Idioms

104 English idioms and idiomatic expressions, plus idioms to express anger, happiness, and unhappiness.

Idioms for happiness

♦ Find the perfect idiom to express your happiness with these happiness idioms 

 

Idioms for unhappiness

♦ Or if you're feeling sad, here are some idioms for expressing unhappiness  

 

Idioms for anger

♦ And here are some idioms for expressing anger.

 

Scary idioms

♦ Idioms, phrasal verbs and sayings for Halloween

 

Weather idioms

♦ 33 weather idioms

 

Idioms about language

♦ 9 language-related idioms

 

 

Alphabetical list of idioms

 

Latest idiom: nuts about (someone or something)

 

Idioms beginning with 'A'

a bad egg

a day's grace

an April Fool

an Indian summer

an old flame

a piece of cake

as bright as a button

as cunning as a fox

as different as chalk and cheese

as fresh as a daisy

a show of hands

as prickly as a hedgehog

as proud as a peacock

as sick as a parrot

as the crow flies

a storm in a teacup

as tough as old boots

 

Idioms beginning with 'B'

bats in the belfry

bear garden

big fish in a small pond

bigwig

blue-collar worker

bread and butter

breadwinner

burn the candle at both ends

busman's holiday

 

Idioms beginning with 'C'

cauliflower ear

cheesed off

closed book

couch potato

cowboy outfit

Idioms beginning with 'D'

dead wood

 

Idioms beginning with 'E'

eat humble pie

 

Idioms beginning with 'F'

foul one's nest

full of beans

 

Idioms beginning with 'G'

ghost town

go bananas

(a) good sport

go to seed

grin like a Cheshire cat

guinea pig

Idioms beginning with 'H'

haul over the coals

have one's work cut out

heart of gold

hit the hay

hold the purse strings

hopping mad

 

Idioms beginning with 'I'

I'll eat my hat

in a jam

in clover

in the money

in the twinkling of an eye

 

Idioms beginning with 'K'

keep your chin up

 

Idioms beginning with 'L'

land a plum job

led by the nose

look sheepish

 

Idioms beginning with 'M'

make light work of

mint condition

mud in your eye

(to) mushroom

 

Idioms beginning with 'N'

nest egg

night owl

nineteen to the dozen

nosy parker

not a sausage

not one's cup of tea

not worth a fig

nuts about (someone or something)

 

Idioms beginning with 'O'

once in a blue moon

on tap

on the breadline

out of this world

 

Idioms beginning with 'P'

play possum

play with fire

pull the rabbit out of the hat

put a sock in it

 

Idioms beginning with 'R'

raining cats and dogs

raise the roof

 

Idioms beginning with 'S'

sail through

sandwich course

send to Coventry

skeleton in the cupboard

smell a rat

snake in the grass

soap opera

spend a penny

spill the beans

spring-clean

square meal

sweet tooth

 

Idioms beginning with 'T'

talk turkey

the lion's share

through the grapevine

tip of the iceberg

 

Idioms beginning with 'U'

ugly duckling

up with the lark

 

Idioms beginning with 'W'

water off a duck's back

whale of a time

white-collar worker

work on a shoe-string

work-to-rule

(the) world is one's oyster

 

Recommended books for learning about idioms

The Penguin Dictionary of English Idioms

Oxford Idioms Dictionary for Learners of English

English Idioms in Use Intermediate

English Idioms in Use Advanced edition with answers

Cambridge Idioms Dictionary (7,000+ Idioms) (ELT)