100 Important Idioms and Their Meanings

Idioms are an integral part of any language, adding color and depth to our expressions. These phrases, which often have figurative meanings beyond their literal interpretations, are essential to understanding the nuances of a language.

In this article, we present 100 important idioms with their meanings to help you improve your English language skills and enhance your communication abilities.

1. To add insult to injury ; To intensify a person
2. To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth ; To be born in a rich family
3. A bolt from the blue ; An expected disaster
4. To blow one’s own trumpet ; To boast
5. A bone of contention ; Cause of quarrel
6. To burn one’s fingers ; To suffer
7. To beat black & blue ; To beat mercilessly
8. To cast an aspersion ; To bring discredit
9. To cry over spilt milk ; To feel sorry for what has happened
10. To cut a sorry figure ; To make a poor impression
11. To die in harness ; To die while doing one’s duty
12. To end in smoke ; To fail
13. To go to the dogs ; To be ruined
14. To hang in the balance ; To remain undecided
15. To hit the nail on the head; To do the right thing at the right time
16. To hold water ; To sound logical
17. To live no stone unturned ; To try one’s level best
18. To live from hand to mouth ; To live with great difficulty
19. To make up one’s mind ; To decide
20. To see eye to eye with ; Agree
21. To play ducks and drakes ; Waste
22. To put the cart before the hors ; To do a thing in a wrong way
23. To have too many irons in the fire ; To have too many things in hand
24. To read b/w the lines ; To try to understand the hidden meaning
25. To turn over a new leaf ; To change for the better
26. To take the bull by horns; To face difficulties boldly
27. To win laurels ; To distinguish oneself
28. At daggers drawn ; At enmity or fighting
29. Blake and white ; Written
30. By leaps and bounds ; Very fast
31. In cold blood ; deliberately
32. Laid up with ; Confined to bed
33. Ins and outs ; Full details
34. A black sheep ; Scoundrel; a bad person
35. A cock and bull story ; An absurd tale
36. A gala day ; A day of festivity; a holiday with rejoicing
37. A hard nut to crack ; A difficult person or problem to deal with
38. A turn coat ; One who changes one’s opinion or party
39. A fool’s paradise ; In a state of happiness founded on vain hopes
40. Beat a retreat ; To retire before the enemy
41. To be on the horns of a dilemma; To have a choice b/w two equal evils
42. To beat about the bush ; Approach a subject in a round about method
43. Bury the hatchet ; To make peace
44. By fits and starts ; Irregularly
45. Capital punishment ; Death sentence
46. By hook or by crook ; By fair or foul means
47. Eat humble pie ; To face humiliation
48. Hit below the belt ; To act unfairly
49. In apple pie order ; In perfect order
50. Leave one in lurch ; To desert in difficulty
51. To make a clean breast of ; To confess fully one’s faults
52. To nip the evil in the bud ; To destroy an evil in early stage
53. Pick holes in another’s coat ; To find fault with another
54. Scot free ; To go unpunished
55. Smell a rat ; To have a reason to suspect
56. Through thick and thin ; Through every difficulty
57. True to one’s salt ; Faithful to one’s master
58. To turn the corner ; To begin to improve
59. With a grain of salt ; To accept a statement with doubt as to its complete true
60. Worship the rising sun ; To respect one rising in power
61. A Herculean task ; An extremely difficult or dangerous task
62. A fish out of water ; In a wrong place
63. A leap in the dark ; An act of which we can’t force consequences
64. A thorn in one’s side ; A constant source of annoyance
65. To be at one’s beck and call ; Under one’s absolute control
66. Bread and Butter ; Means of subsistence
67. Burn one’s fingers ; To get into trouble
68. Burn the candle at both ends; Use up too much energy
69. To cut the Gordian knot ; To solve the difficulty
70. Cut and dried ; Ready-made
71. Feather one’s own nest ; To make money by unfair means
72. To fish in troubled water ; To do something under very unpromising circumstance
73. To give oneself airs ; Affected manners
74. To give the devil his due ; To allow even a bad man the credit due
75. To hang by thread ; To be in a critical condition
76. A henpecked husband ; A man habitually snubbed by his wife
77. Hush money ; Money given as a bribe to hush or make one keep silent
78. Kick up a row ; Make a great noise
79. To let the cat out of the bag; To reveal a secret
80. Null and void ; Not valid; of no effect
81. On the spur of the moment; At once
82. Pay one back in one’s own coin ; To treat in the same way as one has been treated
83. Put in cold storage; To forget or neglect something
84. Pull wires ; To manage the show by secret Influence
85. Read b/w the lines ; To hit at the real meaning
86. Sit on the fence ; To avoid taking sides; to remain neutral
87. A square deal ; Justice
88. Sword of Damocles ; Treating danger
89. To take up the gauntlet ; To accept the challenge
90. To eat one’s heart out ; To suffer silently, bitterly
91. B/t the devil and the deep sea ; B/w two dangers equally harmful
92. A sweet tooth ; A liking for sweetmeat
93. A dark horse ; An unknown person
94. A bottleneck ; Anything that cause delays
95. To put one’s foot down ; To show determination
96. A wet blanket ; A grumbling, depressing person
97. To throw up the sponge ; To acknowledge defeat
98. A feather in one’s cap ; Something to be proud of
99. A red letter day ; An auspicious day
100. Bag and baggage ; With all one’s belongings

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