| Break a leg | Good luck | You have a big test tomorrow? Break a leg! |
| Hit the books | To study hard | I have an exam tomorrow, so I need to hit the books. |
| Piece of cake | Something very easy | The test was a piece of cake! |
| Under the weather | Feeling sick | I can’t go to work today. I’m under the weather. |
| Bite the bullet | To do something difficult | I don’t like going to the dentist, but I have to bite the bullet. |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret | He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party. |
| Spill the beans | Reveal a secret | Come on, spill the beans! Tell me what happened. |
| Call it a day | Stop working on something | We’ve done enough work today. Let’s call it a day. |
| Hit the hay | Go to bed | I’m so tired. I need to hit the hay. |
| The ball is in your court | It’s your turn to decide | I gave you my advice. Now, the ball is in your court. |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Very expensive | That designer bag cost an arm and a leg! |
| Barking up the wrong tree | Looking in the wrong place | If you think I stole your book, you’re barking up the wrong tree. |
| Once in a blue moon | Very rarely | I only eat fast food once in a blue moon. |
| Feeling blue | Feeling sad | She has been feeling blue since her pet passed away. |
| Go the extra mile | Do more than expected | She always goes the extra mile for her customers. |
| Give someone a hand | Help someone | Can you give me a hand with these boxes? |
| Pull yourself together | Calm down | You need to pull yourself together and focus. |
| A blessing in disguise | Something bad that turns out good | Losing my job was a blessing in disguise because I found a better one. |
| When pigs fly | Something that will never happen | He’ll clean his room when pigs fly. |
| Jump the gun | Do something too soon | Don’t jump the gun and assume the worst. |
| Keep an eye on | Watch something carefully | Can you keep an eye on my bag while I go to the restroom? |
| A dime a dozen | Something very common | These cheap watches are a dime a dozen. |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Don’t bring up old problems | It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie and not start a fight. |
| Throw in the towel | Give up | He wanted to quit, but he refused to throw in the towel. |
| Hit the nail on the head | Describe something exactly | You hit the nail on the head—that’s exactly the problem! |
| Scratch someone’s back | Do a favor in hopes of return | I helped him move, and I hope he’ll scratch my back when I need help. |
| Go cold turkey | Quit something suddenly | He decided to go cold turkey on smoking. |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work late into the night | I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my project. |
| A penny for your thoughts | Asking what someone is thinking | You seem quiet. A penny for your thoughts? |
| Be in hot water | To be in trouble | He’s in hot water for forgetting his anniversary. |
| Pull someone’s leg | To joke with someone | I was just pulling your leg, don’t take it seriously! |
| Have butterflies in your stomach | To feel nervous | Before my speech, I had butterflies in my stomach. |
| Throw someone under the bus | Betray someone for personal gain | He threw me under the bus to save himself. |
| The last straw | Final problem that makes situation unbearable | His rude comment was the last straw—I quit! |
| Cry over spilled milk | Be upset about something that can’t be changed | There’s no use crying over spilled milk—just fix the problem! |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | Don’t rely on just one option | You should invest in different stocks—don’t put all your eggs in one basket. |
| Read between the lines | Understand hidden meaning | If you read between the lines, you’ll see she’s unhappy. |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on more than you can handle | I bit off more than I could chew by taking too many tasks. |
| Hit the road | Leave or start a journey | It’s time to hit the road—we have a long trip ahead. |
| Get your act together | Start behaving properly | If you want to succeed, you need to get your act together. |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely | I passed the test by the skin of my teeth. |
| Be all ears | To be fully listening | Tell me what happened, I’m all ears! |
| Get cold feet | Get nervous and back out | He got cold feet before his wedding. |
| It takes two to tango | Both people are responsible | Don’t blame only her; it takes two to tango. |
| Keep your chin up | Stay positive | Things will get better. Keep your chin up! |
| Know the ropes | Be experienced in something | He’s new, but he’ll learn to know the ropes. |
| Put your foot down | Be firm about something | She put her foot down and refused to change her decision. |
| Steal someone’s thunder | Take credit for someone else’s achievement | He stole my thunder by announcing the news first! |
| Throw caution to the wind | Take a risk | She threw caution to the wind and invested all her savings. |
| Wrap your head around something | Understand something difficult | It’s hard to wrap my head around quantum physics. |