Top 10 most common idiomatic expressions with like

Whether you’re an SEO content writer that crafts words for a living, a small business owner who needs some content writing help, or someone that just wants to know more about idioms, you’ve come to the right place. Idioms can help improve all kinds of content writing, as you’ll find out below!

What Is an Idiom?

An idiom is a group of words that are used as a common expression whose meaning is not easily deduced from the literal words within.

Idioms are often put into the class of figurative language, which is when words are used in an imaginative or unusual manner.

To put it simply, idioms mean something different than the words do individually.

For example, the phrase: “writing an idiom is a piece of cake” does not mean that writing an idiom is a literal ‘piece of cake’ that you can eat. Instead, ‘piece of cake’ is a figurative expression for saying that something is easy to do.

While idioms are more commonly used in America, idioms are also often used in the English language on TV shows, movies, written literature and other media.

Familiarizing yourself with the meaning behind common idioms is important as idioms don’t often make literal sense. Here is a list of the most popular and commonly used idioms in American English along with examples and meanings.

Common English Idioms

A blessing in disguise Meaning: A good thing that initially seemed bad

A dime a dozen Meaning: Something that is very common, not unique

Adding insult to injury Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse

Beat around the bush Meaning: Avoid sharing your true viewpoint or feelings because it is uncomfortable

Bite the bullet Meaning: To get an unfavorable situation or chore over with now because it will need to get finished eventually

Best of both worlds Meaning: The choice or solution has all of the advantages of two contrasting things at the same time

Biting off more than you can chew Meaning: Committing to do something that you don’t really have the time, resources or ability to do

Don’t judge a book by its cover Meaning: Don’t judge someone or something by how it looks

Doing something at the drop of a hat Meaning: Doing something at a moment’s notice

Caught between a rock and a hard place Meaning: Making a choice between two unpleasant choices

Cutting corners Meaning: Taking risky shortcuts to save time and/or money

Devil’s advocate Meaning: To argue for the other side in an argument in order to encourage further debate

Getting a taste of your own medicine Meaning: Being treated the (usually negative) way that you have been treating others

Giving the benefit of the doubt Meaning: Believing someone’s story without proof even though it may seem unbelievable

Hitting the nail on the head Meaning: To be exactly right

Letting someone off the hook Meaning: Not holding someone responsible for something

No pain, no gain Meaning: You have to suffer to see results

On the ball Meaning: Attentive and doing a good job

Once in a blue moon Meaning: Something that doesn’t happen very often

Speak of the devil Meaning: When the person you have just been talking about arrives

The last straw Meaning: The last act that makes an entire situation unbearable

Your guess is as good as mine Meaning: I have no idea

Dead ringer Meaning: Someone who looks extremely similar to someone else

The whole nine yards Meaning: Everything. All of it.

Get down to brass tacks Meaning: Get down to business

Burning bridges Meaning: Damaging a relationship beyond repair

Fit as a fiddle Meaning: Excellent health

Go down in flames Meaning: To fail in a spectacular manner

He/She is off their rocker Meaning: Someone who is acting crazy or not thinking rationally

It’s always darkest before the dawn Meaning: Things always get worse before they get better

It takes two to tango Meaning: One person usually isn’t the only responsible party

Like riding a bike Meaning: Something that you never forget how to do

Through thick and thin Meaning: Everyone experiences hard and good times

Time is money Meaning: Work faster or more efficiently

Food Idioms

Can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs Meaning: You can’t make everyone happy

Like two peas in a pod Meaning: Two people who are always together

An apple a day keeps the doctor away Meaning: Apples are healthy and good for you

Heard it through the grapevine Meaning: Hearing rumors about someone or something

Piece of cake Meaning: A task or job that is easy to complete

Bread and butter Meaning: Something you do or use to survive or thrive in a situation

Bring home the bacon Meaning: Make money, specifically money to live on

Crying over spilled milk Meaning: Worrying about the past or things that are already done or settled

Not my cup of tea Meaning: Something that you don’t like

Take it with a grain of salt Meaning: Believe it at your own risk

Top banana Meaning: The most powerful or important person in a group or organization

Bad apple Meaning: A troublemaker

Bad egg Meaning: Like a troublemaker but worse; someone who seems fundamentally dishonest or otherwise ill-behaved

Good egg Meaning: The opposite of a bad egg; someone who is honest and trustworthy

Bigger fish to fry Meaning: More important things to do

Cool as a cucumber Meaning: Calm, especially under pressure

Couch potato Meaning: A sedentary person who spends a lot of time seated, often watching TV

Can’t cut the mustard Meaning: Can’t keep up with the competition

Hard nut to crack Meaning: Something or someone that’s difficult to figure out

Big cheese Meaning: The person in charge

Bun in the oven Meaning: Pregnant

Apple of someone’s eye Meaning: To be loved and adored

Buttering someone up Meaning: Being super-nice to someone because you want something from them

Egg someone on Meaning: Encourage someone to do something, typically something that they shouldn’t be doing

In a nutshell Meaning: To sum things up

Spill the beans Meaning: Divulge secret info

Animal Idioms

Don’t count your chickens before they hatch Meaning: Not to count on something happening until after it’s already happened

Going on a wild goose chase Meaning: Doing something that is pointless

Killing two birds with one stone Meaning: Accomplishing two different tasks in the same undertaking

The elephant in the room Meaning: An issue, person, or problem that someone is trying to avoid

Straight from the horse’s mouth Meaning: Reading or hearing something from the source

Letting the cat out of the bag Meaning: Sharing information that was intended to be a secret

Beating a dead horse Meaning: Giving time or energy to something that is ended or over

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink Meaning: You can’t force someone to make what is seemingly the right decision

Every dog has his day Meaning: Everyone gets their chance to do something big

A leopard can’t change its spots Meaning: People don’t change

Wag the dog Meaning: Divert attention from something important to something trivial

The birds and the bees Meaning: Sex education

Ants in one’s pants Meaning: Being nervous and unable to sit still

Chicken out Meaning: To decide not to do something, usually at the last minute

Clam up Meaning: Stop talking

The cat’s got someone’s tongue Meaning: That person is oddly quiet

Have a cow Meaning: Get extremely upset, usually about something that’s not worth it

Hold your horses Meaning: Be patient

Pig out Meaning: To eat a lot of food

Take the bull by the horns Meaning: To show initiative

Until the cows come home Meaning: Forever, or at least a mighty long time

Smell a rat Meaning: To suspect that somebody’s up to no good.

Nest egg Meaning: Sum of money saved for later

Raining cats and dogs Meaning: Raining heavily

Get the lion’s share Meaning: Get the biggest portion

Weather Idioms

Feeling under the weather Meaning: Not feeling well, or feeling sick

Stealing someone’s thunder Meaning: To take attention away from someone by doing or sharing something before that person can do so

Clouds on the horizon Meaning: Trouble is coming or is on its way

Run like the wind Meaning: To run really fast

Weather the storm Meaning: Enduring a trial or hardship

Getting a second wind Meaning: Having energy again after being tired

A snowball effect Meaning: Something has momentum and builds on each other, much like rolling a snowball down a hill to make it bigger

Throwing caution to the wind Meaning: Being reckless or taking a risk

Body Idioms

Having your head in the clouds Meaning: Day dreaming, not paying attention

By the skin of your teeth Meaning: Just barely making it

Costs an arm and a leg Meaning: Something that is overpriced or very expensive

Giving someone the cold shoulder Meaning: Ignoring someone

Pulling someone’s leg Meaning: Joking with someone

Cold feet Meaning: Getting nervous before a big event, to the point of backing out

Face the music Meaning: Face the consequences of your actions

Get something off your chest Meaning: Vent or complain

Head over heels Meaning: In love

Makes my blood boil Meaning: Makes me extremely angrily

Rule of thumb Meaning: A basic rule or principle

Stick your neck out Meaning: Support someone or something, even if it may have negative consequences for you

Wash your hands of something Meaning: Abandon a problem or responsibility

See eye to eye Meaning: Agree

Neck of the woods Meaning: A location and its immediate surroundings

Keep your chin up Meaning: Don’t give up

This Is Just a Small Sample of Common Idioms

Idioms are everywhere. They’re how we make everything from casual conversation to roadside advertising more colorful, and they convey a certain level of cultural understanding and kinship. What are some of your favorite commonly used idioms? Share the wealth in the comments below!

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Every dog has his day — everyone will be lucky someday;.

Be like chalk and cheese — be absolutely different;.

Cry over spilt milk — regret of something that you will never be able to change;.

Once in a blue moon — very rarely;.

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A piece of cake. Something that's super easy to do..

Born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Born into a rich family..

Break a leg. ... .

No use crying over spilled milk. ... .

Easier said than done. ... .

Feeling under the weather. ... .

Packed like sardines. ... .

Kill two birds with one stone..