letSpeak Up!: Intermediate-Level Idioms

Intermediate-Level Idioms

1. A blessing in disguise – Something bad at first, but good in the end

Losing that job was a blessing in disguise because I found a better one.
Her failed relationship turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
The delay was a blessing in disguise, as it helped us prepare better.

2. A dime a dozen – Very common and not valuable

Fake designer bags are a dime a dozen in this market.
Don’t buy that—it’s a dime a dozen.
In the internet age, information is a dime a dozen.

3. All ears – Listening attentively

Tell me what happened—I’m all ears.
The students were all ears during the announcement.
She’s always all ears when it comes to gossip.

4. Bark up the wrong tree – Make a wrong assumption

If you think I’m guilty, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
He blamed me, but he was barking up the wrong tree.
The police were barking up the wrong tree in their investigation.

5. Bite off more than you can chew – Take on too much responsibility

He’s biting off more than he can chew with all these projects.
I thought I could handle it, but I bit off more than I could chew.
She realized she bit off more than she could chew when the work piled up.

6. Break a leg – Good luck

You have an audition? Break a leg!
Before my speech, my friend told me, break a leg.
The teacher wished the students break a leg before the test.

7. Call it a day – Stop working for the day

We’re tired, let’s call it a day.
After eight hours, we finally called it a day.
I think we’ve done enough—let’s call it a day.

8. Cut to the chase – Get to the main point

Enough small talk, let’s cut to the chase.
He always cuts to the chase in meetings.
Just cut to the chase and tell me what happened.

9. Down to earth – Practical and realistic

Despite her wealth, she’s very down to earth.
He gave some down-to-earth advice about saving money.
Her attitude is always down to earth, which I admire.

10. Easy does it – Slow down, be careful

That box is heavy—easy does it.
When driving in the rain, remember easy does it.
I know you’re excited, but easy does it.

11. Every cloud has a silver lining – There’s good in every bad situation

Losing the competition hurt, but every cloud has a silver lining—I learned a lot.
He didn’t get the job, but every cloud has a silver lining, and he found a better opportunity.
After the storm ruined our trip, we reminded ourselves that every cloud has a silver lining.

12. Get cold feet – To become nervous before an event

He was excited about the wedding, but suddenly got cold feet.
She almost canceled her speech because she got cold feet.
I planned to go skydiving but got cold feet at the last minute.

13. Give someone the cold shoulder – To ignore someone

She gave me the cold shoulder after our argument.
He doesn’t know why she’s giving him the cold shoulder.
After the meeting, they gave him the cold shoulder.

14. Go the extra mile – To make extra effort

She always goes the extra mile for her customers.
If you want to succeed, you need to go the extra mile.
His effort to go the extra mile impressed his boss.

15. Hit the sack – To go to bed

I’m exhausted—I need to hit the sack.
After a long day, he hit the sack early.
It’s time to hit the sack—we have work tomorrow.

16. Jump on the bandwagon – To follow a trend

Everyone started using that app, so I jumped on the bandwagon too.
She jumped on the bandwagon and started a TikTok account.
He didn’t like the trend at first, but he eventually jumped on the bandwagon.

17. Keep an eye on – To watch carefully

Can you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the restroom?
She kept an eye on her little brother at the park.
We need to keep an eye on the weather before heading out.

18. Let the cat out of the bag – To reveal a secret

He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about her promotion.
She was upset when I let the cat out of the bag too soon.

19. Make ends meet – To have just enough money to survive

With rent so high, it’s hard to make ends meet.
She works two jobs to make ends meet.
They struggled to make ends meet after losing their jobs.

20. Miss the boat – To miss an opportunity

I didn’t apply in time and missed the boat on that scholarship.
He missed the boat on investing early.
If you don’t act fast, you’ll miss the boat on this deal.

21. On thin ice – In a risky situation

After his mistake, he’s on thin ice with his boss.
I’m already on thin ice, so I need to be careful.
If she doesn’t improve her grades, she’ll be on thin ice.

22. Pull someone’s leg – To joke with someone

I thought he was serious, but he was just pulling my leg.
Are you pulling my leg, or is this true?
She loves to pull people’s legs with her stories.

23. Spill the beans – To reveal a secret

He spilled the beans about the new project.
She didn’t mean to spill the beans about the wedding.
If you spill the beans, the surprise is ruined!

24. The ball is in your court – It’s your turn to make a decision

I’ve done my part—now the ball is in your court.
They made an offer, so the ball is in our court.
He gave her advice, but the ball is in her court now.

25. Throw in the towel – To give up

After several failed attempts, he threw in the towel.
She never throws in the towel, no matter how hard it gets.
If you want to succeed, don’t throw in the towel too soon.

26. A penny for your thoughts – Asking someone what they are thinking

You’ve been quiet for a while. A penny for your thoughts?
He looked deep in thought, so I asked, a penny for your thoughts.
I’d love to hear your opinion on this. A penny for your thoughts?

27. Actions speak louder than words – What people do is more important than what they say

He keeps apologizing, but actions speak louder than words.
She promised to help, but didn’t. Well, actions speak louder than words.
If you really care, prove it. Actions speak louder than words.

28. Add fuel to the fire – To make a bad situation worse

Instead of calming her down, he added fuel to the fire by arguing.
Spreading rumors will only add fuel to the fire.
He was already upset, and your comment just added fuel to the fire.

29. At the drop of a hat – Immediately, without hesitation

She’s ready to help at the drop of a hat.
He agreed to go on the trip at the drop of a hat.
If you need me, I’ll be there at the drop of a hat.

30. Back to square one – To start over

Our project failed, so we’re back to square one.
I lost my work and had to go back to square one.
After the deal fell through, they were back to square one.

31. Beat around the bush – Avoid saying something directly

Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.
He beat around the bush instead of giving a clear answer.
I don’t like people who beat around the bush.

32. Burn the midnight oil – To work late into the night

She burned the midnight oil to finish the project.
I had to burn the midnight oil before my exam.
He’s always burning the midnight oil at the office.

33. Caught between a rock and a hard place – In a difficult situation

I’m caught between a rock and a hard place—I don’t know what to do.
She’s caught between a rock and a hard place with two bad choices.
He was caught between a rock and a hard place when both sides wanted his help.

34. Cross that bridge when you come to it – Deal with problems when they happen

Don’t worry about the future. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
She doesn’t plan too much—she crosses that bridge when she comes to it.
If a problem comes up, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

35. Cry over spilled milk – Complain about something that can’t be changed

It’s over, so don’t cry over spilled milk.
She kept complaining, but I told her not to cry over spilled milk.
There’s no point in crying over spilled milk—let’s move on.

36. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – Don’t risk everything on one thing

Invest wisely—don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
She learned not to put all her eggs in one basket after losing money.
It’s good to have options, so don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

37. Face the music – Accept the consequences

He made a mistake and now has to face the music.
She broke the rules, so she had to face the music.
I knew I was wrong, so I prepared to face the music.

38. Get out of hand – Become uncontrollable

The party got out of hand when too many people showed up.
If you don’t stop now, things will get out of hand.
His temper got out of hand, and he started yelling.

39. Give the benefit of the doubt – Trust someone without proof

I don’t know if she’s lying, but I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt.
He made a mistake, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt.
I decided to give the benefit of the doubt and believe her story.

40. Hit the nail on the head – To describe something exactly

You hit the nail on the head with your analysis.
Her guess was perfect—she hit the nail on the head.
He hit the nail on the head when he said I was too stressed.

41. In the same boat – In the same difficult situation

We’re all in the same boat—let’s work together.
She lost her job too, so she’s in the same boat as me.
If you’re struggling, remember that many are in the same boat.

42. It takes two to tango – Both sides are responsible

They both made mistakes—it takes two to tango.
I won’t take all the blame—it takes two to tango.
The argument got worse because it takes two to tango.

43. Let sleeping dogs lie – Avoid trouble by not bringing up the past

I won’t ask about it—better to let sleeping dogs lie.
She wanted to argue, but I said we should let sleeping dogs lie.
He apologized, so let’s let sleeping dogs lie and move on.

44. Play devil’s advocate – Argue against an idea to test it

I’ll play devil’s advocate and challenge your opinion.
She likes to play devil’s advocate in debates.
He played devil’s advocate to make the discussion interesting.

45. Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning

If you read between the lines, he’s not happy.
Her message was vague, but I read between the lines.
He didn’t say it, but I read between the lines and understood.

46. The last straw – The final problem before losing patience

His rude comment was the last straw for me.
I’ve been patient, but this mistake is the last straw.
She quit her job after the last straw was reached.

47. Under the weather – Feeling sick

I’m under the weather, so I’ll rest today.
She’s not coming—she’s under the weather.
He’s been under the weather all week.

48. Walk on eggshells – Be very careful not to upset someone

Since the argument, I’ve been walking on eggshells around her.
He gets angry easily, so we walk on eggshells.
At work, we walk on eggshells around our strict boss.

49. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen

He’ll apologize? When pigs fly!
She’ll wake up early? When pigs fly.
They’ll agree on something? When pigs fly.

50. Your guess is as good as mine – I don’t know either

Will it rain tomorrow? Your guess is as good as mine.
How do we fix this? Your guess is as good as mine.
Where is he? Your guess is as good as mine.