English idioms: 12 common ones with meanings and examples

B1–C112 sanaa

Idioms are the part of English you cannot translate. Each one is a small piece of culture with a fixed meaning, and the only reliable way to own them is repeated exposure over weeks.

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English idiomsSanalista

SanaMerkitys
break the iceTo make people feel relaxed at first.A joke helped break the ice.
hit the booksTo study hard.I need to hit the books this weekend.
under the weatherSlightly ill.She's a bit under the weather today.
a piece of cakeVery easy.The test was a piece of cake.
cost an arm and a legTo be very expensive.That flat costs an arm and a leg.
once in a blue moonVery rarely.We meet once in a blue moon.
on the same pageIn agreement.Let's make sure we're on the same page.
call it a dayTo stop working for now.It's late — let's call it a day.
get the hang ofTo learn how to do something.You'll get the hang of it quickly.
in the long runOver a long period.It saves money in the long run.
keep an eye onTo watch carefully.Keep an eye on the time.
out of the blueUnexpectedly.He called me out of the blue.

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Studying english idioms pairs well with our English collocations list, essential phrasal verbs list and restaurant English vocabulary, or browse all free English word lists.

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