population still lives from hand to mouth
at all costs/ at any costs	regardless of any effort needed or price paid	At all costs, I want this project
head over hills in debt	to be completely in debt	The production company went head over heels in debt by investing in the wrong project.

Idioms on Relationship

Idioms	Meaning	Examples
fair-weather friend	friends of only good times	In my time of difficulty, I realized that most of them were fair-weather friends.
keep someone at arm’s length	do not allow to be too friendly with them	My boss keeps his staff at arm’s length to maintain the office decorum
at loggerheads	to disagree strongly with someone	The two political parties were at loggerhead regarding the passing of new bill.
on the same wavelength	understand each other very well	As I and my partner are on the same wavelength it becomes very easy to make him understand my viewpoint
know someone inside out	know the person very well	As we are childhood friends, I know my friend inside out
through thick and thin	through the good times and bad times	Our relations have survived through thick and thin
kith and kin	friends and relation	In my times of difficulty, only my kith and kin were at help
nodding terms	Just have hi and hello relations	As I am new at the flat, I just have nodding terms with my flatmates.
rub shoulders	to get chance and opportunity to meet a wealthy and famous person	As my friend is a film Journalist, she often gets a chance to rub shoulders with some big celebrities.
stromy relationship	a lot of arguments and disagreements in a relationship	He decided to separate after a four-year-long stormy relationship.
speake the same language	have similar ideas or opinions	I and my best friend speak the same language so we hardly have any difference of opinion
cannot stand	hate someone	We can not stand each other for even a minute.

Idioms on Time

Idioms	Meanings	Examples
a matter of time	sooner or later bound to happen	I will fulfill my dream. It just matter of time.
at the eleventh hour	last moment	He changed the plans at the eleventh hour
once in blue moon	very rarely	After my marriage I could meet my friends once in blue moon.
in long run	over a long period of time	My present investment in the current scheme will pay off in the long run
kill time	paas the time	I killed my time playing video gameas there was no one at home.
in the nick of time	at last possible time	The train was about to depart and he just managed to catch the train in the nick of time.
crack of down	very early in the morning	In the past people used to get up at the crack of down
in the blink of an eye	something that happens very quickly	The recently launched app can transfer data in the blink of an eye
hit the big time	to become successfully	When he hit the big time, he got so busy that he did not have time for his old friend.
beat the clock	perform the task within a fixed time limit	I managed to beat the clock and finished the target befor the time.
in due course, in the course of time	in the expected ammount of time	We were bringing major changes in the management in due course
shelf life	the length of time for which an item remains unusable	Nuclear technology has helped to increase the shelf life of fruit and vegetable
run out of time	to have no time left	I ran out of time and could not finish my paper
have a lot of times on your hand	to have a lot of free time	I have lot of time on my hand in the evening
stand the test of time	remain popular last for long time	Mr. and Mrs Patel celebrated their 50th anniversary . Their marriage stood the test of time
need of an hour	most urgent thing to do at that point of time	It is the need of an hour to fight the problem of global warming.

Idioms on Celebration, Success, Good Times

Idioms	Meanings	Example
red-letter day	a memorable day, Day with pleasant memories	My eighteenth birthday was a red-letter day for me
whale of a time/ Have a ball	a very enjoyable experience	We had a whale of the time on our last trip to Goa.
have the time of your life	have a wonderful experience	I had a time of my life on my first foreign trip.
paint the town red	to go out and really have good times	They decided to paint the town red on their first anniversary
with flying colors	to complete something with distinction or getting an excellent result	She passed her board exam with flying colors.
in full swings	with a lot of activity and preparation	The marriage preparation of my sister is going in full swing
sail through something	to succeed easily	He sailed through his CA Final in his first attempt

Idioms on failure, Difficult Situation, Bad Times

Idioms	Meanings	Example
bear the brunt	one has to suffer the most when something goes wrong	Due to his one wrong decision, the whole family had to bear the brunt
rainy day	difficult time	I have already made some savings for a rainy day
swim against tide	going against the popular opinion	He has the habit of swimming against tide and taking financial risks all the time
get your fingers burnt	to have bad results from something like the loss of money	He got his fingers burnt by investing in few new stocks
bone of contention	a subject or issue of continuous disagreement	The new policy in the parliament has become a bone of contention for the opposing political parties

***We will update this article in the future and add new idioms