Learning objectives
- Understand what an idiom is and why idiomatic expressions cannot be translated word for word
- Learn the correct meaning of common English idioms
- Use idioms correctly in a sentence, respecting their fixed form
- Recognize the appropriate register (formal or informal) for using idioms
- Avoid the most common errors related to idiomatic expressions
- Recognize idioms in a text and understand them from context
Grammar & vocabulary
What is an idiom?
An idiom is a fixed expression whose overall, figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning of the individual words. Idioms are extremely common in everyday spoken English, and recognizing them is essential for understanding native speakers and Bac reading texts — you cannot always guess an idiom's meaning just by translating the words one by one.
Idioms about feelings and effort
under the weather = feeling slightly ill: "I think I'll stay home today, I'm feeling a bit under the weather." hit the books = to study hard: "I need to hit the books this weekend, I have a big exam on Monday." burn the midnight oil = to work or study late into the night: "She burned the midnight oil all week to finish her project on time." bite the bullet = to force yourself to do something difficult or unpleasant that you have been avoiding: "He finally bit the bullet and booked his dentist appointment."
Idioms about ease, money and frequency
a piece of cake = something very easy: "Don't worry about the test, it'll be a piece of cake." cost an arm and a leg = to be very expensive: "That new laptop cost me an arm and a leg." once in a blue moon = very rarely, almost never: "We only eat out once in a blue moon; we usually cook at home."
Idioms about communication and decisions
break the ice = to say or do something to make people feel more comfortable in a social situation: "The teacher told a joke to break the ice on the first day of class." the ball is in your court = it's your turn to make a decision or take action: "I've explained my proposal — the ball is in your court now." let the cat out of the bag = to reveal a secret, usually by accident: "He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party." be on the same page = to agree, to share the same understanding about something: "Before we start the project, let's make sure we're all on the same page." kill two birds with one stone = to achieve two things by doing a single action: "By walking to work, I get exercise and save money — killing two birds with one stone."
Register: when to use idioms
Most idioms belong to informal or neutral spoken English and are common in conversation, TV shows and casual writing. In very formal writing, such as an official letter or an academic essay, idioms are usually avoided in favor of more neutral vocabulary — for example, saying "very expensive" instead of "cost an arm and a leg" in a formal report.
Common mistakes
Taking idioms literally — 'It's raining cats and dogs' does not mean animals are falling from the sky; it means it is raining very heavily. Understanding idioms requires learning the figurative meaning, not translating word for word.
Changing the fixed wording of an idiom — idioms are fixed expressions, and changing the words usually makes them sound wrong; 'cost an arm and a foot' is incorrect, the correct idiom is 'cost an arm and a leg.'
Using idioms in the wrong context or register — idioms are mostly used in informal, everyday spoken English; using too many idioms in a formal essay can sound out of place.
Confusing similar-sounding idioms with different meanings — for example, confusing 'once in a blue moon' (very rarely) with 'over the moon' (extremely happy) — two different idioms that both mention the moon but mean completely different things.
Translating idioms directly from French or Arabic — idioms rarely translate word for word between languages; a literal translation often makes no sense in English or means something different.
Worked example — The first week of school
Passage
"Meeting new classmates on the first day of school can be stressful, so our teacher organized a game to break the ice. At first, I felt a little under the weather because I hadn't slept well, but the activity helped everyone relax. Later that week, I had to hit the books for an important test — I even burned the midnight oil the night before. Thankfully, the exam turned out to be a piece of cake compared to what I had expected. My friend, however, wasn't so lucky: she had to buy a new calculator for the exam, and it cost her an arm and a leg. Since we don't get days off very often — once in a blue moon, really — we decided to make the most of the weekend."
Explanation
"break the ice" describes the teacher's game to make students feel comfortable. "under the weather" describes feeling slightly unwell, not literally being affected by weather. "hit the books" and "burned the midnight oil" both describe studying hard, the second one emphasizing that it happened late at night. "a piece of cake" describes an exam that turned out to be easy. "cost her an arm and a leg" emphasizes that the calculator was expensive, with no connection to actual body parts. "once in a blue moon" emphasizes how rarely days off happen.
3 practice exercises
Exercise 1
EasyMatch each idiom to its correct meaning. Idioms: 1) a piece of cake 2) under the weather 3) hit the books 4) once in a blue moon. Meanings: a) feeling slightly ill b) very rarely c) something very easy d) to study hard.
Show answer
1-c (a piece of cake = something very easy), 2-a (under the weather = feeling slightly ill), 3-d (hit the books = to study hard), 4-b (once in a blue moon = very rarely).
Exercise 2
MediumFill in each blank with the correct idiom from this list: break the ice, cost an arm and a leg, the ball is in your court, bite the bullet. 1) I know you're nervous about the surgery, but you'll just have to ___ and go through with it. 2) The new phone looked amazing, but it ___ — I couldn't afford it. 3) At the party, the host asked everyone to introduce themselves to ___. 4) I've made my offer; now ___, so let me know what you decide.
Show answer
1) bite the bullet 2) cost an arm and a leg 3) break the ice 4) the ball is in your court.
Exercise 3
HardRewrite each sentence, replacing the underlined idea with the correct idiom from this unit. 1) 'She accidentally revealed the secret before the surprise party.' 2) 'My colleague and I finally have the same understanding about the project.' 3) 'By finishing this errand on my way to work, I'll achieve two things with one action.'
Show answer
1) "She accidentally let the cat out of the bag before the surprise party." 2) "My colleague and I are finally on the same page about the project." 3) "By finishing this errand on my way to work, I'll kill two birds with one stone."
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FAQ
What does 'break the ice' mean?
'Break the ice' means to say or do something to make people feel more comfortable, especially at the start of a conversation, meeting or social situation — for example, 'The teacher told a joke to break the ice on the first day of class.'
What does 'cost an arm and a leg' mean?
'Cost an arm and a leg' means to be very expensive — for example, 'That new laptop cost me an arm and a leg.' It has nothing to do with actual body parts; it simply emphasizes a very high price.
Why shouldn't idioms be translated word for word into another language?
Idioms have a figurative meaning that is different from the literal meaning of the individual words, and this figurative meaning rarely matches across languages — translating an idiom word for word from French or Arabic into English usually produces a sentence that sounds strange or means something completely different.