100 Idioms for primary school compositions
Here are idioms and their meanings.
1. A piece of cake – Something very easy to do
2. Break the ice – To make people feel comfortable
3. Under the weather – Feeling ill
4. The ball is in your court – It’s up to you to make a decision
5. Bite the bullet – To face something difficult or unpleasant
6. Cost an arm and a leg – Very expensive
7. Cry over spilt milk – To be upset about something that cannot be undone
8. Burn the midnight oil – Stay up late working or studying
9. Hit the nail on the head – To describe exactly what is causing a situation
10. Let the cat out of the bag – Reveal a secret by mistake
11. A penny for your thoughts – Asking someone what they are thinking
12. Make a mountain out of a molehill – To make something small seem much bigger
13. A blessing in disguise – Something that seems bad at first but is good in the end
14. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – Don’t assume something will happen before it actually does
15. Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
16. You can’t judge a book by its cover – Don’t judge something by how it looks
17. In the nick of time – Just in time
18. The early bird catches the worm – The person who arrives first gets the best chance
19. Actions speak louder than words – What people do is more important than what they say
20. When pigs fly – Something that will never happen
21. Throw in the towel – To give up or admit defeat
22. A watched pot never boils – Time seems to pass more slowly when you are waiting for something
23. Be in hot water – To be in trouble
24. Jump on the bandwagon – To join a popular activity or trend
25. The elephant in the room – A big problem that no one wants to talk about
26. Burn bridges – To destroy relationships or opportunities
27. Kill two birds with one stone – Accomplishing two things with a single action
28. Bite off more than you can chew – To take on more than you can handle
29. Put all your eggs in one basket – Rely on a single plan or resource
30. Cry wolf – To raise a false alarm
31. Out of the blue – Something happening unexpectedly
32. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – It’s better to keep what you have than risk losing it
33. Hit the sack – To go to bed
34. Cold feet – To feel nervous or scared before doing something
35. Raining cats and dogs – Raining very heavily
36. A stitch in time saves nine – Fixing a problem early prevents it from getting worse
37. A picture is worth a thousand words – A visual representation can explain something better than words
38. At the drop of a hat – Immediately, without delay
39. Be all ears – To be listening carefully
40. Throw caution to the wind – To take a risk
41. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you – Don’t harm those who help you
42. Spill the beans – To reveal a secret
43. On cloud nine – Extremely happy
44. Piece of the pie – A share of something
45. Make ends meet – To manage one’s finances well
46. The tip of the iceberg – A small part of a much bigger issue
47. By the skin of your teeth – To barely succeed or escape
48. Get your act together – To organize and start performing well
49. Pull someone’s leg – To tease or trick someone
50. Let sleeping dogs lie – Avoid restarting a conflict or problem
51. An arm and a leg – Something very expensive
52. A taste of your own medicine – Receiving the same treatment you give others
53. Burn the candle at both ends – To work hard at both ends of the day
54. Get cold feet – To become nervous about something
55. Like a fish out of water – To feel uncomfortable or out of place
56. Not playing with a full deck – Not thinking clearly or not fully informed
57. The straw that broke the camel’s back – The final problem in a series of problems
58. Break a leg – To wish someone good luck
59. The writing on the wall – Clear signs that something bad is going to happen
60. Steal someone’s thunder – To take credit for someone else’s idea or achievement
61. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – Don’t rely on just one thing
62. Make a long story short – To summarize a situation
63. A fish out of water – Someone who feels uncomfortable in a new situation
64. Get a taste of your own medicine – Experience the same thing you’ve done to others
65. Go down in flames – To fail in a dramatic way
66. Hit the jackpot – To achieve great success, especially unexpectedly
67. Off the beaten track – Unusual or uncommon
68. Let your hair down – To relax and enjoy yourself
69. Not the sharpest tool in the shed – Not very smart
70. Take the bull by the horns – To confront a difficult situation directly
71. A rolling stone gathers no moss – A person who doesn’t settle down or stay in one place
72. Go the extra mile – To do more than what is expected
73. Leave no stone unturned – To search or investigate thoroughly
74. Too many cooks spoil the broth – Too many people trying to control a situation can cause confusion
75. A drop in the ocean – A very small or insignificant amount
76. Keep your fingers crossed – Hope for good luck
77. Out of the frying pan and into the fire – To go from a bad situation to a worse one
78. Have a heart of gold – To be kind and generous
79. A leopard can’t change its spots – A person cannot change their inherent nature
80. Get a kick out of something – To enjoy something very much
81. Jump the gun – To start something before the right time
82. Let the cat out of the bag – To accidentally reveal a secret
83. On the same page – To agree or have the same understanding
84. Pull yourself together – To calm down and regain control of your emotions
85. Take with a grain of salt – To not take something too seriously
86. The sky’s the limit – There’s no limit to what you can achieve
87. Burn bridges – To destroy a relationship or opportunity
88. Cut to the chase – To get to the point
89. Chase your tail – To waste time on unnecessary tasks
90. In hot water – In trouble
91. Behind the scenes – Happening secretly or out of view
92. Throw a wrench in the works – To ruin a plan or process
93. Keep your eyes peeled – To be on the lookout
94. Mind your own business – Focus on your own concerns
95. Out of the blue – Unexpectedly
96. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes – To deceive someone
97. By the book – Following rules or instructions exactly
98. Put your best foot forward – To try your best or present yourself well
99. Jump through hoops – To go through difficult or unnecessary steps to achieve something
100. Take the cake – To be the most impressive or surprising
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