Proverbs

Idioms
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.* Eating an apple every day can A problem shared is a problem halved
help to keep you healthy. If you talk about your problems, it will make you feel better.
Other interpretation : A small preventive treatment wards off serious problems. Above par
. A burnt child dreads the fire. A bad experience will make people stay Better than average or normal
away from certain things. Absence makes the heart grow fonder
A friend in need is a friend indeed. Someone who helps you when you are in This idiom means that when people are apart, their love grows
trouble. stronger.
As you sow, so shall you reap You have to accept the consequences of your Alike as two peas
actions. If people or things are as alike as two peas, they are identical.
Better late than never. It's better to do something, even if it's late, than not do it All eyes on me
at all. If all eyes are on someone, then everyone is paying attention to them.
Blood is thicker than water Family relationships are stronger than All heart
relationships with other people. Someone who is all heart is very kind and generous.
Diligence is the mother of good fortune. Hard work brings rewards Angry as a bull
Easier said than done. What is suggested sounds easy but it is more difficult to If someone is as angry as a bull, they are very angry.
actually do it. Arm and a leg
Honesty is the best policy. If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.
It's no use crying over spilt milk. Don't express regret for something that has Bad egg
happened and cannot be remedied. A person who cannot be trusted is a bad egg. Good egg is the opposite.
Like father, like son. A son's character can be expected to resemble his father's Bag of nerves
Many hands make light work. Sharing work makes work easier. If someone is a bag of nerves, they are very worried or nervous.
Never say die. Never give up Bear fruit
One good turn deserves another. You should be helpful to someone who If something bears fruit, it produces positive results.
helps you. Bee in your bonnet
Opportunity seldom knocks twice. Don't miss opportunities that come along. If someone is very excited about something, they have a bee in their
bonnet.
Practice makes perfect. Doing something repeatedly is the only way to become Bend over backwards
good at it. If someone bends over backwards, they do everything they can to help
Prevention is better than cure It is easier to prevent something from happening someone.
than to repair the damage or cure the Big fish
disease later. An important person in a company or an organisation is a big fish.
Time has wings. Time goes by quickly. Bird's eye view
Time is money. Time is valuable and should not be wasted If you have a bird's eye view of something, you can see it perfectly
Where there's a will, there's a way. A person with determination will find a clearly.
way of doing something. Black sheep
. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours. You help me and I'll help Someone who is the black sheep doesn't fit into a group or family
you. because their behaviour or character is not good enough.
Kindness begets kindness. If you are kind to people, they will be kind Bright and breezy
to you. When someone is cheerful and full of energy, they are bright and
breezy.
Bright as a button
A person who is as bright as a button is very intelligent or smart.
Bring someone to book Eat like a bird
If somebody is brought to book, they are punished or made to account for If someone eats like a bird, they eat very little.
By and large Eat like a horse
By and large means usually or generally. Someone who eats like a horse, eats a lot.
By dint of Eat like a pig
This means 'as a result of' or 'because of': It would be good to think If some eats like a pig, they either eat too much or they have bad table
he'd risen to position of Chief Executive by dint of hard work. manners.
Cat nap Eat my hat
If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping. fed up to the back teeth.
Chalk and cheese Feel at home
Things, or people, that are like chalk and cheese are very different and If you feel relaxed and comfortable somewhere or with someone, you
have nothing in common. feel at home
Cheap as chips Fit as a fiddle
(UK) If something is very inexpensive, it is as cheap as chips. If you are fit as a fiddle, you are in perfect health.
Cheek by jowl permission.
If things or people are cheek by jowl, they are very close together. Fresh from the oven
Close at hand If something is fresh from the oven, it is very new.
If something is close at hand, it is nearby or conveniently located. From scratch
Cloud nine This idiom means 'from the beginning'.
If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. ('cloud seven' is a Full as a tick
less common alternative) If you are as full as a tick, you have eaten too much.
Couch potato Full of the joys of spring
A couch potato is an extremely idle or lazy person who chooses to If you are full of the joys of spring, you are very happy and full of
spend most of their leisure time horizontal in front of the TV and eats energy.
a diet that is mainly junk food. Give it some stick
Could eat a horse (UK) If you give something some stick, you put a lot of effort into it.
If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse. Give me a hand
Dog days If someone gives you a hand, they help you.
Dog days are very hot summer days. Good as gold
Down and out If children are as good as gold, they behave very well.
If someone is down and out, they are desperately poor and need help. Good Samaritan
Dress to kill A good Samaritan is a persoon wh helps others in need.
When someone is dressed to kill, they are dressed very smartly. Good shape
Drop into your lap If something's in good shape, it's in good condition. If a person's in
If something drops into your lap, you receive it suddenly, without any good shape, they are fit and healthy.
warning. Hand in hand
Earn a living Hand in hand= work together closely When people in a group, say in
To make money Ex: We need to get a good job to earn a decent living. an office or in a project, work together with mutual understanding to
Easier said than done achieve the target, we say they work hand in hand. There is no lack of
If something is easier said than done, it is much more difficult than it co-operation and each synchoranises the activity with that of the other.
sounds. It is often used when someone advises you to do something Hard by
difficult and tries to make it sound easy. "Hard by" means mean "close to" or "near".
Easy as ABC Have a ball
Something that is as easy as ABC is very easy or simple. If you have a ball, you have a great time, a lot of fun.
Have a heart Strong as an ox
If someone has a heart, they arekind and sympathetic. If you say, Someone who's exceedingly strong physically is said to be as strong as
'Have a heart' to someone, you are asking them to be understanding an ox.
and sympathetic. Stubborn as a mule
Hear a pin drop Someone who will not listen to other people's advice and won't change
If there is complete silence in a room, you can hear a pin drop. their way of doing things is as stubborn as a mule.
Heart of gold Stuffed to the gills
Someone with a heart of gold is a genuinely kind and caring person. If someone is stuffed to the gills, they have eaten a lot and are very
Hell for leather full.
If you do something hell for leather, especially running, you do it as Take for granted
fast as you can. If you take something for granted, you don't worry or think about it
Hit the hay because you assume you will always have it. If you take someone for
When you hit the hay, you go to bed. granted, you don't show your appreciation to them.
Hungry as a bear Take forty winks
If you are hungry as a bear, it means that you are really hungry. If you take 40 winks, you have a short sleep.
In a flash Take the floor
If something happens in a flash, it happens very quickly indeed. Start talking or giving a speech to a group
In a fog Teacher's pet
If you're in a fog, you are confused, dazed or unaware. The teacher's favorite pupil is the teacher's pet, especially if disliked
In a heartbeat by the other pupils.
If something happens very quickly or immediately, it happens in a The more the merrier
heartbeat. The more the merrier means that the greater the quantity or the bigger
In apple-pie order the number of something, the happier the speaker will be.
If something is in apple-pie order, it is very neat and organised. Thick as thieves
In light of If people are thick as thieves, they are very close friends who have no
'In light of' is similar to 'due to'. secrets from each other.
In my book Think outside the box
This idiom means 'in my opinion'. If you think outside the box, you think in an imaginative and creative
Sleep like a baby way.
If you sleep very well, you sleep like a baby. Turn a deaf ear
Sleep like a log If someone turns a deaf ear to you, they don't listen to you.
If you sleep like a log, you sleep very soundly. Turn a new leaf
So on and so forth If someone turns a new leaf, they change their behaviour and stop
And so on and so forth mean the same as etcetera (etc.). doing wrong or bad things.
Spare the rod and spoil the child Twinkling of an eye
This means that if you don't discipline children, they will become If something happens in the twinkling of an eye, it happens very
spoilt. quickly.
Spick and span Twist someone's arm
If a room is spick and span, it is very clean and tidy. If you twist someone's arm, you put pressure on them to try to make
Stone deaf them do what you want them to do.
Someone who is stone deaf is completely deaf. Twisting in the wind
Stone's throw If you are twisting in the wind, you are without help or support - you are on
If a place is a stone's throw from where you are, it is a very short your
distance away. With flying colours (colors)
 If you pass something with flying colours (colors), you pass easily, If something's money for jam, it's a very easy way of making money.
with a very high mark or grade. Money for old rope
Work like a dog (UK) If something's money for old rope, it's a very easy way of
If you work like a dog, you work very hard. making money.
Lend an ear Monkey business
If you lend an ear, you listen to what someone has to say. ('Lend your If children get up to monkey business, they are behaving naughtily or
ear' is an alternative form.) mischievously. This is the same as 'monkeying around'.
Like a cat that got the cream Monkey see, monkey do
If someone looks very pleased with themselves and happy, they look This idiom means that children will learn their behaviour by copying
like a cat that got the cream. what they see happening around them.
Like a kid in a candy store My hands are full
If someone is like a kid in a candy store, they are very excited about If your hands are full, you have so much to do that you cannot take on
something. any more work, responsibilities and so on.
Like peas in a pod My hands are tied
If people or things are like peas in a pod, they look identical. If your hands are tied, you are unable to act for some reason.
Live wire My heart bleeds
A person who is very active, both mentally and physically, is a live If your heart bleeds for someone, you feel genuine sympathy and
wire. sadness for them.
Long time no hear My heart goes out to someone
The speaker could say this when they have not heard from a person, If your heart goes out to someone, you feel genuine sympathy for
either through phone calls or emails for a long time. them.
Long time no see Now and then
'Long time no see' means that the speaker has not seen that person for This idiom means 'occasionally'.
a long time. Once in a blue moon
Make your hair stand on end If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens very rarely
If something makes your hair stand on end, it terrifies you. indeed.
Make your toes curl Out of pocket
If something makes your toes curl, it makes you feel very If you are out of pocket on a deal, you have lost money.
uncomfortable, shocked or embarrassed. Over and over
something is achieved. If something happens over and over, it happens repeatedly.
Many hands make light work Over my dead body
This idiom means that when everyone gets involved in something, the If you say that something will happen over your dead body, you will
work gets done quickly. not let it happen.
Many happy returns Packed like sardines
This expression is used to wish someone a happy birthday. If a place is extremely crowded, people are packed like sardines, or
Many moons ago packed in like sardines.
A very long time ago. Paddle your own canoe
Money burns a hole in your pocket (USA) If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself
If someone has money burning a hole in their pocket, they are eager to without outside help.
spend it, normally in a wasteful manner. Pain in the neck
Money doesn`t grow on trees If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a
This means that you have to work to earn money; it doesn't come pain in the neck. Pain in the butt, or pain in the ass (USA), and Pain in
easily or without effort. the arse (UK) are less polite alternative forms.
Money for jam Raining cats and dogs
When it is raining cats and dogs, it is raining very heavily.