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The most common idioms

1. a hot potato: a problem, situation, etc. that is difficult and unpleasant to deal with: vấn đề nan giải, nóng hổi

E.g: The issue of taxing domestic fuel has become a political hot potato.

2. a great one for sth: đam mê chuyện gì, thích làm gì

E.g: I've never been a great one for writing letters.

3. a piece of cake: dễ dàng

E.g: Doing housework is a piece of cake to me.

4. at somebody's disposal: available for use as you prefer/somebody prefers: tùy ý sử dụng, có sẵn cho ai sử dụng theo ý muốn

E.g: He will have a car at his disposal for the whole month.

5. at the drop of the hat: immediately, instantly; without hesitating: ngay lập tức, không do dự

E.g: The company can't expect me to move my home and family at the drop of a hat.

6. at all costs: bằng mọi giá

E.g: My mom decided to buy that house at all costs.

7. all at once ~ suddenly: bất thình lình

E.g: All at once she lost her temper.

8. beat about the bush: to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point: vòng vo tam quốc, không tập trung vào vấn đề chính

E.g: Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.

9. burn the midnight oil: to study or work until late at night: thức khuya làm việc, học bài

E.g: I will have a big exam tomorrow so I'll be burning the midnight oil tonight.

10. break a leg: used to wish somebody good luck (~ good luck)

E.g: You can do it! Break a leg.

11. be out of the question: không thể được

E.g: Another trip abroad this year is out of the question.

12. blow one's trumpet ~ boast: bốc phét, khoác lác

E.g: Stop blowing your trumpet.

13. bucket down ~ rain heavily: mưa xối xả, mưa to

E.g: It's bucketing down.

14. cats and dogs ~ rain heavily: mưa to

E.g: It's raining cats and dogs = It's raining heavily.

15. chalk and cheese: very different from each other: khác nhau hoàn toàn

E.g: I don't have anything in common with my brother. We're like chalk and cheese.

16. come to light: được biết đến, được phát hiện, được đưa ra ánh sáng.

E.g: New evidence has recently come to light.

17. cost/ pay an arm and a leg: rất đắt

E.g: I think the robot will not cost an arm and a leg in the future.

18. dressed (up) to the nines: ăn mặc bảnh bao

E.g: Jane went out dressed to the nines.

19. down and out (adj): thất cơ lỡ vận

E.g: A novel about being down and out in London.

20. easier said than done: nói dễ hơn làm

E.g: Why don't you get yourself a job? "That's easier said than done."

21. fly off the handle: dễ nổi giận, phát cáu, bỗng nhiên nổi nóng

E.g: He seems to fly off the handle about the smallest things these days.

22. face the music: chịu trận

E.g: The others all ran off, leaving me to face the music.

23. get the hang of something: nắm bắt được, sử dụng được, làm được

E.g: I can't seem to get the hang of this game.

24. get/ have cold feet: to suddenly become nervous about doing something that you had planned to do: mất hết can đảm, chùn bước

E.g: He was going to ask her but he got cold feet and said nothing.

25. get/ have butterflies in one's stomach: cảm thấy bồn chồn

E.g: I always get butterflies in my stomach when it comes to taking test.

26. have sb/ sth in mind: đang suy nghĩ, cân nhắc tới ai/ điều gì

E.g: Watching TV all evening wasn't exactly what I had in mind!

27. hard of hearing: lãng tai, nặng tai

E.g: Mike is hard of hearing. Therefore, we have to speak loudly so that he can hear us.

28. high and low ~ here and there: everywhere : mọi nơi

E.g: I've searched high and low for my purse.

29. hit the nail on the head: to say something that is exactly right: nói trúng phóc

E.g: I think Mick hit the nail on the head when talking about the her weakness.

30. hit the roof ~ hit the ceiling ~ go through the roof: to suddenly become very angry: giận dữ, tức điên lên

E.g: I'm afraid she will hit the roof when she finds out our vacation is cancelled.

31. hit the books: to study.

E.g: Jay needs to hit the books because he has a test tomorrow. 

32. in a bad mood: không vui

E.g: After breaking up with her boy friend, she was in a bad mood for several days.

33. keep an eye on sb/ sth: để ý, để mắt, để tâm đến ai/ điều gì

E.g: We've asked the neighbours to keep an eye on the house for us while we are away.

34. keep one's finger crossed for somebody: cầu mong điều tốt đẹp cho ai đó

E.g: Let's keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain.

35. kill two birds with one stone: một công đôi việc

E.g: I kill two birds with one stone by reading the news in English. I learn about current events and improve my English.

36. let the cat out of the bag: to tell a secret carelessly or by mistake: để lộ bí mật

E.g: I wanted it to be a surprise, but my sister let the cat out of the bag.

37. lose touch with sb: mất liên lạc với ai

E.g: I lose touch with many old friends since we live far from each other.

38. learn by heart: học thuộc lòng

E.g: I learnt this poem by heart.

39. look on the bright side: hãy lạc quan lên

E.g: Look on the bright side. Everything will be alright.

40. make a bundle: kiếm rất nhiều tiền

E.g: They made a bundle selling their business.

41. make believe: giả bộ, giả vờ

E.g: The children made believe they were animals.

42. make good time: di chuyển nhanh, đi nhanh

E.g: We made good time and arrived in Spain in two days.

43. make (both) ends meet: xoay sở để kiếm sống

E.g: Many families struggle to make ends meet.

44. now and then: thỉnh thoảng, không thường xuyên

E.g: Now and then I heard a strange noise outside.

45. not one's cup of tea: không phải thứ ai đó thích

E.g: Sorry, ballet isn't really my cup of tea.

46. once in a blue moon ~ very rarely: rất hiếm

E.g: Once in a blue moon, I stop thinking about him.

47. on the spot: immediately: ngay lập tức

E.g: He answered the question on the spot.

48. on the verge of ~ on the brink of ~ in the edge: bên bờ vực, sắp

E.g: These elephants are on the verge of extinction.

49. off the record: không chính thức, không được công bố

E.g: Strictly off the record, some members of staff will have to be made redundant.

50. over the moon: rất vui vẻ, hạnh phúc

E.g: After having this meal, she felt over the moon.

51. pay through the nose (for sth): to pay too much for something: trả giả đắt

E.g: We paid through the nose to get the car fixed.

52. pull somebody's leg: trêu chọc ai

E.g: You don't mean that. You're just pulling my leg.

53. put on an act: giả vờ, giả bộ

E.g: You could tell she was just putting on an act.

54. put oneself in sb's shoes: đặt ai đó vào hoàn cảnh của người khác

E.g: Have you ever put yourself in my shoes?

55. play tricks/jokes on: chọc phá, trêu ghẹo, chơi khăm

E.g: The children are always playing jokes on their teachers.

56. pros and cons: mặt lợi và hại

E.g: What are the pros and cons of capital punishment?

57. right up one's street: đúng kiểu, thứ ai đó thích

E.g: My dad bought me a car which is right up my street.

58. run an errand: làm việc vặt

E.g: I've got to run an errand. I'll be back in a minute.

59. see eye to eye: đồng tình

E.g: The two of them have never seen eye to eye on politics.

60: sell/ go like hot cakes: bán đắt như tôm tươi

E.g: The book has only just been published and copies are already selling like hot cakes all over the world.

61. sleep like a log: ngủ say, ngủ ngon

E.g: The baby is sleeping like a log.

62. take someone/ something for granted: cho là điều hiển nhiên, coi nhẹ, xem thường

E.g: Her husband was always there and she just took him for granted.

63. take something into account/ consideration: xem xét, tính đến cái gì, kể đến cái gì

E.g: Coursework is taken into account as well as exam results.

64. take it easy ~ relax: đừng lo lắng, thư giãn nào

E.g: Take it easy! Don't panic.

65. the apple of one's eye: người yêu quý/ đồ quý giá của ai

E.g: She is the apple of her father's eye.

66. the last straw: giọt nước tràn ly

E.g: When he showed up late a third time, which was the last straw. We had to fire him.

67. the sky’s the limit: không có giới hạn

E.g: The sky's the limit to what you can win in our competition.

68. under the weather: ốm, mệt

E.g: I'm feeling a bit under the weather - I think I'm getting a cold.

69. ups and downs: những thăng trầm

E.g: Like most married couples we've had our ups and downs, but we're fine eventually.

70. when pigs fly ~ pigs might fly: chuyện viển vông, không tưởng

E.g: "With a bit of luck, we'll be finished by the end of the year." "Yes, and pigs might fly!'