English idioms | EF United States (2024)

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bushWhat you have is worth more than what you might have laterby itselfA penny for your thoughtsTell me what you're thinkingby itselfA penny saved is a penny earnedMoney you save today you can spend laterby itselfA perfect stormthe worst possible situationas part of a sentenceA picture is worth 1000 wordsBetter to show than tellby itselfActions speak louder than wordsBelieve what people do and not what they sayby itselfAdd insult to injuryTo make a bad situation worseas part of a sentenceBarking up the wrong treeTo be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong placeas part of a sentenceBirds of a feather flock togetherPeople who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively)by itselfBite off more than you can chewTake on a project that you cannot finishas part of a sentenceBreak the iceMake people feel more comfortableas part of a sentenceBy the skin of your teethJust barelyas part of a sentenceComparing apples to orangesComparing two things that cannot be comparedas part of a sentenceCosts an arm and a legVery expensiveas part of a sentenceDo something at the drop of a hatDo something without having planned beforehandas part of a sentenceDo unto others as you would have them do unto youTreat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule"by itselfDon't count your chickens before they hatchDon't count on something good happening until it's happened.by itselfDon't cry over spilt milkThere's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixedby itselfDon't give up your day jobYou're not very good at thisby itselfDon't put all your eggs in one basketWhat you're doing is too riskyby itselfEvery cloud has a silver liningGood things come after bad thingsby itselfGet a taste of your own medicineGet treated the way you've been treating others (negative)as part of a sentenceGive someone the cold shoulderIgnore someoneas part of a sentenceGo on a wild goose chaseTo do something pointlessas part of a sentenceGood things come to those who waitBe patientby itselfHe has bigger fish to fryHe has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about nowby itselfHe's a chip off the old blockThe son is like the fatherby itselfHit the nail on the headGet something exactly rightby itselfIgnorance is blissYou're better off not knowingby itselfIt ain't over till the fat lady singsThis isn't over yetby itselfIt takes one to know oneYou're just as bad as I amby itselfIt's a piece of cakeIt's easyby itselfIt's raining cats and dogsIt's raining hardby itselfKill two birds with one stoneGet two things done with a single actionby itselfLet the cat out of the bagGive away a secretas part of a sentenceLive and learnI made a mistakeby itselfLook before you leapTake only calculated risksby itselfOn thin iceOn probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble.as part of a sentenceOnce in a blue moonRarelyas part of a sentencePlay devil's advocateTo argue the opposite, just for the sake of argumentas part of a sentencePut something on icePut a projet on holdas part of a sentenceRain on someone's paradeTo spoil somethingas part of a sentenceSaving for a rainy daySaving money for lateras part of a sentenceSlow and steady wins the raceReliability is more important than speedby itselfSpill the beansGive away a secretas part of a sentenceTake a rain checkPostpone a planas part of a sentenceTake it with a grain of saltDon’t take it too seriouslyas part of a sentenceThe ball is in your courtIt's your decisionby itselfThe best thing since sliced breadA really good inventionas part of a sentenceThe devil is in the detailsIt looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problemsby itselfThe early bird gets the wormThe first people who arrive will get the best stuffby itselfThe elephant in the roomThe big issue, the problem people are avoidingas part of a sentenceThe whole nine yardsEverything, all the way.as part of a sentenceThere are other fish in the seaIt's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise.by itselfThere's a method to his madnessHe seems crazy but actually he's cleverby itselfThere's no such thing as a free lunchNothing is entirely freeby itselfThrow caution to the windTake a riskas part of a sentenceYou can't have your cake and eat it tooYou can't have everythingby itselfYou can't judge a book by its coverThis person or thing may look bad, but it's good insideby itself