There are often times when you feel that you have mastered the English language, but then suddenly, a phrase pops up in the middle of a conversation that you have no clue about. Or you fail to understand the context or the reference.
These phrases, which fail to make sense to you, could be American Idioms. An idiom is a phrase that is unique to the language or a particular culture and is often not easily translated or understood.
This is precisely because idioms are phrases that do not go by their literal meaning; there is an underlying meaning, which is the actual meaning of the phrase. There are numerous commonly used idioms in the English language. In this article we are going to explore a few of those American idioms along with their meanings.
What are American idioms?
For someone who is not a native of the United States, sometimes they might feel like they are speaking a language of their own, as they do not sit well with the situation you are in. This is because they have a particular way of putting words together, which does not make sense if you think by the literal meaning.
The meaning of these phrases or idioms is easy to understand when thinking about the context they are used. However, there are others that are a little more complicated, and it is not as easy to determine their meanings as the other ones. And there are different types of idioms as well.
You have to take note of the fact that words do not always go by their literal meanings in America to make communication effective. So, you have to be aware of the idioms to understand and realize what is happening around you.
Common American Idioms
Knowing and learning how to use the common American idioms is going to make you sound more native, so it is always a good idea to master those. Here, the tables below are going to have the most common American idioms alphabetically for your better understanding.
Common american idioms start with “A”
Given below is a list of common American idioms that start with “A.” Have a look at it, and master the language.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| About time | High time or nearly time | It is about time that you change this laptop. |
| Act high and mighty | To act arrogantly or proudly | She acted all high and mighty in front of the principal. |
| Act your age | Act maturely | You have to give up these silly habits and act your age. |
| Add insult to injury | Make a wrong decision even worse | To add insult to injury, they made her work the entire semester and then canceled her paper. |
| All ears | Listening | I am all ears. |
| All-nighter | Any work that lasts all night | The cooks pulled an all-nighter to deliver the order. |
| Armed to the teeth | Heavily armed | The police were armed to the teeth. |
| Around-the-clock | All time of the day or 24/7 | They were keeping surveillance around the clock. |
| At all hours | Late in the night | She used to call her grandmother at all hours. |
| Ants in the pants | Cannot sit still | This man has ants in his pants, always roaming around. |
| Apply some elbow grease | Put some physical effort | Apply some elbow grease, and you will be able to move the cupboard. |
| A dime a dozen | Something common, which does not have much value | Cafes like these here are a dime a dozen. |
| At each other’s throat | Arguing or fighting hard | They were at each other’s throats when their father pulled them off. |
| As if | Something which is not likely | She believes this relationship of her is going to work. As if. |
| All out | Complete, full-scale | They went all out on the opening day of their restaurant. |
Common american idioms start with “B”
Let’s check out a few American idioms starting with “B.”
| Idioms | Meanings | Example |
| Bachelor pad | An apart for a simple women or a man. | He wanted to make the apartment his bachelor pad. |
| Back in the day | A long time back | Back in the day, the process used to be a lot more smooth. |
| Back on your feet | Recover | In just two weeks, you will be back on your feet. |
| Badmouth | Criticize verbally | She has badmouthed her own sister in front of the whole family. |
| Back to the drawing board | Start the process from the beginning | The entire file got deleted; it seems like we have to get back to the drawing board. |
| Baggage | Painful memories or experiences | She comes with a lot of baggage. |
| Behind bars | In jail | They put the murderers behind bars. |
| Bandwagon | Like something because it is popular | Everyone is going crazy about the iPhone bandwagon. |
| Be in one’s element | Being completely comfortable with something | When it is about performing on stage, she is always in her element. |
| Be up to no good | To plan something mischievous, something bad | She is up to no good; just look at those mischievous eyes. |
| Beat around the bush | Not getting to the point | Instead of beating around the bush and wasting time, get to the matter fast. |
| Bent out of shape | Agitated or upset | Please do not get all bent out of shape with regard to this matter. |
| Big mouth | Not being able to keep a secret | Do not reveal anything to him; he has a big mouth. |
| Black sheep | The least accepted or worst member of the family | He is the youngest son and the black sheep of the family. |
| Blow someone’s cover | To reveal someone’s identity or secret | He was very careful not to blow his cover. |
Common american idioms start with “C”
Here is a list of some of the commonly used American idioms that start with the alphabet “C.”
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| Call it a day | End work for the day | Let’s get going and call it a day. |
| Call the shots | Make decisions | You have to call the shots this time and make sure they work in our favor. |
| Carry a tune | Able to sing in tune | She tried to sing, but she was unable to carry a tune. |
| Catch someone’s eye | Get noticed or grab their attention | The debutant caught the director’s eye. |
| Check out | To see | Check out that guy in the blue t-shirt. |
| Chill out | To relax | Do not get so worked up over this matter. Chill out. |
| Close call | Almost encountered a dangerous situation | They almost collided with the train. It was a close call. |
| Come away empty-handed | To return without anything | They came back empty-handed from the meeting. |
| Come out of the closet | To reveal that someone is gay | She finally gathered the courage to go out of the closet. |
| Come up short | To not achieve the goal | They tried a lot; however, in the end, they came up short by just $10. |
| Couch potato | Someone who likes to relax on the couch. | I am a huge couch potato. |
| Cover a lot of ground | Go through a lot of information | They have covered a lot of ground to reach the conclusion. |
| Cover for someone | Cover someone’s mistakes | My sister asked me to cover for her this last time. |
| Crack of dawn | Right at dawn | We will start the journey crack at dawn. |
| Cut loose | Without holding back, without restraint | She just cut loose after leaving the office. |
Wrapping up!
I could go on to mention the American idioms, starting with all the alphabets, but the process might get a little too elaborate. So, here are some of the most commonly used American idioms, beginning with the first three alphabets of the English language.
Recommended Reading…
- Basic Grammar Rules That Everyone Should Know
- 20 Common English Idioms Examples Everyone Should Know
- Idiom Types: Know The Various Kinds And How They Are Different From One Another
