Idioms are easier to remember when they cluster around a shared image. A phrase about money tends to stick with other money phrases, and once you know two or three idioms built on weather, a new one slots into place quickly.
This lesson gathers frequent English idioms into seven familiar themes. Each entry gives a short gloss and one example sentence. The goal is recognition first, confident use second.
Money
Cost an arm and a leg — very expensive.
Break the bank — cost more than you can afford.
Tighten your belt — spend less than usual.
Pay through the nose — pay much more than something is worth.
Cash cow — a product or business that brings in steady money.
Money talks — wealth gives power and influence.
Body parts
Pull someone's leg — joke with someone, usually by teasing.
Hit the nail on the head — say or identify something exactly right.
Keep your chin up — stay positive in a difficult situation.
Get cold feet — lose courage at the last moment.
See eye to eye — fully agree with someone.
A pain in the neck — an annoying person or thing.
Weather
Under the weather — feeling mildly ill.
Raining cats and dogs — raining very heavily.
Every cloud has a silver lining — every bad situation has some good side.
Fair-weather friend — someone loyal only in good times.
Take a rain check — politely decline now, accept later.
Storm in a teacup — a minor issue treated as a crisis.
Animals
Let the cat out of the bag — reveal a secret, usually by accident.
Kill two birds with one stone — achieve two goals with one action.
The elephant in the room — an obvious problem everyone avoids.
Hold your horses — wait, slow down.
Take the bull by the horns — face a difficult situation directly.
A fish out of water — someone uncomfortable in an unfamiliar setting.
Food
Piece of cake — very easy.
Spill the beans — reveal a secret.
In a pickle — in a difficult or awkward situation.
Take something with a grain of salt — treat information with some doubt.
Bring home the bacon — earn a living, especially the main income.
A tough cookie — a strong, resilient person.
Colours
Out of the blue — unexpectedly, with no warning.
See red — become suddenly very angry.
Once in a blue moon — very rarely.
In the red / in the black — losing money / making a profit.
White lie — a small, harmless lie told out of politeness.
Time
In the nick of time — just before it was too late.
Call it a day — stop working for the day.
Kill time — pass time while waiting.
Ahead of time — earlier than expected or required.
Time flies — time passes surprisingly quickly.
A note on using idioms
Idioms are best learned in small chunks rather than long lists, and always in context — the surrounding sentence is what makes the meaning click. Start by recognising them in films, articles, and conversation; active use comes naturally after that.
Register matters too. Most idioms here sound natural in everyday speech and informal writing, but they're usually out of place in formal reports, academic essays, or official correspondence. One idiom per paragraph is plenty; a message packed with them quickly sounds forced.
Common mistakes
Wrong preposition or word
Literal translation or wrong form
Overuse in formal writing
Mixing two idioms