Useful Idioms for Everyday Conversations

1. Idioms Cross one’s fingers. To hope for luck. “I’m crossing my fingers & hoping that I get thejob” Sour grapes. Saying or pretending that something is not worth having because one cannot obtain it. “He said he had never wanted to be made the class monitor, but I’m sure it was just sour grapes.” A big fish. An important or leading person. “He works in the Ministry of Defence,& I think he’s quite a big fish.” The big guns. The important people in any group, organization, etc. “The manager appears to run the branch himself, but all the important decisions are made by the big guns at the head office.

2. Idioms Fly a kite. To start a rumour about a new project, etc. in order to find out whether or not people would support it if it was really put into operation. “It was difficult to tell if the changes he was talking about were being seriously considered or if he was just flying a kite.” Hammer away at. To keep working on (a problem etc.) “We’ll hammer away at this problem until we get it solved.” Stir up a hornet’s nest. To do something which causes a great deal of anger & resentment. “He really stirred up a hornet’s nest when he tried to change the way the office was run. Keep open house. To be prepared to entertain anyone who arrives. “They keep open house for all their friends.”

3. Idioms Turn over a new leaf. To begin a new & better way of behaving, working, etc. “He has been to jail several times, but now he has turned over a new leaf.” Tie oneself up in knots. To get oneself into a confused or difficult situation. “She tied herself up in knots trying to explain why she had told a lie.” Lightning never strikes the same place twice. A saying, meaning that an unusual accident, mishap etc. is very unlikely to be repeated exactly. To gild the lily. To add unnecessary decoration, exaggeration etc. to something already beautiful. “I think it would be gilding the lily to wear diamonds with that dress.”

4. Idioms Hit the nail on the head. To be absolutely accurate. “You hit the nail on the head when you said that she would become a doctor.” Parrot- fashion. Without understanding the meaning of what one has learnt, is saying etc. “He just repeats what his brother says, parrot- fashion.” To rest on one’s oars. To rest, esp. after working very hard. “After the hard work of the last two weeks, I think I am entitled to rest on my oars for a day or two.” Pigs might fly. An expression indicating that something is very unlikely to happen. “We might get an extra holiday next week.” “Yes, pigs might fly!”

5. Idioms Like a red rag to a bull. Certain to make a person angry. “Criticizing his brother in front of him is like a red rag to a bull.” (From the widespread belief that the sight of the colour red makes the bull angry. In fact, bulls are colour-blind) To build on sand. To try to establish something without security or support. “Their friendship was built on sand because they had nothing in common.” Tip the scales. To be the small fact, happening etc. which causes events to happen in a certain way, a decision to be made, etc. “The match was a very close one, but Anil’s experience finally tipped the scales in his team’s favour.” Rant & rave. To talk angrily about something. “He is still ranting & raving about the damage to his car.”