Idioms & Sayings — C1 English Vocabulary
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This C1 vocabulary list gathers 60 advanced English words about idioms & sayings — everyday english you can’t translate word for word. Every word comes with its British-English pronunciation and a natural example sentence, so you learn each one in real context. When you are ready, open the flashcards to practise and remember them for good.
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break the ice/ˌbreɪk ðə ˈaɪs/
“A good host knows how to break the ice.”
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piece of cake/ˌpiːs əv ˈkeɪk/
“For her, the test was a piece of cake.”
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once in a blue moon/ˌwʌns ɪn ə bluː ˈmuːn/
“We see them once in a blue moon.”
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hit the nail on the head/ˌhɪt ðə ˈneɪl/
“Your comment really hit the nail on the head.”
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cost an arm and a leg/ˌkɒst ən ˈɑːm/
“Tickets these days cost an arm and a leg.”
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under the weather/ˌʌn.də ðə ˈweð.ə/
“I am feeling under the weather today.”
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bite the bullet/ˌbaɪt ðə ˈbʊl.ɪt/
“Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet.”
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the ball is in your court/ðə ˈbɔːl/
“I have done my part; the ball is in your court.”
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burn the midnight oil/ˌbɜːn ðə ˌmɪd.naɪt ˈɔɪl/
“Students often burn the midnight oil before exams.”
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cut corners/ˌkʌt ˈkɔː.nəz/
“Never cut corners on safety.”
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on the same page/ɒn ðə ˌseɪm ˈpeɪdʒ/
“Let us make sure we are on the same page.”
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spill the beans/ˌspɪl ðə ˈbiːnz/
“Come on, spill the beans!”
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a blessing in disguise/ə ˌbles.ɪŋ ɪn dɪsˈɡaɪz/
“Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.”
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the last straw/ðə ˌlɑːst ˈstrɔː/
“That comment was the last straw.”
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back to the drawing board/ˌbæk tə ðə ˈdrɔː.ɪŋ ˌbɔːd/
“The plan failed, so it is back to the drawing board.”
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beat around the bush/ˌbiːt əˌraʊnd ðə ˈbʊʃ/
“Stop trying to beat around the bush.”
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call it a day/ˌkɔːl ɪt ə ˈdeɪ/
“We worked hard, so let us call it a day.”
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get out of hand/ˌɡet ˌaʊt əv ˈhænd/
“The party began to get out of hand.”
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a hot potato/ə ˌhɒt pəˈteɪ.təʊ/
“Immigration is a hot potato right now.”
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miss the boat/ˌmɪs ðə ˈbəʊt/
“Buy now, or you will miss the boat.”
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on cloud nine/ɒn ˌklaʊd ˈnaɪn/
“She was on cloud nine after the wedding.”
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the tip of the iceberg/ðə ˌtɪp əv ðə ˈaɪs.bɜːɡ/
“These complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.”
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throw in the towel/ˌθrəʊ ɪn ðə ˈtaʊ.əl/
“Do not throw in the towel just yet.”
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a piece of the pie/ə ˌpiːs əv ðə ˈpaɪ/
“Everyone wants a piece of the pie.”
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by the skin of your teeth/baɪ ðə ˌskɪn/
“You only passed by the skin of your teeth.”
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once bitten, twice shy/ˌwʌns ˈbɪt.ən/
“He won’t try again — once bitten, twice shy.”
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the best of both worlds/ðə ˌbest əv bəʊθ ˈwɜːldz/
“Working from home gives the best of both worlds.”
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add fuel to the fire/ˌæd ˈfjuː.əl/
“Do not add fuel to the fire.”
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a storm in a teacup/ə ˌstɔːm ɪn ə ˈtiː.kʌp/
“It was all a storm in a teacup.”
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the elephant in the room/ði ˈel.ɪ.fənt/
“Nobody mentioned the elephant in the room.”
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a wild goose chase/ə ˌwaɪld ˈɡuːs ˌtʃeɪs/
“The clue sent us on a wild goose chase.”
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in the same boat/ɪn ðə ˌseɪm ˈbəʊt/
“We are all in the same boat here.”
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steal someone’s thunder/ˌstiːl ˈθʌn.də/
“Try not to steal someone’s thunder.”
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the whole nine yards/ðə ˌhəʊl naɪn ˈjɑːdz/
“They gave us the whole nine yards.”
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a penny for your thoughts/ə ˌpen.i/
“You look quiet — a penny for your thoughts?”
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actions speak louder than words/ˈæk.ʃənz spiːk/
“Remember, actions speak louder than words.”
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the early bird catches the worm/ði ˈɜː.li bɜːd/
“Get up early; the early bird catches the worm.”
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count your chickens/ˌkaʊnt jɔː ˈtʃɪk.ɪnz/
“Do not count your chickens before they hatch.”
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every cloud has a silver lining/ˌev.ri ˈklaʊd/
“Cheer up — every cloud has a silver lining.”
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kill two birds with one stone/ˌkɪl tuː ˈbɜːdz/
“I can kill two birds with one stone.”
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let sleeping dogs lie/ˌlet ˌsliː.pɪŋ ˈdɒɡz/
“It is best to let sleeping dogs lie.”
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the grass is always greener/ðə ˈɡrɑːs/
“Remember, the grass is always greener.”
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when pigs fly/wen ˈpɪɡz flaɪ/
“He will apologise when pigs fly.”
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a chip on your shoulder/ə ˈtʃɪp/
“Do not carry a chip on your shoulder.”
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burn bridges/ˌbɜːn ˈbrɪdʒ.ɪz/
“Never burn bridges with old employers.”
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the bigger picture/ðə ˌbɪɡ.ə ˈpɪk.tʃə/
“Try to see the bigger picture.”
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read between the lines/ˌriːd bɪˌtwiːn ðə ˈlaɪnz/
“You have to read between the lines.”
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a double-edged sword/ə ˌdʌb.əl edʒd ˈsɔːd/
“Fame is a double-edged sword.”
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jump on the bandwagon/ˌdʒʌmp ɒn ðə ˈbænd.wæɡ.ən/
“Everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon.”
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the bottom line/ðə ˌbɒt.əm ˈlaɪn/
“The bottom line is that we need money.”
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face the music/ˌfeɪs ðə ˈmjuː.zɪk/
“It is time to face the music.”
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go the extra mile/ˌɡəʊ ði ˌek.strə ˈmaɪl/
“We must go the extra mile for clients.”
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a needle in a haystack/ə ˌniː.dəl/
“Finding it was like a needle in a haystack.”
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the calm before the storm/ðə ˈkɑːm/
“It felt like the calm before the storm.”
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put all your eggs in one basket/ˌpʊt ˈeɡz/
“Do not put all your eggs in one basket.”
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a slap on the wrist/ə ˌslæp ɒn ðə ˈrɪst/
“He only got a slap on the wrist.”
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off the top of my head/ˌɒf ðə ˈtɒp/
“Off the top of my head, I cannot say.”
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sit on the fence/ˌsɪt ɒn ðə ˈfens/
“You cannot sit on the fence forever.”
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the icing on the cake/ði ˈaɪ.sɪŋ/
“The award was the icing on the cake.”
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a drop in the ocean/ə ˌdrɒp ɪn ði ˈəʊ.ʃən/
“My donation is a drop in the ocean.”