English is a beautiful language which comes with its own kind of uniqueness. However, the appropriate usage of good phrases and idioms in English can not only help you beautify your simple day-to-day conversations but also help you create a good impression with your language skills. If you’re looking to learn the English language quickly, you can check out our blog 7 Tips to Learn English Quickly and Effectively and then read on this one.

If you just want to learn some interesting idioms in English, here are some of our favorite idioms and phrases from our list.

1. A piece of cake – Just like it sounds, we use this phrase to describe something that is very easy to do. Something that is as easy and smooth as cutting a slice of cake.
   1. Example: Don’t worry, this seemingly huge problem at hand is actually a piece of cake.
2. Break a leg – We can use it to wish someone good luck before a performance or presentation. The phrase comes from theaters where actors had to stay behind the leg line when they weren’t performing. Breaking a leg was a sign for them to perform and earn money.
   1. Example: Break a leg at your audition tomorrow!
3. Barking up the wrong tree – We can use this idiom to suggest that someone is pursuing the wrong course of action or looking in the wrong place. As one can imagine, it’s like a dog barking on a tree that can do him no good.
   1. Example: If you think I can help you with that math problem, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
4. Beat around the bush – We can use this to describe someone who is avoiding a direct answer or being intentionally vague. This idiom came from the idea that hunters used to beat bushes to stir the birds and catch them. So, if you aren’t beating the bush, you aren’t really doing the thing that’s needed.
   1. Example: Can you please stop beating around the bush and just tell me the truth?
5. By the skin of your teeth – This one must sound new. We can use this to describe a narrow escape or a close call. Since, there’s hardly any skin on your teeth, we think it perfectly describes a narrow or thin escape.
   1. Example: I made it to the airport by the skin of my teeth.
6. Close but no cigar – We can use this idiom in English to describe a situation where someone almost succeeded but fell short in the end. According to some sources, around the 20th century in the USA, cigars were given out as prizes in carnivals and festivals, and the phrase got its reference from there.
   1. Example: I came in second place in the race, close but no cigar.
7. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch – This one’s quite easy for anyone to understand. It is used to advise someone not to assume a favorable outcome before it actually happens.
   1. Example: You haven’t won the lottery yet, so don’t count your chickens before they hatch.
8. Get off someone’s back – Remember the feeling you got when your boss or a superior was constantly bothering you to submit your work on time. You could’ve said this phrase to him at that time. Yes, you got it, it is used to ask someone to stop bothering or criticizing you.
   1. Example: Can you please get off my back? I’ll finish the project on time.
9. Hit the nail on the head – The head of the nail is the exact spot where one should hit it. Hence, this phrase is used to describe someone who has identified the problem or the solution to a problem accurately.
   1. Example: You hit the nail on the head, that’s exactly what the issue is.
10. Let the cat out of the bag – Can you imagine a cat coming out of any bag? It would come as a surprise if it at all does, right? This idiom in English is used to describe exactly that – a situation where someone reveals a secret or a surprise before it was intended to be revealed.
    1. Example: I was going to surprise her with a birthday party, but someone let the cat out of the bag.
11. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket – If one basket has some rotten eggs, all the other eggs will spoil too. Or if that one basket falls, all the eggs will break. Hence, we can use this to advise someone to have a backup plan and not to rely too much on one thing.
    1. Example: You should consider investing in multiple stocks, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
12. Go the extra mile – We often hear people using this idiom to describe someone who puts in extra effort or goes above and beyond expectations. To put some extra effort and walk a little more is what this idiom suggests.
    1. Example: Thanks for going the extra mile and staying late to finish the project.
13. It’s not rocket science – Rockets are pretty difficult to make, right? Hence, one can use this idiom in English to describe something that is not difficult to understand.
    1. Example: Cooking dinner for four people is not rocket science, you can handle it.
14. On the same page – If you are reading, say page 5 of a book, and your friend tries to explain something to you that is on page 7, you won’t be able to understand, right? Likewise, one can use this idiom to describe people who have a mutual understanding or agreement on a particular issue.
    1. Example: I think we’re on the same page regarding the budget for this project.
15. Take a rain check – Rains are such a great excuse to not do something. This phrase does the same. One can use it to postpone an invitation or a meeting to another time.
    1. Example: Can I take a rain check on the dinner invitation? I’m not feeling well.

Hope you had fun learning about these simple but fun idioms in English that you can now easily use in your daily conversations. There’s a whole world of idioms that you can learn from. Check out this link for a few more fun idioms. Start using them and watch the fun it brings!