Idioms (different levels, from B1 to C2) Part 1

Idiom: a breath of fresh air
Meaning: said about a new, fresh, and imaginative approach, a change that feels good.
Example: The president says that the country needs a breath of fresh air. 

Idiom: a fool and his money are soon parted
Meaning: this means that stupid people spend money without thinking about it enough.
Example: John likes his extravagant lifestyle - but then a fool and his money are soon parted. 

Idiom: a little bird told me
Meaning: said when you don't want reveal the source of your information.
Example: "How did you know the news?"  "Oh, a little bird told me." 

Idiom: a man of action
Meaning: a man who is inclined to act first rather than think about things and discuss them.
Example: Bill is really a man of action. Since he arrived at the top of the association, he has done so many things.

Idiom: a new lease of life
Meaning: This idiom is used to refer to an occasion when something gives you the chance to become happy or healthy and makes you more energetic than before.
Example: His new job has given him a new lease of life. 

Idiom: a penny saved is a penny gained
Meaning: If you say that a penny saved is a penny earned, you mean it is wise to save money.
Example: It is wise not to spend all you have got on things you don't need because, you know what they say, a penny saved is a penny gained. 

Idiom: a whole new ball game
Meaning: a completely different situation.
Example: He has written so many short stories but writing a novel is a whole new ball game.

Idiom: about as useful as a chocolate teapot
Meaning: Saying something is about as useful as a chocolate teapot means that it is totally useless.
Example: A car in a heavy traffic jam is as useful as a chocolate teapot. Use a bike instead! 

Idiom: achilles heel
Meaning: said about a strong situation which contains an element of vulnerability.
Example: Journalists considered that minister as the government's Achilles heel. 

Idiom: against the clock
Meaning: To work or race against the clock means to do something as fast as possible and try to finish it before a deadline.
Example: The students were racing against the clock to finish the paper before the deadline. 

Idiom: alive and kicking
Meaning: (also be alive and well) to continue to be well, healthy or successful.
Example: Don't worry about your grandfather; he is alive and kicking.

Idiom: all cats are grey in the dark
Meaning: The phrase all cats are grey in the dark means that in the dark, physical appearance is unimportant.
Example: I really don't care if she is ugly. All cats are gray in the dark. 

Idiom: all hat and no cattle
Meaning: Describing someone who is full of big talk but lacking action, power, or substance; pretentious.
Example: We expect our president to be effective in his job, not a person who is all hat and no cattle.

Idiom: all that glitters is not gold
Meaning: appearance is sometimes misleading. Things that appear valuable or worthwhile might not be as good as they look.
Example: The house looks beautiful from the outside but the inside part of the house looks terrible; all that glitters is not gold. 

Idiom: always chasing rainbows
Meaning: If you are always chasing rainbows, it means you are trying to do something that you will never achieve.
Example: Although he is 48 years old, he is still dreaming of becoming a famous singer. He's always chasing rainbows.

Idiom: an arm and a leg
Meaning: a lot of money.
Example: These glasses cost me an arm and a leg. 

Idiom: another nail in one's coffin
Meaning: One in a series of events which lead to downfall or inevitable failure.
Example: After the bankruptcy and the death of his only son, divorce is just another nail in his coffin.

Idiom: apple of somebody's eye
Meaning: said about someone whom you love the most and you are very proud of.
Example: His son is the apple of his eye. 

Idiom: as blind as a bat
Meaning: If someone is as blind as a bat, they are nearly or completely blind or they are unwilling to recognize problems or bad things.
Example: He is as blind as a bat when it comes to his wife's shameful behavior 

Idiom: as poor as a church mouse
Meaning: If someone is as poor as a church mouse they are extremely poor.
Example: He is as poor as a church mouse; don't ask him to donate anything. 

Idiom: at sixes and sevens
Meaning: This idiom is used to describe a state of confusion or disarray.
Example: John is at sixes and sevens after the death of his wife.

Idiom: at your mother's knee
Meaning: said about something that you learned when you were a child.
Example: She learned to sing at her mother's knee.

Idiom: back to the salt mines
Meaning: If you go back to the salt mines, it means you have to return back to the workplace.
Example: The vacation is over. Back to the salt mines! 

Idiom: bad news travels fast
Meaning: The phrase bad news travels fast means that news about misfortune and trouble circulates quickly.
Example: As the saying goes, bad news travels fast. I called my husband to tell him about my car accident, but my sister had already sent him a text message. 

Idiom: ball of fire
Meaning: a person who is especially hard-working, high-achieving, ambitious, or active.
Example: They say he is a real ball of fire. He has already demonstrated his wish to climb higher.

Idiom: be a barrel of laughs
Meaning: be enjoyable or entertaining.
Example: This movie is a real barrel of laughs. 

Idiom: be in deep water
Meaning: to be in serious trouble.
Example: The government is in deep water because of its plans for tax increases.

Idiom: be like a fish out of water
Meaning: to feel uncomfortable in a situation
Example: After her divorce, she was like a fish out of water. 

Idiom: be new to the game 
Meaning: The phrase to be new to the game is an idiomatic expression that refers to a lack of experience in a particular activity.
Example: I can't teach this class. I have never had any training in teaching mathematics. I am new to the game.

Idiom: be nuts about
Meaning: If you are nuts about something, you are very enthusiastic about it or greatly in love with it.
Example: He's nuts about books.

Idiom: be sick and tired of
Meaning: The phrase to be sick and tired of something or of doing something is an idiomatic expression which means to be angry and bored because something unpleasant has been happening for a long time.
Example: I'm sick and tired of hearing your excuses!

Idiom: be the cat's whiskers
Meaning: The phrase to be the cat's whiskers is an old idiomatic expression. If you feel you are the cat's whiskers, you consider yourself to be the center of the universe.
Example: She thinks she is the cat's whiskers in her new dress. 

Idiom: beat a dead horse
Meaning: (Also flog a dead horse.) To persist or continue far beyond any purpose, interest or reason.
Example: If you continue talking about something that cannot be changed, you are beating a dead horse. 

Idiom: beat around the bush
Meaning: To treat a topic, without mentioning its main points, often intentionally, because the topic is difficult or unpleasant.
Example: Stop beating around the bush and tell me what the the problem is! 

Idiom: better the devil you know
Meaning: it is sometimes better to deal with someone or thing you know than to deal with a new person or thing who could be even worse.
Example: Nancy is such a difficult girl to work with, but better the devil you know. 

Idiom: beyond your wildest dreams
Meaning: The phrase beyond your wildest dreams means in a way you had never imagined before.
Example: They have become rich beyond their wildest dreams. 

Idiom: blast from the past
Meaning: The phrase refers to something or someone from your past that reappeared into your life again.
Example: I used to watch this animated cartoon when I was a kid. What a blast from the past! 

Idiom: blow a fuse
Meaning: become uncontrolably angry; lose your temper.
Example: Hey, don't blow a fuse. 

Idiom: bolt from the blue
Meaning: This refers to a complete surprise; something totally unexpected. In this phrase there is an allusion to a stroke of lightning from a clear blue sky.
Example: The news that they are getting a divorce was a bolt from the blue. 

Idiom: born to the purple
Meaning: If someone is born to the purple or in the purple, they are born into a reigning family or privileged class.
Example: She was the only child born to the purple. 

Idiom: bright as a button
Meaning: intelligent.
Example: He has a daughter who is as bight as a button. 

Idiom: bring the curtain down
Meaning: To bring the curtain down to something means to bring something to an end.
Example: I am asking for a divorce. It's time to bring the curtain down.

Idiom: browned off
Meaning: annoyed, upset, angry, bored, fed up, disgusted.
Example: He was browned off when he was ill treated. 

Idiom:  build bridges
Meaning: to improve relationships between people
Example: They wanted to build bridges between Nancy and Alan to settle the conflict once for all. 

Idiom: burn candles at both ends
Meaning: If you burn candles at both ends, you work very hard, day and night.
Example: She has been burning candles at both ends to finish a book about the history of the United States of America.

Idiom: bury head in the sand
Meaning: If you bury your head in the sand, you avoid or try to avoid, a particularly problematic situation by pretending that it does not exist. 
Example: John: I am trying to quit smoking weeds.
Bill: I remember you told the same thing last year.
John: This time, I am determined.
Bill: John, you can't bury your head in the sand about your addiction. You need to join a rehab center.