A-Z Idiom Library

Idioms are in alphabetical order. Idioms are listed with their most basic phrasing for example “red-handed” instead of “caught red-handed”. The best way to search for a specific idiom is to use Ctrl+F to search for keywords in the phrase you are looking for.

Idioms with an asterisk next to them are expanded with in-depth history and origins!

A

• Achilles’ Heel*
• Actions Speak Louder than Words
• All Roads Lead to Rome
• Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
• As the Crow Flies

B

• Bark is Worse than Bite
• Beggars Can’t Be Choosers
• Bite the Hand that Feeds
• Blood from a Stone*
• Break a Leg*

C

• Catch 22*
• Catch More Flies with Honey than with Vinegar
• C’est la Vie (se la vee)*
• Curiosity Killed the Cat
• Cut Off Your Nose to Spite your Face

D

• Devil’s Advocate
• Dime a Dozen
• Do as I Say not as I Do
• Dog Eat Dog
• Double Edged Sword*

E

• Elbow Grease
• Elephant in the Room
• Et tu, Brute
• Eye for an Eye*
• Eye of the Beholder*

F

• Faux pas
• Fly on the Wall
• Food for Thought
• Fool and their Money are Soon Parted*
• Fool Me Once Shame on You Fool Me Twice Shame on Me

G

• Give a Man a Fish and You Feed Him for a Day
• Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
• Goose Egg
• Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side*
• Great Minds Think Alike

H

• Hair of the Dog that Bit You/Me*
• Head in the Clouds
• Hindsight is 20/20
• Hoist by Their Own Petard
• Home is Where the Heart Is

I

• I’ll Be a Monkey’s Uncle
• Idle Hands are the Devil’s Playthings
• Ignorance is Bliss
• In the Land of the Blind, the One-eyed Man is King
• It Takes a Village to Raise a Child*

J

• Jack of All Trades
• Je Ne Sais Quoi
• Johnny-Come-Lately
• Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins with a Single Step*
• Jump the Gun

K

• Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer
• Kick the Bucket
• Kill Then with Kindness
• Kill Two Birds with One Stone*
• Knock On Wood

L

• Laughter is the Best Medicine
• Let Sleeping Dogs Lie*
• Long In the Tooth
• Looks Can Be Deceiving
• Loose Lips Sink Ships

M

• Make Hay While the Sun Shines
• Many Hands Make Light Work*
• Mind Over Matter
• Money Doesn’t Grow On Trees*
• Monkey See Monkey Do

N

• Neck of the Woods
• Never Look A Gift Horse In The Mouth*
• Never Put Off Until Tomorrow What You Can Do Today
• Nice Guys Finish Last
• Night is Darkest Before the Dawn
• No Pain No Gain

O

• Old Wives’ Tale*
• Once In a Blue Moon
• One Bad Apple Spoils the Bunch
• One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure
• One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

P

• Picture is Worth a Thousand Words*

Q

• Queer as a Three Dollar Bill *

R

• Red Herring*
• Red Handed*

S

• Shotgun Wedding*
• Shiver Me Timbers*

T

• Those who Live in Glass Houses shouldn’t Throw Stones*

U

• Uneasy Lies the Head that Wears the Crown*

V

• Variety is the Spice of Life*

W

• When in Rome, Do as the Romans Do*

X

• X Factor*

Y

• YOLO (You Only Live Once)*
• Yellow Belly*

Z

• Zero-sum Game