20 Family Idioms And Expressions | Talking About Family In English

It turns out we use a lot of idioms in our everyday speech in the UK. An idiom is a phrase

which has an established meaning. So when we use the idiom we know what it means but

the words themselves actually don't make

sense in that context. So learning to understand and use idioms can give you a huge advantage

when interacting with Native English speakers and if you want to sound like a Native English

speaker yourself then learning idioms will help. We’ve learned alot about animal idioms

and we've learned about weather idioms

and in today’s lesson, we’re going to learn

20 idioms that relate to childhood and family.

Let’s get started. The 1st idiom is: To take after someone. 
If

you ‘take after’ an older member of your family, that means you resemble them. This

phrase is also sometimes used when talking about personality, interests, or traits as

well as your physical appearance. 
“She’s got the most beautiful big, blue eyes. She

definitely takes after her grandmother.” The 2nd idiom is: To sleep like a baby.
To

‘sleep like a baby’ means to sleep very well, if your baby sleeps well, if you're

lucky enough, or peacefully.


“I slept like a baby last night. That bed was so comfortable.”

The 3rd idiom is: A chip off the old block.
‘ A chip off the old block’ is someone who resembles

their parent in character or appearance. So similar to ‘take after’, but referring

only to a parent and their child.
“Henry has just started playing football like his

dad, and he’s very talented. He’s a chip off the old block.”

The 4th idiom is: To follow in someone’s footsteps.
To ‘follow in someone’s footsteps’

means to do as another person has done before. It’s particularly used when referring to

career choices or making journeys but can be used in lots of different contexts.
“Well I

think I’m going to follow in my grandfather’s footsteps and become a teacher.”

The 5th idiom is: Child’s play.
 This is a phrase the we use to describe something

that is very easy.
 “Making a lasagne may seem complicated but actually, it’s child’s

play.” The 6th idiom is: To run in the family. 


If something ‘runs in the family’, it’s something that a lot of the family have. It’s

often used when discussing abilities, traits and diseases too. 
“They’re all so ambitious

- it just seems to run in the family.” The 7th idiom is: In one’s blood. 
If something

is ‘in someone’s blood’, that means it is a fundamental part of their character,

of who you are as a person. This phrase is often used to suggest that your family has

a history of similar traits or interests. 
“Music is in my blood. My dad played the guitar and

I want to follow in his footsteps.” The 8th idiom is: New kid on the block.


If someone is a ‘new kid on the block’, that means they are new to a job, city, or club.

It is usually used to refer to children and young people. The new kid on the block. 
“Everybody, this is Tara.

She’s the new kid on the block so could someone show her around please?”

The 9th idiom is: Bun in the oven. 
If a woman has a ‘bun in the oven’, that means

she is pregnant. 
“Have you heard that Kelly’s got a bun in the oven? Isn’t that

exciting?” The 10th idiom is: Baby steps. 
This is a

phrase we use to describe small actions which work towards a larger process.
“Moving

house is such a huge job! I’m going to start with baby steps and sort through my wardrobe

today. One thing at a time.” The 11th idiom is: To throw the baby out with

the bathwater.
 This is one that’s not used too often any more but I thought it was

the perfect example of just how silly idioms can be. To ‘throw the baby out with the

bathwater’ means to eliminate something good by accident when trying to eliminate

something bad or useless. 
“I wanted to clear some space on my computer and I accidentally

deleted everything! I’ve thrown the baby out with the bathwater.” 
This one can

sometimes be used as a warning too if you think someone is in danger of getting rid

of something important or valuable.
 “Be careful. Don’t throw the baby out with the

bathwater.” The 12th idiom is: To fall out. 
To fall out

with someone means to argue with them. 
“She’s fallen out with her sister over nothing. It’s

so silly.” The 13th idiom is: Bad blood. 
If there is

‘bad blood’ between two people or two groups, that means there is an ill feeling

between them. They do not like each other, usually because of something that happened

in the past. 
“In Romeo and Juliet, the Capulets and the Montagues have bad blood.”

The 14th idiom is: To wear the trousers.
To ‘wear the trousers’ is an informal phrase

which means to be the dominant partner in a relationship.

Who's the dominant partner in your relationship? Is it you? Or is it your other half?


“Right, OK, I’ll check the plan with my partner. He's the one that wears the trousers.”

The 15th idiom is: To rule the roost.
 To ‘rule the roost’ means to be the person

in a group that makes all of the decisions.
“I may be the parent, but at the moment, Jacob

rules the roost.” The 16th idiom is: Like taking candy from

a baby. Because of the word ‘candy’ (which is American) rather than ‘sweets’ (which is British), we can tell that

this is more of an American phrase but it has definitely been adopted here in British culture

So if something is ‘like taking candy from a baby’, it means it's very easy. 
“Finding

a nice coffee shop in London is like taking candy from a baby. There are so many to choose

from!” The 17th idiom is: One’s own flesh and blood.


If someone is ‘your own flesh and blood’, it means they are a part of your close family.


“I know he’s wrong, but he’s my own flesh and blood so I don’t want to argue

with him.” The 18th idiom is: Black sheep. 
If someone

is the ‘black sheep’ of the family, that means they are a regarded as a strange or

disreputable family member. Someone who deviates from the family’s rules or expectations.


“She was very rebellious in high school and it only got worse. Now she has moved away

and we have not heard from her in years. She's definitely the black sheep of the family.”

The 19th idiom is: To throw one’s toys out of the pram.
 This is a phrase which means

to get irrationally angry or upset if you don’t get exactly what you want. It’s

a phrase we can use to describe adults and because you are comparing them to a child,

it implies that you think they are being childish. 
“Ignore him. He’s just throwing his

toys out of the pram. He’ll calm down eventually.” The 20th and final idiom is: Born with a silver

spoon in their mouth. 
If someone is ‘born with a silver spoon in their mouth’, that

means they are from a very rich family and were born into wealth.
 “Prince William

was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” So there we have 20 family and childhood related

idioms, but there are plenty more. If you can think of any, please do share them in

the comments below. And for your homework for today is to choose any 3 of the idioms we’ve discussed

in this video and think about a situation where you could use them in real life. Don’t

forget to leave your answers in the comments because...well...I love reading them.