Common Verbs
Hit the sack
The literal meaning of this would be physically hitting or beating a sack (a large bag), but idiomatically, it means you’re going to bed. You can also say hit the hay.
Up in the air
If someone tells you that things are up in the air, it means that a situation is uncertain or unsure. It’s as though a ball has been tossed upward, and no one knows exactly where it will land.
Look like a million bucks
Bucks here is a slang term for “dollars.” If someone tells you that you look like a million bucks, it means you look absolutely fabulous!
Spice things up
To spice things up means to make them more interesting or exciting.
Eyeball it
Sometimes you don’t need an exact measurement: a rough estimate is good enough. When you estimate an amount of something based on how it looks, you can say you’re eyeballing it.
Twist someone’s arm
To twist someone’s arm would be rather painful if you took it literally, but it really means they’ve been convinced to do something they wouldn’t have done otherwise.
On the ball
If you’re on the ball, it means that you’re very quick to understand things or react quickly (and correctly) to a situation.
Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth
This refers to someone who comes from a wealthy and successful family.
A piece of cake
A piece of cake refers to a task or job that’s easy to do, like eating a delicious piece of cake! If you don’t prefer cake, you can also say it’s easy as pie.
Rule of thumb
If you hear someone say as a rule of thumb, they mean that it’s a general, unwritten rule learned from experience, as opposed to exact guidelines.
Stab someone in the back
While it still hurts, the idiomatic meaning of this phrase is not nearly as painful as literally being stabbed. What this actually means is to hurt someone who trusted you by betraying them.
Over the hill
If you’re getting older (especially over 50) and can’t be as physically or socially active as you used to be, you might say you’re over the hill. Be careful with this idiom, though, since it’s rude to say it about someone else.
To go from rags to riches
“Rags” here refers to old, tattered clothes. This means you’ve gone from being poor to having a lot of money.
Cool as a cucumber
Cucumbers have a refreshing taste and leave you with a cool, calm feeling. If you’re cool as a cucumber, you’re someone who’s very calm and relaxed.
Keep your chin up
If you’re having a hard time, a supportive friend might tell you to keep your chin up. This means they are encouraging you to stay positive and not let difficult circumstances get you down.
Lose your touch
No, this doesn’t mean you’ve lost your physical sense of touch. To lose your touch actually means to lose a skill you once had.
Through thick and thin
When you’re loyal to someone, you support them no matter what happens, good or bad. This is an idiom you can use to say so.
Pay an arm and a leg for something
Use this one when you have to pay a lot of money for something. You can also say that something “costs an arm and a leg.”
A couch potato
A couch potato refers to someone who spends a lot of time sitting on the couch, watching TV.
Find your feet
If you find yourself in a new situation, like living in a new country and having to get used to a new college, you could say you need to find your feet. It means that you’re still adjusting and getting used to the new environment.
Pitch in
This phrase may once have had a literal meaning to do with farm work (think pitchfork), but it isn’t used that way now. Figuratively speaking, it means to contribute (give) or to join in.
Off the chain
If you watch “America’s Got Talent,” you may have heard host Mel B exclaim that an act was “off the chain!” That means it was especially exciting or impressive—usually in a good way, though the expression can also mean “out of control.”
To pony up
This means you need to pay for something or settle a debt.
Pony up and give me the $5 you owe me.
Bring home the bacon
To bring home the bacon means to make an income or earn a living to support your family.
Play it by ear
If someone says they’re playing it by ear, it means they’re responding to circumstances as they develop without having a plan, like a musician jamming without a musical score.