100 American Idioms: Popular US Expressions Explained

 

Funny American Idioms Related to Animals

There are many examples of idioms in the English language. Some of the most entertaining American English idioms refer to animals, even though they're really not about animals at all.

• ants in your pants - can't sit still
• barking up the wrong tree - having the wrong impression of a person or situation
• bats in the belfry - indicates that someone is behaving in an eccentric or less than sane manner
• beef up - to strengthen something
• eager beaver - someone who is very eager or excited to do something
• earworm - thinking about a song or lyrics from a song over and over
• elephant in the room - something that everyone in the room is aware of that probably needs to be addressed
• for the birds - something that is silly, ridiculous or ludicrous
• get your ducks in a row - make proper plans; get things in order
• gets my goat - something that really bothers or annoys someone
• hair of the dog that bit you - whatever caused you to be in the situation you're in, go get more of that
• hold your horses - slow down; stop and think about what you're doing
• on a fishing expedition - trying to get information out of someone without being fully aware of what you're looking for
• monkey business - silliness or goofing off; breaking the rules
• plenty of fish in the sea - there are plenty of other dating prospects out there
• put lipstick on a pig - if you dress up ugly, there's still ugly underneath
• quit cold turkey - to give up something all at once rather than gradually weaning off it
• running around like a chicken with your head cut off - being confused, disorganized, or unsure of where to get started or what to do next
• sh** eating grin - a snarky, knowing smile
• smell a rat - to get a sense that there is a problem with something
• straight from the horse's mouth - got information directly from the most knowledgeable source
• to be a fly on the wall - to wish to witness what is going on without anyone being aware that you are there
• zebras don't change their stripes - don't expect anyone to be anything other than who they really are

American Sports Idioms

Sports are massively popular in America, so it shouldn't be surprising to find out that there are a ton of cool sports-related idioms.

• behind the eight ball - in a difficult position
• call the shots - to make the decisions; to decide what will be done
• cheap shot - to take advantage of someone when they are down
• dead ringer - a duplicate or double, something that looks just like another
• down to the wire - completing or finishing something with no extra time remaining
• drop the ball - to make a basic mistake
• game plan - to put a plan in place; to decide how things should be handled
• get the ball rolling - to begin or get started; to put things into motion
• get ahead of the game - to have an advantage over others
• get a kick out of it - to be amused by something
• give it your best shot - try as hard as you possibly can; put forth your best effort
• hit the mark - to find the perfect or ideal solution; to be in exactly the right place
• hit below the belt - to capitalize on an opponent's vulnerabilities in an unfair way
• in the ballpark - close to a suitable amount or suggestion
• know the score - be aware of all relevant factors and variables
• make the cut - to be chosen, selected or included in something
• Monday morning quarterback - someone who tries to call the shots after the action is already over
• move the goalposts - to set your sights or standards even higher; to make something more challenging
• out of your league - above or beyond what one is capable of attaining
• political football - an issue that politicians argue in circles about or seek to use for their own political gain
• skin in the game - having a vested interest in how something turns out
• the ball is in your court - it's your turn to act or respond
• to go to bat - to speak out positively about someone or something with the intent of helping
• to run interference - to try to remove obstacles that are in someone's way; clearing the way for someone else
• to take sides - to choose a team
• toe the line - to stay within the acceptable boundary or limits

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American Idioms About Body Parts

It's a bit more surprising to learn that a lot of American idioms reference body parts than it is to find out just how many focus on sports terminology. Many of the most commonly used idioms reference anatomy in some way. Several options are listed below, and you'll find even more in this list of common idioms using body parts.

• apply some elbow grease - put some physical effort into what you're doing
• armed to the teeth - in possession of a lot of weapons
• bare bones - a very basic model or version, with no extras or add-ons
• bundle of nerves - very nervous or anxious about something
• by the skin of your teeth - just barely
• get it off your chest - share information about something that has been bothering you
• give me a hand - please help or assist me with something
• go behind one's back - to sneak and do something without telling someone who should be aware
• go belly up - go out of business; to lose everything
• green thumb - to be good at gardening; having good skills or luck with growing flowers or vegetables
• I'm all ears - the person is prepared and ready to listen to what you have to say
• it's like pulling teeth - something that requires a lot of effort
• itchy feet - someone is getting restless; being ready to move on to the next activity
• joined at the hip - people who seem to be together all the time
• keep at arm's length - to deliberately not let someone get too close
• long in the tooth - old; of advanced years
• need elbow room - to prefer to have plenty of space between you and other people
• no skin off my nose - something isn't going to affect you, so you don't really care
• pick your brain - to ask questions to find out someone's thoughts or opinions on a topic
• play it by ear - to move forward without a specific plan; to figure things out along the way
• slap on the wrist - a minor caution against doing something rather than an actual punishment
• stick your neck out - to take a chance on another person in a way that could impact your reputation
• wet behind the ears - doesn't have very much experience; isn't very skilled
• your neck of the woods - the general area where someone lives

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Weird American Idioms

American idioms aren't limited to animals, sports or body parts. Check out these weird figures of speech encompassing all kinds of topics and terms.

• a dime a dozen - refers to something that's very common, so it doesn't have much value or worth
• bang for your buck - get the most benefit possible out of the money you spend
• bought the farm - to die unexpectedly
• don't let the inmates run the asylum - those who are in charge should make the decisions rather than those in subordinate rolls
• freeze someone out - to deliberately leave someone out; to choose not to include someone who would expect to be included
• go Dutch - to pay your own way when going somewhere with another person or a group of people
• going forward - the next time or on a future occasion
• graveyard shift - working through the overnight hours
• jump on the bandwagon - to do something because everyone is doing it
• hold the line - to stay on the telephone to wait for the party you are calling to become available
• give something a fair shake - to try something for a while before deciding that it isn't for you
• looney tunes - someone who may not be mentally healthy
• party pooper - someone who puts a stop to the fun
• pass the buck - blame someone else for something or make someone else responsible for a difficult or unpleasant task
• put a pin in this - stop discussing or working this now, with plans to come back to it later
• reach out to someone - ask someone for information
• riding shotgun - riding in the front passenger seat of a car or truck
• shoot the breeze - make small talk; have a casual conversation
• spill the beans - to reveal information you were not supposed to share
• stick to something like white on rice - to cling tightly with no possibility of letting go
• that really knocked my socks off - to be really impressed by something
• think outside the box - think of new ideas outside the norm
• to take a rain check - to say no to an invitation when it is given, but suggest that it is likely to be accepted in the future
• top of the line - the best possible version of something; the most luxurious or expensive options
• touch base - to communicate with someone regarding future plans
• up my alley - something that you really like, or something that is within your skillset
• wet blanket - someone who is dull and keeps others from having fun
• your John Hancock - your official signature

How to improve my speech without living in the target country?

 

Many years ago, people did not have this opportunity to use technologies... The only way they were able to practice their conversational skills, was to live and/or work/study there. That is how they used to have the perfect exposure to the language 24/7 (by going shopping, at work, by getting to know other people in order to socialize, .... ). Once everything was over, they would forget their target language because they would use only the native language and they would stop using the target one.

Thank Goodness, we have internet in nowadays. This thing definitely changed our life for better. How's that even possible?

1. Even though it is better if you can travel and practice your language skills...now it is not A MUST. In order to practice your language skills you can use some apps such as:

1. italki, tandem, hellotalk, speaky, etc

2. you can find a lot of interesting and useful materials that could help you with any language aspect: listening, reading, writing, conversation

3. you can practice your language skills by watching interesting and/or useful videos, listening to some podcasts, etc

and so on.

On italki, being active is essential. It means you'll need to:

a) to do an exercise (to type about whatever you want and/or record your voice)

b) to ask a question (for example...it can be about a specific idiom you heard, the meaning of some word, about grammar, etc)

c) to put a post (it's like a replacement for articles...where you can share about your culture or your special method for language learning)

d) this is optional --- you can book lesson(s) with your italki teacher and then a teacher can help you reach your goals. In order to do it, here you are a link:

https://www.italki.com/en/teachers/english

BOOK now and get some extra italki credits.

That's how you are going to attract people's attention and they'll be more than willing to help you with your language skills.

The applıcatıons for language exchange wıll have sense if your level is about A2 or more because you'll be able to speak to this person at least about some basic things such as (your personal data, your hobbies, your daily routine, ... ).

On ITALKi you can do so many things:

a. take an online lesson with your teacher (choose the teacher wisely. If you are a polyglot like me and you mostly learn by yourself, then go ahead and work with a community tutor with a good command of English. This person is going to be able to make the most of your lessons and to personalize it towards your needs and goals much easier.

On the other hand, if you prefer the structured lesson (because you are shy, because you don't know how to learn a language by yourself etc) then, it's better to hire a professional teacher to help you.

I know they are a bit expensive, but if you take in consideration that: they know how to teach (because they have experience) + they are certified for teaching (because they finished the faculty of philology and/or they have TEFL/ELE, ... certificate), etc So, it only shows their credibility so you could be 1000000% sure they'll be able to help you reach your language goals.

b. You can use ITALKI community in order to attract people's attention. You need to go to "community" option, and you'll need to

1. ask a language/cultural question (when you do it, do your best to be as specific as you can - tell what is it about, how did you come up with that, when did you hear it and from whom etc

The more information you provide us, the better we are going to be able to help you

2. do an exercise (you can write and or talk (by recording your voice - 1 min) about your own personal diary in your target language, about your travel diary etc whatever comes to your mind, just use the target language

3. create a post - You can write small articles about any topic you want - travel, language learning, language teaching, etc

4. Correct exercises of other users and/or answer the questions they made regarding your mother tongue

Only if people see you active there, other users will come to you and trust me, they'll be glad to give you a hand with your target language when they see how much effort you put in learning it but also in helping others. They will contact you in a private message and then you'll be able to exchange a chat tool (Skype, zoom, ... and that's how you'll be able to have a meaningful and regular language practice FOR FREE)

On tandem there is a beautiful thing called "language party" and usually they find a topic to talk about and then people discuss about it. If you think you're not good enough to talk, no worries....just listen...the bigger exposure you get, the more you'll learn. Plus, on tandem, you can record the parties/use whiteboard/, ... and share it with other participants so that all of you can listen later. Of course, you can always find the person you want to speak with by using some features such as:

a. country

b. level of prophiency

c. sex (man or woman)

d. age

etc

That is how you can have audio or video private call.

If you are going to ask me: Can I use this app for dating? My answer is NO. This app is ONLY for language learning and language practice + making new friendships.

If you can't help but only want to date....well, change your app. You can use other app which is made for it such as: badoo, tinder, etc

Hellotalk is a similar app to tandem. You can also attend some language parties called "Voice parties" but you can attend only to one party at one moment. If you want to change party room, you have to switch the app completely, to open it again and then to change other app.

However, there are other differences as well, such as:

a. a free user can learn only one language but a VIP user can learn 3 languages.

b. you can create your own posts and practice your writing and/or pronunciation - for free

etc

In order to read more about the language exchange apps, feel free to visit this app: https://learnlanguagesfromhome.com/language-exchange-apps-websites/

My advice is to start to talk at least to greet someone and to say some things with as simple vocabulary as possible. When you don't know some advanced word, such as "gorgeous" you can use simple words to describe it such as: very beautiful and attractive woman.

Also, whenever you decide to talk to somebody - if you are a beginner:

a. ask your language partner to work on pronunciation together

b. ask your language partner to help you learn some essential vocabulary and phrases

c. ask your language partner to work with some specific book together. If you study English, I strongly recommend ENGLISH UNLIMITED book

d. ask your language partner to repeat everything slowly and to write it down for you so you can learn it better

e. ask your language partner to use the new word in some phrases, so you can understand when and how to learn it.

f. If your level is intermediate/advance, feel free to ask your language partner not to correct every single mistake you made ONLY if you are able to proof this person you know all of this (by explaining the grammar rules, the meaning of the word, etc to the speaker.) but only if your mistakes are big ones and serious ones.

f. If your level is intermediate/advanced, feel free to ask your language partner to watch some AD / cartoon/, ... to read a story together and then to discuss it together.

g. DO NOT put "swearing" as your priority. I know, swearing is also an important part of a language...and I do know you'd like to know if anyone thinks badly about you and/or about your country. However, there are so many more beautiful and useful words and phrases to learn (i.e. school, travel, law, IT, ... )

You can learn swearing ONLY when you feel confident enough to speak in that language without any problem.

e. If someone asks you what does X mean in your language, DO NOT trick this person and DO NOT give a swearing word or something inappropriate as an answer. This is so mean and not so nice, for sure.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

Have a nice day.