English (Subject) / Idioms (Lesson)
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English Idioms in Use
This lesson was created by kananasgarli.
- be (as) fit as a fiddle = to be very healthy and strong My grandmother's 89, but she's as fit as a fiddle.
- be (as) right as rain = to feel healthy or well again. You just need a good night's sleep, and then you'll be right as rain again.
- informal idioms for mad: He's not all there.She's off her trolley. Have you gone completely off your trolley?He is not right in the head.She's got a screw loose.She's a basket case.He's off his rocker.She's one sandwich short of a picnic.She's as nutty as a fruitcake.
- informal idioms for die: She's popped her clogs.He's bitten the dust.He's given up the ghost.He's fallen off his perch.She's kicked the bucket.
- a sore point/spot Try not to mention baldness while he's here - it's a sore point for him.
- give someone a taste/dose of their own medicine = to treat someone as badly as they have treated you. Refusing to lend him money now would give him a taste of his own medicine - he's never lent you any.
- a bitter pill (to swallow) = something that is very unpleasant but must be accepted. Losing to a younger player was a bitter pill to swallow.
- sugar the pill = to make something bad seem less unpleasant. Plans to improve public services are a way of sugaring the pill of increased taxation.
- have/get itchy feet = want to travel or move on. I can't stay in one place for more than a year without getting itchy feet.After three years in the job she began to get itchy feet.
- idioms which mean extremely happy: I'm thrilled to bits.I am/feel on top of the world.I'm on cloud nine.I'm over the moon.I'm in seventh heaven.
- get a (real) kick out of something = very much enjoy doing something I always get a kick out of his jokes.
- do something for kicks = do something because it is exiting, usually something dangerous Local kids steal cars and race them up and down the street, just for kicks.
- jump for joy = be very happy and excited about something that has happened Rowena jumped for joy when she heard that she'd won first prize."So how did Robert take the news?" "He didn't exactly jump for joy."
- be floating/walking on air = be very happy about something good that has happened Ever since she met Mark, she's been walking on air.
- something makes your day = something makes you feel very happy Seeing Adrian again after such a long time really made my day.
- out of sorts = slightly unhappy or slightly ill Peter overslept this morning and has been out of sorts all day.
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- down in the dumps = unhappy She's a bit down in the dumps because she failed one of her exams.
- it's not the end of the world = it's not a very big deal or problem. I'va told him that it's not the end of the world.
- grin and bear it = to accept something bad without complaining I really don't want to go, but I guess I'll just have to grin and bear it.
- misery guts = an unhappy person who always complains. I don't like talking to Paul because he's such a misery guts and always squashes my good mood.
- sour grapes = being jealous about something that you can't have Pat is also suffering from sour grapes because I got the role in the school play that she wanted.
- put a damper/dampener on sth = to stop an occasion from being enjoyable Both the kids were sick while we were in Boston, so that put a damper on things.