English · Rich vocabulary
Idioms & expressions
Sayings that mean more than the sum of the words.
What are idioms?
Idioms are special phrases where the words together mean something different from their usual meanings. If someone says 'it's raining cats and dogs', no animals are falling from the sky! The phrase means it's raining very heavily. Idioms add colour and interest to our writing and speech.
Why do we use idioms?
Idioms make language more vivid and expressive. Instead of saying 'she was nervous', you could say 'she had butterflies in her stomach'. Instead of 'he revealed a secret', try 'he let the cat out of the bag'. These sayings create stronger mental pictures.
Understanding idioms in context
The surrounding words help you work out what an idiom means. If a story says 'Tom had butterflies in his stomach before the test', the word 'before' suggests worry or nerves. Context clues are your best friend when meeting new idioms.
Common idioms to know
Some idioms appear often in books and conversation. 'Break a leg' means good luck. 'Piece of cake' means something easy. 'Under the weather' means feeling ill. Learning these will help you understand stories and speak more naturally.
Worked examples
1. What does 'costs an arm and a leg' mean in this sentence? The new phone costs an arm and a leg.
- Read the phrase in context: it's describing the cost of a phone.
- Think about what 'an arm and a leg' could suggest – these are valuable body parts.
- The idiom means something is very expensive, not that you lose body parts!
- Answer: The phone is very expensive.
2. What does 'hit the nail on the head' mean? Sarah hit the nail on the head with her answer.
- Look at the context: Sarah gave an answer.
- Hitting a nail perfectly on the head means doing something exactly right.
- The idiom means Sarah's answer was exactly correct or perfectly accurate.
- Answer: Sarah was completely right.
3. What does 'pull your socks up' mean? The teacher told me to pull my socks up.
- Consider the situation: a teacher is giving advice or instruction.
- This idiom doesn't literally mean adjust your clothing.
- It means to make more effort or improve your work.
- Answer: I need to work harder and do better.
Try it yourself
What does 'barking up the wrong tree' mean in this sentence? You're barking up the wrong tree if you think I ate your biscuits.
Ready to test yourself?
Take a short topic test — every question maps to a syllabus point so you’ll see exactly which parts you’ve mastered.