Idioms are expressions whose meanings are different from the words that make them. Understanding an idiom requires some other knowledge than knowing the words used. Idioms normally cannot be modified or the words within them changed.

Example
‘I lost my head completely‘ as an idiom means ‘I got very angry‘, whilst literally it means something very different.

Idioms are a poetic part of the English language.  A set expression of two or many words that mean something together, instead of the literal meanings of its words individually.People use Idioms to make their language expressive and more poetic. They are used to express subtle meanings or intentions. Idioms are generally used to convey the meaning of an expression or a word. Sometimes, Idioms and Phrases can be very useful in explaining the meaning compared to the literal word. They make the reader understand with a poetic touch to the writing.

Take a look at few examples given below

Idiom                                                                                                     Meaning
Penny for your thoughts                                              Asking someone what is on their minds
Beat around the bush                                                 Trying to avoid a subject/person/situation
Burn the midnight oil                                                  Work or labour late into the night
Judge a book by its cover                                            Rely on outward appearances
Takes two to tango                                 Most deeds/actions/misdeeds require participation from two people
Kill two birds with one stone                                      Accomplish two things with the same effort
A piece of cake                                                           An easy task/job
Whole nine yards                                                        The entire thing, all of something
A dime a dozen                                                           Very common/commonplace
Bite off more than you can chew                                Try to take on a task too big for oneself
Cry over spilled milk                                        Regret/complain about something that cannot be rectified
Hit the road                                                                 Begin one’s journey
Once in a blue moon                                                   Once in a while, infrequently
Have a blast                                                                 To enjoy oneself, have a good time

Write down the meaning for each of the following idioms along with a sentence :

take a rain check
take my hat off to someone
take no prisoners
take the bull by the horns
take the cake
take the wind out of my sails
take with a grain of salt
talk a blue streak
the big time
the birds and the bees
the eleventh-hour
the home stretch
the lion’s share
the tip of the iceberg
the whole nine yards
thick in the head
third time’s a charm
through thick and thin
throw caution to the wind
throw in the towel
throw the baby out with the bathwater
throw under the bus
tick for tack
tie the knot
time flies
time is money
time of your life
time to run
time will tell
to be off base
to fancy someone
tongue in cheek
true colours
two-time
under my thumb
under the table
under the weather
until the cows come home
up the creek
walk out on someone
wash my hands of something
water off a duck’s back
water under the bridge
wear the pants
wear your heart on your sleeve
when it rains, it pours
whisper sweet nothings
white elephant
a hot potato
A piece of cake
Once in a blue moon
A bed of roses
Raining cats and dogs
When pigs fly
Devil’s advocate
Miss the boat
Apple of the eye
zip your lip
Second wind
dog’s life

Choose the correct explanation for the idiom in each section

1. After going to the zoo, the mall, and the movies, Cassie was sick of bending over backwards to
entertain her nieces.
a. Cassie was doing very little to entertain her nieces.
b. Cassie was making small efforts to entertain her nieces.
c. Cassie was trying very hard to entertain her nieces.
d. Cassie was not trying at all to entertain her nieces.

2. Bobby would have been playing ball until the cows came home if it hadn’t been for Suzie dragging
him home for dinner.
a. Bobby was just about to stop playing ball.
b. Bobby didn’t even want to play ball to begin with.
c. Bobby prefers nature to athletics.
d. Bobby would have continued playing ball for a long time.

3. You might think that Billy Parker is the kid who has everything, but if you saw the list of chores his
parents give him, I guarantee that you wouldn’t want to be in his shoes.
a. You wouldn’t want your shoes to get as dirty as Billy’s when he’s doing his chores.
b. If you have to do as many chores as Billy, you’ll want a pair of comfortable shoes.
c. Billy shoes are so uncomfortable that doing his chores is really unpleasant.
d. Billy has so many chores to do that it is unpleasant to imagine doing them all.

4. Eric wanted to fix his cousin’s computer, but he was already having problems setting up his Aunt’s
Wi-Fi network and he didn’t want to open a whole new can of worms.
a. Eric was sick of spending his time helping his family.
b. Eric wanted to go fishing instead of working on computers.
c. Eric was having difficulties untangling the computer wires.
d. Eric was not ready to begin working on a complicated new problem.

5. Even though Candace already had a new job, she submitted her two-week notice and conducted
herself in a professional way at her old job because she didn’t want to burn bridges.
a. Candace didn’t want to ruin her positive relationship with her old employer.
b. Candace wasn’t ready to start her new job.
c. Candace was really going to miss her old job.
d. Candace was waiting until her last day to rub it in everyone’s face that she was leaving.

6. World renowned country western super group The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena at the
drop of a hat.
a. The Mountain Boys may be able to sell out an arena, but it will take a long time.
b. The Mountain Boys can sell out an arena very quickly.
c. The Mountain Boys are always willing to perform at charity events.
d. The Mountain Boys enforce a dress code at all of their shows.

7. Vivian expected Craig to sob uncontrollably when she broke up with him; however, Craig kept a
stiff upper lip.
a. Craig cried even more than Vivian had expected.
b. Craig cried about as much as Vivian had expected.
c. Craig cried a little less than Vivian had expected.
d. Craig did not cry.

8. Mrs. Robinson expects Cassie and my presentation to be good, but we have been working on it
every night for the last week, so we are really going to knock her socks off.
a. Cassie and the speaker are not prepared to give a good presentation.
b. Cassie and the speaker intend on hitting Mrs. Robinson rather than presenting.
c. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will far exceed Mrs. Robinson’s expectations.
d. Cassie and the speaker’s presentation will meet Mrs. Robison’s expectations.

9. Over the summer Brian was really excited about being placed in the advanced math class, but
after getting his syllabus on the first day and seeing the workload, he was ready to jump ship.
a. Brian was even more excited about the math class than he was over the summer.
b. Brian wanted to start working on his math assignments right away.
c. Brian did not want to be in the advance math class anymore.
d. Brian wanted to cause some trouble in the advanced math class.

10. Brad was accusing us of stealing his phone until he found it, and now he’s trying to sweep it
under the rug.
a. Brad thinks that his phone will be safer if he hides it under the rug.
b. Brad wants to do something to make up for his mistake.
c. Brad is trying to locate a signal for his phone so that he can use it.
d. Brad wants to pretend that the incident never happened.

11. When Brian felt pretty good about getting a pair of roller-skates for his birthday, until he saw his
twin brother Ryan open up his GameBox X-9000, and then Brian felt like he got the short end of the
stick.
a. Brian felt like Ryan received a better gift than he.
b. Brian was quite pleased with his roller skates.
c. Brian wanted a long stick that he could use to support himself on hikes.
d. Brian feels bad for Ryan because Ryan wanted roller-skates.

12. After Ms. Smith caught Darnisha chewing gum for the third time, Ms. Smith scheduled a parent
teacher conference with Darnisha’s mother. When Darnisha’s mother came into Ms. Smith’s
classroom, she was chewing gum. Ms. Smith thought to herself, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree.”
a. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha dresses like her mother.
b. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha acts a lot like her mother.
c. Ms. Smith is surprised to see that Darnisha’s mother came.
d. Ms. Smith thinks that Darnisha’s mother lives very close to the school

Read each idiom and determine the meaning.

1. We tried to give Tommy a surprise party for his birthday, but you let the cat out of the bag.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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2. Kevin accepted the job even though he was still in school, but his mom thought he might be biting
off more than he could chew.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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3. I didn’t want to jump the gun, so I decided to wait until the second date to try and hold her hand.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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4. Derek hated how much his mom nagged him about homework. He didn’t really see why it
mattered and he thought that his mom was making a mountain out of a molehill.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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5. Alice was feeling a little under the weather, so she asked her mom if she could stay home today.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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6. Tammy wanted to yell at John for leaving the toilet seat up again, but after their last fight she
decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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7. Jude was on pins and needles waiting for the results of the test.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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8. I like Chris. He’s a cool guy.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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9. Craig and I fought over a girl in the fourth grade, but that’s water under the bridge now.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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10. Jeffrey was a fast learner, so he knew that the history test would be a piece of cake.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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11. I told Tom to stop telling Kim all of his feelings, but he always did wear his heart on his sleeve.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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12. Every player is important on a football team, but a good quarter back is worth his weight in gold.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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13. Kylie’s mother wanted her to play the piano but, as much as Kylie wanted to make her mother
happy, playing the piano was just not her cup of tea.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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14. I don’t mean to blow my own trumpet, but I’m the fastest kid on my block and the smartest too.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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15. Look, you know that she’s never liked you, so take her criticism with a grain of salt.
What is the meaning of this idiom?
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