Idioms are proof that English speakers have collectively agreed to make life harder for everyone else.
They’re phrases where the words don’t mean what they say.
If someone tells you to “break a leg,” they’re not threatening you—they’re wishing you good luck. (Confusing? Absolutely!)
Idioms are often unique to a language, which means translating them word-for-word usually makes no sense whatsoever. But once you get the hang of them, they make your English sound far more natural—and a lot less like a textbook.
Probably best not to use these in your next job interview:
- A few sandwiches short of a picnic – referring to someone who is not very bright
- Cheap as chips – inexpensive
- On it like a car bonnet – in control of a situation
- Wet behind the ears – inexperienced
- Piece of cake – very easy
- Over-egg the pudding – exaggerating
English you’ll hear at work (and probably have to use):
- Cut corners – to do something in the easiest and cheapest way, often badly
- Call it a day – to stop working on something
- Go the extra mile – to put in more effort or do more that what is expected
- Take a rain check – to postpone or reschedule a plan or invitation
- Show someone the ropes – teach someone the details of a task or a procedure
- Drop the ball – to make a mistake or fail to do something properly
- See the light – to finally understand something that you didn’t before
- To be in the dark – to not know something that other people know about