50 Popular English Idioms to Sound Like a Native Speaker

1. CRUNCH TIME: the period of time just before a project has to be completed and everyone has to work hard

• I’m not getting enough sleep these days. It’s crunch time at work.2. LET YOUR FREAK FLAG FLY: to let others see your uniqueness
  
• My colleagues were surprised at the Christmas party- I let my freak flag fly and showed them a break dance routine.

3. GET OUT OF HAND: when you lose control of things, they get out of hand

• The party got out of hand and the guests started to throw bottles at each other.

4. GET YOUR HEAD AROUND IT: to understand something

• I just can’t get my head around the fact that Joe is leaving us.

5. DIG IN YOUR HEELS / STICK TO YOUR GUNS: to refuse to compromise or change your mind

• My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I dug in my heels and went on to become a famous writer.
• My parents wanted me to give up writing, but I stuck to my guns and went on to become a famous writer.

6. POUND THE PAVEMENT: to walk the streets looking for a job

• I’d been pounding the pavement for months before I found a job in a fast food restaurant.

 

7. PULL A RABBIT OUT OF A HAT: to do something unexpected that may have seemed impossible

• I thought we were going bankrupt, but my partner pulled a rabbit out of his hat and we landed a major contract.

8. LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED: to do everything you can to achieve your goal

• I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this.

9. GET IT OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM: to do something you’ve wanted to do for a long time and don’t want to postpone any longer

• I wasn’t sure how she was going to react, but I had to get it out of my system, so I told her I had found another woman.

10. STEP UP YOUR GAME: to start performing better

• If you want to win this competition, you’ll have to step up your game.
• 11. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER: to calm down and behave normally
• I understand you’ve had a bad day, but pull yourself together and get on with your job, will you?

12. SHAPE UP OR SHIP OUT: either start performing better or leave

• This is the last time I’m telling you to arrive on time. Shape up or ship out.

13. CUT SOMEBODY SOME SLACK: to give somebody a break/ not to judge somebody severely

• I was extremely busy last week. Cut me some slack and I’ll finish the report by tomorrow morning.
• 14. BY THE SKIN OF YOUR TEETH: when you do something by the skin of your teeth, you only just succeed/ nearly fail
• I hadn’t studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my teeth.

15. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON: when something rarely ever happens

• We used to see him all the time, but now he just visits us once in a blue moon.

16. GO DOWN IN FLAMES: to end or fail suddenly and spectacularly

• She’d wanted to become Managing Director, but her career went down in flames when they found out she’d been leaking information to our competitors.

17. TAR SOMEONE WITH THE SAME BRUSH: to believe that someone has the same bad qualities as others in a group

• I don’t think much of that band, but the singer shouldn’t be tarred with the same brush. She’s got a fantastic voice.

18. COME OUT SWINGING: to be confrontational and strongly defend yourself at the beginning of a debate

• Our local MP came out swinging against the current leadership and demanded that the government resign.

19. HANG IN THERE: wait and be patient

• I know you’d really like to call him, but I don’t think that’s the right thing to do now. Just hang in there and he will call you.

20. SHOOT FROM THE HIP: to speak directly

• If you want to get on well with your boss, try not to shoot from the hip next time. You don’t want to offend him, do you?
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• 21. GO THE EXTRA MILE: to make a special effort/try very hard to achieve your goal
• If you want to become proficient in English, you’ll have to go the extra mile and start learning idioms.

My English class was great, we learnt so much because our teacher was the best, she always went the extra mile for us
22. RUNNING ON FUMES: to continue to stay awake when feeling exhausted

• I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go home now. I haven’t slept for twenty hours and I’m running on fumes.

23. SOLD ME OUT: to snitch on someone, or let their secret out

• I asked you to keep it to yourself! I can’t believe you sold me out, I trusted you!

24. YOU SOLD ME (ON SOMETHING): you convinced me of something, because you were persuasive

• OK, you’ve sold me. I’ll go to the match with you.

25. BLEW ME AWAY: when something blows you away, you’re extremely impressed by it

• The exhibition just blew me away. I’d never seen so many beautiful paintings before.

26. BLOW SMOKE: to exaggerate or say things that aren’t true to make you seem better/ more knowledgeable than in reality

• I’m not blowing smoke. I have honestly read War and Peace by Tolstoy.
• 27. CRY WOLF: to call for help when you don’t need it
• Do you think Peter is in trouble or is he just crying wolf?

28. COULDN’T CARE LESS: used to express total lack of interest in something

• That man stole a bottle of wine from the shop.
• Oh, really? I couldn’t care less.

29. BE CHUFFED TO BITS: to be pleased and happy
Hey, thanks for the present! I’m chuffed to bits
30. FEELING UNDER THE WEATHER: to be ill or unable to do regular activities

• I think I’m going to have to take the day off work. I feel quite under the weather today.

31. BE TICKLED PINK: to be excited and happy

• She was tickled pink by all the compliments she’d received.

32. A BAKER’S DOZEN: thirteen

• Check out our baker’s dozen language learning tips.

33. COMFORT FOOD: food that makes you feel better, because it reminds you of your childhood

• After a tiring day, it’s so nice to make some comfort food and settle down with a good book.

34. SKELETON CREW: the minimum number of people needed to keep a service/office operating

• Can you come back after the holidays? We’re operating with a skeleton crew at the moment.
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• 35. LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY: to let something happen, no matter what happens next
• I must tell John how I feel about him, let the chips fall where they may.

36. NO-BRAINER: an easy decision

• Do you think I should propose to Judy?
• Come on, it’s a no-brainer. She’s such a fantastic woman!

37. A STONE’S THROW: very near

• The hotel  was a stone’s throw from the beach. I loved it.

38. HEAR ON THE GRAPEVINE: to hear a rumour or unconfirmed story

• I heard on the grapevine that Charlie and Sarah are dating at the moment.

39. SIT ON THE FENCE: to stay neutral and not take sides

• Well don’t you think I’m right, he’s been acting differently hasn’t he?
• I’m sitting on the fence with this one, you’re both my good friends
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• 40. TAKE WHAT SOMEONE SAYS WITH A PINCH OF SALT: regard something as exaggerated, or only believe a part of something
• Did you hear what Tina said happened in the office yesterday?
• Oh, I would take anything she says with a pinch of salt.

41. FREAK OUT: to become very angry, scared or excited

• Mum, don’t freak out! I married a guy in Las Vegas.
• 42. BE A CATCH: be someone worth marrying/having
• John is taking me out tonight. He’s such a catch, I hope he’ll propose.

43. PIECE OF CAKE: when something is extremely easy to do

• Do you think you could beat him in a race?
• Yeah, piece of cake. I’m definitely a lot faster than him.

44. HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD: used if something someone says, is precisely correct

• My doctor hit the nail on the head. He knew exactly what was wrong with me!

45. COSTS AN ARM AND A LEG: when something is very expensive

• My son wants that mountain bike for his birthday, but it’ll cost an arm and a leg!

46. HIT THE BOOKS: to study very hard

• Do you want to go for lunch somewhere nice?
• No thanks, I’m going to hit the books. I have an exam coming up soon.

47. BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW: to take on something that is too much for you to handle

• He recently got promoted and took on some new responsibilities, but he’s just too busy. He bit off more than he could chew, and I don’t think he can handle it anymore.  
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  48. WHEN PIGS FLY: this means that something will never happen
• Aren’t you going to buy that dream house you told me about?
• Ugh, I will when pigs fly. It’s just so expensive, I don’t think it’ll happen.

49. DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER: this means don’t make a decision based on a brief impression or outward appearance

• I don’t like our new neighbours very much, they’re quite strange.
• Hey, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Give them a chance, I think they’re just a bit quirky but really nice!
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• 50. YOU ROCK: you are great
• Thanks for the tickets, Rob. You rock!

51. MISS THE BOAT: when someone has missed their opportunity to do something

• Have you applied for that job yet?
• No, I think I may have missed the boat. I should’ve done it last week.

Excuses for Being Late Because of the Traffic, Family Problems and much more!!!!!!!!

 

You’re late, you’re flustered and in a panic about how your boss is going to react when you get to work or how your mother-in-law is going to feel about you missing the birthday cake. We’ve all been late at one point in our lives and it’s important to have a store of excuses for when you are in trouble!
These excuses that we have ever so graciously put together for you will get you out of any situation you’re put in. Be careful not to use them too often though, people will start realising that you are making up excuses! The other option of course is to be on time and punctual, but who really has the time and the patience to do that?.
Let’s take a look at the categories by which  we are going to classify our excuses:

1. Traffic
2. Family problems
3. Alarm clock
4. Public transport
5. Car problems
6. Police problems
7. Doctor’s appointment
8. Weather

So, let’s get started!

Traffic

Traffic can ruin anyone’s day.
If you have to drive long distances to get to work it’s likely that you will run into traffic, which is when cars, buses and other vehicles have to form long lines due to the amount of people trying to use the roads. You can spend hours of your life sat in traffic, isn’t that sad?
So, if you don’t want to cycle or walk to work here is a sample dialog of an excuse using traffic.

Stuck in traffic
When you have to drive slowly or stop because of the number of vehicles on the road.
Motorway
A large road that is designed for lots of vehicles to travel at high speed.
Gridlocked
When traffic is so bad that cars cannot move.
Rush hour
An extremely busy period on the roads when people are travelling to work or running errands. This is usually at 8 AM and 5 PM.
Traffic incidents
Bad things that have happened to cause traffic, this could be a car accident or an animal might be on the road.
Traffic updates
Usually on the radio or television, there are presenters that watch the traffic and give people news on which roads are busy. This means that people can avoid traffic.
Alternative route
A different way of getting to a destination and avoiding traffic.

Phrasal Verbs List with Meanings and Examples

 

Get on – to have a good relationship with someone.

• I get on really well with the people at work, everyone is very friendly.

Take on – to accept extra work.

• I will take on a lot of extra hours this week, I need the money.

Build on – to use your success to go further.

• She has really built on her excellent work in this department, I think she should be promoted.

[Tweet “Decide on – to choose.”]
Decide on – to choose.

• I’m trying to decide on what type of cake I want for the wedding.

Hold on – to wait.

• Please hold on, the manager isn’t ready to see you yet.

Try on – to try clothes to see if they fit.

• Could I try on this dress in a size ten please?

Go on – to continue

• Sorry about that interruption, please go on.

[Tweet “Carry on – to continue”]
Carry on – to continue

• I carried on with my work after a swim.

Come on – to go down

• Come on down kids! Dinner is ready!

Pile on – to gain weight

• He has been piling on the pounds lately.

• List Of Phrasal Verbs With PUT!

   

  1. Put Aside
  To save
• We have to put some money aside for our trip to New York.

To reserve something for a customer to pick up later.

• We will put this dress aside for you.

To ignore or forget something

• Jeffrey and Mark became really good friends, once they put their differences aside.

2. Put up with
To tolerate

• The neighbors couldn’t put up with our noise anymore, and they called the police. 

To accept an annoying situation or behavior

• We had to put up with her habit of saying out loud what she thinks. She is our aunt after all.

 
3. Put off
To postpone

• We need to put off our trip to Hawaii this year.
   

4. Put away
To clean, to store, to put something in its place after using it

• Please put away your toys, children!
• I will put away my motorcycle in the garage.

To put someone into prison

• They put him away for more than 20 years.

To save money

• Jennifer put some money away for her future children.

5. Put through
To connect somebody through telephone

• I will put you through to the general manager. Hold on a minute!

To make someone experience difficulties

• He put me through a lot of trouble at work today.

6. Put outTo stop from burning

• He put out a fire pretty quickly.
• Jake put out his cigarette, and went to bed. 

7. Put up
To give food and accommodation

• Give them a call, and they will put you up for a few nights.

To increase the price of something

• The government has put up the gas prices again.

8. Put down
To insult

• My boss is constantly putting me down in front of everyone.

To stop carrying something

• I asked him to put the heavy box down.

To pay a deposit

• I put the first 2000$ down on my new car.
   

9. Put across
To communicate something

• He put his ideas across pretty clearly.

10. Put on
To dress oneself

• She put on a gorgeous dress.

To gain weight

• She put on 15 kilos during the summer.

11. Put back
To put something where it was before

• Please, put all the books back on the shelf.

12.Put in
To interrupt a conversation

• Jake put in his boss’s speech during the meeting.

To make a financial contribution

• Every employee need to put in 10$ for Jessica’s birthday.
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15 Phrasal Verbs with CALL: call up, call out, call around!!!!!!!!!

 

1. Call afterTo give a child the same name as someone else, especially a family member

• We have called him Benjamin after his father.

2. Call around / Call roundTo go to someone’s house to visit them

• I called around yesterday but you weren’t there.

3. Call awayTo ask someone to go somewhere else

• I am afraid the doctor was called away on an emergency earlier today, but he should be back soon.

4. Call backTo return a phone call or to phone someone again

• He’s on another call at the moment, but I will get him to call you back.

To return to a place

• She said I could call back later today to collect the laundry.

To be asked to return for a second interview or a second audition

• They are only going to call back 4 people out of the 80 people who went for the first interview.

5. Call forPublicly demand that something be done

• The protesters were calling for the resignation of the president.

To require or make necessary

• John got the job! This news calls for a celebration!

To go somewhere to pick someone or something up

• I will call for you around seven – try to be ready on time!
• 6. Call forthTo elicit a reaction
• Bernard insulted his wife’s mother, which called forth an angry response from her.

7. Call inTo phone

• The radio station’s listeners have been calling in all morning with answers to the quiz.

To visit someone

• Can you call in on your grandmother on your way home and make sure she is alright?

To ask a person, especially an expert, to come to do something

• We had to call in fumigators to deal with the mice and cockroaches.

To ask someone to enter a room

• My boss called me in to his office yesterday morning to give me a warning because I came to work late three times this week.

8. Call offTo cancel an organised event

• Sandra called off the wedding at the very last minute!

To stop doing an activity
We had to call off the search when it became too dark to continue
9. Call onTo visit someone

• I am going to call on my mother on the way home from work.

To demand or request that someone do something

• The supporters of the opposition called on the government to call a new election.

To use a quality, usually something that requires a great effort, in order to achieve something

• I had to call on all my strength to finish the marathon.

Have recourse to

• We may need to call on experts in the field for their opinion on the matter.

To ask for an answer or response

• The teacher always calls on me for the answer – it’s not fair!

10. Call upTo phone somebody

• I will call up everyone we’d invited and tell them that we have called off the party.

Select someone to play on a team

• He was called up to play for Spain in the World Cup.

To summon for military service, especially during a war

• When the war broke out, he was terrified that he would be called up.

To make you remember or recall something

• Seeing her again called up all those old memories.

To make information in a computer appear on screen

• This icon will call up the menu.
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•  11. Call out
  Order or request help from someone
• They called out the fire services when they saw the flames.

12. Call roundTo visit someone

• Thank you for calling round, I really appreciate it.

13. Call atStop at a harbour, port or station

• This train will be calling at every station on the way to London.

14. Call by
To visit somewhere briefly whilst on your way to somewhere else.

• I thought it my might be nice to call by Aunt Betty’s house on our way to Bristol.

15. Call down
To find fault with; reprimand

• My professor is a perfectionist and always calls me down for such minor errors!

10 Idioms About Technology

 

Technology is all around us and it is really changing the way we live our lives. Some say technology is making things better and others say that it is making things more complicated.
Whatever you think you cannot deny that technology is here to stay!
So, we have compiled a list of ten idioms that have been given to us by the technology world. There are some fantastic ones here and they can also be used to describe things in the human world.
Before we start, here’s the list:

1. Bells and whistles
2. Blow a fuse
3. Bright as a button
4. Cog in the machine
5. Hit the panic button
6. To be in tune with somebody
7. To be on the same wavelength
8. To make something tick
9. A well-oiled machine
10. To pull the plug

Adverbs Of Frequency

What is an adverb of frequency?
Adverb of frequency is a word that tells us how frequently or how often something happens.

 

• I always eat breakfast in the morning, even when I am late for work.

1. List of the most common adverbs of frequency:

• always
• usually
• sometimes
• never
• occasionally
• rarely
• seldom
• frequently
• often
• regularly
• hardly ever

EXE: adverbs of frequency: always, usually, sometimes, never, occasionally, rarely, seldom, frequently.

2. Position in a sentence
a) We usually put the adverbs of frequency in the middle of the sentence, between the subject and the verb, but after auxiliary verbs:

• I often go to the beach.
• He sometimes visits his grandma.
• They usually drink coffee in the mornings.
• I hardly ever help my mom in the kitchen.

b) Auxiliary verbs:

• He is usually very happy.
• We are always helping the children at school.
• I have never done anything bad.
• She is always cooking pasta.

NOTE: the verbs have, has, and had are auxiliary verbs only when used with past participle:

• I have never eaten a snake.
• She has never tried coconut water.

But has, have, and had are normal verbs when they are not used with past participle:

• I always have my lunch at school.
• He seldom has English classes.
• We often had dinner late at night in college.
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• c) We can put occasionally, frequently, usually, often and sometimes in the beginning of the sentence in order to make it stronger. However, other adverbs do not sound good in the beginning of the sentence:
• Occasionally, I go to the beach.
• Sometimes he visits his grandma.
• Usually, they drink coffee in the mornings.
• Always I go to the beach. INCORRECT
• I always go to the beach.  CORRECT
• Often, I go to the beach. INCORRECT
• I often go to the beach. CORRECT

NOTE: the verbs do, does, and did are auxiliary verbs only when they are used in questions or negatives:

• Do you often go to the cinema?
• He doesn’t always eat grapes.

In other cases, do, does and did are normal verbs:

• She never sleeps at home.
• They rarely did their chores.

If the auxiliary verb is negative the adverb of frequency might go before or after it:

• He doesn’t usually cook at home.
• He usually doesn’t cook at home.
• They don’t often go to the cinema.
• They often don’t go to the cinema.

BUT:

• We aren’t always late for work.
• We always aren’t late for work. INCORRECT (say ‘We are never late for work’)

e) In the question, we put the adverbs of frequency before the main verb:

• Do you often go to the beach?
• Do you sometimes visit your grandma?

BUT:

• Is she always late for soccer practice?
• Are they usually so grumpy?

I hope you find this information useful.

42 Easy to Memorize English Idioms Related to School and Education

2 Easy to Memorize English Idioms Related to School and Education

ENGLISH IDIOMS RELATED TO SCHOOL AND EDUCATION

1. PUT / GET YOUR THINKING CAP ONTo engage your mind and think in a serious manner.

• Right, we need to figure out how we’re going to solve this problem before mum and dad get back, so let’s put our thinking caps on!

2. DRAW A BLANK
To get no response from someone when they are asked a question.

• I asked him about his plans for Christmas, but I just drew a blank. He didn’t seem to understand what I was asking him!

3. BACK TO BASICS
An approach that uses traditional ideas and methods which have been successful in the past.

• They seem to prefer having everything back to basics in their office. They have minimal use of advanced technology, but apparently find everything simpler and easier to manage.

4. AS EASY AS ABC
Something that is very simple or easy.

• That jigsaw puzzle is as easy as ABC, I don’t understand why you’ve been struggling with it for so long.
• 5. COPYCAT
  Used to describe someone who copies another person’s work.
• I don’t like talking to her about my wedding plans because she’s such a copycat! I know she’ll steal my ideas and use them for her own wedding.

6. COVER A LOT OF GROUND
When a lot of work needs to be completed. If there is a lot of research to be done, or material to get through.

• Our team have done so well over the past two weeks, we’ve managed to cover so much ground that I feel this programmer9. DROP OUT OF SCHOOL (phrasal verb) / DROPOUT (noun)
  To stop attending school completely (leave without graduating).
• She dropped out of school at the age of 14 to help her sick grandmother at home, but now she runs her own successful nursing home for the elderly!
• He’s a dropout, I can’t see him being anything successful with his current reputation.

10. SHOW OF HANDS
Raising hands to vote about something.
With a show of hands, who would prefer to have longer working days but a shorter working week

• may be ready by the end of this month!
• We have to complete our research within the next month. We still have a lot of ground to cover, and I fear we may not get everything done in time.

7. COUNT NOSES
To count the number of people around you (generally used on a school trip, to check for missing students).

• My grandmother was constantly counting noses at the birthday party. I think she felt responsible for all the children there!

8. EAGER BEAVER
Someone who works hard and is very enthusiastic.

• Mary is such an eager beaver, she always the first one to do whatever the boss asks. I think she’s hoping for a promotion!
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11. LEARN (SOMETHING) BY HEART / OFF BY HEART
To memorise something so well, that it can be written or recited without thinking.

• I can’t believe you learnt the whole Macbeth play by heart! Well done!
• She learnt all the compositions by Beethoven off by heart!
• 13. FROM THE OLD SCHOOL / OF THE OLD SCHOOL
  Holding attitudes or ideas that were popular and important in the past, but which are no longer considered relevant or in-line with modern trends.
• She was a teacher of the old school and believed in strict discipline.
• My grandmother is from the old school, she made her children make their own lunches and walk to school.

14. THE SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS
Learning through difficult experiences in life, as opposed to a formal, classroom education.

• I wasn’t able to go to college, but I learnt a lot in the school of hard knocks, it taught me a lot about life.

15. A FOR EFFORT
Giving someone recognition for trying hard to do something even though they may not be successful.

• Jenny definitely deserves an A for effort, she put so much work into her entry for the competition.

16. SCHOOL SOMEONE IN SOMETHING
To train, discipline or coach someone in something.

• She schooled her brother in patience.