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Most Common English Idioms Native Speakers Use

Every language has its expressions and idiom that are usually not understandable with the help of their literal meaning. you might have heard a lot of idioms while watching TV, listening to podcasts, or even while enjoying English songs. And you might have always wondered what they mean because directly translating each word of the idiom does not always give any clear meaning. Therefore, if you too want to understand and speak English like native speakers, we recommend you to learn and try to master common idioms.

What is an Idiom?

The idiom is a type of figurative language which are not always taken literally. Idioms are used to express special meanings as the literal meaning of individual words in an idiom are taken. Thus, an idiom is an expression, phrase, or saying whose meaning can not be understood from the meaning of the individual words.

Common English Idioms Used in Daily Conversation

Common English Idioms Used in Daily Conversation
Common English Idioms Used in Daily Conversation

60 Most Common English Idioms Native Speakers Use Daily

English idioms are very common in daily life conversations. So, if you want to sound like a native speaker, here are the 50 most common English idioms and expressions for you to learn and enrich your vocabulary skills and sound more like a native speaker.

  1. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush
    Used to say that what you have is more valuable than what you might get in the future
  2. A dime dozen
    Something very common
  3. A blessing in disguise
    Something which seemed bad in the beginning but later turned out to be good
  4. Adding insult to injury
    To make a bad situation worse
  5. A penny for your thoughts
    Used to ask someone about what they are thinking
  6. Best of both worlds
    A situation in which one can enjoy the advantages of two very different things at the same time
  7. Beat around the bush
    To discuss a matter without coming to the point
  8. Beating a dead horse
    To give time and energy to something that is already over
  9. Bite the bullet
    To get done an unpleasant work that you have been postponing
  10. Biting off more than you can chew
    To commit to something that one can not fulfill
  11. Break a leg
    Used to say good luck
  12. Big cheese
    Used to indicate someone who is in charge of something
  13. Cutting corners
    To take risks to save time and money
  14. Caught between a rock and a hard place
    To choose between two unpleasant and difficult choices
  15. Call it a day
    To decide or agree to stop working on something
  16. Cut somebody some slack
    To not judge or criticize someone severely because they have a bad day
  17. Don’t judge a book by its cover
    To not judge someone or something by how they look
  18. Do something at the drop of a hat
    To do something without any delay
  19. Devil’s advocate
    Someone who expresses a controversial opinion to provoke debate
  20. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
    Not to count on something
  21. Easy does it
    Used to advise someone to do something carefully and slowly
  22. Egg someone on
    To encourage someone to do something they should not be doing
  23. Getting a taste of your own medicine
    Being treated the way you have been treating others
  24. Get something out of your system
    To get out of your anxiety by doing something pleasant
  25. Give someone the benefit of the doubt
    To decide to trust someone even if you are not sure
  26. Get your act together
    To either work better or leave
  27. Get out of hand
    To get out of control
  28. Go back to the drawing board
    To start over
  29. Hit the sack
    To go to sleep or rest
  30. Hang in there
    To not give up
  31. Hit the nail on the head
    To find the exactly correct answer
  32. Hard nut to crack
    Used to indicate that someone or something difficult to figure out or understand
  33. In a nutshell
    Used to sum things up or conclude
  34. It’s not rocket science
    It is not complicated
  35. It takes two to tango
    Used to say that one person is not solely responsible for something
  36. It’s always darkest before the dawn
    Used to say that things always get worse before they get any better
  37. Let someone off the hook
    To stop holding someone responsible for something
  38. Like riding a bike
    Used to indicate something that you never forget how to do
  39. make matters worse
    To make a situation worse
  40. Miss the boat
    Used to say that it is too late for something
  41. To make a long story short
    To tell something briefly
  42. No pain, no gain
    Used to say that one needs to work harder or suffer to get success
  43. Once in a blue moon
    Something which does not happen very often
  44. On the ball
    Alert to new trends, ideas, and methods
  45. Pull someone’s leg
    To joke with someone
  46. Speak of the devil
    Used when the person you have been talking about arrives
  47. So far so good
    Used when things are doing well
  48. Spill the beans
    To reveal a secret
  49. Straight from the horse’s mouth
    Either hearing or reading something straight from the source
  50. Time flies when you are having fun
    Used when you are enjoying something, time seems to pass more quickly
  51. Time is money
    Using time efficiently
  52. The whole nine yards
    Used to indicate everything that is possible or available
  53. The last straw
    The last act that you take which makes the whole situation more bearable
  54. Through thick and thin
    Used to indicate that every person goes through difficult times
  55. To get bent out of shape
    To get worried or upset 
  56. Under the weather
    Sick or unwell
  57. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
    To not worry about a possible problem that has yet not happened
  58. Wrap your head around something
    To understand a complicated thing
  59. Your guess is as good as mine
    Used to that you have no idea about something
  60. You can say that again
    Used to indicate that something is true and you agree with it

Most Used English Sentences And Phrases in Daily Life

Most Used English Sentences And Phrases
Most Used English Sentences And Phrases

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