What is an idiom? Are they important? Do we even use them?

An idiom is a group of words that are used together but might not mean what it sounds like it means. Well, that’s confusing. Here are some examples:

I have a frog in my throat. Hopefully, not literally! I have a frog in my throat means that your voice is hoarse or cracking. Those are three common idioms that you’ve probably heard or maybe even used before.

Here are 25 more common idioms and their meanings. Try to use the idiom in a sentence. Look for idioms in books or movies. Look for pictures or draw a picture to explain the meaning. They are more common than you think and it can be a little confusing if you don’t understand the meaning.

1. A piece of cake- something is easy
2. A slap on the wrist- a mild punishment
3. A toss up- the decision could go either way
4. Actions speak louder than words- it’s better to do something than just talk about it
5. Backseat driver- people who criticize from the sidelines
6. Back to the drawing board- when an attempt fails, start over
7. Baker’s dozen- 13 items
8. Beat a dead horse- keep talking about something even after the topic has ended
9. Bend over backwards- do whatever it takes to help
10. Between a rock and a hard place- stuck between two bad options
11. Once in a blue moon- a rare occurrence
12. Iron stomach- someone who can eat anything without any problems/issues
13. Charley horse- a leg cramp
14. Chew someone out- verbally scold/yell at someone
15. Crack someone up- make someone laugh
16. Cut to the chase- leave out unnecessary details and get to the point
17. Devil’s advocate- someone takes a position for the sake of argument
18. Down to the wire- event ends at the last minute/seconds
19. Dropping like flies- a large number of people falling ill/dying
20. Every cloud has a silver lining- being optimistic that every bad situation has a positive side
21. Hit the nail on the head- do/say something exactly right
22. Icing on the cake- when something good gets even better
23. Kick the bucket- die
24. Loose cannon- someone unpredictable and can cause damage if not in check
25. Out of the blue- something unexpected happens

Get your head out of the clouds and go find some more idioms!