What is an Idiom?
Idiom – an expression that means something different than what it says. If I say that a test was ‘a piece of cake’. I don’t mean that I could literally eat the test. The test was not actually a piece of cake. I say this to mean that the test was easy. So idioms are common expressions in English that mean something other than what it says.
In this lesson, you will learn about 30 popular idioms for ESL students. Each idiom has visuals for the literal words, pictures for what the idiom actually means and a picture with an example. Here’s a quick list of the 30 idioms. Check below for more information and pictures with examples for all 30 idioms.
30 Idioms for ESL students
| # | Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | under the weather | To not feel well. | “I feel under the weather. I have a terrible cold.” |
| 2 | better late than never | It’s better to come late than not to come at all. | “At least you’re here, better late than never.” |
| 3 | the ball is in your court | You can decide. | “I like both restaurants. You decide. The ball is in your court.” |
| 4 | a piece of cake | Easy. | “I think I got 100%. That Math test was a piece of cake.” |
| 5 | great minds think alike | Smart people think the same. | A: I want to go to NSS University. B: Me too. A: Great minds think alike. |
| 6 | it’s a small world | Meet someone you know in an unexpected place. | “I can’t believe I come all the way to Cambodia and I meet you. It’s a small world.” |
| 7 | break a leg | Good luck. | “It’s your turn to sing. Break a leg.” |
| 8 | call it a day | To stop working on something. | “It’s getting late and we’ve been working hard. Let’s call it a day.” |
| 9 | cutting corners | Doing something poorly to finish quicker (and save money). | “The house is falling apart. The builders must have been cutting corners.” |
| 10 | easy does it | Slow down. | “You were going too fast around that corner. Easy does it.” |
| 11 | get out of hand | Can’t control something. | “Coronavirus keeps spreading. It’s getting out of hand.” |
| 12 | get something out of your system | To do something that you have been wanting to do so that you no longer feel a strong desire to do it | “You keep talking about driving across the country. I think you just need to do it and get it out of your system.” |
| 13 | get your act together | Work better so that you are not confused anymore and you can be better. | Teacher: “You’re not concentrating. Your grades are falling. You need to get your act together or you will fail.” |
| 14 | go back to the drawing board | To start over. | “The company tried to build an electric car but it didn’t work. They had to go back to the drawing board.” |
| 15 | hang in there | Don’t give up. | A: “I’m getting so tired.” B: “Hang in there. There’s only 200 meters left in the race.” |
| 16 | raining cats and dogs | It’s raining very hard. | “There’s going to be flooding if it keeps raining cats and dogs.” |
| 17 | hit the sack | Go to bed. | After working all day, she couldn’t wait to hit the sack. |
| 18 | it’s not rocket science | It’s not that complicated. | “You can build a house out of blocks. It’s not rocket science.” |
| 19 | make a long story short | To tell something briefly. | “She ran into the burning building. To make a long story short, she saved the cat.” |
| 20 | miss the boat | To be too late. | “You missed the boat. The concert tickets sold out an hour ago.” |
| 21 | on the ball | Doing something well. | “She’s hitting the target every time. She’s on the ball today.” |
| 22 | pull someone’s leg | To trick or joke with someone. | “I didn’t really eat the worm. I’m just pulling your leg.” |
| 23 | pull yourself together | Must calm down. | “You can’t talk to her like that. You have to pull yourself together.” |
| 24 | so far so good | Things are going well so far. | “It’s only my first day on the job but so far so good.” |
| 25 | speak of the devil | The person we were talking about has unexpectedly arrived. | “I can’t believe she said that… Oh! Look! Speak of the devil. Here she comes.” |
| 26 | that’s the last straw | My patience has run out. | “You came home late for dinner again. That’s it. That’s the last straw.” |
| 27 | the best of both worlds | Things are perfect with the situation. | “You’ve got a great job and a great husband. You’ve got the best of both worlds.” |
| 28 | time flies when you’re having fun | Time goes very fast when you are enjoying yourself. | “I can’t believe it’s 5 o’clock already. Time flies when you’re having fun.” |
| 29 | we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it | We have a problem but we will deal with it later. | “If we win this game we will have to play the champions. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” |
| 30 | actions speak louder than word | It’s better to do something than to just talk about it | “Don’t just say you’re going to exercise. Do it. Actions speak louder than words.” |
Idioms for ESL students 1-10
1. UNDER THE WEATHER
Idiom: under the weather
Meaning
Under the weather means: to not feel well, to feel ill, or sick.
Example
“I feel under the weather. I have a terrible cold.”
2. BETTER LATE THAN NEVER
Idiom: better late than never
Meaning
Better late than never means that it’s better to come late than not to come at all.
Example
“At least you’re here, better late than never.”
3. THE BALL IS IN YOUR COURT
Idiom: the ball is in your court
Meaning
The ball is in your court means that you can decide, it’s your decision.
Example
“I like both restaurants. You decide. The ball is in your court.”
4. A PIECE OF CAKE
Idiom: a piece of cake
Meaning
A piece of cake means that something is easy, not difficult.
Example
“I think I got 100%. That Math test was a piece of cake.”
5. GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE
Idiom: great minds think alike
Meaning
Great minds think alike means that smart people think the same; that clever people have the same thoughts.
Example
A: I want to go to NSS University. B: Me too. A: Great minds think alike.
6. IT’S A SMALL WORLD
Idiom: it’s a small world
Meaning
It’s a small world is what you might say if you meet someone you know in an unexpected place, like someone you grew up with that you bump into halfway around the world.
Example
“I can’t believe I come all the way to Cambodia and I meet you. It’s a small world.”
7. BREAK A LEG
Idiom: break a leg
Meaning
Break a leg means good luck.
Example
“It’s your turn to sing. Break a leg.”
8. CALL IT A DAY
Idiom: call it a day
Meaning
Call it a day means to stop working on something.
Example
“It’s getting late and we’ve been working hard. Let’s call it a day.”
9. CUTTING CORNERS
Idiom: cutting corners
Meaning
Cutting corners means to do something poorly so that you finish quicker and usually to save money.
Example
“The house is falling apart. The builders must have been cutting corners.”
10. EASY DOES IT
Idiom: easy does it
Meaning
Easy does it means to slow down or calm down.
Example
“You were going too fast around that corner. Easy does it.”
Idioms for ESL students | Gameshow Quiz 1-10
Idioms for ESL students | This Gameshow quiz is great for practicing the first 10 idioms that you have learned. There are more idioms for ESL students below as well.
Idioms for ESL students 11-20
11. GET OUT OF HAND
Idiom: get out of hand
Meaning
Get out of hand means that something can’t be controlled.
Example
“Coronavirus keeps spreading. It’s getting out of hand.”
12. GET SOMETHING OUT OF YOUR SYSTEM
Idiom: get something out of your system
Meaning
Get something out of your system means to do something that have been wanting to do so that you no longer feel a strong desire to do it.
Example
“You keep talking about driving across the country. I think you just need to do it and get it out of your system.”
13. GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER
Idiom: get your act together
Meaning
Get your act together means to work better so that you aren’t confused anymore and you can be better.
Example
Teacher: “You’re not concentrating. Your grades are falling. You need to get your act together or you will fail.”
14. GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD
Idiom: go back to the drawing board
Meaning
Go back to the drawing board means to start something over again.
Example
“The company tried to build an electric car but it didn’t work. They had to go back to the drawing board.”
15. HANG IN THERE
Idiom: hang in there
Meaning
Hang in there means to not give up; keep trying.
Example
A: “I’m getting so tired.” B: “Hang in there. There’s only 200 meters left in the race.”
16. RAINING CATS AND DOGS
Idiom: raining cats and dogs
Meaning
Raining cats and dogs means that it’s raining very hard.
Example
“There’s going to be flooding if it keeps raining cats and dogs.”
17. HIT THE SACK
Idiom: hit the sack
Meaning
Hit the sack means to go to bed.
Example
“After working all day, she couldn’t wait to hit the sack.”
18. IT’S NOT ROCKET SCIENCE
Idiom: it’s not rocket science
Meaning
It’s not rocket science means that something is not that complicated.
Example
“You can build a house out of blocks. It’s not rocket science.”
19. MAKE A LONG STORY SHORT
Idiom: make a long story short
Meaning
Make a long story short means to tell something briefly or quickly.
Example
“She ran into the burning building. To make a long story short, she saved the cat.”
20. MISS THE BOAT
Idiom: miss the boat
Meaning
Miss the boat means that you are too late for something.
Example
“You missed the boat. The concert tickets sold out an hour ago.”
Idioms for ESL students | Airplane Game
Idioms for ESL students | Try your luck with idioms 11-20 in this arcade style Airplane game. You must fly your plane into the clouds that have the correct idioms.
Idioms for ESL students 21-30
21. ON THE BALL
Idiom: on the ball
Meaning
On the ball means that you are doing something well.
Example
“She’s hitting the target every time. She’s on the ball today.”
22. PULL SOMEONE’S LEG
Idiom: pull someone’s leg
Meaning
Pull someone’s leg means to trick or joke with someone.
Example
“I didn’t really eat the worm. I’m just pulling your leg.”
23. PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER
Idiom: pull yourself together
Meaning
Pull yourself together means that you must calm down and gather yourself.
Example
“You can’t talk to her like that. You have to pull yourself together.”
24. SO FAR SO GOOD
Idiom: so far so good
Meaning
So far so good means that things are going well during a short time period up until now.
Example
“It’s only my first day on the job but so far so good.”
25. SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
Idiom: speak of the devil
Meaning
Speak of the devil means that the person we were talking about has unexpectedly arrived.
Example
“I can’t believe she said that… Oh! Look! Speak of the devil. Here she comes.”
26. THAT’S THE LAST STRAW
Idiom: that’s the last straw
Meaning
That’s the last straw means that my patience has run out.
Example
“You came home late for dinner again. That’s it. That’s the last straw.”
27. THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Idiom: the best of both worlds
Meaning
The best of both worlds means that your situation is perfect at the moment.
Example
“You’ve got a great job and a great husband. You’ve got the best of both worlds.”
28. TIME FLIES WHEN YOU’RE HAVING FUN
Idiom: time flies when you’re having fun
Meaning
Time flies when you’re having fun means that time goes by very fast when you are enjoying yourself.
Example
“I can’t believe it’s 5 o’clock already. Time flies when you’re having fun.”
29. WE’LL CROSS THAT BRIDGE WHEN WE COME TO IT
Idiom: we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it
Meaning
We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it means that we have a problem but we will deal with it later.
Example
“If we win this game we will have to play the champions. Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.”
30. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
Idiom: actions speak louder than words
Meaning
Actions speak louder than words means that it’s better to do something than to just talk about it.
Example
“Don’t just say you’re going to exercise. Do it. Actions speak louder than words.”
Idioms for ESL students | Maze Chase Game
Idioms for ESL students | You can practice idioms 21-30 in this arcade style maze chase game that’s a little bit like Pacman. You must escape the enemies and try to find the correct idiom.
Summary | Idioms for ESL students
We hope you enjoyed these idioms for ESL students. We also hope you learned a thing or two. Was it a piece of cake? Are you tired now? Are you ready to hit the sack? These 30 idioms for ESL students are not easy. English is complicated and , to make a long story short, English idioms are very complicated. We hope this helped you learn more about idioms in English.
You can find more challenging ESL exercises and lessons here.
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