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Idioms: Everyday Sayings

Common idioms and what they really mean.

72 cardsGrades 3–5, Grades 6–8#idioms#figurative language

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72 cards
  • a piece of cakeIdiom
    Very easy
  • break the iceIdiom
    Start a friendly conversation
  • under the weatherIdiom
    Feeling a bit sick
  • once in a blue moonIdiom
    Very rarely
  • spill the beansIdiom
    Tell a secret
  • hit the hayIdiom
    Go to bed
  • cost an arm and a legIdiom
    Be very expensive
  • let the cat out of the bagIdiom
    Tell a secret by accident
  • raining cats and dogsIdiom
    Raining very hard
  • the ball is in your courtIdiom
    It is your turn to act
  • bite the bulletIdiom
    Face something hard bravely
  • cut cornersIdiom
    Do a job badly to save time or money
  • pull someone's legIdiom
    Tease someone as a joke
  • hold your horsesIdiom
    Wait and be patient
  • sit on the fenceIdiom
    Not choose a side
  • the last strawIdiom
    The final problem that makes you lose patience
  • actions speak louder than wordsIdiom
    What you do matters more than what you say
  • barking up the wrong treeIdiom
    Making a wrong choice
  • beat around the bushIdiom
    Avoid getting to the point
  • best of both worldsIdiom
    Getting two good things at once
  • burn the midnight oilIdiom
    Work late into the night
  • call it a dayIdiom
    Stop working
  • cry over spilled milkIdiom
    Be upset over something that cannot be changed
  • cut the mustardIdiom
    Be good enough
  • don't count your chickensIdiom
    Don't count on something before it happens
  • get out of handIdiom
    Become hard to control
  • give the cold shoulderIdiom
    Ignore on purpose
  • go the extra mileIdiom
    Do more than is needed
  • hit the nail on the headIdiom
    Be exactly right
  • in hot waterIdiom
    In trouble
  • jump on the bandwagonIdiom
    Join a popular trend
  • keep an eye onIdiom
    Watch carefully
  • let sleeping dogs lieIdiom
    Leave a problem alone
  • make a long story shortIdiom
    Tell it quickly
  • miss the boatIdiom
    Miss a chance
  • on cloud nineIdiom
    Very happy
  • out of the blueIdiom
    Suddenly and unexpectedly
  • play it by earIdiom
    Decide as things happen
  • put your foot in your mouthIdiom
    Say something embarrassing
  • read between the linesIdiom
    Find the hidden meaning
  • rule of thumbIdiom
    A rough guide
  • see eye to eyeIdiom
    Agree
  • sit tightIdiom
    Wait where you are
  • speak of the devilIdiom
    The person we were talking about just showed up
  • steal the showIdiom
    Get all the attention
  • take it with a grain of saltIdiom
    Don't believe it completely
  • the whole nine yardsIdiom
    Everything
  • throw in the towelIdiom
    Give up
  • time fliesIdiom
    Time passes quickly
  • tip of the icebergIdiom
    Only a small visible part of a bigger problem
  • under your noseIdiom
    Right in front of you
  • walk on eggshellsIdiom
    Be very careful not to upset someone
  • when pigs flyIdiom
    Never
  • you can't judge a book by its coverIdiom
    Looks do not show what something is really like
  • zip your lipIdiom
    Stay quiet
  • butterflies in your stomachIdiom
    Feeling nervous
  • chip on your shoulderIdiom
    Holding a grudge
  • cold feetIdiom
    Sudden nervousness before doing something
  • fish out of waterIdiom
    Someone in an unfamiliar place
  • get a taste of your own medicineIdiom
    Be treated the way you treat others
  • head in the cloudsIdiom
    Daydreaming
  • in the doghouseIdiom
    In trouble with someone
  • leave no stone unturnedIdiom
    Try every possible way
  • lend a handIdiom
    Help
  • piece of workIdiom
    A difficult or strange person
  • pig outIdiom
    Eat too much
  • saved by the bellIdiom
    Rescued just in time
  • sick as a dogIdiom
    Very ill
  • the apple of my eyeIdiom
    Someone very dear
  • two peas in a podIdiom
    Very much alike
  • up in the airIdiom
    Not decided yet
  • wild goose chaseIdiom
    A useless search

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