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
E
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
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z