Proverbs Idioms
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.* away.* Eating an apple every day can help to keep you healthy. Other interpretation : A small preventive preventive treatment wards off serious problems. . A burnt child dreads the fire. A bad experience will make people stay away from certain things. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Someone who helps you when you are in trouble. As you sow, so shall you reap You have to accept the conseuences of your actions. Better late than never. !t"s better to do something# even if it"s late# than not do it at all. Blood is thicker than water $amily relationships are stronger than relationships with other people. Diligence is the mother of good fortune. %ard work brings rewards Easier said than done. &hat is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to actually do it. Honesty is the best policy. Its no use crying o!er spilt milk. 'on"t express regret for something that has happened and cannot be remedied. "ike father, like son. A son"s character can be expected to resemble his father"s #any hands make light work. Sharing work makes work easier. $e!er say die. (ever give up %ne good turn deser!es another. You should be helpful to someone who helps you. %pportunity seldom knocks twice. 'on"t miss opportunities that come along. Practice makes perfect. 'oing something repeatedly is the only way to become
good at it. Prevention is better than cure !t is easier to prevent something from happening
than to repair the damage or cure the disease later. ater. Time has wings. )ime goes by uickly. &ime is money. )ime is valuable and should not be wasted 'here theres a will, theres a way. A person with determination will find a way of doing something. . (ou scratch scratch my back and Ill Ill scratch yours. You help me and !"ll help you.
)indness begets kindness. !f you are kind to people# they will be kind to you.
A problem shared is a problem halved If you talk about your problems, it will make you feel better. Above par Better than average or normal Absence makes the heart grow fonder This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows stronger. Alike as two peas If people or things are as alike as two peas, they are identical. All eyes on me If all eyes are on someone, then everyone is paying attention to them. All heart Someone who is all heart is very kind and generous. Angry as a bull If someone is as angry as a bull, they are very angry. Arm and a leg If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive. Bad egg A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. ood egg is the opposite. Bag of nerves If someone is a bag of nerves, they are very worried or nervous. Bear fruit If something bears fruit, it produces positive results. Bee in your bonnet If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their bonnet. Bend over backwards If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help someone. Big fish An important person in a company or an organisation is a big fish. Bird!s eye view If you have a bird!s eye view of something, you can see it perfectly clearly. Black sheep Someone who is the black sheep doesn!t fit into a group or family because their behaviour or character is not good enough. enough. Bright and bree"y #hen someone is cheerful and full of energy, they are bright and bree"y. Bright as a button A person who is as bright as a button is very intelligent or smart.
Bring someone to book If somebody is brought to book, they are punished or made to account for By and large By and large means usually or generally. By dint of This means !as a result of! or !because of!$ It would be good to think he!d risen to position of %hief &xecutive by dint of hard work. %at nap If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping. %halk and cheese Things, or people, that are like chalk and cheese are very different and have nothing in common. %heap as chips '()* If something is very inexpensive, it is as cheap as chips. %heek by +owl If things or people are cheek by +owl, they are very close together. %lose at hand If something is close at hand, it is nearby or conveniently located. %loud nine If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. '!cloud seven! is a less common alternative* %ouch potato A couch potato is an extremely idle or la"y person who chooses to spend most of their leisure time hori"ontal in front of the T and eats a diet that is mainly +unk food. %ould eat a horse If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse. -og days -og days are very hot summer days. -own and out If someone is down and out, they are desperately poor and need help. -ress to kill #hen someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly. -rop into your lap If something drops into your lap, you receive it suddenly, without any warning. &arn a living To make money &x$ #e need to get a good +ob to earn a decent living. &asier said than done If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it sounds. It is often used when someone advises you to do something difficult and tries to make it sound easy. &asy as AB% Something that is as easy as AB% is very eas y or simple.
&at like a bird If someone eats like a bird, they eat very little. &at like a horse Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot. &at like a pig If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table manners. &at my hat fed up to the back teeth. eel at home If you feel relaxed and comfortable somewhere or with someone, you feel at home it as a fiddle If you are fit as a fiddle, you are in perfect health. permission. resh from the oven If something is fresh from the oven, it is very new. rom scratch This idiom means !from the beginning!. ull as a tick If you are as full as a tick, you have eaten too much. ull of the +oys of spring If you are full of the +oys of spring, you are very happy and full of energy. ive it some stick '()* If you give something some stick, you put a lot of e ffort into it. ive me a hand If someone gives you a hand, they help you. ood as gold If children are as good as gold, they behave very well. ood Samaritan A good Samaritan is a persoon wh helps others in need. ood shape If something!s in good shape, it!s in good condition. If a person!s in good shape, they are fit and healthy. /and in hand /and in hand0 work together closely #hen people in a group, say in an office or in a pro+ect, work together with mutual understanding to achieve the target, we say they work hand in hand. There is no lack of co1operation and each synchoranises the activity with that of the other. /ard by 2/ard by2 means mean 2close to2 or 2near2. /ave a ball If you have a ball, you have a great time, a lot of fun.
/ave a heart If someone has a heart, they arekind and sympathetic. If you say, !/ave a heart! to someone, you are asking them to be understanding and sympathetic. /ear a pin drop If there is complete silence in a room, you can hear a pin drop. /eart of gold Someone with a heart of gold is a genuinely kind and caring person. /ell for leather If you do something hell for leather, especially running, you do it as fast as you can. /it the hay #hen you hit the hay, you go to bed. /ungry as a bear If you are hungry as a bear, it means that you are really hungry. In a flash If something happens in a flash, it happens very 3uickly indeed. In a fog If you!re in a fog, you are c onfused, da"ed or unaware. In a heartbeat If something happens very 3uickly or immediately, it happens in a heartbeat. In apple1pie order If something is in apple1pie order, it is very neat and organised. In light of !In light of! is similar to !due to!. In my book This idiom means !in my opinion!. Sleep like a baby If you sleep very well, you sleep like a baby. Sleep like a log If you sleep like a log, you sleep very soundly. So on and so forth And so on and so forth mean the same as etcetera 'etc.*. Spare the rod and spoil the child This means that if you don!t discipline children, they will become spoilt. Spick and span If a room is spick and span, it is very clean and tidy. Stone deaf Someone who is stone deaf is completely deaf. Stone!s throw If a place is a stone!s throw from where you are, it is a very short distance away.
Strong as an ox Someone who!s exceedingly strong physically is said to be as strong as an ox. Stubborn as a mule Someone who will not listen to other people!s advice and won!t change their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule. Stuffed to the gills If someone is stuffed to the gills, they have eaten a lot and are very full. Take for granted If you take something for granted, you don!t worry or think about it because you assume you will always have it. If you take someone for granted, you don!t show your appreciation to them. Take forty winks If you take 45 winks, you have a short sleep. Take the floor Start talking or giving a speech to a group Teacher!s pet The teacher!s favorite pupil is the teacher!s pet, especially if disliked by the other pupils. The more the merrier The more the merrier means that the greater the 3uantity or the bigger the number of something, the happier the speaker will be. Thick as thieves If people are thick as thieves, they are very close friends who have no secrets from each other. Think outside the box If you think outside the box, you think in an imaginative and creative way. Turn a deaf ear If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don!t listen to you. Turn a new leaf If someone turns a new leaf, they change their behaviour and stop doing wrong or bad things. Twinkling of an eye If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very 3uickly. Twist someone!s arm If you twist someone!s arm, you put pressure on them to try to make them do what you want them to do. Twisting in the wind If you are twisting in the wind, you are without help or support 1 you are on your #ith flying colours 'colors*
If you pass something with flying colours 'colors*, you pass easily, with a very high mark or grade. #ork like a dog If you work like a dog, you work very hard. 6end an ear If you lend an ear, you listen to what someone has to sa y. '!6end your ear! is an alternative form.* 6ike a cat that got the cream If someone looks very pleased with themselves and happy, they look like a cat that got the cream. 6ike a kid in a candy store If someone is like a kid in a candy store, they are very excited about something. 6ike peas in a pod If people or things are like peas in a pod, they look identical. 6ive wire A person who is very active, both mentally and physically, is a live wire. 6ong time no hear The speaker could say this when they have not heard from a person, either through phone calls or emails for a long time. 6ong time no see !6ong time no see! means that the speaker has not seen that person for a long time. 7ake your hair stand on end If something makes your hair stand on end, it terrifies you. 7ake your toes curl If something makes your toes curl, it makes you feel very uncomfortable, shocked or embarrassed. something is achieved. 7any hands make light work This idiom means that when everyone gets involved in something, the work gets done 3uickly. 7any happy returns This expression is used to wish someone a happy birthday. 7any moons ago A very long time ago. 7oney burns a hole in your pocket If someone has money burning a hole in their pocket, they are eager to spend it, normally in a wasteful manner. 7oney doesn8t grow on trees This means that you have to work to earn money9 it doesn!t come easily or without effort. 7oney for +am
If something!s money for +am, it!s a very easy way of making money. 7oney for old rope '()* If something!s money for old rope, it!s a very easy way of making money. 7onkey business If children get up to monkey business, they are behaving naughtily or mischievously. This is the same as !monkeying around!. 7onkey see, monkey do This idiom means that children will learn their behaviour by copying what they see happening around them. 7y hands are full If your hands are full, you have so much to do that you cannot take on any more work, responsibilities and so on. 7y hands are tied If your hands are tied, you are unable to act for some reason. 7y heart bleeds If your heart bleeds for someone, you feel genuine sympathy and sadness for them. 7y heart goes out to someone If your heart goes out to someone, you feel genuine sympathy for them. :ow and then This idiom means !occasionally!. ;nce in a blue moon If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely indeed. ;ut of pocket If you are out of pocket on a deal, you have lost money. ;ver and over If something happens over and over, it happens repeatedly. ;ver my dead body If you say that something will happen over your dead body, you will not let it happen.
#hen it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.
