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10 Most Common Idioms For Daily Conversation

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Miriam Halpern
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13 views2 pages

10 Most Common Idioms For Daily Conversation

Uploaded by

Miriam Halpern
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Here are 10 of the most common idioms that are easy to use in daily conversation:

1. “Hit the hay.”


“Sorry, guys, I have to hit the hay now!”

At first, it seems like the person saying this really wants to punch some hay. But it
really just means that they’re really tired and want to go to sleep.

2. “Up in the air”


“Hey, did you ever figure out those plans?”
“No, they’re still up in the air for now. We’ll figure everything out later.”

This idiom really means that the situation being planned is still undecided, and that
everything is still uncertain/unsure.

3. “Stabbed in the back”


“I don’t want to be Hayley’s friend anymore, she stabbed me in the back!”

Literally stabbing someone in the back could bring someone to jail! That’s definitely
not what this idiom means. Being stabbed in the back means that you’ve been
betrayed by someone who you thought you could trust.

4. “Takes two to tango”


“David isn’t the only guilty one here! After all, it takes two to tango.”

It literally does take two to tango--you can’t dance the tango unless you have a
partner. But this idiom means that if there’s a suspicious situation, then there’s more
than one culprit. They couldn’t have done it by themselves.

5. “Kill two birds with one stone.”


“Why not go to the post office on your way to the mall and kill two birds with one
stone?”

When you kill two birds with one stone, a single action knocks out two tasks or
responsibilities--accomplish two different things at the same time. (In this case,
posting a letter and doing some shopping in one trip.)

6. “Piece of cake”
“Ha, that assignment was really a piece of cake!”

When something is a piece of cake, it’s so simple that it’s as easy as eating one.

7. “Costs an arm and a leg”


“Matt, I really want that car, but it costs an arm and a leg. I don’t think I should get it
for now.”

When something costs an arm and a leg, you won’t literally have to cut off your arm
and leg to buy it. It just means that it costs a lot of money, so it would be as painful
(for your wallet) as cutting off an arm and a leg to pay for it!
8. “Break a leg”
“Hey, don’t you have a recital today? Break a leg!”

When someone uses this idiom, they’re actually wishing the person good luck.

9. “Rule of thumb”
“As a rule of thumb, you should usually pay for your date’s dinner, too.”

A rule of thumb is a “rule” that’s not totally precise. It’s based off common
experience and common sense.

10. “Blow off steam”


“Hey, I’m feeling pretty angry right now. I’m going to go blow off some steam.”

When you’re feeling angry or upset, and want to do something to relieve those
emotions, then you’re blowing off steam--doing something or taking a break to help
get rid of the stress.

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