Common idioms and phrasal verbs list

When an attempt to do something fails and it's time to start all over again using different methods I hate my job so much I can’t bare going to work, but if I quit I don’t think I can g

Common Idioms List

Set 1

It cost me an arm and a leg to

take my trip to Australia

Very expensive

I was over the moon when he

asked me to marry him Extremely pleased or happy

You are taking your IELTS test

next week?? Aren’t you jumping

the gun You’ve only just

started studying

Doing or starting something too early

He comes round to see me once

in a blue moon. Happening very rarely

He’s got a chip on his

shoulder. Feeling inferior or having a grievance about something

I reckon getting a band 7 in

IELTS will be a piece of cake!

I’m very good at English

Very easy

The money sent by comic relief

to help poverty in Africa is just a

drop in the ocean They need

far more than this

A very small part of something much bigger

Getting a low score, the first

time I took IELTS was a blessing

in disguise It forced me to

study extremely hard so I got a

much better score the next time

Something positive that isn’t recognized until later

We have to actually do

something about global

warming Actions speak

louder than words.

It’s better to actually do something rather than just talking about it

I bumped into Jenny in town the

other day It's a small world. Meeting someone you would not have expected to

Set 2

Oh well, I got 5.5 in IELTS

again Back to the drawing

board!

When an attempt to do something fails and it's time

to start all over again using different methods

I hate my job so much I can’t

bare going to work, but if I

quit I don’t think I can get

another job I’m really stuck /

caught between a rock and

a hard place.

Having two very bad choices.

(note: stuck/caught can be omitted)

I have to bite my tongue so I

don’t say what I really think of

him!

Wanting to say something but stopping yourself.

Come on, cut to the chase

We haven’t got all day! Leave out all the unnecessary details and just

get to the point

Are you putting all of your

savings into that company?

Don’t put all your eggs in

one basket.

Putting all of ones resources into one possibility

Try not to worry about

it Every cloud has a silver

lining.

Believing that every bad situation has a positive side / eventually leads to

something good

It was difficult when I moved

to another country but I

eventually found my feet.

To become comfortable in what you are doing

My parents are very fixed in

their ways They won’t start

using the internet

Not wanting to change from the normal ways of doing things

I think he got up on the

wrong side of the bed this

morning He is in a terrible

mood

To refer to someone who is having a bad day

My mother will always go the

extra mile to help people. Doing much more than is required when doing

something

Set 3

I think you’ve hit the nail on

the head That’s the reason

he didn’t get the job

Say exactly the right thing

Today’s going so badly If it’s

not one thing, it’s the

other.

When everything seems

to be going wrong

I just said it in the heat of

the moment I was angry I

know I shouldn’t have

Saying or doing something suddenly without thinking about it

Keep an eye on him I think

he may cheat in the exam Watch someone or something carefully

Have you heard? John down

the road has kicked the

bucket.

Died

I don’t want to argue with him

again It’s better to let

sleeping dogs lie.

Avoid a conflict

I told him what gift you have Tell someone something

bought him for his birthday

Sorry, I didn’t mean to let the

cat out of the bag.

that you were not supposed to

Don’t tell her what you really

think of her if she’s helping

you with your English!

Don’t bite the hand that

feeds you.

Hurt or upset someone who is helping you

I’m not sure which party he is

going to vote for He’s sitting

on the fence.

Not making a firm decision between different choices

Everything she does is

very over the top She can’t

just have a few drinks – se has

to get really drunk

Excessive

Set 4

Let’s keep studying for

IELTS Practice makes

perfect.

Continuously doing something to improve

Don’t get upset about what he

said He’s just pulling your

leg.

Joking around

Sorry but I think I’ll take a

rain check on that. To decline an offer that you will take up later

As a rule of thumb, I don’t

study at weekends I spend the

time with my family

Principal that is strictly adhered / kept to

I can smell a rat He said he

has a PhD but he can’t even

remember which university he

studied at

To sense that something is not right

She’s the spitting image of

her mother To look exactly like someone else

The ball's in your court now.

What are you going to do? Telling someone it's now their turn to make a decision

Unfortunately, I think he’ll be

studying for IELTS until the

cows come home His English

is very poor

For a very long time

It was all tongue-in-cheek

He didn’t really mean what he

said

Something said in humor rather than seriously

She’s feeling under the

weather today so she won’t

be going to work

Unwell

Set 5

We've had some big

disagreements over the years,

but it’s all water under the

bridge now We get on fine.

Things from the past that are not important anymore

You are what you eat so it’s

better to have a healthy diet If you eat bad food, you’ll be unhealthy, if you eat good

food, you’ll be healthy

You can’t judge a book by

its cover I need to get to

know him before I decide what

he is like

The belief that outside appearances do not reveal what someone or something is really like

We're really working against

the clock now We must hurry.Not having enough time to do something

Why are we bothering?

We're flogging a dead horse.

Our online business is making

no money, so we should move

on and do something else

Attempting to continue with something that is finished / over

I bent over backwards to

help him I hope he appreciates

it

Doing all you can to help someone

So you have the IELTS test

today?? Break a leg. Good luck

Ok, I'm playing devil's

advocate here, but if

marijuana is legalized, isn't it

more likely young people will

smoke it?

To put forward a side in an argument that may not be your own in order to show the counter-argument / ensure all sides are discussed

Hold your horses! We

haven't won anything yet Telling someone who is getting ahead of themselves to wait /

be patient

She is driving me up the

wall She won't stop talking.

Annoying or irritating somebody

Word Set 1

Phrasal Verb Meaning

hang out spend time relaxing (informal)

catch up with Meet someone after a period of time and

find out what they have been doing

cut down/back

give

(something)

up

Quit / stop doing it

cut out Stop eating something (permanently or for a

long time)

find out Discover

get along/on Like each other

fall out Argue and be on bad terms with someone

clean up Tidy / Clean

come across Find something unexpectedly

IELTS - English Phrasal Verbs in Use

What do you normally do at the weekends?

I usually just hang out with my friends We’ll go to the cinema or something Unfortunately I don’t get the chance to catch up with

them often as we are all so busy with work.

Do you have a healthy lifestyle?

I don’t think I really do Something I definitely need to do is cut down on the amount I smoke, or even give it up completely I would also like to cut out red meat from my diet I’ve read that both of those are unhealthy I found out recently that my father

has cancer, and he smoked a lot when he was younger.

Do you like the place where you live?

Yes, I live with some college friends There are several of us in the

house so it is crowded, but we get along well so we have not had any serious problems I fell out with one guy who lived there

because he played his music too loud, but he has moved out now.

Do you like to collect things?

Not anymore, but the other day I was cleaning up my room when

I came across an old album of football stickers I used to collect

them when I was younger.

hand (something) in Submit

get away with

(something)

Do something without being noticed or punished

keep up with Continue at the same rate

end up To become eventually; turn out to be

fall behind To fail to keep up a pace; lag behind

drop out Quit a class, school, university etc

look back on Think about something that happened in

the past

put forward Suggest or state the case for something

catch up with Reach the same level

pull out of To stop being a part of something

Word Set 2

Phrasal Verb Exercises - Examples in Context

Were you a good student when you were at school?

I’m afraid I wasn’t if I’m honest Often I didn’t hand in my

homework, and I always felt I could get away with it because my teacher wasn’t strict But because of this I couldn’t keep

up with the course work and I ended up falling behind

Eventually I had to drop out of the school.

So no, I wasn’t really a good student When I look back on my

childhood, I wish I’d done things differently really as it meant I had

to work harder to achieve things later on in life.

Do you think the growth in multinational corporations is a positive development?

I’m not sure it is such a good thing Many people put

forward arguments in favor it, claiming it has helped developing

countries by creating jobs for local people as many of these

companies have moved their manufacturing abroad They then claim that the economic development in these countries

will catch up with developed countries.

However, there is no real evidence that this is the case as most the profit flows back to the companies, not the people, and as soon as it becomes cheaper to manufacture in a different country,

the companies will pull out of the country they are in and move

to the more profitable one So I don’t think there is any real long-term benefit.

Phrasal Verb Get Meaning

get something

across/over

Make understandable or communicate

get around To have mobility

get away To go on holiday / vacation

get back at

get back into Become interested in something

again

get by To have just enough of something

such as money or knowledge

get down to Start doing something seriously or

with a lot of effort

get

over something

Recover from something, like an illness or a problem

get round to

something To find time to do something

get through To survive something

get together Social meeting

Split up End of a relationship

Wear off Disappear

Work out Calculate

End up Become eventually

Carry on Continue

Do away with Terminate or end

Pull out of Stop being a part of

Sort out Find a solution

Pull through Near death recovery

Wear out Exhaust/tire

1 My friend was so sick after the accident I thought she would

not survive, but she pulled through.

2 I’m usually worn out by the end of the week because I’m

studying for IELTS and working as well

3 My wife and I split up after I moved abroad because we were

so far apart It didn't work out

4 Greece is considering pulling out of the Euro in order to

avoid collapse

5 I’m not sure what I will end up doing with my life I can’t

decide on a career path

6 I’m going to carry on studying IELTS till I get the score I need

– I’m not giving up!

7 I need to work out whether I can afford to study abroad.

8 I’m disagreeing with my partner over the business but I’m

sure we’ll sort it out.

9 Personally, I think we should do away with school uniforms

Students should wear what they like

10.The effects of the drug still haven’t worn off – I feel very

drowsy

1 A Penny for Your Thoughts – ask someone who is being

very quiet what they are thinking about

 For several minutes they sat silently, then finally she looked

at him and said, “A penny for your thoughts, Walter.”

2 Against the clock – do something as fast as possible and try

to finish it before a certain time

With her term paper due on Monday, she was racing against the clock to finish it

3 Lend an ear – to listen carefully and in a friendly way to

someone

 If you have any problems, go to Claire She’ll always lend a sympathetic ear

4 On cloud nine – very happy; deliriously happy

She just bought her first new car and she’s on cloud nine

5 Bushed – tired I am totally bushed after staying up so late

6 Hard feelings – the emotion of being upset or offended

I am sorry I have to fire you No hard feelings, okay?

7 Hit the hay – go to bed

 It’s after 12 o’clock I think it’s time to hit the hay

8 Be sick to death of something/doing something – to be

angry and bored because something unpleasant has been happening for too long

I’m sick to death of doing nothing but work Let’s go out tonight and have fun

9 (come) rain or shine – means something will happen

regardless of weather or other difficulties

I will be on time for the class, rain or shine Come rain or shine, she is always smiling

10.Be all ears – eager and ready to listen

I’m all ears, waiting to hear your latest excuse for not getting this job done!

11.In the nick of time – not too late, but very close

I got to the drugstore just in the nick of time It’s a good

thing, because I really need this medicine!

12.Fresh/Clean out of something – have sold or used up the

last of something

I have to go buy some more milk It seems we’re fresh out now

13 Have/Get mixed feelings about something – to be

uncertain about something

 I have mixed feelings about my trip to England I love the people, but the climate upsets me

14 Give it one’s best shot – do the best that one can

This test question is really tough! I’ll give it my best shot, and I’ll get some marks for doing my best

15 In deep water – in difficulty; in trouble or in a dangerous

situation

He has not submitted his dissertation so he’s in deep water

16 Next to nothing – to cost very little

I went to the new discount store and bought these new shoes for only five dollars That’s next to nothing!

17 To be up in arms about something – upset or angry about

something

 She has been UP IN ARMS about the rent increase

18 Put yourself in somebody’s shoes – imagine that you are

in somebody’s position in order to understand his/her feelings

 If you put yourself in my shoes, you would understand why I made that decision

19 At all costs – do everything you can to achieve/succeed

something

 My dream is to become a successful businessman and I will work hard for it AT ALL COSTS

20 Explore all avenues – investigate every possible means to

find a solution to a given problem or to achieve a desired

outcome

 We need to EXPLORE ALL AVENUES before doing something that

is not very safe to a great number of people in order to minimize unfavorable consequences

21 On the ball – active and aware of things

Our staff is really on the ball to get projects done on time

22 Throw in the towel – Give up on something

I’ve spent too much time on this project to throw in the towel now

23 Down to earth – practical and realistic; Back to reality

 It’s time we were brought down to earth to figure out difficult situation, and offer a good solution

24 Full of beans – A person who is lively, active and healthy.

 I really enjoy being with my best friend because he is always full

of beans

25 Get a head start – Start before all others

This year we’ll get a head start on the competition by running more advertisements

26 Hear on the grapevine - This idiom means ’to hear humors’

about something or someone

I heard on the grapevine that she was pregnant, but I don’t know anything more

27 Hit the nail on the head - To be right about something

 Mike hit the nail on the head when he said most people can use

a computer without knowing how it works

28 In the heat of the moment - say or do it without thinking

because you are very angry or excited

She doesn’t hate you She just said that in the heat of the

moment

29 It takes two to tango - both people involved in a bad

situation are responsible for it

She blames Tracy for stealing her husband ‘Well, it takes two

to tango.’

30 Get/jump on the bandwagon - Join a popular trend or

activity

You jump on the bandwagon when all your friends begin eating

at a new popular restaurant

31 Keep something at bay - Keep something away

She fought to keep her unhappiness at bay

32 Kill two birds with one stone - This idiom means, to

accomplish two different things at the same time

I killed two birds with one stone and saw some old friends

while I was in

33 Leeds visiting my parents - Last straw, the final problem in

a series of problems

This is the last straw I’m calling the police