50 Popular Idioms To Sound Fluent In English | English Vocabulary Lesson (FREE LESSON PDF)

Today you're going to learn 50 popular idioms to sound fluent in English.

And make sure you watch right until the end of this lesson because I'm going to share

a free PDF that summarizes all 50 idioms with their meaning and example sentences as well.

So you can download that right at the end of this lesson.

Welcome back to JForrest English training.

Of course, I'm Jennifer and this is your place to become a fluent, confident English speaker.

Let's get started.

To be on the same page, this is used when all people agree on something and that something

is generally a plan or how to approach something.

For example, before we launch the product, we need to get everybody on the same page.

So we need to make sure that all the different people agree on the plan to launch the product

to sell like hotcakes.

I love this idiom.

This is used when something sells very quickly, easily or in large quantities large amounts.

For example, Her new book sold like hotcakes.

So this is a very good idiom.

So falls through the cracks or to slip through the cracks.

This is used when something is not noticed or something does not have sufficient attention.

And remember, you can use two different verbs fall or through and both have the same meaning

and they're both very common.

For example, I'm sorry, I forgot to send you the report.

It slipped through the cracks.

It fell through the cracks.

So I just didn't notice it.

I didn't pay enough attention to it.

But to be up in arms.

This is a great one as well because we use it when someone is grumpy or angry about something

specific.

For example, Julie is up in arms because we have to stay late tonight.

So Joey is angry or grumpy because of something specific.

We have to stay late tonight she's up in arms fair and square.

This means honestly or according to the rules.

So let's say my team lost a competition.

But we deserve to lose the other team played better than us.

I can say they beat us fair and square.

Honestly, according to the rules.

They won fair and square to be a black sheep.

This is when a member of a group is different from the other members.

And we often use this with family for example, all my cousins are married and have kids except

Tom.

Tom is the black sheep.

He's different from all the other members of the group, in this case family by the skin

of one's teeth.

This means barely or by a very slight margin.

We one by the skin of our teeth.

So we won by only by this much not very much to get under one's skin.

And this is to irritate or upset someone.

For example, I don't know why but Jerry really gets under my skin.

Jerry really irritates me he upsets me to draw the line.

This is when you put a limit on what you will allow or what you will do.

For example, I want to help my sister but I draw the line at lending her money.

So that is what I will not do I will not lend her money that is not allowed, but to give

something a whirl This is a fun one.

It simply means to try something new.

For example, you should give bowling a whirl.

It's really fun.

So if I know you've never gone bowling before, I could say you should try it you should give

it a whirl but to be a fish out of water.

This is used to say that someone is in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable surrounding for

example, I feel like a fish out of water when I go to english meetings because you have

to speak in English and that unfamiliar and uncomfortable you feel like a fish out of

water to go the extra mile this is when you make an extra attempt to achieve something

or do something.

For example, she's a great assistant.

She always goes the extra mile so she does more than she needs to to not see the forest

from the trees.

This is a very popular one.

This is when you're so involved in the small minor details are something that you don't

see the bigger picture you don't see the forest from the individual trees for example, the

project failed because we couldn't see the forest from the trees we lost track of the

bigger picture straight from the horse's mouth.

This is when you get information directly from the source of that information.

I heard straight from the horse's mouth that we're not getting bonuses this year to cry

wolf this is when you call for help.

But you don't actually need help.

So in the future, nobody will assist you because you lied about needing help.

For example, I'm not surprised nobody responded to her email.

She always cries Wolf.

So she always asked for help when she doesn't need it.

But then one day she does need help and nobody will help her because she cries wolf to have

bigger fish to fry.

This is when you have other more important matters to deal with.

For example, can you attend my meeting this afternoon?

I have bigger fish to fry.

So I have a meeting that's dealing with more important things then this other meeting.

So play devil's advocate this is when you argue against something even if you think

the opposite.

Simply to address all sides of a situation.

For example, it would be great to get a promotion but to play devil's advocate, it would mean

longer hours.

So you actually want the promotion but you're going to examine the other side just to be

complete to steal one's thunder.

This is a very popular one.

This is to prevent someone from getting the recognition, praise or success that they deserve.

And you do that by saying exactly what that person was going to say.

For example, she announced her engagement at my engagement party.

She's stole my thunder.

So I should have received the praise the congratulations on my engagement party.

But she announced her engagement.

So now everybody is congratulating her.

She stole my thunder to rain on one's parade.

This is to spoil someone's pleasure or a special moment.

Let's say my friend is very happy because she got an A on the exam.

I could say I hate to rain on your parade.

But everyone got an A. So I'm spoiling her pleasure by saying that everybody got the

exact same grade to be a cakewalk a cakewalk.

This is when something is very easy or effortless.

For example, learning English is a cakewalk, right, would you agree to take a rain check?

This is when you decline an invitation by suggesting you'll accept that invitation at

a future time.

So not now.

But later.

Let's say somebody invites me to lunch today, but I'm very busy.

I could say I'd love to have lunch, but I need to take a rain check.

Which means not today, but later to go on a wild goose chase or to be on a wild goose

chase.

You can use either verbs go or be this is when you're looking for something specific

but it's a complete waste of time because that's something specific doesn't exist.

For example, After hiking for five hours, we realized we were on a wild goose chase

because the waterfall doesn't exist.

So we were looking for a specific waterfall, but on the trail we were on.

There is no waterfall.

The waterfall is at a completely different location.

So we were on a wild goose chase because we're looking for something that doesn't exist to

twist someone's arm.

This is when you persuade someone to do something that they don't want to do.

For example, I didn't want to go to the party, but Sarah twisted my arm.

So Sarah persuaded me convinced me to go to the party to face the music.

This is when you accept criticism or punishment for something you did do.

For example, I missed the deadline.

So now it's time to face the music.

Now I have to meet with my boss.

We both know I missed the deadline.

It was wrong.

So I am going to be punished and I deserve it.

It's time to face the music to hit the books.

This means to study or do homework.

For example, I can't go to the party tonight.

I need to hit the books to turn a deaf ear.

This is when you ignore someone when they complain or they ask for help.

For example, I asked Maria to extend the deadline, but she turned a deaf ear.

So when I asked her to extend the deadline I was asking her to help me but she ignored

me she turned a deaf ear to break the bank.

This means to cause financial ruin.

For example, this vacation costs $5,000 It's expensive, but it won't break the bank.

It won't cause financial ruin to jump the gun.

This is when you do something too soon without thinking about it carefully.

For example, the company jumped the gun when they canceled the conference.

So they made that decision to sue they should have thought about it more took more time

and then decided to read between the lines.

This is when you trying to understand somebody's real feelings or intentions based on what

they said or they wrote, For example, She said she's happy.

But if you read between the lines, it's obvious she's upset.

So you're trying to interpret what she's saying to really understand how she feels through

thick and thin.

This is when you support someone or stay with someone even when there are problems or difficulties.

For example, a true friend will be there through thick and thin.

If there are problems or difficulties a true friend will be there to go back to square

one.

This is to start working on a plan from the beginning because your previous attempt failed.

For example, the board didn't approve our plan.

So we have to go back to square one we have to start again from the beginning from scratch.

This is from the very beginning for example, I started this YouTube channel for example,

my family started this business from scratch.

So when we started there was nothing we did everything ourselves from scratch to shoot

oneself in the foot this is when you say or do something that could cause problems for

you.

For example, I shot myself in the foot when I agreed to stay late tonight.

So I said yes when my boss asked me to stay late, but it's my cousin's birthday.

So now I can't go to their party or I'm going to be late and I'm going to be in trouble.

I shot myself in the foot right off the bat.

This means at the very beginning or immediately, for example, you can expect to feel confident

speaking right off the bat.

So immediately at the very beginning when you first start that right off the bat, you

can't expect to feel confident right off the bat in the bag.

This is when something is certain to be one achieved or attained.

For example, Jane has the promotion in the bag.

So even though they haven't formally announced that Jane has the promotion, it's certain

that is hers.

She has it in the bag.

Hot air.

This is a great one.

This is when something is not sincere and will not have practical results.

For example, the advertisement claimed I would lose 20 pounds in 20 days, but it was hot

air.

It was not true.

To follow in someone's footsteps.

This is when you do the same thing that someone else previously did.

And then someone else is usually a family member a friend or a mentor.

For example, She followed in her father's footsteps and became an engineer.

This means that her father is also an engineer to call a spade a spade.

This is when you tell the truth about something, even if the truth is not pleasant and not

polite.

For example, let's call a spade a spade this company discriminates against women.

So that's not a very polite thing to say.

But it's the truth to be in the same boat.

This is when you're in the same situation as someone else and that situation is difficult.

For example, we both lost money in the stock market.

We're in the same boat to pick someone's brain.

This is when someone has a lot of information on a subject or topic and you ask them to

share that information or you ask them for their opinion you pick their brain.

For example, I'd love to buy you coffee and pick your brain sometime.

Which means I love to buy you coffee and find out what you know ask you questions about

what you know or get your opinion on a specific topic based on your knowledge to bounce an

idea off someone.

This is when you share an idea to get feedback on that idea.

For example, can I bounce a few ideas off you before the meeting today?

The devils in the details this is used when something seems simple, but the details are

complicated and could cause problems.

For example, the contract is only one page which seems simple, but the devils in the

details so in that one page, there's a lot of complicated information that could cause

problems but don't pot calling the kettle black this is used to say that someone shouldn't

criticize someone else for a fault that they have in themselves.

Let's say Jack is always late.

And I get to our meeting five minutes late and Jack gets mad at me for being late but

he is always late.

So I could say I can't believe Jack was mad because I was five minutes late.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black to take a backseat.

This is when you choose to not have responsibility in a organization or an activity.

For example, my team is organizing a conference but I'm taking a backseat.

I'm not going to be responsible for the conference to be up for grabs.

This is a great one it's used when something is available and ready to be won or taken.

For example, do you know is Sue's office is up for grabs?

So Sue's office is now empty.

Maybe she left the company or she changed offices.

So is her office ready and available?

Is it up for grabs?

To put something on ice this is when you delay something or you reserve something for future

use.

Let's put a conference on ice until the summer to bite off more than you can chew.

This is when you try to do something that is too difficult for you.

For example, we took on three projects this month.

I think we bit off more than we can chew so three projects is too difficult for us to

throw caution to the wind.

This is when you do something without worrying about the risk or the negative consequences.

For example, I wasn't happy at my job so I threw caution to the wind and I quit.

So I didn't think about the negative consequences.

When I made that decision.

I threw caution to the wind across to bear this is an unpleasant or painful situation

or person that you have to accent even though it's very difficult for you to do so.

For example, I lost our company's biggest client and that's my cross to bear.

So that's a very painful situation knowing that I was personally responsible for this

loss.

But that's my cross to bear.

I have to accept it and deal with that even though it is painful.

And finally to keep one's eye on something or someone.

This is when you watch something or you take care of something or someone.

For example, will you keep an eye on the project while I'm at the conference?

Will you take care of the project will you watch the project while I'm at the conference?

Amazing job.

Congratulations.

Now you have 50 popular idioms added to your vocabulary to help you sound fluent in English.

Of course you need to practice and practice your new idioms.

So you can look in the description below and there's a link to the free PDF download that

summarizes all 50 idioms with the meanings and example sentences as well.

So you can download that PDF, save it to your computer and practice it so you add all 50

to your vocabulary.

And if you found this video helpful, please hit the like button, share it with your friends

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And before you go make sure you head on over to my website JForrestEnglish.com and download

your free speaking Guide.

In this guide I share six tips on how to speak English fluently and confidently and until

next time, Happy Studying!