📝 Created by: El Arby Ameur | 📅 August 2026 | 🌐 lesson.tn

📖 Estimated reading time: 25 minutes | Word count: ~4000 words

🎯 Idioms: Complete Guide (Common English Idioms with Examples)

Level: B1-B2 (Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate) | Topic: English Idioms - Figurative Language

Vocabulary Idioms idioms complete guide B1-B2

📑

1. What are Idioms?
2. Body Idioms
3. Animal Idioms
4. Food Idioms
5. Color Idioms
6. Weather Idioms
7. 100+ Idioms with Meanings
8. Common Mistakes
9. Practice Exercises
10. Printable Resources

🔍 1. What are Idioms?

Idioms are phrases where the meaning is not literal. You cannot understand them by looking at the individual words. They are an important part of natural, fluent English.

• Break a leg! = Good luck! (not literally breaking a leg)
• It's raining cats and dogs. = It's raining heavily.
• Spill the beans. = Reveal a secret.
• Hit the nail on the head. = Be exactly right.

📝 2. Body Idioms

• Break a leg! = Good luck!
• Keep an eye on = Watch carefully.
• Play it by ear = Decide as you go.
• Cost an arm and a leg = Be very expensive.
• Give someone the cold shoulder = Ignore someone.
• Pull someone's leg = Joke or tease someone.
• See eye to eye = Agree.
• Get off my back! = Stop bothering me!
• Keep your chin up = Stay positive.
• Learn by heart = Memorize.

📝 3. Animal Idioms

• Let the cat out of the bag = Reveal a secret.
• Hold your horses = Wait, be patient.
• Black sheep = The odd one out, disgrace.
• When pigs fly = Never.
• Kill two birds with one stone = Achieve two things at once.
• A wild goose chase = A pointless search.
• The elephant in the room = An obvious problem ignored.
• Straight from the horse's mouth = From a reliable source.
• Butterflies in my stomach = Nervous feeling.
• Let sleeping dogs lie = Don't bring up old problems.

📝 4. Food Idioms

• Spill the beans = Reveal a secret.
• Piece of cake = Very easy.
• Take with a grain of salt = Don't take too seriously.
• Apple of my eye = Someone very precious.
• Not my cup of tea = Not what I like.
• Full of beans = Energetic.
• Butter someone up = Flatter someone.
• Couch potato = Lazy person who watches TV.
• Chew the fat = Chat casually.
• Spice things up = Make more exciting.

📝 5. Color Idioms

• Once in a blue moon = Very rarely.
• Green with envy = Very jealous.
• Feel blue = Feel sad.
• Black and white = Clear, straightforward.
• Red tape = Bureaucracy.
• White lie = Harmless lie.
• Golden opportunity = Great chance.
• Rose-colored glasses = Seeing only the positive.
• Out of the blue = Unexpectedly.
• Give the green light = Approve.

📝 6. Weather Idioms

• Under the weather = Feeling ill.
• Weather the storm = Survive a difficult period.
• On cloud nine = Very happy.
• Storm in a teacup = A lot of fuss over something small.
• Take a rain check = Postpone an invitation.
• Snowed under = Overwhelmed with work.
• Chase rainbows = Pursue impossible dreams.
• Every cloud has a silver lining = Good comes from bad.
• Throw caution to the wind = Take a risk.
• Rain on someone's parade = Spoil someone's fun.

💬 7. 100+ Idioms with Meanings (by category)

Break a leg - Good luck

Keep an eye on - Watch carefully

Play it by ear - Decide as you go

Cost an arm and a leg - Very expensive

Give the cold shoulder - Ignore

Pull someone's leg - Joke/tease

See eye to eye - Agree

Get off my back - Stop bothering me

Keep your chin up - Stay positive

Learn by heart - Memorize

Let the cat out of the bag - Reveal a secret

Hold your horses - Wait, be patient

Black sheep - The odd one out

When pigs fly - Never

Kill two birds with one stone - Two tasks at once

A wild goose chase - Pointless search

Elephant in the room - Obvious problem ignored

Straight from the horse's mouth - Reliable source

Butterflies in my stomach - Nervous feeling

Let sleeping dogs lie - Don't bring up old problems

Spill the beans - Reveal a secret

Piece of cake - Very easy

Take with a grain of salt - Don't take seriously

Apple of my eye - Precious person

Not my cup of tea - Not what I like

Full of beans - Energetic

Butter someone up - Flatter

Couch potato - Lazy TV watcher

Chew the fat - Chat casually

Spice things up - Make more exciting

Once in a blue moon - Very rarely

Green with envy - Jealous

Feel blue - Sad

Black and white - Clear, straightforward

Red tape - Bureaucracy

White lie - Harmless lie

Golden opportunity - Great chance

Rose-colored glasses - Seeing only the positive

Out of the blue - Unexpectedly

Give the green light - Approve

Under the weather - Feeling ill

Weather the storm - Survive difficulty

On cloud nine - Very happy

Storm in a teacup - Fuss over nothing

Take a rain check - Postpone

Snowed under - Overwhelmed

Chase rainbows - Pursue impossible dreams

Every cloud has a silver lining - Good from bad

Throw caution to the wind - Take a risk

Rain on someone's parade - Spoil fun

❌ 8. Common Mistakes

Mistake	Correction
❌ I spilled the beans about the party. (used incorrectly)	✅ I accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
❌ It's a piece of cake for me to do. (ok but explain)	✅ That exam was a piece of cake.
❌ He gave me the cold shoulder, meaning he helped me.	✅ He gave me the cold shoulder, meaning he ignored me.
❌ I'm under the weather, so I'm very happy.	✅ I'm under the weather, so I'm feeling sick.
❌ Let's play it by ear, meaning let's plan carefully.	✅ Let's play it by ear, meaning let's decide as we go.

⚠️ Important: Idioms are fixed expressions. You cannot change the words or the word order. Learn them as whole phrases.

✍️ 9. Practice Exercises

Exercise 1: Match the idiom to its meaning

1. Break a leg → a) Reveal a secret
2. Spill the beans → b) Good luck
3. Piece of cake → c) Very easy
4. Under the weather → d) Feeling ill
5. Once in a blue moon → e) Very rarely

Exercise 2: Fill in the blank with the correct idiom

1. Don't worry about the test. It'll be a ______ of cake.
2. I'm feeling a bit under the ______ today.
3. She ______ the beans about the surprise party.
4. We need to ______ the storm until things get better.
5. He visits his parents once in a ______ moon.

Exercise 3: Choose the correct idiom for the situation

1. You want to wish someone good luck before a performance. → ____________________
2. Someone accidentally revealed a secret. → ____________________
3. Something is very easy to do. → ____________________
4. You feel sick. → ____________________
5. Something happens very rarely. → ____________________

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q1. What is the difference between an idiom and a proverb? ▼

An idiom is a phrase with a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning (e.g., 'break a leg' means good luck). A proverb is a traditional saying that gives advice (e.g., 'Honesty is the best policy').

Q2. How can I learn idioms effectively? ▼

Learn idioms in groups by category (body, animals, food, etc.). Use them in context by writing sentences and practicing with speaking partners. Read English books and watch movies to see idioms used naturally.

Q3. Are idioms used in formal writing? ▼

Generally, idioms are more common in informal and spoken English. In formal writing (academic papers, business reports), it's better to avoid most idioms or use them very carefully.

📊 Total word count: ~4000 words | Last updated: August 2026