Must-Know Idioms for Fluent English Conversation. Meaning and Examples. Improve Your Vocabulary

Hi there, and welcome! I'm Kate, and today I'm  

going to teach you 15 English idioms that will help  you to sound more fluent and understand native  

English speakers better. These are really useful  idioms which people use very often. Now grab  

your notebook and a pen and let’s get started. 1 "The ball is in your court". It means it's your  

turn to take action or make a decision. Let's say two friends, Jack and  

Sarah, are planning a weekend trip together. Jack  has suggested several destinations and activities,  

but Sarah hasn't made a decision yet. Finally,  Jack says to Sarah, "Well, I've given you all  

my ideas for the trip. Now the ball is in  your court. What do you think we should do?" 

Another example: "I've presented my proposal,  now the ball is in your court to approve it. 

2 "Turn a blind eye" - meaning to ignore  or disregard something. Let's say you are  

a teacher and you catch one of your  students cheating on a test. However,  

you are aware that the student is going through a  difficult time at home and you don't want to add  

to their stress by reporting the incident. So you  decide to "turn a blind eye" to the cheating and  

not take any action against the student. In this situation, you might say,  

"I know that cheating is wrong, but I decided  to turn a blind eye to it this time because I  

didn't want to add to the student's stress." Another example: "I know you don't agree with  

the policy, but for now, you need  to turn a blind eye and follow it." 

3 "Kick the can down the road"  It means to postpone a decision. 

One situation where someone might say "kick the  can down the road" is when a person is avoiding  

dealing with a difficult problem or decision  by postponing it for a later time. For example,  

imagine a manager who is aware of an issue  in the workplace that needs to be addressed,  

but instead of addressing it, they decide to delay  taking action until after their upcoming vacation.  

In this situation, someone might say that the  manager is "kicking the can down the road" by  

putting off the problem rather than dealing  with it immediately. This phrase implies that  

delaying action may make the problem worse  or more difficult to solve in the long run. 

4 "A picture is worth a thousand words" -  meaning a picture can tell a story better than  

words. Example: "I know you want to explain the  process, but a picture is worth a thousand words,  

why don't you just draw a diagram?" 5 "Bite the bullet" It means to face  

a difficult situation bravely, with no fear. One situation where someone might say "bite the  

bullet" is when a person is facing a difficult or  painful task that they must complete. For example,  

imagine a student who has been struggling with a  particular subject in school and needs to spend  

extra time studying to catch up. The student  may not want to spend their free time studying,  

but they know it's necessary to achieve their  goals. In this situation, someone might tell  

the student to "bite the bullet" and just get  started with their studies, even though it may  

be uncomfortable or difficult at first. Another example: "I know giving this  

presentation is nerve-wracking, but you  need to bite the bullet and do your best." 

6 "Bend over backwards" It means to make a  great effort to accommodate or please someone. 

Let me give you an example. When my best  friend needed help moving to a new apartment,  

I bent over backwards to help her. I took  the day off from work, rented a moving truck,  

and helped pack up all of my friend's things." In this situation, "bend over backwards" means  

that I did everything I could to make the  move as easy and stress-free as possible. 

7 "Call it a day" It means to stop  working or end an activity for the day. 

Imagine a situation. After a long  day of painting the living room,  

you and your friend are both tired and hungry.  You've been working on the project for hours and  

you've made a lot of progress, but there's  still more to do. However, you realize that  

you're both getting too tired to continue working  effectively, and that you've made enough progress  

for one day. You turn to your friend and say, "Let's call it a day. We can finish up tomorrow." 

8 "Cost an arm and a leg" This means something is  very expensive. Example: "I can't afford that car,  

it would cost an arm and a leg." Do you have anything that costs an  

arm and a leg? Let me know in the comments 9 "Go the extra mile" It means to do more  

than it’s required or expected.  Example: "I appreciate you going  

the extra mile to finish the project on time." Let’s imagine that you are a college student  

and you have a big project in two weeks. While  working on the project, you realize that there  

is an additional piece of research that you  could do to make your project even stronger.  

Although it's not required and it will take extra  time and effort to complete, you decide to go  

the extra mile and do this additional research. You say to yourself, "I know it's not required,  

but if I go the extra mile and do this research,  it will really make my project stand out."

10 "Throw in the towel" is an idiom that means to  give up on something, usually after having tried  

for a long time and being unsuccessful. Here's an example situation where  

you could use the phrase: You have been training for a  

marathon for months, but you've been struggling  with a knee injury that has been getting worse.  

Despite your best efforts, you've been unable  to heal the injury and it's now clear that  

you won't be able to participate in the marathon. Feeling defeated, you turn to your friend and say,  

"I've tried everything I can to heal my knee,  but it's just not getting better. I think  

it's time to throw in the towel and accept  that I won't be able to run the marathon." 

By saying this, you mean that you have decided  to give up on your goal because you believe  

it's no longer possible or realistic. 11 "Put all your eggs in one basket"  

It means to concentrate all your  resources or efforts on one thing. 

Let's say you are considering investing all of  your savings into a single stock that you think  

will perform well in the market. You know that  investing in a single stock is risky and could  

result in losing all your money if the stock  performs poorly. However, you are confident  

in your research and believe that this is  the best investment opportunity available. 

In this situation, someone might warn  you by saying, "Be careful not to put all  

your eggs in one basket. Investing all your  savings into a single stock is very risky."

11 "A dime a dozen" is an idiom that means  something is common and easy to find,  

often without much value or quality. Imagine a situation: You are shopping for a  

new pair of sunglasses and you visit a store that  has a large selection of inexpensive sunglasses.  

As you browse through the selection, you notice  that many of the sunglasses look similar to  

each other and are not particularly high quality. You turn to your friend and say, "These sunglasses  

are a dime a dozen. They all look the same and  I don't think any of them are worth the price." 

By saying this, you are indicating  that the sunglasses in the store are  

common and easy to find, but they are  not particularly valuable or unique. 

13 "The proof of the pudding is in the eating"  - meaning the true worth of something can only  

be determined by testing or using it. Let’s say you are considering buying  

a new car and you've done a lot of research on  different makes and models. You've read reviews,  

looked at specifications, and talked  to salespeople, but you're still not  

sure which car is the best choice for you. At this point, a friend offers to let you test  

drive their car, which is the same model you're  considering. You take the car for a spin and find  

that it handles well, is comfortable to drive,  and has all the features you're looking for. 

After the test drive, you turn to your friend  and say, "The proof of the pudding is in the  

eating. I wasn't sure which car to choose,  but after driving yours, I'm convinced that  

this is the right choice for me." By saying this, you mean that you  

have found the real value or quality of the  car by experiencing it for yourself. You've  

gone beyond just reading about the car or talking to salespeople, and have  

actually tried it out to see how it works. 14 "A taste of your own medicine" - meaning to  

experience the same thing that one  has inflicted on others. Example:  

"I know you love playing pranks, but be careful,  you might get a taste of your own medicine." 

15. Let the cat out of the bag - means to  reveal a secret or confidential information. 

Let's say your friend is planning a surprise  party for their sister's birthday. You are also  

invited to the party and your friend has asked  you to keep it a secret from their sister until  

the day of the party. However, while having a  conversation with the sister, you accidentally  

mention the party and reveal the surprise. Your  friend might say to you, "Oh no, you let the cat  

out of the bag! Now the surprise is ruined!" Now let’s practice what you’ve learned today.  

Please write a couple of sentences using  these idioms. It’s a great way to improve  

your writing and remember new words.

I hope these idioms help to expand your knowledge of

American  English! If you have any other questions,  

feel free to ask me in the comment  section below this video! Thank  

you for watching! Hope you’ll have a  wonderful weekend. See you next time!