**Part 1 – Idioms – Set 2**
Note:
- This section provides common English idioms categorized by topic.
- Each idiom is explained with its Vietnamese meaning and an illustrative example.
- You can use this table to look up idioms as you learn English.
- Try to memorize and use idioms regularly to enhance your English communication skills.
1. Relationships & People
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| A blind date | A date between two people who have never met before. | “I’m going on a blind date with a friend of a friend.” |
| Golden handshake | A large sum of money given to someone who is leaving their job. | “He received a golden handshake when he retired from the company.” |
| One’s cup of tea | Something that someone likes. | “Country music isn’t really my cup of tea.” |
| Good egg | A person who is trustworthy and has good character. | “She’s a good egg; you can always count on her.” |
| The apple of one’s eye | Someone or something that is very precious to someone. | “Her grandson is the apple of her eye.” |
| Compulsive liar | Someone who lies habitually. | “He’s a compulsive liar; you can never believe anything he says.” |
| Wet blanket | Someone who spoils the fun. | “Don’t invite him to the party; he’s such a wet blanket.” |
| A big cheese | An important or influential person. | “He’s a big cheese in the local government.” |
| To be a real pain in the neck | To be very annoying. | “My little brother is a real pain in the neck when he’s bored.” |
| To be a real pain in the backside | To be very annoying. | “My boss is a real pain in the backside.” |
| To get on like a house on fire | To be very friendly with someone right away. | “They got on like a house on fire and have been friends ever since.” |
| To be like two peas in a pod | To be very similar to someone. | “My twin sister and I are like two peas in a pod.” |
| To be thick as thieves | To be very close friends. | “Those two kids are thick as thieves; they’re always together.” |
| To be the black sheep of the family | To be the one member of a family who is different from the others. | “He’s always been the black sheep of the family; he never went to college.” |
| To have a chip on your shoulder | To be easily offended. | “He’s got a chip on his shoulder about his past.” |
| To be a couch potato | To spend a lot of time watching television. | “I’m such a couch potato; I could watch TV all day long.” |
| To be a workaholic | To work too much. | “He’s such a workaholic; he never takes a break.” |
| To have a heart of gold | To be a kind and generous person. | “She’s got a heart of gold; she’s always willing to help others.” |
2. Situations & Emotions
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| Between two stools = on the horns of a dilemma | To be in a difficult situation with two bad choices. | “I’m on the horns of a dilemma; I don’t know which job to accept.” |
| A shadow of a doubt | A feeling of uncertainty or suspicion. | “I have a shadow of a doubt about his story.” |
| Beyond the shadow of a doubt | With no doubt at all; certain. | “He was found guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.” |
| The last straw = a nail in one’s coffin | The final event that causes someone to lose their patience or give up. | “Losing my job was the last straw; I’m quitting everything.” |
| Close shave = narrow escape | A situation where someone nearly avoids danger or harm. | “I had a close shave when I almost got hit by a car.” |
| A kick in the pants | A lesson or motivation to improve behavior. | “He needs a kick in the pants to get his act together.” |
| To pour cold water on | To discourage or dampen someone’s enthusiasm. | “Don’t pour cold water on her plans; she’s really excited about them.” |
| To blow st out of the water | To defeat or surpass something. | “Our new product blew the competition out of the water.” |
| To get in hot water = be in trouble/have difficulty | To have problems or get into trouble. | “He got in hot water for making offensive remarks.” |
| To hit the roof = to hit the ceiling | To become very angry. | “He hit the roof when he found out about the accident.” |
| To hit it off | To get along well with someone. | “They hit it off right away; they’re such a great couple.” |
| To fly off the handle | To become easily angry. | “He flew off the handle when I disagreed with him.” |
| To come to light | To become known or discovered. | “The truth about the scandal finally came to light.” |
| To get the hold of the wrong end of the stick | To misunderstand someone. | “I think you got hold of the wrong end of the stick; that’s not what I meant.” |
| To know by sight | To recognize someone but not know their name. | “I know him by sight, but I don’t know his name.” |
| To break the ice | To do something to help people relax and feel more comfortable, especially when meeting for the first time. | “Telling a funny joke helped break the ice at the party.” |
| To blow one’s own trumpet | To boast about oneself or one’s achievements. | “He’s always blowing his own trumpet about his achievements.” |
| To miss the boat | To miss an opportunity. | “I missed the boat on that job offer; it’s already gone.” |
| To put one’s card on the table | To be honest and open. | “Let’s put our cards on the table and discuss this openly.” |
| To call it a day | To stop working or doing something for a while. | “It’s been a long day; let’s call it a day and go home.” |
| To hear a pin drop | To be very quiet. | “The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.” |
| To blow hot and cold | To be indecisive or change one’s mind frequently. | “She’s been blowing hot and cold about the new job.” |
| To call the shots | To be in charge and make decisions. | “He’s the boss; he calls the shots.” |
| To draw the line | To set a limit or boundary. | “I draw the line at drinking and driving.” |
| To foot the bill | To pay for something. | “I’ll foot the bill for dinner tonight.” |
| To carry the can | To take responsibility for something, especially when it is someone else’s fault. | “He always carries the can for everyone’s mistakes.” |
| To throw the baby out with the bathwater | To reject something good or valuable along with something bad. | “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater; there are some good parts of the plan.” |
| To go with the flow | To accept things as they are and not try to change them. | “I’m just going to go with the flow and see where it takes me.” |
| To keep his shirt on | To calm down. | “Just keep your shirt on, there’s no need to get upset.” |
| To let off steam | To release tension or anger. | “He went for a run to let off steam after a stressful day.” |
| Hot under the collar | Angry or upset. | “He got hot under the collar when she questioned his story.” |
| As red as a beetroot | Very embarrassed. | “She went as red as a beetroot when he complimented her.” |
3. Circumstances & Situations
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| Odds and ends | Small, miscellaneous items. | “I packed a few odds and ends for the trip.” |
| Leaps and bounds | Rapidly; with great speed. | “The company has grown in leaps and bounds since its founding.” |
| On the house | Free of charge. | “The drinks are on the house tonight.” |
| Off the peg | Ready-made; not custom-made. | “I bought a suit off the peg; it didn’t need alterations.” |
| Off the record | Not officially; not for publication. | “This is off the record, but I think he’s going to quit.” |
| Part and parcel | An essential or unavoidable part of something. | “Stress is part and parcel of being a manager.” |
| The tip of the iceberg | A small, visible part of a larger, hidden problem. | “This is just the tip of the iceberg; there’s a lot more going on behind the scenes.” |
| Ups and downs | Changes, both good and bad. | “Life has its ups and downs; you just have to learn to deal with them.” |
| Ins and outs | The details or complexities of something. | “I don’t know all the ins and outs of the project, but I’m learning.” |
| At the drop of a hat | Immediately; without hesitation. | “He’s always ready to help at the drop of a hat.” |
| High and low = here and there = far and wide | Everywhere. | “I’ve searched high and low for my keys.” |
| Spick and span | Very clean and tidy. | “Her house is always spick and span.” |
| On the spot = immediately | Immediately; without delay. | “He had to make a decision on the spot.” |
| At the eleventh hour | At the last moment; just in time. | “He arrived at the eleventh hour.” |
| On the top of the world = walking on the air= like a dog with two tails | Extremely happy and excited. | “She’s on top of the world after winning the lottery.” |
| In vain | Without success; uselessly. | “I tried to convince him, but my efforts were in vain.” |
| A piece of cake | Easy to do. | “The exam was a piece of cake; I finished it early.” |
| Down the drain | Wasted; lost. | “All my hard work went down the drain when the project was canceled.” |
| Under the weather = off color | Feeling unwell. | “I’m feeling a bit under the weather today.” |
| The end of the world | Something that is not worth worrying about. | “Losing my phone isn’t the end of the world; I can get a new one.” |
| As fit as a fiddle | In excellent health. | “He’s as fit as a fiddle; he runs marathons every weekend.” |
| On probation | A period of time during which someone is being monitored or tested. | “He’s on probation for six months.” |
| Home and dry = with flying colors | Successful; completely finished. | “We’re home and dry; we finally got the contract.” |
| Apples and oranges = chalk and cheese | Very different; incomparable. | “Comparing those two products is like comparing apples and oranges.” |
| As long as your arm | Very long. | “The line for the concert was as long as your arm.” |
| As high as a kite | Extremely excited, often due to alcohol. | “He was as high as a kite after drinking too much.” |
| In the same boat | In the same situation or difficulty. | “We’re all in the same boat; we’re all struggling to make ends meet.” |
| For good= permanently | Forever. | “He left the country for good.” |
| Now and then =once in a while | Occasionally. | “I visit my parents now and then.” |
| Full of beans | Energetic and enthusiastic. | “She’s always full of beans and ready to go.” |
| At a loose end | Having nothing to do. | “I’m at a loose end this afternoon; what are you doing?” |
| A tall story = unbelievable | Unbelievable; a lie. | “That’s a tall story; I don’t believe you.” |
| As cool as cucumber | Calm and relaxed. | “He remained as cool as a cucumber under pressure.” |
| Peace and quiet | A state of calm and silence. | “I just need some peace and quiet to relax.” |
| Behind closed doors | Privately; secretly. | “The negotiations were held behind closed doors.” |
| High and dry | In a difficult situation, especially without help. | “The sudden change in plans left him high and dry.” |
| Prim and proper | Very formal and proper; old-fashioned. | “She’s always prim and proper; she never lets her hair out of place.” |
| Rough and ready | Basic and functional, but not perfect. | “It’s a rough and ready solution, but it’ll do for now.” |
| Sick and tired | Extremely bored or annoyed. | “I’m sick and tired of hearing about your problems.” |
| Safe and sound | Unharmed; without any problems. | “He arrived safe and sound after the long journey.” |
| White-collar | Relating to office workers or professional jobs. | “He has a white-collar job in finance.” |
| Blue -collar | Relating to manual labor or working-class jobs. | “He’s a blue-collar worker; he’s a mechanic.” |
| Nowhere near | Not close to; not at all. | “We’re nowhere near finishing this project.” |
| Out of sorts | Feeling unwell or unhappy. | “I’m feeling a bit out of sorts today.” |
| On the mend | Recovering from an illness or injury. | “He’s on the mend after his surgery.” |
| Over the worst | Having passed the most difficult part of something. | “She’s over the worst of her illness.” |
| On pins and needles = nervous | Anxious or worried. | “I was on pins and needles waiting for the results.” |
4. Activities & Actions
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| To run an errand | To go out to do a short task. | “I need to run an errand to the grocery store.” |
| To put on an act | To pretend to be something you’re not. | “He’s putting on an act; he’s not really as angry as he seems.” |
| To pull one’s weight | To contribute fairly to a group effort. | “Make sure you pull your weight on this project.” |
| To make ends meet | To earn enough money to live on. | “It’s hard to make ends meet with such a low salary.” |
| To cut and dried | Decided or settled; not open to change. | “The decision is cut and dried; there’s no room for debate.” |
| To take pains | To make a great effort to do something well. | “She took pains to make sure everything was perfect.” |
| To drop sb a line/note | To write a short letter to someone. | “I’ll drop you a line when I get there.” |
| To turn over a new leaf | To change one’s behavior for the better. | “He’s decided to turn over a new leaf and give up smoking.” |
| To weigh up the pros and cons | To consider the advantages and disadvantages of something. | “I need to weigh up the pros and cons before making a decision.” |
| To burn the midnight oil | To work or study late into the night. | “I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my report.” |
| To put sb/st at one’s disposal | To make someone or something available for someone else to use. | “I put my car at your disposal if you need it.” |
| To bring down the house | To receive a very enthusiastic response from an audience. | “The comedian brought down the house with his jokes.” |
| To beat about the bush | To avoid talking directly about something. | “Don’t beat about the bush; just tell me what you want.” |
| To find fault with | To criticize or complain about something. | “He’s always finding fault with everything I do.” |
| To take it amiss | To misunderstand something or take offense. | “Don’t take it amiss if I don’t agree with you.” |
| To break the news | To tell someone something important, especially bad news. | “I had to break the news to him that his father had passed away.” |
| To drop a brick | To say something inappropriate or embarrassing. | “I really dropped a brick when I asked her about her ex-boyfriend.” |
| To take st for granted | To not appreciate something because you have it all the time. | “Don’t take your family for granted; they’re the most important people in your life.” |
| To hit the books = to study | To study hard. | “I’m going to hit the books tonight; I have a big exam tomorrow.” |
| To make good time | To travel quickly. | “We made good time on the drive to the coast.” |
| To chip in | To contribute money. | “Let’s all chip in and buy her a gift.” |
| To jump the traffic lights | To drive through a red light. | “He was caught jumping the traffic lights.” |
Remember, this is just a small selection of common English idioms. There are many more to learn and use!
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