50+ Idioms to use in conversation - Conversational Idioms

Idioms to use in conversation!

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Idioms are an integral part of language, and they can be found in all languages, including English. Idioms are phrases that convey an idea beyond the literal meaning of the words themselves, and many idioms are intertwined with the culture and history of the country or region. Understanding idioms is essential for being able to understand and communicate with native speakers, as well as being able to comprehend literature and other forms of writing. This blog post will explore the fascinating world of idioms.

Here is a list of 50+ idioms that are the most common part of a pro-English speaker conversation, so gird up your loins and start burning mid night oil to grip these useful idioms and idiomatic phrases.

Idioms to use in conversation Infographic – 1

Idioms to use in conversation

Idiom	Meaning	Sentence
1. once in a blue moon	very rarely	People like newton are born once in a blue moon.
2. A brainwave	a sudden good idea	I had a brainwave and found a solution to the problem I was facing.
3. A close shave/call	a situation in which you only just manage to avoid an accident	He had a close shave when a tree fell just where he was standing.
4. A close-fisted man	a miserly man	He does not spend any money as he is a close-fisted man.
5. A cock and bull story	a silly story or excuse	He told me a rock and bull story about her failure in the exams.
6. A dead letter	a law or idea which is no longer effective	An arts education is a dead letter for many students.
7. A dog in the manger	selfish	He is a real dog in the manger, even though he does not have a car, he would not let anyone else use his garage.
8. A dog’s life	disgraceful life	Death is better than a dog’s life.
9. A fairy tale	a story for children	She looks like a princess in a fairy tale.
10. A feather in one’s cap	an achievement that makes you feel pleased and satisfied	This success is a feather in your cap.
11. A fish out of water	feeling uncomfortable	I felt like a fish out of water in a new school.
12. A Gala Day	A celebration day	Christmas is a gala day for the Christians.
13. A gaolbird	someone who has spent a lot of time in prison	He is an escaped gaolbird.
14. A green room	a room where actors relax	There no green room in this studio.
15. A hard/bitter pill to swallow	something very unpleasant that you have to accept	His failure was a bitter pill to swallow.
16. A house of cards	something that is likely to fall down	cheat me will prove a house of cards.
17. A Jack of all trades	someone who can do many types of work, but who often is not often skilled at any of them	John is a Jack of all trades but master of none.
18. A jailbird	a prisoner	A Jailbird escaped last night.
19. A leap/shot in the dark	to do something without knowing its results	To start such a big business without experience is like taking a leap in the dark.
20. A man of his word	someone who keeps his promises	You can trust him as he is a man of his word.

Idioms to use in conversation – 2

A big list of conversational idioms

Idiom	Word	Meaning
21. A man of iron will	strong will person	A man of iron will tackle the present crisis of India.
22. A man of letters	a learned man	Our teacher is a man of letters.
23. A man of parts	a man who can do many things	Abraham is a man of parts-an an able teacher, a terrific writer, a sincere friend, to name a few.
24. A man of straw	a mere puppet, an unimportant man	In our society, no one respects a man of straw.
25. A man/woman after one’s own heart	a man with similar taste to mine	I like books, so does Jolly
26. A mare’s nest	a discovery of no value	Later the cure for ALDS proved to be a mare’s nest.
27. A narrow escape	just to be safe from danger	Jacky fell into the river but had a narrow escape from being drowned.
28. A near miss	a situation in which an accident is barely avoided	He applied brakes just in time and had a near miss.
29. A necessary evil	something bad that you have to accept to get what you want	War is a necessary evil.
30. A passing fancy	one that does not last long	His desire to become just a passing fancy.
31. A rolling stone	the person who keeps changing his views	A rolling stone gathers no moss.
32. A rope of sand	illusory or deceptive security	The American defense system, when came under attack, proved to be a rope of sand.
33. A Sight for sore eyes	a pleasant and refreshing sight / a most welcome sight	She is a sight for sore eyes.
34. A Snake in the grass	a person who cannot be trusted	Do not trust him, he is a real snake in the grass.
35. A split second	an extremely short period of time	In a split second, he solved the riddle.
36. A square meal	good satisfying meal	Children should have three square meals a day.
37. A square peg in a round hole	someone or something that does not suit the position or Situation they are in	A coward who joins the army is like a square peg in a round hole.
38. A stroke of luck	something lucky that happens to you by chance	It was a stroke of luck that no one was killed in such a major accident.
39. A white elephant	something costly to maintain	Telephone costs much, it is Just a white elephant for the common people.
40. A White lie	a harmless or small lie	Sometimes it is better to tell a white lie than to hurt someone’s feelings.

Also check: 300+ Forms of Verb List

Idioms	Words	Meaning
41. A wild goose chase	an attempt to find something impossible	Your attempt to pass the examination without hard work would be a wild goose chase.
42. A wolf in sheep’s clothing	a person who seems to be friendly or harmless but is really an enemy	You should not rely on this man as he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
43. Again every day/week/ year	for a long time	Day after day it rained.
44. An open book	something clear	He is a good man as his life is an open book.
45. An order to	with the purpose of	She worked hard in order to pass the exams.
46. An order to	with the purpose of	She worked hard in order to pass the exams.
47. An uphill task	a very difficult task	To write a good book in two months is really an uphill task.
48. As a matter of fact	actually	He will not help you, as a matter of fact, he is a selfish man.
49. As cool as a cucumber	very calm	Despite the mishap, all remained as cool as a cucumber
50. At a loss	to be confused	Jack is at a loss to decide whether he should marry or not.

Infographics (Idioms to use in conversation)

Idioms to use in conversation PDF

50+ Idioms to use in conversation – Conversational Idioms