15 Funny English Idioms (make people laugh!) (+ Free PDF & Quiz)

- Hello everyone,

and welcome back to "English with Lucy."

Today, I have an idioms video for you.

I'm sure that you will agree with me

that English is sometimes quite ridiculous.

So today I have compiled 15 of the funniest idioms,

along with examples, of course.

These are idioms that you can use in real-life situations,

but they are also idioms that have funny meanings,

are just a bit strange, or tickle me in some way.

If something tickles you, it makes you laugh.

You can download the free PDF worksheet for this class,

it's got all of the idioms plus extra examples.

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Right, let's get started with the first idiom.

The first idiom is a lovely one, as are all of them, really.

It is, a storm in a teacup, a storm in a teacup.

And interestingly, in American English,

they say it in a slightly different way,

they say a tempest in a teapot, so it's still tea-related.

Now this means lots of unnecessary anger and worry,

or drama about a matter that is not important.

Unnecessary drama.

For example,

"She's made an official complaint to the CEO

about the type of cheese in the cheese sandwiches

at the canteen."

This seems to me to be a storm in a teacup,

a lot of unnecessary worry and anger

about something that just isn't that important.

Number two, this is one that I have mentioned before,

many years ago, but it's so important, and so widely used,

that I feel comfortable saying it again.

It is, Bob's your uncle, Bob's your uncle, very important.

This is a phrase that we say

when we have reached the end of a set of instructions,

or when we've reached a result.

It translates as, "And there it is," or "There you have it."

So an example would be,

"To make a cup of mint tea,

boil a kettle, add a teabag, wait two minutes,

and Bob's your uncle.

There you have it."

Now, number three is slightly morbid.

It is, as dead as a doornail.

And this means very, very dead.

You couldn't be more dead than a doornail, I guess.

An example would be,

"I tried to save the mouse that my cat brought in,

but it was as dead as a doornail."

Similarly, along the same lines,

we also have number four,

which is, to kick the bucket, to kick the bucket.

Now this is a verb and it means to die.

To die, to kick the bucket, to die.

I don't know why I'm saying die in such a, die,

I just can't help it, die.

Let's move on.

Now the origins of this phrase are quite interesting.

It's because when people died by hanging,

they would stand on a bucket and then kick the bucket away,

and that's where to kick the bucket comes from.

An example, "Unfortunately,

our favourite neighbour kicked the bucket three years ago

but we still feel her presence in the neighbourhood."

And that's true,

my absolute favourite neighbour died

at the ripe age of 93, I think.

But every time I go home to visit my parents

I always expect to see her,

and then I realise she's not there.

We miss her a lot but she had a fantastic life.

Number five is, everything but the kitchen sink,

everything but the kitchen sink.

Now if you've never heard this idiom before,

I would love to know what you think it might mean

in the comments section,

and then let's see if you're right.

So pause now and write that.

Okay, I'm starting, it means everything imaginable.

This phrase became popular in World War II

when newspapers would report

that everything but the kitchen sink

was thrown at the enemy, everything imaginable.

An example, "Will packs lightly for travel,

but I throw everything but the kitchen sink

into my suitcase" -ses, plural.

I'm one of those.

Number six, oh, I love this one.

It's so expressive, it's hilarious.

It is, the lights are on, but no one's home.

I think I mentioned this one in my,

"Seven Polite Ways to Call Someone Stupid" video,

where I went through the seven ways

in which I had been an idiot throughout my life.

If you would like to see some serious,

serious self-deprecation, then do watch that video.

This is used to say that somebody is stupid,

even though they may appear normal,

what a lovely phrase.

An example,

"Jennifer has a degree in interior design,

but the lights are on and no one's home."

Number seven is, donkey's years, donkey's years.

This is used to describe an action

that has continued on for a very long time.

And supposedly this originates from rhyming slang,

donkey's ears used to mean years

but now they've just joined together

to become donkey's years.

An example, "Will has lived in the countryside

for donkey's years.

He just wouldn't survive in the city,

he's lived in the countryside for years."

Number eight is, to do a runner, to do a runner.

And this means to leave a place hastily, quickly,

in order to avoid an unpleasant situation

or to avoid paying.

An example,

"They ordered the caviar and the lobster,

but when the bill arrived, they did a runner.

They left hastily to avoid paying."

Number nine, nothing to write home about,

nothing to write home about.

If something or someone is nothing to write home about,

it means they are not very exciting or not very special.

An example,

"I met a boy at the ice rink,

but he's nothing to write home about.

He's not that special, I'm not that excited about him."

Or, "The meal was nice,

but it was nothing to write home about,

it was nothing extraordinary."

Number 10, this is one of my mother's favourite phrases,

she has a lot.

It is, keep your eyes peeled, keep your eyes peeled.

And this means keep your eyes open, or be vigilant,

keep on the watch.

And it's not because she's worried about my security,

she actually uses this phrase if she's looking

to buy something and we're in a shop.

She says, "Keep your eyes peeled for green scarves,"

or, "Keep your eyes peeled for any calendars

with chickens on them."

It's a very good phrase, I recommend you use it.

Keep your eyes peeled.

Number 11 is, to pick someone's brain,

to pick someone's brain,

and this is very weird sounding, isn't it?

To pick at somebody's brain, to look for information,

but that basically is what it means, in a way.

It means to obtain information by questioning somebody

who is well-informed on a subject.

So it's something you hear in business a lot,

and it's a really annoying question.

"Can I pick your brain for a minute?"

It basically means,

can I ask you loads and loads of questions

about something that you know lots about

and offer you nothing in return.

An example,

"Colin, can I pick your brain about that new project?"

And undoubtedly, Colin would be rolling his eyes inside.

"Yes, you can pick my brain."

Number 12 is, to put feelers out,

or sometimes we say put the feelers out.

And this means to make informal suggestions,

so as to test a concept before any final decisions are made.

So it's basically to test an idea

by asking people's opinions before they commit to something.

An example,

"Can I suggest that we put the feelers out

to see if the employees actually want

a Zoom Christmas party this year?"

I honestly cannot imagine anything worse than

a Christmas party on Zoom.

I'm sorry if you've just organised one,

but that sounds like hell.

Oh, number 13, this is a great one,

but they're all great 'cause I chose them.

It is, the best thing since sliced bread.

This means that something is the best

and most useful innovation or invention of recent times.

It means that something is a good invention.

Now you might be asking, "Why sliced bread?"

Well, I asked myself that question

and I did the research.

When sliced bread was first brought to market in 1928,

it was a massive deal.

There were huge marketing campaigns about sliced bread.

It was marketed as the greatest step forward

in baking innovation since bread was wrapped.

An example, "When flip phones came out,

I thought that they were the best thing since sliced bread.

I miss hanging up so sassily."

Number 14 is, take a chill pill, take a chill pill.

And this is a slightly patronising way

to tell somebody to calm down or to relax.

It never fails to enrage me when someone tells me

to take a chill pill.

To be honest, it enrages me when someone tells me

to calm down.

If someone is angry,

telling them to calm down often makes it worse.

An example, "At the picnic,

I told Mary to take a chill pill

'cause she was freaking out about a wasp."

And number 15 is, I'll show myself out,

I'll show myself out.

And this is used when you have disgraced yourself.

It means, "I'll leave, you don't have to show me the door,

I will leave by choice."

Nowadays, it is almost always used after telling a bad joke.

You tell the joke, the reaction is awful,

and you just say, "I'll show myself out.

Bye-bye, thank you, everyone."

I've got a joke, let's try it.

What's the difference between snowmen and snow women?

Snowballs, snowballs.

I'll show myself out.

Right, that is it for today's lesson,

those were our 15 funny idioms.

Extra homework is to let me know of any ridiculous,

hilarious idioms that you have in your language

that don't translate well to English.

I would love to know the random quirks of your language.

Please put them in the comments section down below.

Don't forget to check out the Lingoda Team Challenge,

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You can also get the free PDF worksheet

that I have lovingly created for you.

The link for that is also in the description box.

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I will see you soon for another lesson.

Mwah.

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