Twenty English idioms andcommon expressions

Every Cloud Hasa Silver Lining

Yesterday, I lost my wallet but at the police station I met a long lost friend, I suppose every

cloud has a silver lining

Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched

• “I bet I’ll get many gifts for my birthday, a mobile phone, a laptop, a new bike…”

• “I wouldn’t count your chickens before they’re hatched if I were you!”

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush

I wouldn’t say no to that job if I were you. It may be badly paid, but a bird in the hand

is worth two in the bush.

The early birdcatches the worm

You will never find a job if you have a lie-in everyday it’s the early bird that catches the worm.

One man’s meat is another man’s poison

• “I love meat, but rare, even bleeding”• “urgh, that’s disgusting! well I suppose one man’s

meat is another man’s poison

You can’t teach an old dog new tricks

My dad NEVER does the washing up, my mum says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

A dog’s breakfast

His room looks like a dog’s breakfast: clothes lying on the rug, books piled up on his desk,

dust covering the shelves…

You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink

Trying to convince Peter is a waste of time, he will never follow your advice on learning a

foreign language

Talk of the devil…

•Did you hear what John did at the weekend?(John enters)

•Talk of the devil!!

The grass is always greener on the other side

He will never be happy because he always wants what his brother has. The grass is

always greener on the other side

Two heads are better

than one

Let me help you find your key ring. Two heads are better than one

All That Glitters is Not Gold

I always thought my sister and her husbandwere a happy couple, but I guess all that

glitters is not gold because they’re getting a divorce!

Brain is Better than Brawn

There is a bully at my school, my teacher says he will learn that brain is better than brawn and

then he’ll regret his actions(he’s all brawn and no brains)

A piece of cake

• And the last question: When did Columbus discover America?

• Oh, it’s a piece of cake: In 1492

Barking up the wrong tree

The police suspect the wrong man. The real responsible for the crime is still at large. They

are barking up the wrong tree

To be under the weather

I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I’m sick and worn out, maybe I should go to the doctor

To be on cloud nine

She’s a new woman since she got the job and she met the man of her dreams. She’s really

on cloud nine.

A bed of roses

Being a policeman is not a bed of roses, it isn’t an easy job at all, and sometimes it’s not

really pleasant.

Get off my back!

• Come on, it’s late, I’ve told you we should hurry up• Get off my back!! I’ll be ready in a minute!!

To cost an arm and a leg

I’d like to move house, but the one I like costs an arm and a leg, I can’t afford it