90+ Idiom Examples That You (Need) To Use

I made this guide to give you clear, ready-to-use idioms in one place. First, I say what an idiom is in simple words and how it sits next to things like metaphors and proverbs.

I then share 90+ examples: common and uncommon, long and short, and lines taken from books, poems, plays, and films—with short meanings and on-text sources. I also include sets for teachers, students, kids, and adults, plus creative and critical uses. For quick themes, I group idioms about nature, emotions, food, sports, body parts, colors, life, and death. I add one easy line between sections so you move smoothly from one idea to the next. By the end, I want you to pick the right idiom fast, use it with confidence, and know where it came from.

What is an Idiom?

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning is understood as a whole, not by the literal meanings of its words. Idioms are culture-bound shortcuts that add voice, color, and economy to speech and writing.

A clear base helps every later list land smoothly.

How many more figure of speech like Idiom?

There are several related devices beyond idioms: metaphor, simile, proverb, aphorism, cliché, and collocation. Each has a distinct job: comparison (metaphor/simile), folk wisdom (proverb), compact truth (aphorism), overused phrasing (cliché), and habitual word pairings (collocation).

With the ground set, let’s move into actual idiom examples.

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What are the Most Common Idiom Examples?

The most common idiom examples are everyday phrases with deep roots in literature and scripture. Below are five, each with a quick meaning, a brief textual use, and a source.

• Break the ice — start a first contact or conversation. “To…break the ice” (The Taming of the Shrew, I.2), William Shakespeare.
• Wild-goose chase — a useless or hopeless pursuit. “Run the wild-goose chase” (Romeo and Juliet, II.4), Shakespeare.
• Wear my heart on my sleeve — show feelings openly. “I will wear my heart upon my sleeve” (Othello, I.1), Shakespeare.
• A pound of flesh — a harsh, exacting demand. “A pound of flesh” (The Merchant of Venice, I.3), Shakespeare.
• The writing on the wall — a clear sign of doom. Handwriting appears foretelling downfall (Book of Daniel, ch. 5), Hebrew Bible.

Common idioms set the tone; now try a few less common, but powerful, ones.

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What are the Uncommon Idiom Examples?

Uncommon idioms often come straight from striking literary lines. These sound fresh and precise when used with care.

• Hoist with his own petard — harmed by one’s own plan. “Hoist with his own petard” (Hamlet, III.4), Shakespeare.
• Gild the lily — add needless ornament to something already fine. From “to paint the lily” (King John, IV.2), Shakespeare (modern idiom from the misquotation).
• Be-all and end-all — the ultimate aim or limit. “The be-all and the end-all” (Macbeth, I.7), Shakespeare.
• The game’s afoot — action has begun. “The game’s afoot” (Henry V, III.1), Shakespeare.
• Ships that pass in the night — brief, passing encounters. “Ships that pass in the night” (Tales of a Wayside Inn, “Elizabeth”), Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

You’ve seen rarer turns of phrase; next, compare longer multi-word idioms to short, punchy ones.

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What are the long Idiom examples?

Long idioms are memorable set-pieces that travel intact from classic texts. Use them when you want weight and cadence.

• All that glisters (glitters) is not gold — appearances mislead. “All that glisters is not gold” (The Merchant of Venice, II.7), Shakespeare.
• Throw the baby out with the bathwater — discard the good with the bad. Discussed as a German proverb in Thomas Carlyle’s Sartor Resartus, Book III, ch. I.
• Cross the Rubicon — pass a point of no return. Julius Caesar’s fateful crossing told in Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars (“Divus Iulius”).
• The straw that broke the camel’s back — last small burden that causes collapse. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia (1732), no. 943.
• Pot calling the kettle black — a hypocrite accusing another. Cervantes, Don Quixote (Shelton trans., 1620), proverbial exchange in later chapters.

Long lines carry force; short ones deliver speed.

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What are the short Idiom examples?

Short idioms strike quickly and stick in memory. These began as vivid lines and became everyday tools.

• In a pickle — in trouble. “In a pickle” (The Tempest, V.1), Shakespeare.
• Good riddance — glad to see it go. “Good riddance” (Troilus and Cressida, II.1), Shakespeare.
• Foregone conclusion — an outcome known in advance. “A foregone conclusion” (Othello, III.3), Shakespeare.
• One fell swoop — all at once. “At one fell swoop” (Macbeth, IV.3), Shakespeare.
• Heart of gold — very kind nature. “A heart of gold” (Henry V, IV.1), Shakespeare.

From shape and length, let’s shift to where readers often meet idioms first: books and broader literature.

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What are the Idiom examples in Literature?

Many idioms come from book scenes that crystallized a feeling or situation. These five now work as ready metaphors in everyday talk.

• Catch-22 — a no-win rule loop. Joseph Heller, Catch-22 (1961).
• Down the rabbit hole — into a strange world or deep investigation. Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, ch. 1 (1865).
• Big Brother — invasive surveillance power. George Orwell, Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949).
• White whale — an obsessive, consuming goal. Herman Melville, Moby-Dick (1851).
• Tilting at windmills — fighting imaginary foes. Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote, Part I, ch. 8 (1605).

Literature flows into verse; poems often mint phrases that become everyday speech.

What are the Idiom examples in Poem?

Some idioms began as lines in single poems. Their rhythm helped them travel.

• Burn the candle at both ends — live intensely, unsustainably. Edna St. Vincent Millay, “First Fig” (1920).
• Ships that pass in the night — brief meeting, then separation. Longfellow, Tales of a Wayside Inn (“Elizabeth”).
• Nature, red in tooth and claw — violent side of nature. Alfred Tennyson, In Memoriam A.H.H., canto 56 (1850).
• Water, water, everywhere — abundance without relief. S. T. Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Part II (1798).
• A little learning is a dangerous thing — shallow knowledge misleads. Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism (1711).

Poetry at large reinforces the same pattern through famous lines that turned idiomatic.

What are the Idiom examples in Poetry?

Broader poetic lines also became idioms that frame choice, pride, and risk. Here are five that moved from verse into daily use.

• Fools rush in (where angels fear to tread) — haste invites trouble. Pope, An Essay on Criticism (1711).
• Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven — autonomy over subordination. John Milton, Paradise Lost, I (1667).
• The road not taken — an unconventional choice. Robert Frost, “The Road Not Taken” (1916).
• To gild refined gold, to paint the lily — needless embellishment. Shakespeare, King John, IV.2.
• Bread and circuses — distraction by trivial pleasures. Juvenal, Satire X (early 2nd c.).

From page to screen, film dialogue and titles also feed everyday idiom.

What are the Idiom examples in Films?

Film gave us crisp idioms and labels for modern states of mind. These five now work as shorthand beyond the theater.

• Red pill — embrace unsettling truth. The Matrix (1999).
• Groundhog Day — tiresome repetition. Groundhog Day (1993).
• Houston, we have a problem — calm flag for trouble. Apollo 13 (1995).
• We’re not in Kansas anymore — unfamiliar territory. The Wizard of Oz (1939).
• The dark side — corrupting force. Star Wars (1977).

Books as books (beyond “literature” generally) contribute eponyms and story-coined idioms teachers quote often.

What are the Idiom examples in Books?

Titles and characters often turn into idioms. These five are handy in essays and talks.

• The emperor’s new clothes — obvious truth others ignore. Hans Christian Andersen, “The Emperor’s New Clothes” (1837).
• Brave new world — gleaming but troubling future. Aldous Huxley, Brave New World (1932).
• Banana republic — unstable, exploitative state. O. Henry, Cabbages and Kings (1904).
• Man Friday — devoted helper. Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe (1719).
• Pandora’s box — action that unleashes many troubles. Hesiod, Works and Days (lines on Pandora).

Stagecraft has given English several idioms we lean on in headlines and debates.

What are the Idiom examples in Drama?

Theater minted idioms that name manipulation, delay, and abrupt exits. These five keep a dramatic edge.

• Gaslight — manipulate someone into doubting reality. Patrick Hamilton, Gas Light (1938).
• The play’s the thing — a test or trap reveals truth. “The play’s the thing” (Hamlet, II.2), Shakespeare.
• Comedy of errors — chain of blunders. Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors (title).
• Exit, pursued by a bear — sudden, chaotic departure. Stage direction, Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale (III.3).
• Much ado about nothing — fuss over trivial matters. Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing (title).

For classroom use, fables and classics supply clear, teachable idioms with built-in stories.

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What are the Idiom examples for Teachers

Classroom-ready idioms work best when a short story explains them. These five carry instant morals students remember.

• Cry wolf — false alarms destroy trust. Aesop, “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”
• Sour grapes — belittle what you cannot have. Aesop, “The Fox and the Grapes.”
• Don’t count your chickens before they hatch — don’t plan on outcomes too soon. Aesop, “The Milkmaid and Her Pail.”
• Slow and steady wins the race — patience beats haste. Aesop, “The Tortoise and the Hare.”
• Wolf in sheep’s clothing — hidden danger behind a friendly face. Aesop, “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing.”

Stories anchor meaning; themes and feelings do too, so here are emotion-tied idioms you can point to in texts.

What are the Idiom examples about emotions?

Emotion idioms label jealousy, openness, gloom, obsession, and relief. These five idioms about emotions are lively and exact.

• Green-eyed monster — jealousy. “Beware, my lord, of jealousy… the green-eyed monster” (Othello, III.3), Shakespeare.
• Wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve — open feeling. (Othello, I.1), Shakespeare.
• Down in the dumps — very sad. Used in Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Sir Launcelot Greaves (1760s).
• White whale — obsessive focus. Melville, Moby-Dick (1851).
• Light at the end of the tunnel — hope after hardship. Popularized in various 20th-century memoirs; concise idiomatic use in John Bunyan–influenced revival prose traditions.

Color, body, and life-state idioms keep expression concrete and vivid.

What are the Idiom examples about body parts?

Body-part idioms make feelings tactile. These five are traceable and crisp.

• Cold shoulder — deliberate rudeness. Walter Scott, The Antiquary (1816).
• Tongue-in-cheek — ironic or sly. Lord Byron uses the gesture figuratively in letters (early 19th c.).
• Barefaced lie — shameless falsehood. Shakespeare uses barefaced for bold openness (Macbeth, I.7), later fixed as idiom.
• By the skin of one’s teeth — scarcely. Book of Job 19:20 (Hebrew Bible).
• Give someone the slip — escape pursuit. Dickens employs “the slip” sense in Oliver Twist (1838).

What are the Idiom examples about colors?

Color idioms paint feelings and status. These sources keep them anchored.

• Green-eyed — jealous. (Othello, III.3), Shakespeare.
• Caught red-handed — caught in the act. Walter Scott, The Heart of Mid-Lothian (1818), ch. 9.
• True blue — loyal, steadfast. Used in 17th–18th-century English verse, e.g., John Day’s earlier “true blue” sense, later common in ballads.
• Blue blood — noble lineage. 19th-century English borrowing of Spanish sangre azul, used in Victorian fiction.
• Red-letter day — special day. From church calendars with feast days in red (Book of Common Prayer tradition; referenced across Anglican devotional prose).

Life and death idioms give quick handles for big themes.

What are the Idiom examples about life?

Life idioms name fate, choice, and struggle. These five are durable.

• Cross the Rubicon — commit beyond recall. Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars.
• Bread and circuses — shallow comforts over substance. Juvenal, Satire X.
• The road not taken — unconventional choice. Robert Frost (1916).
• Midas touch — success at everything, often with a cost. Ovid, Metamorphoses (Book XI).
• Vale of tears — the world as a place of sorrow. Psalmic and devotional English (e.g., Book of Common Prayer).

What are the Idiom examples about death?

Death idioms soften or stage the hardest subject. These five are familiar yet vivid.

• Shuffle off this mortal coil — to die. (Hamlet, III.1), Shakespeare.
• Kick the bucket — die. Printed 18th-century slang; used across Victorian fiction thereafter.
• Rest in peace — formal blessing for the dead. Latin requiescat in pace in epitaph and liturgy.
• Meet one’s maker — die and face judgment. Common in 19th-century sermon literature and novels.
• Bite the dust — fall dead/defeated. Alexander Pope’s Homer translation uses “bite the dust” idiomatically (Iliad, 1715).