Idioms and Slang

Idioms are a group of words used in a phrase that create a meaning that is different from the meaning of the actual words used. For more about idioms review the related links below.

You can use this page to read and listen to over 100 idioms.

Idiom	Definition	Example
Agree with	Suit; have a good effect	This food doesn't agree with me. It makes me sick.
Ahead of time	Before; in advance	I will help you with your work if you let me know ahead of time.
Baby Boomer	A person born in the first few years after World War II	The baby boomers are all reaching the age when they have to retire.
Back in the Saddle	Doing the same thing again after a period of absence	It is good to get back in the saddle again after the operation
Back Off	Do not come closer, Ask someone to stop doing what they are doing to you not very polite	I am not going to come with you, so just back off!
Back to Square One	Go back to the starting point
Back to the Drawing Board	Go back to the starting point; plan from the beginning again
Bad blood	An unfriendly feeling; hate	There was bad blood between the two men. They haven't spoken in ten years
Ballpark Figure	A rough numerical estimate	Give me a ballpark figure on the cost of the project.
Bang for the Buck	Getting a good value for what you pay
Barn-Burner	Something that is exciting or sensational	This game is a real barn-burner!
Been There, Done That	What you are telling me is not new
Beggars can't be Choosers	You should not complain about something you are given	When I complained about my new shoes my mother said beggars can't be choosers.
Bent Out of Shape	Become upset or mad	Don't get all bent out of shape over it.
Bet your boots on Something	Depend on it; be sure	You can bet your boots on our team because they will win.
Big Shot	Very important person	The manager is a big shot at the company.
Big Ticket	Something that is expensive or high-priced	The economy is bad because no one is buying big-ticket items like cars or appliances.
Bite Your Tongue	Take back what you said; to get someone to retract a statement
Blow Smoke	Exaggerate	Don't listen to him, he is just blowing smoke.
Bomb	To do poorly	I really bombed that test
Born with a Silver Spoon in Your Mouth	Born rich; spoiled
Break a Leg	To wish someone good luck	I always tell my husband to break a leg before he gives a big speech.
Bring Home the Bacon	Make enough money to provide for you and your family
Brownie Points	Extra points or approval,extra recognition	Jim received brownie points with the boss for working late.
Bug	To bother	Stop bugging me!
Burn Your Bridges	Resign without notice, act in a way that won't allow you to apologize or return	You should give them 2 weeks notice before you quit, you don't want to burn your bridges with the people at your work.
By the Book	Do something according to the rules
BYOB	Bring your own bottle of alcohol to a party	The invitation said BYOB, so we should bring some beer to the party
Call the Shots	Make the decisions, decide what happens	She is the boss of this company, she calls the shots.
Calm Before the Storm	The quiet time before something exciting, intimidating or dangerous	I have to enjoy this calm before the storm, my exams are not for a few more days.
Chill out	To have some fun or relax	The weekend is here, time to chill out.
Close call	A narrow escape	While I was coming here I had a close call. I was nearly hit by a car.
Close shave	A narrow escape	Wow! That was a close shave. That car almost hit us!
Cold Turkey	To stop something right away; stopped a habit quickly, not gradually	Some say you should smoke less and less cigarettes before quitting completely, but not me. I quit cold turkey and haven't smoked since!
Come again	Ask someone to repeat something
Crack of dawn	Early in the morning	I have to get up at the crack of dawn to make breakfast for the children.
Croak	To die
Cut corners	Save money by reducing costs or save time by reducing the effort	The painter cut corners by only using one layer of paint. He didn't have enough paint to complete the job.
Cut it out	Tell someone to stop doing something that annoys you	He was teasing his little sister, so I told him to cut it out.
Cut to the Chase	Get to the main idea of what you are trying to say; be direct
Day in, day out	Every single day	His job is boring. He does the same thing, day in, day out.
Deep Pockets	Very rich	You should make Jason pay, he has deep pockets.
Dish it Out	To give punishment or abuse
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth	Do not be critical of a gift, be grateful if something good happens to you	They only gave me 5$ but I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Down in the Dumps	Sad or depressed	She failed her driving test, she was really down in the dumps the next day.
Drop in the Bucket	A very small amount compared to the rest	The down payment was a drop in the bucket compared to the full cost of the car.
Dropping Like Flies	Decrease in great numbers	The number of people taking psychology degrees in university is dropping like flies.
Eleventh hour	The latest possible moment. Time just before it is too late	He came to help them at the eleventh hour.
Fat Cat	Rich person, wealthy people	All the fat cats are eating at that expensive new restaurant.
Feeling blue	Feeling sad	She's feeling blue because her team lost in the finals.
Fender-Bender	A minor car accident	I got in a fender-bender yesterday in the parking lot.
Few and far between	Rare	The people who can buy a Rolls Royce are few and far between .
Flick	A movie	Do you want to go see a flick?
Fork Over	To give something away; have to pay for something	I had to fork over 30 dollars for a parking pass at school
Game Plan	Strategy for winning; agenda for an event	What is the game plan for the meeting with our client on Thursday?
Get a Life	Tell someone to change their current behaviour or routine not very polite	All that guy does is sleep and watch TV, he needs to get a life.
Get one's Goat	Annoy; make angry	That student really gets my goat. He never stops interrupting.
Give the time of Day	To pay attention to negative	He was very busy and wouldn't give the salesman the time of day.
Give up the Ghost	Die; expire	The dog was very sick and finally gave up the ghost.
Go Back to Square One	Go back to the beginning or starting point
Go Places	Achieve success; advance rapidly	My son has been promoted 5 times in the past year. I think he is going places in that company.
Grab some grub	Get some food	Let's go to the kitchen and grab some grub.
Green Thumb	A successful gardener	Your father has a real green thumb. How long has he been gardening?
Hit the Sack	Go to sleep	It's 11 o'clock! It's time to hit the sack. Good night.
How's it going?	A very casual greeting; a slang version of How are you?	Hi there! How's it goin'?
In Dire Straits	In a bad situation	If we don't start getting more customers we are going to be in dire straits.
In the Red	Losing money; in debt	His business was in the red.
Jump Through Hoops	To obey or do what someone says without question; to try to impress someone greatly	You have to jump through hoops to please that guy.
Jury is Still Out	No decision has been made yet	The jury is still out on this new cherry-flavoured gum.
Just What the Doctor Ordered	Exactly what is needed	This vacation is just what the doctor ordered.
Keep it Up	Encourage someone to continue doing what they are doing; stay at the same type of effort	Pleased with their test scores, the ESL teacher told the students to keep it up.
Main Drag	The major street of a city or town
Make a Bundle	Acquire a great deal of money	I am going to make a bundle on this stock.
Make the Cut	To make a team or group; to be good enough
Make the Grade	To do well or succeed
Make Tracks	To leave or travel quickly	The bus is coming in 5 minutes, we better make tracks if we don't want to miss it.
Make Waves	To cause trouble or problems	I don't want to make any waves but I think that you should reconsider.
Miss the Boat	To lose a chance at something	I really missed the boat when it came to Internet stocks.
No Holds Barred	No limits or reservations	I am going to win this election, no holds barred.
No Skin Off my Nose	It doesn't matter to me	He didn't want me to help him, no skin off my nose.
No Strings Attached	No conditions or limitations	I can go out with my friends? No strings attached?
No-Show	A person or thing that does not keep an appointment	They had to cancel the appointment because the real estate agent was a no-show.
Odd Man Out	A person that is not included in something
Off the Charts	Can't be measured; usually above the best quality	The number of people who have seen that movie is off the charts.
Off the Hook	To have no responsibility; to be freed of responsibility	The teacher let me off the hook and said I could hand in the essay tomorrow instead.
Off the Wall	Unusual or different	That movie was off the wall. It had the weirdest special effects.
Old College Try	Giving it your best; all your effort	Come on guys, let's give it the old college try. We need to win this game.
On the Rocks	In bad condition	Their relationship is on the rocks. I don't think it will last.
On to You	To be suspicious of someone; to think you know what someone is going to do	I heard you talking about a surprise party, I'm on to you.
Out of Left Field	Surprising or unexpected	That question was out of left field. I didn't expect it.
Out of One's League	Not equal in importance; usually at a higher social level or status.	I can't ask her out, she is out of my league.
Out of the Loop	Not a member of the group or network	I have been away for a couple of weeks, I feel like I am out of the loop.
Out of this World	Wonderful, exciting or great	This chocolate cake is out of this world.
Out on a Limb	Vulnerable position	I am going out on a limb by giving you this recommendation.
Over the Hill	Used to describe a person who is middle-aged or older	I may be 55 but I am not over the hill.
Paint the Town Red	Go out and have a good time; an exciting time	It is finally Friday night, let's go out and paint the town red!
Piece of cake	Something that is easy to do	Learning to drive in Ontario is a piece of cake.
Pink slip	Fired dismissed from your job.	He was given a pink slip.
Pitch in	Help with the work; work hard	Everyone pitched in to get the work done quickly.
Play Ball	To start or begin; to agree or go along with someone else's wishes
Play Second Fiddle	An inferior position; not as well noticed	The vice-president is always second-fiddle to the president.
Pot Luck	Meal made up of a variety of dishes from different people
Power trip	Showing how much power or influence you have; misusing your authority	The boss is on a real power trip right now so be careful what you say.
Pull the plug	To end something	It's too dark to finish the game. We should just pull the plug on this game.
Pull the Wool Over Your Eyes	Play a trick on someone; to deceive someone	Don't let him pull the wool over your eyes, he doesn't really want you to get that promotion.
Pump up	Exaggerate	He pumped up his resume a bit so it would be attractive to employers.
Put a Lid on it	To keep something quiet or a secret; tell someone to keep quiet	Tell Jason to put a lid on it or play outside.
Raining Cats and Dogs	Raining hard, raining heavily	Better get your umbrella it's raining cats and dogs out there.
Read Between the Lines	Find the hidden message; Find a meaning that is not obvious	If you read between the lines I think our author is saying she agrees with the new rule changes.
Red tape	Annoying official delays	It took a long time to get an answer about the permit because of all the red tape at city hall.
Roll Out the Red Carpet	To give someone special treatment
Roll with the Punches	Take or absorb the punishment and to keep going	Finding a job has been tough for me, but I am learning to roll with the punches.
Rush Hour	Time when people are leaving or coming to work when there is heavy traffic
Shake a Leg	Go faster or speed up	I always have to tell my husband to shake a leg whenever we are going out.
Sharp as a Tack	Extremely intelligent	That Settlement.Org web co-ordinator is sharp as a tack.
Shoot the Breeze	Talking casually	We were just shooting the breeze down at the coffee shop.
Shot Down	To reject or disagree with	So the boss just shot down my idea about the restaurant where you make your own pizzas.
Show Stopper	Great performance	That was a great presentation, a real show stopper.
Skin of your teeth	Just barely escaped a dangerous situation; just qualified for something	He made it into medical school by the skin of his teeth.
Small Talk	Casual conversation	I didn't really know him so we just made small talk.
Space Out	To daydream; to be distracted; not paying attention	Marco is really spaced out today. He didn't even hear me when I called his name.
Take a Load Off	To rest or relax	Come on in, sit down and take a load off. You've had a busy day at work.
Take a Rain Check	To delay something that was suppose to occur; friendly way of saying you don't have the time	I have to go, I'll have to take a rain check on the coffee, but thanks for the offer.
There is No Such Thing as a Free Lunch	One must work to obtain things
Third Degree	Harsh and intense questioning	The lawyer gave the suspect the third-degree.
To-Die-For	Extremely attractive or desirable	That dress is to-die-for.
Top Dog	Boss, leader, person in charge	I met him when he was an assistant manager, now he is top dog at the company.
Two-faced	Dishonest; deceitful	You can't trust her, she is very two-faced.
Under your hat	Keep this a secret; Don't tell anyone	Keep this news under your hat.
Up to the ears	Thoroughly involved; almost overcome	I'm up to my ears in work.
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee	Become aware of something before it's too late
Walk on Air	Excited or ecstatic	Ever since my child was born I have been walking on air.
Wet Blanket	Person that spoils the fun	Don't be such a wet blanket, dance with me.
What's Up?	A very casual greeting; not to be used in formal situations	Hey! What's up?
Wrap Up	Closing, conclusion	And to wrap up I want to thank you all for coming to see the show.
Wrong Side of the Tracks	Coming from the poor part of a city or area

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Idioms and Slang

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