Summary of 100+ Common IELTS Idioms by Topic

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Make a living

To earn money to support oneself

My new next-door neighbor makes a living as a car mechanic.

Make ends meet

To earn enough money to live on

When I was 15 years old, my parents were so grateful that I got a job to help us make ends meet.

Call it a day/call it a night

To stop working

We left the party and I wanted to call it a night, but Martha invited people back for coffee.

Be cut out (for/to be)

To have the skills or ability

His fear of flying means that he's definitely not cut out to be a pilot.

Wet behind the ears

Inexperienced, naive

You're still wet behind the ears.

Put all one's eggs in one basket

To risk everything on a single venture

I'm applying for several jobs because I don't really want to put all my eggs in one basket.

Beat the clock

To complete something before a deadline

He beat the clock and booked an English course before prices increased!

Burn the candle at both ends

To work extremely hard, staying up late and getting up early

Since starting my new job, I have been burning the candle at both ends.

Back to the drawing board

To start over because something didn't work as planned

The project was not going as planned, so we got back to the drawing board and fixed what's going wrong.

To learn the ropes

To learn the basics of a job

They have three weeks to learn the ropes before they head off.

Keep your nose to the grindstone

To work hard for a long period

Your job was to keep your nose to the grindstone writing these three-minute wonders.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Hunt for bargains

To look for good deals

The week after Christmas is the best time to hunt for bargains.

Go window-shopping

To look at shop displays without buying

They frequently went to Manchester to go window shopping.

Cost an arm and a leg

Very expensive

I want to buy a house by the beach, but it may cost me an arm and a leg.

Take back

To return an item

You can take back this jacket if you are not satisfied with it.

Pour money down the drain

To waste money

I don't know why you pour money down the drain on such useless things.

Fit like a glove

To fit perfectly

My dress fits like a glove.

The in thing

Fashionable, trendy

The iPhone 14 Pro Max is really the in thing at the moment.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Let one's hair down

To relax and enjoy oneself

This vacation is just the right way for me to loosen up and enjoy myself.

Give sb a lift

To offer someone a ride

I jumped on the back of his motorbike and he gave me a lift to the station.

Hit the road

To start a journey

We have to be there by 10 am, so we're hitting the road early tomorrow.

At the crack of dawn

Very early in the morning

I often start work at the crack of dawn when there is a big order to get out.

Off the beaten track

Remote, isolated

They rusticated in villages off the beaten track for nearly fifteen years.

Live out of a suitcase

To travel frequently, not staying in one place

It's time you settled down, Eric. Don't live out of a suitcase any longer.

Have/get/give [someone] itchy feet

To want to travel

I didn't like living in Texas. I started getting itchy feet.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Love at first sight

Immediate attraction

For Sarah and Samuel, it was love at first sight, and they have now decided to get married.

Fall head over heels in love with someone

To fall deeply in love

We crossed paths one night at a bar and I fell head over heels in love.

On cloud nine

Extremely happy

When Michael was born, I was on cloud nine.

Break someone's heart

To cause emotional pain

He broke her heart when he left her for another woman.

Wear your heart on your sleeve

To show emotions openly

I can tell that Mary is depressed after her broken relationship. She wears her heart on her sleeve.

A long face

Sad or disappointed expression

If you go to the party, don't spoil your uncle's evening with a long face.

To be in (someone's) shoes

To understand someone's situation

If you could just put yourself in his shoes for a moment, perhaps you would understand.

Green with envy

Very jealous

Her new house makes me green with envy.

Down in the dumps

Sad or depressed

My family was down in the dumps because our dog died.

Sit on the fence

To be indecisive

Nana always sits on the fence when she goes shopping.

Feel like two cents

To feel embarrassed

I feel like two cents everytime I meet you.

Be the apple of one's eye

To be someone's favorite

Tony is the apple of my eye; he's not only handsome but also very gallant.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Pass with flying colors

To succeed exceptionally well

In my view Reagan had come through with flying colors.

Learn by heart

To memorize completely

I had to learn the whole book by heart to pass the history test.

Rack one's brain

To think very hard

I've been racking my brain all day but I can't remember her name.

No pain no gain

Nothing is achieved easily

His legs are aching, but no pain, no gain.

Not do things by halves

To do something thoroughly

I'm sure it will be a fantastic wedding. Eva never does anything by halves.

To think outside the box

To think creatively

My boss always thinks outside the box.

Brush up on

To review or practice

As you learn new vocabulary, it's good to brush up on it regularly.

Teacher's pet

Teacher's favorite student

In fact, she was the teacher's pet, and everyone hated her.

Hit the books

To study hard

His dad urged him to hit the books and focus on more practical pursuits, he said.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Born with a silver spoon in one's mouth

Born into a wealthy family

He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so he has never known what hard work is.

Flesh and blood

Family relations

You can't just let your own flesh and blood go to prison if there's any way you can help.

Run in the family

Common family trait

Talk to your doctor about any illnesses that run in your family.

Black sheep

Family outcast

Michael's younger brother was the black sheep of the family.

Men make houses, women make homes

Traditional roles in family

Folks rumored that men make houses, women make homes. So, in Viet Nam, men often work outside to earn money, while women take care of the home.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Eat like a horse

To eat a lot

Rohit is thin as a stick yet he eats like a horse.

Make one's mouth water

To look or smell delicious

The smell of oven-fresh baked pizza made my mouth water.

Spoil one's appetite

To lose desire to eat

Looking at the gruesome video of the chickens being slaughtered at KFC made me lose my appetite.

Have one's cake and eat it (too)

To want two incompatible things

You can't have your cake and eat it – if you want more local services, you can't expect to pay less tax.

Take a rain check (on something)

To decline an invitation

They wanted me to come along for dinner but I took a rain check.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Ill at ease

Uncomfortable or anxious

The body is ill at ease, perceiving itself as something irrevocably left behind.

Pull your socks up

To improve performance

He's going to have to pull his socks up if he wants to stay in the team.

At death's door

Very ill, near death

My grandpa was so ill. The doctor said he was at death's door.

Safe and sound

Unharmed

Make sure everyone is safe and sound after the earthquake.

Kick the bucket

To die

Our neighbor is about to kick the bucket – he has some sort of kidney infection.

Fight for one's life

To struggle to survive

Mary won a desperate fight for life and went on to make a full recovery.

Feeling under the weather

Feeling unwell

I'm feeling under the weather – I think I'm getting a cold.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Set alarm bells ringing

To cause concern

The decision has set alarm bells ringing at human rights organizations.

Do wonders for something/somebody

To have a very good effect

The change of diet has done wonders for my skin.

Get back to nature

To reconnect with nature

It is a great way to get back to nature.

A drop in the ocean

A very small amount

We're just a drop in the ocean compared to the big investors.

A hot potato

A controversial issue

I am the first to realize what a political hot potato it is.

Rain cats and dogs

To rain heavily

I think I'll stay home today. It's raining cats and dogs and I don't want to drive.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

None of one's business

Not someone's concern

I know when to stay away from things that are none of my business.

Plain sailing

Easy progress

He is pleased to report that the tour has been plain sailing.

Pressed for time

Short on time

But since we are mostly pressed for time in the morning, a lavish breakfast becomes an impossible idea most of the time.

Better late than never

Better to do something late than not at all

We only arrived at the game at halftime but better late than never.

Tighten one's belt

To reduce spending

Clearly, if you are spending more than your income, you'll need to tighten your belt.

Save money for a rainy day

Save for future needs

Deposit it into your savings account to save for a rainy day.

Dog-eat-dog world

Highly competitive environment

The music industry is a dog-eat-dog world; one day you're on top and the next, everyone forgets you.

An even playing field

Fair conditions

Given an even playing field, girls tend to do better at school than boys.

It never rains but it pours

Problems/good things come all at once

We had nothing to do for weeks, then suddenly we have all this work to do: it never rains but it pours!

A blessing in disguise

Something good that seemed bad initially

It will be broken very badly, but that in itself will be a blessing in disguise.

Idiom

Meaning

Example

Have a whale of a time

To enjoy oneself very much

We had a whale of a time on holiday.

Fight like cat and dog

To argue constantly

My brother and I are very close in age and we used to fight like cats and dogs.

A friend in need (is a friend indeed)

True friends help in difficult times

He stayed with me throughout the time I was in the hospital, a friend in need is a friend indeed!

Get on like a house on fire

To become friends quickly

Both sets of fans appear to be getting on like a house on fire.

Birds of a feather flock together

Similar people stick together

Barry and Iris are always together, they both love horse racing, it just shows that birds of a feather flock together.

Know someone inside out

To know someone very well

Liam has played for some of the greatest clubs in Europe and knows the game inside out.

Go back a long way

To have known each other for a long time

We go back a long way, and she's always kept in touch, always been there for me.

Talk man to man / Have a man-to-man chat with

To have a serious, direct conversation

I think I need to have a man-to-man chat with you about the dangers of game addiction.