Here are 10 examples of common idiomatic sayings in American English, along with their origins, meanings, forms, and spoken examples:
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Between a rock and a hard place
Origin: Likely originated from the difficulty of being stuck between two hard surfaces.
Meaning: To be in a situation where you have to choose between two equally undesirable options.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "I'm between a rock and a hard place deciding whether to take the job offer or stay at my current job." -
Once in a blue moon
Origin: Refers to the rare occurrence of a blue-colored moon, which is rare but not as rare as the idiom suggests.
Meaning: Something happens very rarely.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "I only see my old college friends once in a blue moon." -
Break the bank
Origin: Originally from gambling, where breaking the bank means winning more than the house can pay out.
Meaning: To spend or cost a lot of money.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "Buying a new car won't break the bank for me." -
Spill the T (tee)
Origin: Modern slang that refers to gossip or sharing the 'truth' about something.
Meaning: To gossip or share information, especially about someone else's secrets or drama.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "She spilled the 'T' about what happened at the party last night." -
Jump through hoops
Origin: Refers to the act of making a trained animal jump through hoops in a circus.
Meaning: To do a lot of extra work or make a great effort to achieve something.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "I had to jump through hoops to get all the paperwork done on time." -
Cost an arm and a leg
Origin: The exact origin is unclear, but it suggests something is so valuable that it would cost an arm and a leg.
Meaning: Something is very expensive.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "The repairs on my car cost an arm and a leg." -
Cry over spilled milk
Origin: Refers to the idea that crying over something that has already happened, like spilling milk, won't change the situation.
Meaning: To lament something that has already happened and can't be changed.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "I know you made a mistake, but there's no use crying over spilled milk." -
Hit the nail on the head
Origin: This expression comes from the idea of hitting a nail directly on its head, suggesting correctness or accuracy.
Meaning: To describe someone's statement or action as being exactly right.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "You hit the nail on the head with that observation." -
Jump on the bandwagon
Origin: Refers to politicians or performers hopping onto a bandwagon to join a parade, suggesting popularity or trend-following.
Meaning: To join a popular trend or activity.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "Everyone's getting into gardening, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon and try it too." -
Kill two birds with one stone
Origin: This phrase describes the efficiency of accomplishing two tasks with a single action.
Meaning: To achieve two objectives with a single effort.
Form: Idiomatic phrase.
Example: "I went to the store to buy groceries and dropped off the mail, killing two birds with one stone."
To generate your own list of idiomatic expressions, just enter the 'prompt' below into ChatGPT. (Edit the 'prompt' to get exactly what you want.)
ChatGPT Prompt
Tell me about the 10 most common sayings in American English. Where do they come from, what do they look like and mean, and give me a spoken example of each.To hear each example 'spoken', simply click or tap the "Read Aloud" icon at the end of ChatGPT's response.
British English Idioms