Hello my name is Jackie and I teach English with TakeLessons. Have you ever
heard someone say it's raining cats and dogs?
What about hold your horses? Well in this video you'll learn the meanings behind
these funny phrases as we go over some of the most common English idioms and
how to use them in everyday conversation. So stay tuned and don't forget to click
the link below to check out our free online English classes. Idioms are
expressions that are not to be taken literally. Native English speakers use
idioms in their everyday speech. It's a very good way to be really colorful and
very descriptive and a fun way for describing what's going on. Learning
idioms is a really good way to sound more like a Native American English
speaker so the more that you're able to use idioms in your daily speech the more
you're gonna be really well understood by fellow Americans who want to be able
to connect with you and you with them. To be on cloud 9; to be on cloud 9. This
means to be extremely happy. I was on cloud nine when my boyfriend
proposed to me. One-trick pony; one-trick pony. This is a person with
only one talent or area of expertise. For an actor he's a one-trick pony; he can
only do serious roles and not comedic ones. Wouldn't hurt a fly;
wouldn't hurt a fly. A person who is inoffensive
and harmless. She's so sweet and kind; she wouldn't hurt a fly.
Like a fish out of water; like a fish out of water. This means to be very
uncomfortable. Before I found a good English teacher I felt like a fish out
of water learning English. Fit as a fiddle; fit as
a fiddle. To be very healthy and strong. My
grandfather is 95 but he's fit as a fiddle. To have your head in the clouds;
to have your head in the clouds. To be daydreaming and or lacking concentration.
My friend doesn't seem to be living in reality; she always has her head in the
clouds. To be under the weather; to be under the weather. To be sick.
Oh I'm sorry I can't go to the party tonight;
I'm under the weather. To be right as rain; to be right as rain. To feel healthy
or well again. I'm sure I'll be able to go hiking with you again; I feel right as
rain. Like two peas in a pod; like two peas in a pod. Two people who
are always together. Most brothers and sisters usually fight a lot together but
my brother and sister are like two peas in a pod. Give someone the cold shoulder;
give someone the cold shoulder. To intentionally ignore someone. Her
co-worker isn't very nice to work with; he's always giving her the cold shoulder.
Cut somebody some slack; cut somebody some slack. Stop being so critical of
them. He's always criticizing her for something she did but I think he should
cut her some slack. To give someone the benefit of the doubt;
to give someone the benefit of the doubt. To justify or excuse someone's actions
and not assume malice. The judge gave him the benefit of the doubt by sentencing
him to community service instead of jail. Let someone off the hook; let someone off
the hook. To not hold someone responsible for something that he or she has done. I
don't think she should be let off the hook for that car accident. To rain on
someone's parade; to rain on someone's parade. To ruin someone's plans or
temper their excitement. Her boss says she didn't have to work late again
tonight but then her boss said she does so that really rained on her parade. To
break the ice; to break the ice. To get the conversation going. When groups meet
for the first time the group leader typically has a group activity to break
the ice. To let the cat out of the bag; to let the cat out of the bag. To reveal a
secret. She was supposed to have a surprise party but then her best friend
let the cat out of the bag so now she has to act like she's surprised. Spill
the beans; spill the beans. To reveal a secret.
I'm dying for my best friend to spill the beans about her new relationship
with that guy. Beat around the bush; beat around the bush. To avoid talking about
what's important. Oh I wish he would just tell me what he's thinking instead
of beating around the bush all the time. To pull someone's leg; to pull someone's
leg. To say something that's not true as a way of joking. My boss told me that I
had to come in to work this weekend but then he winked so I think he's pulling
my leg. To get wind of something; to get wind of something. To hear a rumor about
something. The football coach got wind of a terrific player who might be free to
draft. To wrap your head around something; to wrap your head around something. To
understand something complicated. Oh that's really hard for me to wrap my
head around; I still can't believe that he did that. A penny for your thoughts; a
penny for your thoughts. Tell me what you're thinking. Whoa, a penny for your
thoughts! it looks like you're thinking about
something important. To play devil's advocate; to play devil's advocate. To
argue against an idea for the sake of debate. To prepare their client, defense
lawyers usually play devil's advocate so the defendant is ready for anything the
prosecution might say. To see which way the wind is blowing; to see which way the
wind is blowing. To try to discover information about a situation before
taking action. In business it's best to see which way the wind is blowing before
making a big decision that will greatly affect the company. To hear something
straight from the horse's mouth; to hear something straight from the
horse's mouth. To hear from someone who has personally observed a certain event.
I don't like to listen to gossip; I prefer to hear from the horse's mouth
what happened. The elephant in the room; the elephant in the room.
An obvious problem that people do not want to talk about. They really like each
other but when they're together they really
avoid talking about important things; it's like there's an elephant in the
room. Comparing apples to oranges; comparing apples to oranges.
Comparing two things that cannot be compared. Learning English and learning
Mandarin is like comparing apples to oranges; they're both challenging
languages but for two totally different reasons. A blessing in disguise; a
blessing in disguise. A good thing that seems bad at first. When he lost his job
it was actually a blessing in disguise; he was able to work on the things that
he's really passionate about and found a great job from that. The best of both
worlds; the best of both worlds. Benefiting from two different
opportunities at once. Working out is the best of both worlds; you take time for
yourself while focusing on being healthy from the inside out.
A perfect storm; a perfect storm. The worst possible situation. In 2008 here in
the US we had a perfect storm with the economy growing at too fast a rate and
creditors lending too much money. To be on thin ice; to be on thin ice. To be in a
risky situation. Teenagers have a tendency to be on thin ice with their
parents by making really rash decisions. A snowball effect; a snowball effect. A
situation that becomes more serious and potentially dangerous over time. Not
taking care of your car leads to a snowball effect. Hold your horses;
hold your horses. Wait a moment; slow down. When I was little and got
excited about something my mom would tell me to hold my horses so I would be
a little more patient and wait. To do something at the drop of a hat; to do
something drop of a hat. To do something at once
without any delay. He's been a great boyfriend; when she needs his help he
helps her at the drop of a hat. Once in a blue moon; once in a blue moon. Rarely.
Normally my coworker brings her lunch to work but once in a blue moon she'll go
out to lunch with us. A dime a dozen; a dime a dozen. Something that's very
common or has no particular value. I thought my shoes were pretty unique but
it turns out they're a dime a dozen; everyone has them. By the skin of one's
teeth; by the skin of one's teeth. Narrowly or barely escaping disaster. She
was looking at her phone while she was driving and just by the skin of her
teeth avoided a car accident. Can you think of any more English idioms or
expressions that are important to know? Leave a comment and share with us. And if
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