| IDIOM | MEANING | EXAMPLE |
| A drop in the ocean | A very small part or insignificant amount of something big or whole | A donation of 100,000 dollars is just a drop in the ocean compared to the millions that need to be spent. |
| Actions speak louder than words | It’s better to actually do something than just talk about it | I am going to work for an NGO in Africa fighting climate change. Actions speak louder than words. |
| Add fuel to the fire | Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it is | Don’t mention the product delay in the meeting. You are just adding fuel to the fire. |
| A penny for your thoughts | When you want to know what somebody is thinking | Why are you staring at the sky? A penny for your thoughts! |
| Ball is in somebody’s court | It is up to somebody to make the next decision or step | I have laid out my plan. The ball is in your court now. |
| Barking up the wrong tree | Look in the wrong place or accuse the wrong person | I’m not responsible for this mess! You are barking up the wrong tree. |
| Be a good catch | Be someone worth marrying/having | Donald is such a good catch. I hope, he’ll propose soon. |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid the main topic or not speak directly about the issue | Don’t beat around the bush! We can have an open discussion here. |
| Bend over backwards | Do whatever it takes to help. Willing to do anything | Our company is bending over backwards to satisfy our customers. |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on a task that is too big | You bit off more than you can chew. You are never going to finish the presentation on time. |
| Blow somebody away | Be extremely impressed by something | The product demo just blew me away. I’ve never seen such a powerful software. |
| By the skin of your teeth | You only just succeeded and nearly failed | I hadn’t studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my teeth. |
| Couldn’t care less | Have a total lack of interest in something | I couldn’t care less what my new co-workers think of me. |
| Cry over spilt milk | Complain about a loss from the past | There’s no way to win back this customer. Don’t cry over spilt milk. |
| Cry wolf | Call for help when you don’t need it | My new co-worker is constantly crying wolf. |
| Crunch time | The period of time just before a project has to be completed and everyone has to work hard | I’m not getting much sleep these days, because it’s crunch time at work. |
| Curiosity killed the cat | Get into an unpleasant situation by being inquisitive | He shouldn’t have searched for the secret files. Curiosity killed the cat. |
| Cut corners | Do something badly or cheaply | They really cut corners when they built this office. The cubicles are way too small. |
| Cut somebody some slack | Give somebody a break/ not to judge somebody severely | You have to cut me some slack. I already worked on the report the whole weekend. |
| Cut to the chase | Leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point | In an elevator pitch you don’t have much time. You have to cut to the chase! |
| Dig in your heels / Stick to your guns | Refuse to compromise or change your mind | My parents always wanted me to become a lawyer, but I dug in my heels / stuck to my guns and started my own travel business. |
| Down to the wire | Something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds | With the deadline coming up and the project not being on track, the team worked right down to the wire to complete it on time. |
| Drive someone up the wall | To irritate or annoy very much | The music my co-workers listen to at the office is driving me up the wall. |
| Get out of hand | Lose control of things | The meeting got out of hand and people started yelling at each other. |
| Get your head around it | Understand something | I just can’t get my head around the fact that my boss is not giving me a raise. |
| Give the benefit of the doubt | Believe someone’s statement, without proof | I can’t check your results anyway, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. |
| Go down in flames | End or fail suddenly and spectacularly | Our company will go down in flames, if we don’t take these new startups seriously. |
| Hear on the grapevine | Hear a rumor or unconfirmed story | I heard on the grapevine that our boss will be leaving us soon. |
| Hit the books | Study very hard | I have to hit the books. My final exam is coming up soon. |
| It takes two to tango | Actions or communications need more than one person | I don’t think, she did this by herself. It takes two to tango. |
| Judge a book by its cover | Judge someone or something based solely on appearance | I really disliked the product’s packaging. But you can’t judge a book by its cover. |
| Jump on the bandwagon | Join a popular trend or activity | This new software is going to disrupt the market. We should jump on the bandwagon. |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Solve two problems at once / with one action | By cycling to work I kill two birds with one stone. If saves me money and I get to work out. |
| Leave no stone unturned | Do everything possible to achieve a goal | I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Accidentially reveal a secret | The CEO let the cat out of the bag about the company’s restructuring. |
| Make a long story short | Come to the point | There’s not much time left. Let me make a long story short. |
| Miss the boat | Miss the opportunity to do something | I think, I have missed the boat. They didn’t accept my application anymore. |
| Once in a blue moon | When something rarely ever happens | You only achieve such an amazing return on your investment once in a blue moon. |
| Piece of cake | When something is extremely easy to do | Piece of cake, with our new software we’ll win this customer for sure. |
| Pull a rabbit out of a hat | Do something unexpected | I thought there was no fix to the software bug, but our programer pulled a rabbit our of his hat. |
| Pull yourself together | Calm down and act normally | I understand you’ve had a bad day, but pull yourself together and get on with your job, will you? |
| Run on fumes | Continue to stay awake when feeling exhausted | I really have to take a nap now. I haven’t slept for twenty hours and I’m running on fumes. |
| Sell somebody out | Snitch on someone or let their secret out | I asked you to keep this information to yourself. I can’t believe you sold me out! |
| Shoot from the hip | Speak directly | If you want to get on well with your new boss, try not to shoot from the hip next time. |
| Sit on the fence | Stay neutral and not take sides | I’m sitting on the fence with this one. My team prefers solution A, but my boss favors solution B. |
| Skeleton crew | The minimum number of people needed to keep a service/office operating | Can you please come to the office this weekend? We’re operating with a skeleton crew at the moment. |
| Step up your game | Start performing better | If you really want to win this competition, you’ll have to seriously step up your game. |
| When pigs fly | Something will never happen | As long as my boss stays in office, I will have to wait for a raise till pigs fly. |
| Whole nine yards | Everything | I’ll do whatever it takes to make my venture a successful one – I’ll go the whole nine yards. |
| Your guess is as good as mine | Have no idea, do not know the answer to a question | We just don’t have enough information. Your guess is as good as mine. |
