American Idioms

American idioms are used on a daily basis in television shows, in normal conversations, and in all types of other interactions. Below are some of the most popular used American idioms and their meanings. Learning these idiomatic phrases in America will help you to understand and communicate efficiently.

What Are American Idioms?

To someone who lives outside of the United States, sometimes the way that Americans express themselves can sound like we are talking in tongues. This is because we have a way of putting two or more words together that don’t make sense according to the literal definition to people who haven’t grown up listening to such phrases and don’t know they are not to be taken literally.

Sometimes the meanings of these phrases known as idioms are easy to figure out from the context of how they are used. However, others are quite a bit more complicated to determine the meaning of. It is important to learn that words don’t always follow there literal meaning here in America in order to communicate effectively in this country and understand what is going on around you.

Common American Idioms with Meaning

Here are 150 of some of the most common American idioms and what they mean.

Idiom	Meaning
A blessing in disguise	A good thing that seemed bad at first
A dime a dozen	Something common
A penny for your thoughts	A way of asking what someone is thinking
A piece of cake	Something very easy to do
A tough nut to crack	A difficult problem or a difficult person
Absence makes the heart grow fonder	Being away from someone makes you like them more
Act your age	Behave maturely and not childishly
Actions speak louder than words	What you do is more significant than what you say
Add fuel to the fire	Worsen an already bad situation
Add insult to injury	To make a bad situation worse
All ears	Fully listening
All thumbs	Clumsy or awkward with one’s hands
An arm and a leg	Very expensive or costly
At the drop of a hat	Without any hesitation; instantly
Back to square one	Having to start all over again
Back to the drawing board	When an attempt fails and it’s time to start all over
Ballpark figure	Rough estimate
Barking up the wrong tree	Looking in the wrong place; accusing the wrong person
Beat a dead horse	To waste time doing something that has already been attempted
Beat around the bush	Avoiding the main topic; not speaking directly about the issue
Bend over backwards	Do whatever it takes to help
Better late than never	Better to arrive late than not to come at all
Between a rock and a hard place	Stuck between two very bad options
Big fish in a little sea	A person who is important in a small place
Bite the bullet	To get something over with because it is inevitable
Bite to eat	A snack or small meal
Biting off more than you can chew	Taking on a task that is way too big
Blow off steam	To express anger or frustration
Break a leg	Good luck (often said to actors before they go on stage
Break the ice	To initiate a social conversation or interaction
Breaking ground	To start a new venture or phase; to pioneer
Burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night, especially studying
Burst into tears	To suddenly start crying
Burst your bubble	To destroy someone’s illusion or delusion
By the skin of your teeth	Just barely; by the narrowest of margins
Call it a day	To stop working for the rest of the day
Can’t cut the mustard	Not able to handle the task or meet the standard
Catch someone’s eye	To attract someone’s attention
Catch your eye	Something that grabs your attention
Chew the fat	To chat or gossip
Cold feet	Nervous just before a big event
Cold turkey	To suddenly stop an addictive habit without tapering off
Come out of the closet	To reveal a secret about oneself, especially one’s sexuality
Come what may	Whatever happens
Cost an arm and a leg	Very expensive or costly
Cry over spilt milk	To be upset about something that cannot be undone
Cry wolf	To raise a false alarm
Cut class	To skip a class without permission
Cut corners	To do something poorly or cheaply
Cut loose	To relax or behave in an unrestrained way
Cut to the chase	To get to the point; to skip unnecessary details
Cutting corners	Doing something poorly or omitting steps to save time or money
Dead ringer	A person or thing that looks exactly like another
Dirt cheap	Very inexpensive
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you	Don’t hurt or anger someone who is helping you or paying for you
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Don’t plan on benefits that haven’t materialized yet
Don’t get bent out of shape	Don’t get upset
Down in the dumps	Feeling sad or depressed
Drive someone up the wall	To irritate or annoy someone greatly
Drop in the bucket	A very small part of something much bigger
Drown your sorrows	To drink alcohol to forget your problems
Easier said than done	More difficult than you think
Easy as pie	Very easy (similar to “a piece of cake”)
Easy come, easy go	When something, especially money, is easily gotten and then lost
Eat crow	To admit you were wrong about something you defended
Eat your heart out	To feel extremely jealous about something
Eat your words	To take back what you said
Elbow room	Enough space to move comfortably
Every cloud has a silver lining	There’s something good in every bad situation
Everything but the kitchen sink	Almost everything and anything has been included
Face the music	To confront the consequences of one’s actions
Fall on deaf ears	When a suggestion or warning is ignored
Feel a bit under the weather	Feeling slightly ill
Feel like a new person	Feeling much better in health or spirit
Fit as a fiddle	In good physical health
Flash in the pan	Something that shows potential or looks promising in the beginning but fails to deliver anything in the end
Fly by the seat of your pants	To do something by instinct without proper planning
Follow your heart	To do what you believe is right
Full plate	To have a lot of things to deal with or a lot of tasks to perform
Get a taste of your own medicine	To experience the same unpleasantness that you’ve given others
Get carried away	To be overly excited and lose control
Get cold feet	To become nervous or fearful about something that you planned to do
Get out of hand	To become difficult to control
Get something off your chest	To talk about something that has been bothering you
Give someone the cold shoulder	To intentionally ignore someone or treat them unfriendly
Give you the benefit of the doubt	To believe someone’s statement, without proof
Go Dutch	Each person pays for themselves
Go back to square one	To start over because of a failure or lack of success
Go back to the drawing board	To start a task over because the last try failed
Go for broke	To risk everything in one big effort
Go over with a fine-tooth comb	To examine or look for something very carefully
Golden opportunity	An outstanding chance to do or achieve something
Hand-me-down	An item that is passed down from one person to another
Hands full	Very busy
Hang in there	Persevere, not give up
Hit a snag	Encounter an unexpected problem
Hit the nail on the head	Describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem
Hit the sack	Go to bed
Hit the spot	Satisfy a need or desire
Ill at ease	Feeling uncomfortable or worried about something
In hot water	In trouble
In mint condition	In perfect condition, like new
In the same boat	In the same situation; similarly situated
It takes two to tango	Actions or communications need more than one person
It’s not rocket science	Not very complicated; easy to understand
Jack of all trades	A person who can do many different types of work
Jump on the bandwagon	Join others in doing something that is becoming fashionable
Just what the doctor ordered	Exactly what is needed or wanted
Keep your chin up	Remain cheerful in a difficult situation
Keeping a low profile	Staying out of public notice, avoiding attention
Kick back	To relax or recline
Kick the bucket	To die
Kill two birds with one stone	To solve two problems with one action
Knock on wood	To express a hope for one’s good luck to continue
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret unintentionally
Let you off the hook	To not hold someone responsible for something
Make a long story short	Tell something briefly without unnecessary details
Miss the boat	To miss an opportunity
No pain, no gain	You have to work hard for something you want
On the ball	Doing a good job, being prompt, or being responsible
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely
Out of the blue	Something happening unexpectedly
Over the moon	Extremely pleased or happy
Piece of cake	Something that is very easy to do
Pull someone’s leg	To joke with someone
Pulling your leg	Teasing someone with a story or a joke
Put all your eggs in one basket	To risk everything on a single venture
Rain on someone’s parade	To ruin someone’s plans or dampen their enthusiasm
Rock the boat	To cause problems within a group or organization
Run out of steam	To lose energy or enthusiasm
Saved by the bell	Rescued from an unpleasant situation at the last moment
See eye to eye	To agree with someone
Sit on the fence	To not take sides in a dispute; to remain neutral
So far, so good	Things are going well so far
Speak of the devil	The person we were just talking about has appeared
Spill the beans	To reveal a secret
Take it with a grain of salt	To not take what someone says too seriously
That’s the last straw	The final problem in a series of problems
The ball is in your court	It is your decision this time
The best of both worlds	A situation wherein one can enjoy two different opportunities
The bigger they are, the harder they fall	The more powerful a person is, the more difficult their fall can be
The early bird catches the worm	The person who takes the earliest opportunity will gain the advantage
The last straw	The final problem in a series that causes one to finally lose patience
The whole nine yards	Everything; all of it; the full extent
There’s no such thing as a free lunch	Everything comes with a cost; nothing is given for free
Throw in the towel	To give up; to admit defeat
Time flies when you’re having fun	You don’t notice how long something lasts when it’s enjoyable
Under the weather	Feeling ill or sick
Up in the air	Uncertain or unresolved
We’ll cross that bridge when it gets here	We’ll deal with that problem when it actually happens
When pigs fly	Something that will never happen
Wrap your head around it	To come to understand something complicated or unusual
You can’t judge a book by its cover	You shouldn’t judge something or someone by appearance alone

Common American Idioms with Example

Idiom	Example Sentence
A blessing in disguise	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because it led me to start my own business.
A dime a dozen	Those antique plates are beautiful, but they’re a dime a dozen at flea markets.
A penny for your thoughts	You’ve been quiet all night—a penny for your thoughts?
A piece of cake	I thought the test would be difficult, but it was a piece of cake.
A tough nut to crack	The new client is a tough nut to crack, but I think we’ll eventually win them over.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder	I used to hate the time apart, but they say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Act your age	Stop throwing a tantrum and act your age!
Actions speak louder than words	Don’t just tell me you’re going to change; actions speak louder than words.
Add fuel to the fire	Arguing about politics will just add fuel to the fire at family dinners.
Add insult to injury	After he was late, he added insult to injury by forgetting his promise.
All ears	Tell me about your day—I’m all ears!
All thumbs	I can’t seem to fix this—I’m all thumbs today.
An arm and a leg	That designer dress cost me an arm and a leg.
At the drop of a hat	She’s always ready to help out at the drop of a hat.
Back to square one	The deal fell through, so it’s back to square one for us.
Back to the drawing board	Our plan didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Ballpark figure	Can you give me a ballpark figure of the project’s cost?
Barking up the wrong tree	If you think I stole your ring, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Beat a dead horse	Let’s not beat a dead horse; we’ve already discussed this issue at length.
Beat around the bush	Stop beating around the bush and tell me what you really think.
Bend over backwards	She bent over backwards to make sure her guests felt comfortable.
Better late than never	I’m sorry I’m late to your birthday party, but better late than never, right?
Between a rock and a hard place	I’m caught between a rock and a hard place with the decision between two bad options.
Big fish in a little sea	He prefers to be a big fish in a little sea, so he’s staying at the local firm.
Bite the bullet	I guess I just have to bite the bullet and get these taxes done.
Bite to eat	Let’s grab a bite to eat before the movie starts.
Biting off more than you can chew	She bit off more than she could chew by taking on that extra project.
Blow off steam	Going for a run helps me blow off steam after a stressful day.
Break a leg	Break a leg at the audition today!
Break the ice	I’ll tell a joke to break the ice at the meeting.
Breaking ground	The company is breaking ground on a new research facility.
Burn the midnight oil	I have to burn the midnight oil to finish this report by tomorrow.
Burst into tears	She burst into tears when she heard the sad news.
Burst your bubble	I hate to burst your bubble, but you didn’t actually win the lottery.
By the skin of your teeth	He escaped the accident by the skin of his teeth.
Call it a day	We’ve been working for ten hours straight. Let’s call it a day.
Can’t cut the mustard	If he can’t cut the mustard, we’ll need to find someone else for the job.
Catch someone’s eye	The beautiful painting caught my eye as soon as I entered the gallery.
Catch your eye	Did anything catch your eye at the store?
Chew the fat	Old friends met up to chew the fat over a cup of coffee.
Cold feet	He got cold feet before his wedding and decided to postpone it.
Come out of the closet	After years of hiding, he finally came out of the closet to his family.
Come what may	I’ve made my decision, and come what may, I’ll stick to it.
Cost an arm and a leg	This car repair is going to cost an arm and a leg.
Cry over spilt milk	There’s no use crying over spilt milk—let’s just move on and try again.
Cry wolf	If you keep calling for help when you don’t need it, people will think you’re crying wolf.
Cut class	He was caught cutting class and got detention.
Cut corners	You won’t pass the inspection if you cut corners on the construction.
Cut loose	After the exams, everyone was ready to cut loose and relax.
Cut to the chase	Enough small talk. Cut to the chase and tell me what you really want.
Cutting corners	Cutting corners on this project could lead to safety issues later on.
Dead ringer	He’s a dead ringer for the actor we saw in that movie last week.
Dirt cheap	I found this dress at a thrift store for dirt cheap.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you	Be careful not to criticize your boss—that’s like biting the hand that feeds you.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Don’t count your chickens before they hatch; the deal isn’t finalized yet.
Don’t get bent out of shape	Don’t get bent out of shape over a little mistake.
Down in the dumps	He’s been down in the dumps since his team lost the championship.
Down to the wire	The project went right down to the wire, but we finished on time.
Drive someone up the wall	The constant drilling is driving me up the wall.
Drop in the bucket	The money we’ve raised so far is just a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed.
Drown your sorrows	After the breakup, he went to the bar to drown his sorrows.
Easy as pie	Once you get the hang of it, using this software is easy as pie.
Easy come, easy go	He’s not too bothered about losing the money—easy come, easy go.
Eat crow	After bragging about his skills, he had to eat crow when he was beaten in the first round.
Eat your heart out	Eat your heart out, I got tickets to the sold-out concert!
Eat your words	When she saw his success, she had to eat her words for doubting him.
Elbow room	Can we go somewhere else? There’s hardly any elbow room in this bar.
Every cloud has a silver lining	Remember that every cloud has a silver lining, even when things seem tough.
Everything but the kitchen sink	She packed everything but the kitchen sink for her weekend trip.
Face the music	He knew he’d made a mistake and it was time to face the music.
Fall on deaf ears	His warnings about the storm fell on deaf ears and no one was prepared.
Feel a bit under the weather	I’m going to take a sick day since I’m feeling a bit under the weather.
Feel like a new person	After a good night’s sleep, I felt like a new person.
Fit as a fiddle	Even at 80 years old, my grandfather is fit as a fiddle.
Flash in the pan	His success was just a flash in the pan; he couldn’t replicate it.
Flat out like a lizard drinking	I’ve been flat out like a lizard drinking all week at work.
Fly by the seat of your pants	Without any planning, we flew by the seat of our pants and booked a last-minute trip.
Follow your heart	When it comes to love, it’s best to follow your heart.
Full plate	I can’t take on another project right now; I’ve got a full plate.
Get a taste of your own medicine	After teasing his sister, he got a taste of his own medicine when she pranked him back.
Get carried away	He got carried away at the auction and ended up buying more than he intended.
Get cold feet	She was excited about skydiving, but got cold feet when the plane took off.
Get out of hand	The party got out of hand and the neighbors called the police.
Get something off your chest	If something’s bothering you, just get it off your chest.
Get your act together	You need to get your act together if you’re going to pass this class.
Give someone the cold shoulder	She gave him the cold shoulder at the party after their argument.
Give you the benefit of the doubt	I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt this time, but please don’t be late again.
Go Dutch	We didn’t want either of us to pay for the whole date, so we decided to go Dutch.
Go back to square one	The project failed, so we have to go back to square one.
Go back to the drawing board	Our ideas were rejected, so it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
Go for broke	He went for broke and bet all his money on the last horse race.
Go over with a fine-tooth comb	The editor went over the manuscript with a fine-tooth comb.
Golden opportunity	This job offer is a golden opportunity for me to advance my career.
Hand-me-down	My little brother always gets my hand-me-down clothes.
Hands full	She’s got her hands full with the new twins.
Hang in there	Times are tough right now, but hang in there and things will get better.
Hit a snag	We hit a snag in the plans when we realized we were out of funding.
Hit the nail on the head	You hit the nail on the head when you said the problem was the power supply.
Hit the sack	I’m exhausted after today’s work; it’s time to hit the sack.
Hit the spot	That cold drink really hit the spot after the long hike.
Ill at ease	He felt ill at ease in the formal attire at the casual party.
In hot water	She’s in hot water now that the boss found out about the mistake.
In mint condition	I bought a vintage car that’s still in mint condition.
In the same boat	We’re all in the same boat when it comes to these new company policies.
It takes two to tango	They’re both to blame for the argument; it takes two to tango.
It’s not rocket science	You don’t need to be a genius to understand it; it’s not rocket science.
Jack of all trades	He’s a jack of all trades, skilled at carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work.
Jump on the bandwagon	Once the product went viral, everyone jumped on the bandwagon to buy it.
Just what the doctor ordered	This vacation is just what the doctor ordered for relieving my stress.
Keep your chin up	Even though you didn’t win, keep your chin up and be proud of how well you did.
Keeping a low profile	After the media scandal, he’s been keeping a low profile.
Kick back	Let’s kick back and relax this weekend at the lake house.
Kick the bucket	My old car finally kicked the bucket, so now I need a new one.
Kill two birds with one stone	By biking to work, I get some exercise and save money on gas—killing two birds with one stone.
Knock on wood	I’ve never had a car accident, knock on wood.
Let the cat out of the bag	He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Let you off the hook	I’ll let you off the hook this time, but please don’t do it again.
Make a long story short	To make a long story short, we got lost but eventually found our way home.
Miss the boat	If you don’t buy the tickets now, you’ll miss the boat on the early bird discount.
No pain, no gain	You have to train hard to win the marathon—no pain, no gain.
On the ball	She’s really on the ball with responding to client requests.
Once in a blue moon	I only see him once in a blue moon since he moved abroad.
Out of the blue	He decided to move to Canada out of the blue.
Over the moon	She was over the moon when she found out she was pregnant.
Piece of cake	The test was a piece of cake; I finished it in no time.
Pulling your leg	Don’t get upset; I was just pulling your leg with that joke.
Put all your eggs in one basket	Investing all your money in one company is like putting all your eggs in one basket.
Rain on someone’s parade	I don’t want to rain on your parade, but I heard that concert might be canceled.
Rock the boat	Don’t rock the boat by bringing up that topic at dinner.
Run out of steam	After the first ten miles, I ran out of steam and had to walk.
Saved by the bell	He was about to answer a difficult question when the bell rang, saved by the bell.
See eye to eye	We don’t see eye to eye on many issues, but we’re still good friends.
Sit on the fence	You need to make a decision and stop sitting on the fence.
So far, so good	The project is progressing well; so far, so good.
Speak of the devil	Speak of the devil, here comes John now!
Spill the beans	Come on, spill the beans! What’s the surprise?
Take it with a grain of salt	I’ve heard the rumor, but I’m taking it with a grain of salt until I see proof.
That’s the last straw	Him coming home late again was the last straw, and she decided to leave him.
The ball is in your court	I’ve done all I can do, now the ball is in your court.
The best of both worlds	Working part-time and taking care of my kids gives me the best of both worlds.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall	He was a top executive, but the bigger they are, the harder they fall.
The crack of dawn	We’ll need to leave at the crack of dawn to avoid traffic.
The early bird catches the worm	Let’s start early on this project—the early bird catches the worm.
The last straw	The car breaking down was the last straw, so I decided to sell it.
The whole nine yards	When she throws a party, she goes for the whole nine yards with decorations.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch	You may have received a free ticket, but remember, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Throw in the towel	After several failed attempts, he threw in the towel and accepted defeat.
Time flies when you’re having fun	I can’t believe the party is over already; time flies when you’re having fun.
Under the weather	I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, so I’ll stay home.
Up in the air	The decision about the merger is still up in the air.
We’ll cross that bridge when we get there	Don’t worry about potential problems; we’ll cross that bridge when we get there

American Idioms | Video