Top 10 Most Popular Idioms

Idioms are an essential part of any language, offering a fun and creative way to express complex ideas or emotions with just a few words. An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from the literal meanings of the individual words. For example, if someone says something is a piece of cake, they don't mean it's actually dessert. They mean it's very easy to do. These expressions are often culturally specific, yet their charm lies in how widely they can be understood once explained.
The Top Ten
Don't judge a book by its cover It means one should not form opinions about people or things based solely on appearances. Its origin is unclear but has been commonly used since the mid-20th century.

Never speak badly about someone until you really know about them.

I heard this idiom from my tutors a lot of times. This is a good idiom.

Better late than never It emphasizes that completing a task or arriving late is preferable to not at all. The phrase dates back to ancient Greek and Latin literature.

It's better to be late than not to come at all.

Two birds with one stone This idiom means accomplishing two objectives with a single effort, and it dates back to a 1656 translation of The Proverbs of John Heywood.

I don't know anyone who hasn't used this at least once in their life.

Cat got your tongue? It means being unusually quiet, and its origin is unclear but may be linked to naval practices or 19th-century slang.

When the "cat has got your tongue," it means you can't find proper words in certain situations. Happy learning.

I think it is like when a teacher yells at you and you do not know what to do or say.

From, Mimi

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush This means it's better to hold onto something certain than risk losing it for something more uncertain, with origins in medieval falconry.
A piece of cake This idiom refers to something that is very easy to do, with its origin tracing back to 19th-century English and American slang.

I like this idiom because it is always fun to say it to my friends so they will do something.
Example: "This is hard to do, man."
"No, it's easy as pie - I mean cake."
"I'll try, but I don't think I can."

It means something is very easy, even when you might not think it is.

A task that is "like eating a piece of cake" is a task that is easy. Cake, while fattening, is easy to digest. Therefore, doing a task like eating cake is a task that is easy. Thus, the idiom "a piece of cake" was born.

A piece of cake is very often used in America. I think it should be the top idiom. I use it every day. I love cake. Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas.

Love me, love my dog This phrase means accepting someone includes accepting everything about them, including their flaws. It is believed to have originated in the 12th century from St. Bernard of Clairvaux.

If you love someone, you must accept everything about them, even their faults.

Wow, I never even knew that that was an idiom because it is very funny. I like that one. I am going to use it every day.

It reminds me of something important. Thanks to this idiom, I have something to say to him.

Between a rock and a hard place This refers to being faced with two difficult choices and is thought to have originated from a mining dispute in early 20th-century America.

In a very difficult position. Facing a hard decision.

Between a Level 3 Sentry and a Pyro...

You're welcome

The one very common English idiom that doesn't seem to be remembered or thought of as an idiom, but that we use every day, is "You're welcome."

Think about it: If you say, "Thank you," and I say, "You're welcome," then by the literal meaning of the words, what am I welcome to? Am I welcome to thank you again or more often? Am I welcome to your assistance for whatever I thanked you for? Usually not. It's a customary set of words spoken in response to "Thank you," but they have no literal meaning themselves.

Never thought of it this way, but I still agree. Thanks. Oh, wait. Instead of "You're welcome," what should we use? Something like from Seinfeld?

"You are SO good looking." Oh, wait, that's "Bless you."

Really, I'm sorry. What should we use, though?!

To give someone the cold shoulder This means to deliberately ignore or shun someone and originates from the practice of serving guests cold shoulder meat to signal their stay was over in medieval times.

To ignore someone. To reject someone.

My girlfriend always gives me the cold shoulder.

These are such good idioms!

The Newcomers

? Sour grapes This describes pretending to dislike something one cannot have, originating from Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Grapes."

It means something that one cannot have and so disparages as if it were never desirable.

? To pig out This means to eat excessively, originating from American slang in the mid-20th century, likening overeating to the behavior of pigs.
The Contenders
Black and white This refers to something being clear and unambiguous, often relating to printed text, and its usage dates back to the early days of written and printed works.

I love this idiom. For some reason, it just stands out to me. It seems to me that the person who represents black is wrong. (I'm not saying this because of racism - I'm not racist. I'm also Black myself. I just think that the person who is black, figuratively speaking, is wrong because it is darker than the color white.)

When it is very clear who or what is right and wrong, then the situation is black and white.

To get along like a house on fire It describes two people who quickly become close friends and originated in 18th-century England, drawing a metaphor from the rapid spread of fire in a house.

This one really speaks to me. I've got to work this into a song for my very good friend AK!

To have a very good and friendly relationship.

Hit the books This means to study intensely and likely originated from American slang in the mid-20th century.
To chicken out This refers to backing out of something due to fear and likely derives from the game of "chicken" where one avoids collision or confrontation.

To withdraw from something due to fear or cowardice.

To dig deep This means to put in extra effort or search thoroughly, with no specific known origin but common in English for centuries.

1. To give money or other resources generously.
2. To make a great effort to do something. (informal)

The idea here is of thrusting your hands deep into your pockets to find money with which to pay for something.

It also means to find something within yourself: to either forget, forgive, or make a great effort to be brave - "dig deep and find your strength."

Eyes bigger than your stomach This refers to overestimating one's ability to eat and is thought to have originated in ancient Greek or Roman times.
A penny saved is a penny earned This phrase emphasizes the value of saving money and is often attributed to Benjamin Franklin in the 18th century.
To keep a stiff upper lip It means to remain composed and unemotional in difficult situations, originating in early 19th-century England.

To be cool and unmoved by unsettling events.

I love this one. It works in many random situations.

Bite your tongue This means to refrain from speaking, especially to avoid saying something inappropriate, with its origin likely from literal imagery of self-restraint.

If you put your foot down, bite your tongue. If you throw an angry tantrum, bite your tongue.

I like this idiom. It's one I've heard but never thought it was an idiom.

Building castles in the air This refers to creating unrealistic dreams or plans, originating in a literal translation from the French phrase châteaux en Espagne (castles in Spain).

This applies to me because I always make big plans that are never carried out. I will write this on my wall as a reminder!

It's suitable for those who are really imaginative.

The pot calling the kettle black It describes someone accusing another of a fault they themselves have, originating from 17th-century literature.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire This refers to escaping one bad situation only to end up in another worse one, with origins in Aesop's fables.

It means you're getting out of a bad situation and into one that is even worse.

Face the music This means to confront the consequences of one's actions, with origins likely tied to 19th-century military practices or theater.
By hook or by crook It means achieving something by any means necessary and dates back to the 14th century in England, possibly referencing legal rights to collect wood.

"By hook or by crook" is an English phrase meaning "by any means necessary."

In hot water This refers to being in trouble or facing difficulty, with origins in 16th-century European literature.
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