Type the missing word to complete each idiom. Tests your knowledge of fixed forms.
Here's how you did:
Read each passage and fill in the missing idioms using the word bank. 6 gaps per text.
Read each sentence and decide: is the idiom used correctly, or is there an error? Tests your feel for natural usage - mirrors Cambridge Use of English.
Here's how you did:
An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning cannot be understood from the individual words. When a British person says "it's raining cats and dogs", they don't mean that animals are falling from the sky - they mean it's raining very heavily.
Idioms are a natural part of everyday English. Native speakers use them constantly, often without realising it, in conversation, on TV, in the news, and in workplaces.
She let the cat out of the bag.
= She revealed a secret (not: she released an animal)
This site covers 1,170 British English idioms. They're organised by how often you'll hear them - so you can focus first on the ones that come up every day, then expand your range.
Understanding idioms is essential for:
Not all idioms are equally mysterious. Some are almost impossible to guess; others carry a clue in their imagery.
The meaning cannot be guessed from the words at all.
"kick the bucket" = to die
The meaning can be guessed from the imagery.
"see the light" = to finally understand
Based on extended metaphor or comparison.
"on the same page" = in agreement
Tied to history, sport, or British culture.
"bob's your uncle" = and there you are
Idioms overlap with but are distinct from:
Phrasal verbs (e.g. give up, look after) - verb + particle combinations with their own idiomatic meanings. These have their own dedicated page on the site.
Collocations (e.g. heavy rain, make a decision) - words that naturally go together but whose meaning is literal.
Proverbs (e.g. actions speak louder than words) - full sentences offering advice or wisdom. Some proverbs are included here; most collocations are not.
Idioms create three specific challenges for learners:
You can know every word in an idiom and still not understand it. "Break a leg" is friendly, not threatening. "Cost an arm and a leg" has nothing to do with bodies. Direct translation almost always fails.
Most idioms can't be changed. You say "by and large", not "large and by". You can "break the ice" but not "shatter the ice". Word order, articles, and prepositions are usually locked in.
✓ spill the beans
✗ spill the peas / pour the beans / spill a bean
Some idioms are informal ("bricking it"), some are neutral ("a blessing in disguise"), some are old-fashioned ("the bee's knees"), and some are vulgar ("tough shit"). Using the wrong register can sound odd, rude, or dated.
Not all idioms are equally useful. Some you'll hear every day; others you'll encounter once a year in a novel. This site splits the 1,170 idioms into three tiers based on real-world frequency.
Heard daily in conversation, TV, news. Master these first.
"a piece of cake", "under the weather", "hit the road"
Heard regularly. Expands your range once you know the basics.
"behind closed doors", "blow your own trumpet", "in hot water"
Useful to recognise, but less essential for everyday speech.
"a baker's dozen", "fall from grace", "a Trojan horse"
Study strategy: Aim for active use of Very Common, recognition of Common, and passive awareness of Less Common. You don't need to master all 1,170 - you need to recognise them in context.
Don't just memorise "at the eleventh hour". Remember a sentence you heard: "The deal was signed at the eleventh hour." The context anchors the meaning.
Idioms in the same category are often learnt together more easily. Study all the body parts idioms together, or all the weather ones. Use the By Category view to do this.
Of the 1,170 idioms on this site, 178 are in daily use. Master those first. Once you can use them confidently, move outward.
Once you've learnt an idiom, you'll suddenly start hearing it everywhere. Keep a small notebook or phone list of idioms you encounter in TV shows, podcasts, and conversations.
Test yourself: After studying 10 new idioms, close the page and try to recall them. Can you use each one in a sentence of your own?
Register is about matching your language to the situation. Idioms sit across a wide range of registers, and getting this right matters.
Friends, family, casual chat.
"bricking it", "take the mickey", "chill out"
Safe in most situations, including work.
"a blessing in disguise", "hit the nail on the head"
Essays, journalism, speeches.
"a double-edged sword", "the tip of the iceberg"
Only among close friends - avoid at work or in exams.
"take the piss", "a load of bollocks", "tough shit"
Most idioms on this site are British English, but many are shared across both varieties. A few differ:
Idioms almost never translate. Spanish "no tener pelos en la lengua" (to have no hairs on your tongue) is not said the same way in English. The closest English idioms are "not mince your words" or "speak your mind".
Learners often change an article, preposition, or key noun. The result sounds immediately wrong to a native ear.
✗ "I'll give it the shot"
✓ "I'll give it a shot"
Saying "he kicked the bucket" at someone's grandmother's funeral is inappropriate - it's a flippant way to talk about death. Match the register to the situation.
Packing every sentence with idioms sounds unnatural. Native speakers use one or two in a conversation, not twenty. Aim for natural flow, not quantity.
Some idioms have fallen out of use. Expressions like "the bee's knees" or "skeletons in the closet" are still understood but sound dated to younger speakers.
Final thought: You don't need to master all 1,170 idioms. Aim to recognise most, use the common ones confidently, and enjoy spotting the rest in the wild.
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