English Idioms

plain sailing

Meaning: If something is plain sailing, it's very easy to do and there are no problems to overcome.

see eye to eye

Meaning: If you see eye to eye with someone, you totally agree with them about something.

wide of the mark

Meaning: If something is wide of the mark, it isn't true or accurate, or it misses the target.

keep abreast of

Meaning: If you keep abreast of something, you always know about the latest news and developments in relation to it.

a pain in the neck

Meaning: You can say someone is a pain in the neck if they annoy you, or something is a pain in the neck if you don't like doing it.

jump on the bandwagon

Meaning: If someone jumps on the bandwagon, they join a movement or follow a fashion that has recently become popular.

talk turkey

Meaning: If you talk turkey, you discuss something seriously, usually to do with business or money.

ahead of the game

Meaning: You are ahead of the game if you have an advantage over your competitors in any activity in which you try to do better than others, such as in business, academia, sports, etc.

back to square one

Meaning: If you have to go back to square one, you have to stop and start again, usually because something isn't working as well as expected.

eat your words

Meaning: If you eat your words, you admit that something you said was wrong.

I owe you one!

Meaning: You can say "I owe you one!" when someone has done something for you and you'd be happy to return the favour one day.

a one-track mind

Meaning: If someone has a one-track mind, they spend most of their time thinking about one subject.

It's written all over your face.

Meaning: If you say "it's written all over your face", you're saying that the expression on someone's face is showing their true feelings or thoughts.

kill the goose that lays the golden egg

Meaning: If you kill the goose that lays the golden egg, you destroy something that has made you a lot of money.

easy come, easy go

Meaning: You can say "easy come, easy go" to express the idea that if something comes to someone easily, such as money they get without working hard for it, they can lose it just as easily and it won't matter to them much.

one in a million

Meaning: If you say someone is "one in a million", you mean they're an exceptionally good person.

in the dark

Meaning: If you're in the dark about something, you don't know about it.

a chip off the old block

Meaning: Someone can be described as a chip off the old block if they are very similar in character to one of their parents, usually their father.

know your stuff

Meaning: If you know your stuff, you're very good at what you do, and you know a lot about it.

No way!

Meaning: You can say "No way!" when you want to strongly reject an offer, a request, or a suggestion.

zero tolerance

Meaning: If something is given zero tolerance, it won't be accepted even once.

take into account

Meaning: If you take something or someone into account, you consider them when making a decision or making plans.

come up trumps

Meaning: If you come up trumps, you succeed in something that you may not have been expected to succeed in.