Lesson: Idiomatic Expressions

LESSON: IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They are all seen as synonyms. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don't always make sense literally, you'll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. An idiom (also called idiomatic expression) is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning (deeper meaning from the literary words used in the idiom). In other words, idioms don’t mean exactly what the words say. They have, however, hidden meaning. EXAMPLES OF IDIOMS AND THEIR MEANINGS IDIOM MEANING A blessing in disguise a good thing that seemed bad at first Apple of my eye Used to refer to someone whom you are very fond of or like Beat around the bush Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable Call it a day Stop working on something To break someone’s bubble To do or say something that proves someone else’s beliefs are not true Kill two birds with a stone Achieve two results by doing one thing To be at loggerheads with someone To quarrel or disagree Once in a blue moon Something that rarely happens Get out of hand Get out of control Set the record straight To reveal the truth / To clarify Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all Leave no stone unturned to keep trying until you find a solution to the problem or achieve something Give someone the benefit of the doubt Trust what someone says Go back to the drawing board Start over Walk on eggshells To be very careful with your actions and words Hit the sack Go to sleep No pain, no gain You have to work for what you want A penny for your thoughts A penny for your thoughts Go bananas go crazy Raining cats and dogs raining very hard Feeling blue feeling sad Let sleeping dogs lie To stop discussing something that is already over or sorted out Let the cat out of the bag Reveal a secret carelessly Worth its weight in gold To be highly valuable QUIZE Identify and underline the correct idoms I have a headache today and feel a little dizzy, so I’m (under the weather / hitting the books). When you are taking a test, it’s important to (keep your chin up / spill the beans) and do your best. If you want to finish two tasks at the same time, you can (jump the gun / kill two birds with one stone). When you want to say something but it might hurt someone’s feelings, it’s better to __________ (bite your tongue / hit the books) instead. My sister loves to talk and sometimes she (jumps the gun / spills the beans) about surprises before they happen. If you are feeling sad, it’s important to (keep your chin up / kill two birds with one stone) and find things that make you happy. When you have a secret, it’s important to (bite your tongue / hit the books) and not tell anyone.