Idiomatic Expressions Exercises

What an idiomatic expression is

An idiom is a fixed phrase whose meaning is different from the literal meaning of its words. If someone says a test was “a piece of cake”, they do not mean that the test was a dessert. They mean that it was very easy.

Idioms are common in everyday speech, films, news writing and casual emails. Learners often understand every word in an idiom and still miss the meaning, which is why they need separate practice. The exercises below start with recognising meanings and move towards using idioms yourself.

How to use these exercises

• Try each exercise before you look at the answer key.
• If you get an item wrong, read the meaning in the answer key and write a new sentence of your own using the idiom.
• Return to the exercises after a few days. Repeating them later is more useful than doing them all once.

Exercise 1: match the idiom to its meaning

Match each idiom (1 to 8) with its meaning (A to H).

Idioms

1. break the ice
2. piece of cake
3. under the weather
4. spill the beans
5. bite the bullet
6. once in a blue moon
7. hit the sack
8. cost an arm and a leg

Meanings

• A. very easy
• B. reveal a secret
• C. start a conversation in an awkward or tense social situation
• D. do something unpleasant that you have been avoiding
• E. slightly ill
• F. very rarely
• G. go to bed
• H. be very expensive

Exercise 2: choose the correct idiom

Choose the best answer for each sentence.

1. I have been working on this report until midnight every night this week. I have been ___.
   • a) burning the midnight oil
   • b) pulling my leg
   • c) missing the boat
2. We have tried three designs and none of them worked, so it is back to ___.
   • a) a blue moon
   • b) the drawing board
   • c) the same page
3. I cannot tell you if we are going on holiday yet. Our plans are still ___.
   • a) in hot water
   • b) a piece of cake
   • c) up in the air
4. You told her about the surprise party! You let the ___ out of the bag.
   • a) cat
   • b) dog
   • c) bird
5. I have sent you all the information, so the ball is in your ___.
   • a) hand
   • b) court
   • c) corner

Exercise 3: fill in the blanks from a word bank

Use each idiom once.

Word bank: missed the boat, call it a day, in hot water, on the same page, hang in there, get out of hand

1. We have been editing the video for ten hours. Let’s ___ and finish tomorrow.
2. The concert tickets sold out in an hour. We waited too long, so we ___.
3. He forgot their anniversary dinner and is now ___ with his wife.
4. Before the meeting, I want to make sure we are all ___ about the deadline.
5. I know the course is hard, but ___. The exam is nearly over.
6. The party was fun at first, but then it started to ___.

Exercise 4: literal or figurative?

Decide whether the phrase in bold is used literally (L) or figuratively as an idiom (F).

1. He broke the ice by asking about her weekend.
2. The children broke the ice on the pond with sticks.
3. I am under the weather today, so I will stay in bed.
4. The cat jumped out of the bag when I opened it.
5. The test was a piece of cake.
6. She cut a piece of cake for each guest.

Exercise 5: replace the plain phrase with an idiom

Rewrite each sentence so that it uses an idiom from this page.

1. The exam was very easy.
2. He rarely visits us.
3. That car was very expensive.
4. She told everyone the secret.

Answer key

Exercise 1: 1-C, 2-A, 3-E, 4-B, 5-D, 6-F, 7-G, 8-H.

Exercise 2: 1-a (burning the midnight oil means working late into the night), 2-b, 3-c, 4-a, 5-b.

Exercise 3: 1. call it a day. 2. missed the boat. 3. in hot water. 4. on the same page. 5. hang in there. 6. get out of hand.

Exercise 4: 1. F. 2. L (real ice on a pond). 3. F. 4. L (a real cat and a real bag). 5. F. 6. L (a real slice of cake).

Exercise 5 (sample answers; other correct idioms are possible):

1. The exam was a piece of cake.
2. He visits us once in a blue moon.
3. That car cost an arm and a leg.
4. She spilled the beans. (The phrase “let the cat out of the bag” also works, although it often suggests the secret came out by accident.)

Common idioms to review

Tips for learning idioms

• Learn the whole phrase, not single words. Write “break the ice” as one unit, with a short example sentence.
• Group idioms by topic. Idioms about work, money, weather or emotions are easier to recall as groups than as an alphabetical list.
• Use pictures or short stories. The literal image (spilling beans, a ball in a tennis court) can help you remember the figurative meaning.
• Read and listen for idioms. Notice them in articles, shows and podcasts (see best input sources for language learners for ideas), and add the ones that appear more than once to your notebook.
• Practise producing them. Write one sentence about your own life for each new idiom.

Mistakes to avoid

• Changing the wording. Most idioms are fixed. “Hit the nail on the head” is correct, while “hit the nail in the head” sounds wrong to most speakers.
• Translating literally. An idiom from your first language may have a different English equivalent, or none at all.
• Using too many at once. A few well-chosen idioms sound natural. A sentence full of them can sound forced.
• Ignoring tone. Some idioms are casual (“hit the sack”). Check an example sentence before using one in formal writing.
• Assuming they are the same everywhere. Some idioms are more common in British English or in American English. A learner’s dictionary usually marks this.

Where to go next

Idioms are one kind of multi-word expression. Another is the phrasal verb, and our phrasal verbs with get exercises give you similar practice with one very common verb. Do not confuse idiomatic with idiosyncratic, which describes something peculiar to one person. We explain the difference in our guide to idiosyncratic words and their meaning. If you teach English, you can use exercises like these as warm-ups, as suggested in our ideas for online English lessons.