An idiom is a word or phrase that is not meant to be taken literally.
For example, if you say someone has “cold feet”, it doesn’t mean their feet are actually cold. Rather, it means that they are nervous or scared or fearful about something.
If someone says they are feeling “under the weather”, it has nothing to do with the weather. It means the person is feeling unwell or somewhat ill.
Here are some common idioms along with their meanings. Can you use these in sentences of your own?
| Idiom | Definition or Synonym |
| Backseat driver | A passenger who tells the driver how to drive a vehicle |
| Ballpark figure | Approximate estimate, rough guess (in figures) |
| Bark at the moon | Do something useless or futile, waste time and energy |
| Bark up the wrong tree | Accuse or pursue the wrong person, follow the wrong path |
| Be about to | Ready to act, prepared to take action |
| Be all in | Extremely tired, exhausted |
| Be back on one’s feet | Regain one’s health or one’s health, bounce back after a setback |
| Be behind the times | Be outdated, be old fashioned, not follow the latest trends or developments |
| Be besides oneself | Be very upset, nervous, worried, hassled, anxious |
| Be better off | To be in a favourable condition, especially financially |
| Be broke | Have no money, be penniless, be bankrupt |
| Be hard on | Treat roughly or harshly, be unsympathetic |
| Be high on one’s list | Something that is very important or urgent, something that is a matter of priority, something that needs urgent attention |
| Be in charge of something | Be responsible for |
| Be in good health | Be healthy |
| Be in poor health | Be not healthy, suffer poor health, be ill, be weak |
| Be in good shape | Be physically fit and healthy, be in a good condition |
| Be in bad shape | Be in a bad state or poor condition, face difficulty or adversity |
| Be in the red | Be in debt, owe money to someone |
| Be in / at the point of something | Be at the verge of something, about to start something new, about to say or do something |
| Be out of date | Be outdated, be old fashioned, not keeping up with the latest developments, news, or trends |
| Be out of sorts | Be in a bad temper |
| Be pressed for time | Not have enough time |
| Be pressed for money | Not have enough money |
| Be to blame | Be responsible for a mistake or for something that goes wrong, |
| Be touch and go | Risky, dangerous, something with uncertain or unknown results |
| Be up to one’s ears in work | Be very busy |
| Beat around / about the bush | Avoid giving a clear, definite answer or response |
| Beat one’s brains out | Make a great effort, work very hard, struggle a lot, often unsuccessfully |
| Before long | Soon |