# Common idioms in English: 55 idioms with meanings and examples

- Updated: 2026-11-09
- Level: A2

## Quick answer

An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is different from its words: "a piece of cake" means very easy. Here are 55 of the most common English idioms in 11 topics, each with a short meaning and an example, plus a quiz for every topic.

## The 11 topics in this post

1. [Conversation and feelings](#1-conversation-and-feelings)
2. [Work](#2-work)
3. [Money](#3-money)
4. [Time](#4-time)
5. [People and character](#5-people-and-character)
6. [The body](#6-the-body)
7. [Animals](#7-animals)
8. [Food](#8-food)
9. [Weather and nature](#9-weather-and-nature)
10. [Sport](#10-sport)
11. [Sayings](#11-sayings)

## 1. Conversation and feelings

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **long time no see** | a friendly hello to someone you haven't seen for a long time |
| **no worries** | it's fine, don't worry |
| **my bad** | sorry, that was my mistake |
| **you can say that again** | I agree completely |
| **over the moon** | very happy |

- "Sorry I'm late." "**No worries**, we haven't started yet."

[Practise conversation idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-c2)

## 2. Work

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **call it a day** | stop working for now |
| **get down to business** | start the real work |
| **learn the ropes** | learn how to do a new job |
| **a team player** | someone who works well with others |
| **start from scratch** | begin again from the very start |

- We've been at this for hours. Let's **call it a day**.

[Practise work idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/work-and-business-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/work-and-business-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/work-and-business-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/work-and-business-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/work-and-business-idioms-c2)

## 3. Money

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **cost a fortune** | be very expensive |
| **break the bank** | cost more than you can afford |
| **make ends meet** | earn just enough to live |
| **on a budget** | with only a little money to spend |
| **hit the jackpot** | suddenly win or earn a lot |

- It's hard to **make ends meet** on a part-time salary.

[Practise money idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/money-and-success-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/money-and-success-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/money-and-success-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/money-and-success-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/money-and-success-c2)

## 4. Time

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **once in a while** | sometimes, not often |
| **in no time** | very quickly |
| **around the clock** | all day and all night |
| **sooner or later** | at some time in the future |
| **just in time** | at the last possible moment |

- The plumber fixed the leak **in no time**.

[Practise time idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/time-and-frequency-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/time-and-frequency-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/time-and-frequency-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/time-and-frequency-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/time-and-frequency-c2)

## 5. People and character

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **an early bird** | someone who gets up or arrives early |
| **a night owl** | someone who likes staying up late |
| **down to earth** | simple, practical and friendly |
| **a people person** | someone who enjoys being with others |
| **a couch potato** | someone who watches TV instead of moving |

- Despite being famous, she's very **down to earth**.

[Practise people idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/people-and-character-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/people-and-character-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/people-and-character-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/people-and-character-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/people-and-character-c2)

## 6. The body

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **give someone a hand** | help someone |
| **keep an eye on** | watch something carefully |
| **learn by heart** | learn so well you can say it from memory |
| **all ears** | listening carefully |
| **break a leg** | good luck (before a show) |

- Could you **give me a hand** with this sofa?

[Practise body idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/body-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/body-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/body-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/body-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/body-idioms-c2)

## 7. Animals

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **hold your horses** | wait, don't rush |
| **raining cats and dogs** | raining very heavily |
| **busy as a bee** | very busy |
| **eat like a horse** | eat a lot |
| **quiet as a mouse** | very quiet |

- Take an umbrella. It's **raining cats and dogs**.

[Practise animal idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/animal-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/animal-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/animal-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/animal-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/animal-idioms-c2)

## 8. Food

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **a piece of cake** | very easy |
| **cool as a cucumber** | very calm |
| **bring home the bacon** | earn money for the family |
| **a hot potato** | a topic people don't want to deal with |
| **the best thing since sliced bread** | something new and great |

- The exam was **a piece of cake**.

[Practise food idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/food-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/food-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/food-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/food-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/food-idioms-c2)

## 9. Weather and nature

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **under the weather** | a little ill |
| **come rain or shine** | whatever happens |
| **a breath of fresh air** | someone or something new and pleasant |
| **the calm before the storm** | a quiet time before trouble |
| **clear as day** | very easy to see or understand |

- He walks the dog every morning, **come rain or shine**.

[Practise weather idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/weather-and-nature-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/weather-and-nature-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/weather-and-nature-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/weather-and-nature-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/weather-and-nature-idioms-c2)

## 10. Sport

| Idiom | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **the ball is in your court** | it's your turn to decide or act |
| **get the ball rolling** | start something |
| **call the shots** | make the decisions |
| **a level playing field** | a fair situation for everyone |
| **on the ball** | quick, alert and ready |

- Let's **get the ball rolling** on the new project.

[Practise sport idioms (A2)](/vocabulary/sport-and-game-idioms-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/sport-and-game-idioms-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/sport-and-game-idioms-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/sport-and-game-idioms-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/sport-and-game-idioms-c2)

## 11. Sayings

| Saying | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **practice makes perfect** | doing something often makes you good at it |
| **better late than never** | doing it late is better than not doing it |
| **actions speak louder than words** | what you do matters more than what you say |
| **don't judge a book by its cover** | don't judge by how things look |
| **where there's a will, there's a way** | if you really want something, you will find a way |

- He finally said sorry. **Better late than never**.

[Practise sayings (A2)](/vocabulary/fixed-expressions-and-collocations-a2) · more: [B1](/vocabulary/fixed-expressions-and-collocations-b1), [B2](/vocabulary/fixed-expressions-and-collocations-b2), [C1](/vocabulary/fixed-expressions-and-collocations-c1), [C2](/vocabulary/fixed-expressions-and-collocations-c2)

## How to learn idioms

1. **Learn them in a sentence.** *It's raining cats and dogs* is easier to remember than *cats and dogs*.
2. **Don't change the words.** We say *a piece of cake*, never *a piece of pie*.
3. **Watch the tone.** *My bad* and *no worries* are casual; use them with friends, not in a formal email.

## Practice

- [Practise conversation idioms (A2)](https://hienglishquiz.com/vocabulary/everyday-conversation-a2)