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A Reference Guide to American English Idioms

hidden but effective means of winning a conflict The other team thinks they can win this basketball game but that’s only because we haven’t put our best player in yet He’s our ace in the hole It looked like the politician would lose the debate until he brought up his ace in the hole an argument that nobody could refute The expression originate

PDF	Welcome to 500+ Real English Phrases! Welcome to 500+ Real English Phrases! The goal of this book is to teach you English phrases (not just individual English words) that you can use in many different situations The phrases selected for this book are typical expressions used by native speakers

How many English expressions & phrases should I read?
Did you love Advanced English Expressions, Idioms, Collocations, Slang, and Phrasal Verbs: Master American English Vocabulary ? Then you should read 1001 English Expressions and Phrases: Common Sentences and Dialogues Used by Native English Speakers in Real-Life Situations by Jackie Bolen!
Who uses English words?
They are used often by almost all native speakers of English. Some are used often by some people, but not by others. There are some that everyone understands, but hardly anybody uses. Some are used and understood in some parts of the English-speaking world and not in others.
How can I read more idioms in a PDF document?
That's why you'll notice that each idiom in the PDF document is linked back to the page on this website where you can read more examples of that particular idiom. This way you can access more examples if you need them but the document is not too long. Simply click on any idiom in the document if you want additional sentence examples.

ACE IN THE HOLE

hidden but effective means of winning a conflict The other team thinks they can win this basketball game, but that’s only because we haven’t put our best player in yet. He’s our ace in the hole. It looked like the politician would lose the debate until he brought up his ace in the hole, an argument that nobody could refute. The expression originate

ACE UP (ONE’S) SLEEVE

to have an effective but hidden means to accomplish something It looks like Joanne is going to lose, but I wouldn’t be too sure. She may have an ace up her sleeve. No matter how many times I think Paul might lose to me in a game of chess, he never does. He always has an ace up his sleeve and wins every game. The expression originates from card game

ACHILLES’ HEEL

person’s weakness or the vulnerable spot in his or her character We’ve got to find his Achilles’ heel if we hope to defeat him. John appears to be a highly respected citizen, but I’m sure he has his Achilles’ heel. Achilles was a figure in Greek mythology who was invulnerable in battle except for his heel. It was the one weak spot on his body. americanenglish.state.gov

ACID TEST

the most crucial or important test of worth Parents might be willing to buy this new toy for their children but the real acid test is whether or not the children themselves like it. The acid test for laundry soap is not how well it cleans in hot water, but how well it cleans in cold water. The expression originates from the use of nitric acid on go

ACROSS THE BOARD

equally for everyone, for everything, or in all cases The boss made some people angry. He gave 5% pay raises across the board but some people thought they should have gotten more than others. The car dealership was cutting prices across the board. Every car was on sale, not just a few. americanenglish.state.gov

ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS

the things that people do (actions) are more important than the things they say (words) She’s promised to be nicer to her sister from now on, but actions speak louder than words. Every politician will claim that he or she cares about the problems of the average person, but actions speak louder than words. This expression implies that we can learn a

ALBATROSS AROUND (ONE’S) NECK

something or someone that is a burden and dificult to get rid of That car costs you so much to repair. It has become an albatross around your neck. Why don’t you get rid of it? I hired my wife’s brother to work in my business but he’s worthless. He doesn’t do anything. He really is an albatross around my neck. Synonym: millstone around (one’s) neck

ALL KIDDING ASIDE

speaking seriously That was a good joke, but all kidding aside, we have to get to work now. What you’re telling me sounds unbelievable. All kidding aside, are you serious? americanenglish.state.gov

ALL THUMBS

uncoordinated and awkward, especially with one’s hands I’ve tried to put this toy together according to the instructions, but I’m all thumbs. I can’t seem to get the parts to fit. Peter seems to be all thumbs today. He keeps dropping his tools. americanenglish.state.gov

ALL WET

wrong to the point of being silly or unbelievable He’s all wet if he thinks I’m going to believe his lies. Don’t listen to Maria. She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. She’s all wet. Compare to: not know beans about (something); out to lunch; for the birds; talk through (one’s) hat americanenglish.state.gov

ALONG FOR THE RIDE, GO/COME

to be present for an activity without taking part in it Janet’s brothers went up into the mountains to do some fishing. Janet doesn’t fish, but she went along for the ride. I don’t need to do any shopping, but perhaps I’ll come along for the ride if that’s okay with you. The expression suggests that the ride itself is the extent of the person’s par

APPLE OF (ONE’S) EYE

person or thing that is precious or loved above all else Richard is so attached to his daughter that he would do anything for her. She’s the apple of his eye. The boy won’t behave in school, but you can’t convince his parents. He’s the apple of their eye. Centuries old, this expression stems from the ancient belief that the pupil of the eye was sol

ARMED TO THE TEETH

well-equipped with weapons The police won’t enter the bank where the thief is. He’s armed to the teeth. The invading soldiers were armed to the teeth. There was no way the defenders could hope to win. The expression suggests having weapons (arms) from one’s toes to one’s teeth. americanenglish.state.gov

AT LOGGERHEADS

in strong disagreement, in a quarrel; at an impasse They have been arguing all day about what to do. They really are at loggerheads. John and Richard are at loggerheads about what would be a fair price for the car. John thinks Richard’s price is far too low. americanenglish.state.gov

AT (ONE’S) WITS’ END

at a loss about what to do next; in a state of frustration When the woman looked around and couldn’t find her little daughter, she looked up and down every aisle in the store until she was at her wits’ end. She was almost hysterical when another customer in the store suggested that she notify the store’s security officer. We can’t seem to persuade

AT THE DROP OF A HAT

on any pretext; without needing an excuse or reason Those workmen look for any reason to stop working. They’ll put down their tools at the drop of a hat. Nancy really doesn’t want to stay in her present job. She’ll leave for another one at the drop of a hat. americanenglish.state.gov

AT THE END OF (ONE’S) ROPE

no longer able to deal with a bad situation I just don’t know what to do with my son. He has misbehaved all day. I’m at the end of my rope. We can’t tolerate that dog anymore. We’re going to give it away because we’re at the end of our rope. Synonyms: at (one’s) wits’ end americanenglish.state.gov

AX TO GRIND

hidden reason for wanting something or for not liking someone or something Don’t listen to Claudia when she tells you how bad that teacher is. She has had an ax to grind since he failed her last year. Why do you keep telling me not to buy anything from that store? Do you really think they sell bad products, or do you have some kind of an ax to grin

BACK TO SQUARE ONE, GO

return to the beginning The editor didn’t like the article I wrote for the newspaper. She told me to redo it, so I guess I’ll have to go back to square one. The builders constructed a building that didn’t meet the city’s requirements. Now they’ll have to tear it down and begin building again. They’re back to square one. Synonyms: start from scratch americanenglish.state.gov

Compare to: back to the drawing board

Whereas back to the drawing board is used for the idea of re-planning or redesigning, back to square one can apply to starting any activity over. The expression originates from the idea of a game board on which square one is the square where the game begins. americanenglish.state.gov

BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD, GO

return to the planning stage of a project Our plan to raise money for a new swimming pool didn’t work. Now we’re back to the drawing board and trying to think of a better plan. The idea of buying computers for the public schools through the lottery failed. The city leaders had to go back to the drawing board to think of another way to come up with

Compare to: back to square one

The expression originates from the idea that plans and designs are developed on a drawing board. americanenglish.state.gov

BACK TO THE WALL, HAVE (ONE’S)

to be in a dificult or desperate situation Gary lost his job over a month ago and he has spent all his savings paying his bills. Now he doesn’t have any more money, and his back is to the wall. My back was to the wall. It seemed like my only choices were to try to save the company with my personal savings or pull out and let the company go while I

BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT

criticism that is phrased in such a way that it appears to be a compliment Patricia said she can’t wear fake gold jewelry the way I can because it turns her skin green, and I think she was giving me a backhanded compliment. She was really letting everyone know that she wears real gold jewelry while the jewelry I have on is fake. Paul is not a very

Compare to: damn with faint praise

The term backhanded combines the meaning of back meaning insincere or malicious and hand meaning to give. americanenglish.state.gov

BAD BLOOD

negative or ill feelings The young man and woman knew their parents would not approve of their marriage because there was bad blood between the families. Those two brothers will never get along. There is too much bad blood between them. americanenglish.state.gov

BARK UP THE WRONG TREE

Discuss something you do once in a blue moon. Tell your classmates about a party where you danced till the cows came home. When you have time to kill? What do you do? Is there something you would do at the drop of a hat? Tell us about times when you had to burn the midnight oil. What have you done in the nick of time? What have you done on the spur

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