American English Lesson – Idioms – Most Useful American Idioms – Free Interactive School BigNY.com Academy

1. Break a leg – Good luck!
2. Hit the nail on the head – To be exactly right about something.
3. Under the weather – To feel sick or unwell.
4. Piece of cake – Something that is very easy to do.
5. Let the cat out of the bag – To reveal a secret.
6. Cost an arm and a leg – Something that is very expensive.
7. Kick the bucket – To pass away or die.
8. Bite the bullet – To accept something difficult or painful.
9. Butter someone up – To flatter or compliment someone in order to gain a favor.
10. See eye to eye – To agree with someone.
11. Put a sock in it – To tell someone to be quiet.
12. The ball is in your court – It is now your turn to make a decision or take action.
13. Barking up the wrong tree – To make a mistake or pursue the wrong course of action.
14. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen.
15. Hold your horses – To wait or be patient.
16. Keep your chin up – To remain positive and optimistic.
17. A piece of the action – A share in the profits or benefits of something.
18. Burn the midnight oil – To work late into the night.
19. Let sleeping dogs lie – To avoid stirring up trouble or problems.
20. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – Don’t assume something will happen before it actually does.

Step two –

1. Break a leg – Good luck!
   • “You’re going to do great on stage tonight! Break a leg!”
   • “I have a big job interview tomorrow. I hope I can break a leg.”
   • “Break a leg, Sarah! I know you’ll do well in the race.”
2. Hit the nail on the head – To be exactly right about something.
   • “You hit the nail on the head with your analysis of the situation.”
   • “He really hit the nail on the head when he explained the problem.”
   • “The professor hit the nail on the head with her explanation of the concept.”
3. Under the weather – To feel sick or unwell.
   • “I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, so I think I’ll stay home and rest.”
   • “She couldn’t come to the party because she was under the weather.”
   • “He’s been under the weather for a few days now, but he’s starting to feel better.”
4. Piece of cake – Something that is very easy to do.
   • “Don’t worry about the test, it’s a piece of cake!”
   • “I’ve done this so many times, it’s a piece of cake for me now.”
   • “The task was a piece of cake, I finished it in no time.”
5. Let the cat out of the bag – To reveal a secret.
   • “I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”
   • “He didn’t mean to let the cat out of the bag, but he was so excited he couldn’t keep it to himself.”
   • “She was furious when he let the cat out of the bag about their plans.”
6. Cost an arm and a leg – Something that is very expensive.
   • “This vacation is going to cost us an arm and a leg.”
   • “I really wanted to buy that car, but it would have cost me an arm and a leg.”
   • “The repairs on the house cost an arm and a leg, but it was worth it in the end.”
7. Kick the bucket – To pass away or die.
   • “My grandfather kicked the bucket last night.”
   • “I don’t want to think about kicking the bucket anytime soon.”
   • “He always joked that he would kick the bucket if he had to go to another meeting.”
8. Bite the bullet – To accept something difficult or painful.
   • “I know it’s tough, but you just have to bite the bullet and get through it.”
   • “She decided to bite the bullet and tell him the truth.”
   • “I had to bite the bullet and go to the dentist even though I was scared.”
9. Butter someone up – To flatter or compliment someone in order to gain a favor.
   • “She buttered up the boss in order to get the promotion.”
   • “He always tries to butter up his in-laws when they come to visit.”
   • “Don’t think you can butter me up just because you want something from me.”
10. See eye to eye – To agree with someone.
    • “We don’t always see eye to eye, but we respect each other’s opinions.”
    • “I’m glad we see eye to eye on this issue.”
    • “It’s important that we see eye to eye with our partners on this project.”
11. Put a sock in it – To tell someone to be quiet.
    • “I wish he would put a sock in it and stop talking so much.”
    • “If you don’t mind, could you put a sock in it for a moment so I can finish this phone call?”
    • “I had to tell my kids to put a sock in it so I could hear myself think.”
12. Break the ice – To initiate a conversation or interaction in a new or awkward situation.
    • “I tried to break the ice with my new coworkers by asking about their weekend plans.”
    • “It’s always tough to break the ice at a first date.”
    • “The team building exercise helped break the ice between the different departments.”
13. Burn the midnight oil – To work late into the night.
    • “I have to burn the midnight oil to finish this project before the deadline.”
    • “She burned the midnight oil to study for her exam.”
    • “I don’t mind burning the midnight oil if it means we’ll finish on time.”
14. Keep an eye on – To watch or monitor something or someone closely.
    • “Could you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the restroom?”
    • “I have to keep an eye on my spending so I don’t go over budget.”
    • “The police have to keep an eye on the suspect to make sure they don’t escape.”
15. Take it with a grain of salt – To be skeptical of something or not completely believe it.
    • “I heard that rumor too, but I’m taking it with a grain of salt until I hear more.”
    • “She’s always exaggerating, so I take everything she says with a grain of salt.”
    • “I would take his advice with a grain of salt since he’s not an expert in this area.”
16. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen or is impossible.
    • “He said he’ll clean his room when pigs fly.”
    • “I’ll believe it when pigs fly that he’ll actually follow through with his promise.”
    • “I’m sure they’ll start paying us more when pigs fly.”
17. It’s raining cats and dogs – It’s raining heavily.
    • “We had to cancel our picnic because it’s raining cats and dogs outside.”
    • “I can’t believe it’s raining cats and dogs on my wedding day!”
    • “The storm last night was so intense, it was like it was raining cats and dogs.”
18. A blessing in disguise – Something that seems bad at first but turns out to be good in the end.
    • “Losing my job turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it forced me to start my own business.”
    • “The traffic jam was a blessing in disguise because we avoided an accident up ahead.”
    • “The rain on our wedding day turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it made for beautiful photos.”
19. Pull someone’s leg – To joke or tease someone.
    • “I was just pulling your leg, I didn’t really eat all the cookies.”
    • “He loves to pull my leg about my favorite sports team.”
    • “Don’t take him seriously, he’s just pulling your leg.”
20. Cry over spilled milk – To be upset or worried about something that cannot be changed.
    • “I know you made a mistake, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk.”
    • “She’s still crying over spilled milk about the job she didn’t get.”
    • “It’s time to move on, there’s no point in crying over spilled milk.”

Cut to the chase – to get to the point
When you use the expression ‘Cut to the Chase’ you mean to get to the point and leave out unnecessary details or preamble. Example of use: “Let me cut to the chase: Jennifer thinks you’re mad at her!”

1. What does the idiom “hit the nail on the head” mean?
   A. To injure oneself while doing something
   B. To criticize someone harshly
   C. To accurately describe or solve a problem
   D. To give up too easily
2. What does the idiom “a piece of cake” mean?
   A. Something that is easy to do
   B. A type of pastry
   C. A difficult task
   D. Something that is impossible
3. What does the idiom “barking up the wrong tree” mean?
   A. To be on the right track
   B. To be in the wrong place
   C. To make a mistake
   D. To pursue a mistaken or misguided course of action
4. What does the idiom “break a leg” mean?
   A. To have good luck
   B. To be clumsy
   C. To suffer an injury
   D. To wish someone good luck
5. What does the idiom “costs an arm and a leg” mean?
   A. To be cheap
   B. To be very expensive
   C. To be moderate in price
   D. To be a steal
6. What does the idiom “cut to the chase” mean?
   A. To avoid something
   B. To get to the point
   C. To be indecisive
   D. To take a break
7. What does the idiom “dead as a doornail” mean?
   A. To be very alive
   B. To be inanimate
   C. To be very quiet
   D. To be very loud
8. What does the idiom “don’t count your chickens before they hatch” mean?
   A. To be optimistic
   B. To be pessimistic
   C. To rely on others too much
   D. To make plans based on events that may not happen
9. What does the idiom “get a taste of your own medicine” mean?
   A. To be punished in a way similar to how one has treated others
   B. To eat a particular food
   C. To try something new
   D. To refuse to apologize
10. What does the idiom “give someone the benefit of the doubt” mean? A. To be suspicious of someone B. To trust someone without evidence C. To doubt someone’s intentions D. To be neutral in a situation
11. What does the idiom “put a sock in it” mean? A. To put something away B. To speak softly C. To be quiet D. To sing loudly
12. What does the idiom “break the ice” mean? A. To start a fire B. To initiate a conversation or interaction in a new or awkward situation C. To end a conversation D. To melt ice
13. What does the idiom “burn the midnight oil” mean? A. To work during the day B. To work late into the night C. To take a long nap D. To take a break from work
14. What does the idiom “keep an eye on” mean? A. To ignore something B. To watch or monitor something or someone closely C. To forget about something D. To avoid looking at something
15. What does the idiom “take it with a grain of salt” mean? A. To believe something without questioning it B. To ignore something completely C. To be suspicious of something D. To accept something with skepticism or doubt
16. What does the idiom “let the cat out of the bag” mean? A. To be cautious B. To reveal a secret or surprise prematurely C. To be quiet D. To play with a cat
17. What does the idiom “kick the bucket” mean? A. To die B. To take a break C. To go for a walk D. To do something aggressively
18. What does the idiom “get cold feet” mean? A. To have cold feet B. To lose one’s shoes C. To back out of a plan or decision due to fear or uncertainty D. To move quickly
19. What does the idiom “hang in there” mean?
    A. To take a break
    B. To give up
    C. To persist despite difficulties or setbacks
    D. To be undecided
20. What does the idiom “put all your eggs in one basket” mean?
    A. To be cautious
    B. To spread out one’s resources or efforts
    C. To focus solely on one thing, risking everything on its success or failure
    D. To be hesitant

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