Skill Idioms

Skill idioms encapsulate common experiences or advice regarding skill, competence, and learning in a compact, vivid manner. These idioms often reflect practical wisdom and insights that are easy to remember and apply in various situations.

List of Skill Idioms and Expressions

Skill Idioms
Skill Idioms – Created by 7ESL
  • Amateur Hour
  • As Far as I Can Throw (someone)
  • Bag of Tricks
  • Beat Someone To The Draw
  • Drop the Ball
  • Find One’s Voice
  • Green as Grass
  • Lose One’s Touch
  • Not Cut Out for (Something)
  • Sharp as a Tack
  • A dab hand at
  • Ace up one’s sleeve
  • Ahead of the curve
  • At the top of one’s game
  • Jack of all trades, master of none

Skill Idioms with Meanings

Idiom Meaning
Amateur Hour A situation or event that is disorganized or lacking in professionalism.
As Far as I Can Throw (someone) Having very little trust or confidence in someone, usually due to their perceived lack of ability or integrity.
Bag of Tricks A collection of methods or techniques someone is able to use to achieve what they want.
Beat Someone To The Draw To act before someone else does, gaining an advantage.
Drop the Ball To make a mistake or fail to meet a responsibility or challenge.
Find One’s Voice To become confident in expressing oneself, especially in public.
Green as Grass Very inexperienced or naive.
Lose One’s Touch To lose an ability or talent that one once had, often in a specific skill or task.
Not Cut Out for (Something) Not suited or lacking the necessary qualities or skills for a particular role or activity.
Sharp as a Tack Very intelligent, perceptive, or witty.
A dab hand at Skilled or proficient at a particular activity.
Ace up one’s sleeve A hidden advantage or resource that can be revealed at an opportune time.
Ahead of the curve Being more advanced than the competition; innovating or leading in a particular area.
At the top of one’s game Performing at the best of one’s ability, at peak performance.
Jack of all trades, master of none A person who is competent in many skills but is not outstanding in any particular one.

Skill Idioms with Examples

Idiom Example
Amateur Hour The presentation was a disaster, it was an amateur hour from start to finish.
As Far as I Can Throw (someone) I wouldn’t trust him as far as I can throw him; he’s let me down before.
Bag of Tricks Every good magician has a bag of tricks to wow the audience.
Beat Someone To The Draw She beat everyone to the draw and secured the best seats for the concert.
Drop the Ball He was supposed to secure the deal by Friday, but he dropped the ball.
Find One’s Voice After years of shyness, she found her voice as a passionate advocate for environmental causes.
Green as Grass He’s green as grass and doesn’t understand how the industry works yet.
Lose One’s Touch Since he retired, he’s lost his touch with the latest technology trends.
Not Cut Out for (Something) He tried teaching, but he’s just not cut out for it; he doesn’t have the patience.
Sharp as a Tack Even at 90, my grandmother is sharp as a tack and can recall stories from her childhood.
A Dab Hand At She’s a dab hand at baking; her pastries are always a hit at the bake sale.
Ace Up One’s Sleeve He always has an ace up his sleeve when it comes to negotiations.
Ahead of the Curve Their new smartphone design puts them ahead of the curve in the tech industry.
At the Top of One’s Game During the championship, he was at the top of his game and unbeatable.
Jack of All Trades, Master of None He can fix just about anything in the house because he’s a jack of all trades, master of none.