English Idioms

“A pain in the neck”

An annoying person or problem.

“Make waves”

To cause attention, change, or trouble.

“In all fairness”

Used to make a fair or balanced statement.

“A walk in the park”

Something very easy to do.

“Hold all the cards”

To have the strongest position or most power.

“Do more harm than good”

To make a situation worse instead of better.

“A clean break”

A complete separation from a person, place, or situation.

“Easy come, easy go”

Something gained easily can be lost easily.

“Born with a silver spoon in your mouth”

Born into a rich or privileged family.

“By the book”

According to the rules.

“Hit a wall”

To reach a point where no further progress seems possible.

“A hidden gem”

Something excellent but not widely known.

“Fair game”

Acceptable to criticize, attack, or use.

“Come full circle”

To return to the original situation after changes.

“Make headway”

To make progress.

“Draw attention to”

To make people notice something.

“A tall order”

A difficult task or demand.

“Go over someone’s head”

To be too difficult for someone to understand.

“Get the short end of the stick”

To receive unfair or worse treatment.

“Feather in your cap”

An achievement you can be proud of.

“Behind the times”

Old-fashioned or not modern.

“Black sheep”

A person who is different from the rest of a family or group, often in a negative way.

“Blank slate”

A fresh start with no previous influence.

“Do the trick”

To achieve the desired result.