An idiom is an expression peculiar to a language. Words and phrases sometimes have a different sense from what they literally mean. One's proficiency in a language is judged by the way he is using the idiomatic words and expressions fluently. 40 top most used English Idioms and their meanings are given below.
- At a stone's through : At a small distance
- Cut a sorry figure : Make a poor impression
- To end in smoke : To fail
- To spill the beans : To reveal a secret
- A left-handed compliment : An ambiguous compliment
- To beat about the bush : To talk about irrelevant things
- To get cold feet : To be feared
- Maiden speech : First speech
- To throw cold water : To discourage
- Turned down : Reject
- A wild-goose chase : A pointless search
- A red-letter day : A day of importance
- A house of cards : An insecure scheme
- In the blues : Cheerless and Depressed
- To smell a rat : To suspect faul dealings
- A dark horse : An unknown entry
- Blow one's own trumpet : Praise oneself
- Straw in the wind : An indication of what might happen
- An axe to grind : Have a selfish interest
- At sea : Perplexed
- To put a spoke in one's wheel : To hinder
- Feather one's own nest : Make money in an improper way
- Nip in the bud : Stop something at the start
- Add fuel to the fire : Make a bad situation worse
- Beggar description : Cannot be described
- At a snail's pace : Very slowly
- To burry the hatchet : To make peace
- Fish out of water : Out of the comfortable position
- Selling like hot cakes : To have a very good sale
- Donkey's years : A long time
- A dead heat : In a tie
- To take a French leave : To leave without permission
- Sitting on the fence : Making no decision
- Into the bargain : In addition
- At arm's length : Not to be too friendly
- The gift of the gab : The capacity to talk endlessly
- No stone unturned : Did everything possible
- Get into hot water : Get into trouble
- Hitting below the belt : Taking an unfair advantage
- Hit the nail on the head : Say the exact point