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Idioms are word combinations that have a different figurative meaning than the literal meanings of each word or phrase. They can be confusing for kids or people learning a language as they don't mean what they say.

He's as cool as a cucumber is an everyday idiom, but if you've never heard it before you might wonder what cold fruit (or vegetable?) has to do with the situation! Isn't it a fun way to say "he's very calm," though?

We have compiled a huge list of common examples of idioms for kids to learn and become more familiar with these these crazy, creative phrases. Use them to express yourself in an interesting way.

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Everyday Idioms

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• A grey area - Something unclear

• A rip-off - Too expensive

• Add fuel to the fire - To add more to an existing problem

• As easy as ABC - Something is very easy

• Call it a day - Time to quit

• Cool as a cucumber - To be very calm under stress

• Crack a book - Open up a book and study

• Down to the wire - At the last minute

• Draw a blank - Can't remember

• Fill in the blanks - Provide more information

• Get a kick out of it - Really enjoy/like something

• Get your act together - Behave properly

• Give it a shot - To try to do something

• Have mixed feelings - Be unsure of how you feel

• Have second thoughts - Have doubts

• In hot water - Be in trouble

• In the same boat - Be in the same situation

• It's in the bag - It's a certainty

• I've got your number - To say you can't be fooled by someone since you have them figured out

• Miss the boat - You missed your chance

• Mumbo jumbo - To call something total nonsense

• Out of the blue - With no warning

• Pass with flying colours - To succeed at something easily

• Piece of cake - Something very easy

• Read between the lines - Find the hidden meaning

• Second to none - The best

• The icing on the cake - Something additional that turns good into great

 

Body Part Idioms

• Cross your fingers - For good luck

• Fell on deaf ears - People wouldn't listen to something

• Get cold feet - Be nervous

• Giving the cold shoulder - Ignore someone

• Have a change of heart - Changed your mind

• I'm all ears - You have my full attention

• It cost an arm and a leg - It was expensive

• Play it by ear - Improvise

• See eye to eye - Agree

• Slipped my mind - I forgot

• Speak your mind - Say what you really feel

 

Animal Idioms

• A bull in a china shop - Someone who is very clumsy

• A little birdie told me - Someone told me a secret

• Bee in her bonnet - She is upset

• Birdbrain - Someone who is not very smart

• Busy as a bee - To be very active and working hard at something

• Cat got your tongue? - Why aren't you talking?

• Cry crocodile tears - To pretend to be upset

• Curiosity killed the cat - Asking too many questions may get you in trouble

• Different kettle of fish - Something completely different

• Doggy bag - A bag to take home leftovers from a restaurant

• Fish out of water - Being somewhere you don't belong

• For the birds - Something that is not worth anything

• Get off your high horse - Quit thinking you are better than others

• Goose is cooked - Now you're in trouble

• Hold your horses - Wait a minute

• Horse of a different colour - Something that is quite different, a separate issue

• Hot dog - A person doing athletic stunts that are dangerous

• Let the cat out of the bag - Tell a secret

• Make a mountain out of a molehill - Make something unimportant into a big deal

• Night owl - Someone who stays up late

• Pig out - To eat a lot

• Put a bug in his ear - Make a suggestion

• Raining cats and dogs - It is raining very hard

• Snail's pace - To move extremely slow

• Stir a hornet's nest - To cause a lot of trouble

• Teacher's pet - The teacher's favorite student

• The world is your oyster - You can achieve whatever/go wherever you want

• When pigs fly - To say something is impossible

• Wolf in sheep's clothing - A person who pretends to be nice but is not

• You can't teach an old dog new tricks - It's harder for older people to learn new things

 

Unique Expressions

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Idioms are a unique way to get your point across, and show just how fun language can be. Now that you've seen some suitable examples of idioms you can see that it's a piece of cake to show your witty side by using an idiom in writing or conversation.

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