“A bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” “You are stealing her thunder” or “Finally, you got a taste of your own medicine.” These are idioms we hear but we often do not know how to use them. Nevertheless, they can be learned easily. In this post, we help you learn the most common idioms
Before we begin with our list of idioms, let us try and understand why we find idioms difficult. The reason is simple. They are rooted in culture and do not follow the regular rules of grammar or logic. Rather, one has to memorize them in the beginning. Once you practice them, you will get comfortable with them and can use them like a native speaker.
Let us start with the most common idioms:
To take a page from (one’s) book
“To take a page from his book” means to mimic or follow someone’s example. It is used as a part of the sentence. Let us understand with the help of a few examples
Sonia took a page out of her father’s book and began spending only on essentials.
From this example, it is easy to see that Sonia decided to follow her father’s example and decided to spend only on essentials. Let us take another example.
Sachin took a page out of Gavaskar’s book and decided to hit the ball straight instead of hitting it head-on.
This example also clearly illustrates that Sachin followed Gavaskar’s example and hit the ball straight.
So anytime you want to say that X followed Y’s example, you can use “to take a page out of (their) book.”.
To add insult to injury
To add “insult to injury” is a common idiom in English. It means to act in a way that makes a bad situation worse. It is used as a part of a sentence and we can understand the same using the below examples.
The workers were already hurt that their incentives were cut; to ask them to take a pay cut was adding insult to injury.
From this example, it is clear that asking the workers to take a pay cut is adding to their existing hurt. We can understand the same using another example.
Josh was already late for work, and to add insult to injury, he was not able to start the car.
From this example, it is clear that not being able to start the car was adding to the earlier problem.
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
This is another classic example of an idiom. It simply means that what we have now is worth much more than the things we hope to get. Unlike the other idioms, this can be written as it is. It does not have to be a part of a sentence.
By the skin of (one’s) teeth
“By the skin of your teeth” means to just barely succeed in the task of your choice. Let us understand using a few examples.
He escaped the shark bites by the skin of his teeth.
From this sentence, it is clear that he only just managed to escape the shark bites.
Let us understand the same using another example.
The children finished the project by the skin of their teeth.
From this example, it is clear that the children just managed to finish the project.
Let us look at two more idioms that are very popular in colloquial English
Beat around the bush
“Beat around the bush” means to say something indirectly and not in a straightforward manner. It is used as a part of a sentence. We can understand the same using a few examples.
Stop beating around the bush and come straight to the point.
From this example, the meaning of beating around the bush should be clear. The first speaker is imploring the second speaker to come straight to the point and not speak indirectly.
Barking up the wrong tree
“Barking up the wrong tree” means trying to find solutions in the wrong place. This idiom is used as a part of a sentence. Let us understand the same using an example.
The police were barking up the wrong tree. Mr. Francis was not guilty.
From this sentence, it is clear that the police were misguided and were trying to find a solution where none existed. They were trying to implicate Mr Francis although he was not guilty.
Speaking with idioms can make one feel like a native speaker. It is a great way to impress your colleagues and can be used to emphasize points.
These examples should have given you a good idea of different idioms and their usage. If you would like to know more about other idioms and their usages, please contact me.