The 50 Most Important Idioms for Achieving a B2 to C2 Level of English.

 

Due to the complexities of English, nobody, native or second language learner can honestly brag about having a proficient level of the language without a solid knowledge of Idioms. 

Every day, in almost every conversation, native speakers will use idioms more than someone who is new to the language, simply because they are more familiar with them and know the context in which they should be used. Therefore, this means that when you, the second language learner uses an idiom in the correct context, that you have a more proficient level of English and therefore you sound more like a native speaker.

Below is a list of 50 of the most important general idioms necessary for traveling the B2 to C2 language learning journey. With these idioms, you will be able to listen and speak more like a native speaker, therefore, enhancing your ability to communicate effectively.

Study tips for how to learn idioms.

The 60 most important phrasal verbs for achieving a B2 to C2 level of English.

It also helps if you think of English as if it were food – the basic ingredients may taste ok, but you need a little extra "something" to take it to improve it. Idioms, in that sense, are the spice that you can add to your English skills as you progress through your journey to achieving a truly proficient level.

Understanding the basics of English is a good start, but idioms can help you explore the language in a deeper, more meaningful way.

IDIOM	MEANING	EXAMPLE
A drop in the ocean	A very small part or insignificant amount of something big or whole	A donation of 100,000 dollars is just a drop in the ocean compared to the millions that need to be spent.
Actions speak louder than words	It’s better to actually do something than just talk about it	I am going to work for an NGO in Africa fighting climate change. Actions speak louder than words.
Add fuel to the fire	Whenever something is done to make a bad situation even worse than it is	Don’t mention the product delay in the meeting. You are just adding fuel to the fire.
A penny for your thoughts	When you want to know what somebody is thinking	Why are you staring at the sky? A penny for your thoughts!
Ball is in somebody’s court	It is up to somebody to make the next decision or step	I have laid out my plan. The ball is in your court now.
Barking up the wrong tree	Look in the wrong place or accuse the wrong person	I’m not responsible for this mess! You are barking up the wrong tree.
Be a good catch	Be someone worth marrying/having	Donald is such a good catch. I hope, he’ll propose soon.
Beat around the bush	Avoid the main topic or not speak directly about the issue	Don’t beat around the bush! We can have an open discussion here.
Bend over backwards	Do whatever it takes to help. Willing to do anything	Our company is bending over backwards to satisfy our customers.
Bite off more than you can chew	Take on a task that is too big	You bit off more than you can chew. You are never going to finish the presentation on time.
Blow somebody away	Be extremely impressed by something	The product demo just blew me away. I’ve never seen such a powerful software.
By the skin of your teeth	You only just succeeded and nearly failed	I hadn’t studied much, but passed the test by the skin of my teeth.
Couldn’t care less	Have a total lack of interest in something	I couldn’t care less what my new co-workers think of me.
Cry over spilt milk	Complain about a loss from the past	There’s no way to win back this customer. Don’t cry over spilt milk.
Cry wolf	Call for help when you don’t need it	My new co-worker is constantly crying wolf.
Crunch time	The period of time just before a project has to be completed and everyone has to work hard	I’m not getting much sleep these days, because it’s crunch time at work.
Curiosity killed the cat	Get into an unpleasant situation by being inquisitive	He shouldn’t have searched for the secret files. Curiosity killed the cat.
Cut corners	Do something badly or cheaply	They really cut corners when they built this office. The cubicles are way too small.
Cut somebody some slack	Give somebody a break/ not to judge somebody severely	You have to cut me some slack. I already worked on the report the whole weekend.
Cut to the chase	Leave out all the unnecessary details and just get to the point	In an elevator pitch you don’t have much time. You have to cut to the chase!
Dig in your heels / Stick to your guns	Refuse to compromise or change your mind	My parents always wanted me to become a lawyer, but I dug in my heels / stuck to my guns and started my own travel business.
Down to the wire	Something that ends at the last minute or last few seconds	With the deadline coming up and the project not being on track, the team worked right down to the wire to complete it on time.
Drive someone up the wall	To irritate or annoy very much	The music my co-workers listen to at the office is driving me up the wall.
Get out of hand	Lose control of things	The meeting got out of hand and people started yelling at each other.
Get your head around it	Understand something	I just can’t get my head around the fact that my boss is not giving me a raise.
Give the benefit of the doubt	Believe someone’s statement, without proof	I can’t check your results anyway, so I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt.
Go down in flames	End or fail suddenly and spectacularly	Our company will go down in flames, if we don’t take these new startups seriously.
Hear on the grapevine	Hear a rumor or unconfirmed story	I heard on the grapevine that our boss will be leaving us soon.
Hit the books	Study very hard	I have to hit the books. My final exam is coming up soon.
It takes two to tango	Actions or communications need more than one person	I don’t think, she did this by herself. It takes two to tango.
Judge a book by its cover	Judge someone or something based solely on appearance	I really disliked the product’s packaging. But you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Jump on the bandwagon	Join a popular trend or activity	This new software is going to disrupt the market. We should jump on the bandwagon.
Kill two birds with one stone	Solve two problems at once / with one action	By cycling to work I kill two birds with one stone. If saves me money and I get to work out.
Leave no stone unturned	Do everything possible to achieve a goal	I’ll leave no stone unturned until I find out who did this.
Let the cat out of the bag	Accidentally reveal a secret	The CEO let the cat out of the bag about the company’s restructuring.
Make a long story short	Come to the point	There’s not much time left. Let me make a long story short.
Miss the boat	Miss the opportunity to do something	I think I have missed the boat. They didn’t accept my application anymore.
Once in a blue moon	When something rarely ever happens	You only achieve such an amazing return on your investment once in a blue moon.
Piece of cake	When something is extremely easy to do	Piece of cake, with our new software we’ll win this customer for sure.
Pull a rabbit out of a hat	Do something unexpected	I thought there was no fix to the software bug, but our programmer pulled a rabbit out of his hat.
Pull yourself together	Calm down and act normally	I understand you’ve had a bad day, but pull yourself together and get on with your job, will you?
Run on fumes	Continue to stay awake when feeling exhausted	I really have to take a nap now. I haven’t slept for twenty hours and I’m running on fumes.
Sell somebody out	Snitch on someone or let their secret out	I asked you to keep this information to yourself. I can’t believe you sold me out!
Shoot from the hip	Speak directly	If you want to get on well with your new boss, try not to shoot from the hip next time.
Sit on the fence	Stay neutral and not take sides	I’m sitting on the fence with this one. My team prefers solution A, but my boss favors solution B.
Skeleton crew	The minimum number of people needed to keep a service/office operating	Can you please come to the office this weekend? We’re operating with a skeleton crew at the moment.
Step up your game	Start performing better	If you really want to win this competition, you’ll have to seriously step up your game.
When pigs fly	Something will never happen	As long as my boss stays in office, I will have to wait for a raise till pigs fly.
Whole nine yards	Everything	I’ll do whatever it takes to make my venture a successful one – I’ll go the whole nine yards.
Your guess is as good as mine	Have no idea, do not know the answer to a question	We just don’t have enough information. Your guess is as good as mine.