Random Idiom Generator

Ways to use this list

• Idiom of the day: spin each morning, read the meaning aloud and challenge the class to use it correctly before home time.
• Draw the literal meaning: pupils sketch what "raining cats and dogs" or "a frog in your throat" would look like if it were true, then write the real meaning underneath.
• ESL speaking practice: spin an idiom and tell a short true story where it fits, such as a time you got cold feet.
• Guess the meaning: read the idiom without its explanation and let teams vote between three possible meanings before you reveal the answer.
• Hidden idioms: spin three and hide all of them in a short paragraph; a partner has to spot every one.

Press Spin the wheel, tap the game or press the Space bar. Change the list in the box as you like: add your own, delete what doesn't suit you, or write *2 after an entry to give it double the chance. The game buttons switch the same list to a duck race, hat, claw machine and more.

The full list (80 entries)

• Break the ice – start a conversation with new people
• Piece of cake – very easy
• Under the weather – feeling a bit ill
• Raining cats and dogs – raining very heavily
• Spill the beans – tell a secret
• Let the cat out of the bag – give away a secret by accident
• Hit the books – study hard
• Hit the hay – go to bed
• Cost an arm and a leg – be very expensive
• Once in a blue moon – very rarely
• Bite off more than you can chew – take on too much
• On cloud nine – extremely happy
• The ball is in your court – it's your turn to act or decide
• Cut corners – do a job quickly but badly
• Hold your horses – wait a moment, slow down
• Get cold feet – suddenly feel too nervous to do something
• Cry over spilt milk – get upset about something that can't be changed
• Barking up the wrong tree – looking in the wrong place or blaming the wrong person
• Beat around the bush – avoid saying something directly
• Call it a day – stop working for now
• Hit the nail on the head – say exactly the right thing
• In hot water – in trouble
• Keep your chin up – stay cheerful when things are hard
• Sit on the fence – avoid choosing a side
• Pull someone's leg – tease or joke with someone
• When pigs fly – something that will never happen
• Butterflies in your stomach – a nervous, fluttery feeling
• Over the moon – delighted
• Back to square one – back to the start
• Burn the midnight oil – work or study late into the night
• Go the extra mile – do more than you have to
• Out of the blue – suddenly and unexpectedly
• Through thick and thin – in good times and bad
• See eye to eye – agree
• Break a leg – good luck (said to performers)
• Bite your tongue – stop yourself from saying something
• A drop in the ocean – a tiny amount compared with what's needed
• Easier said than done – harder than it sounds
• The best of both worlds – the good parts of two different things
• Steal the show – be the best part of a performance
• Like two peas in a pod – very alike
• Lend a hand – help
• Cool as a cucumber – very calm
• Ring a bell – sound familiar
• Get the ball rolling – start something
• Jump on the bandwagon – join in because something is popular
• Take it with a pinch of salt – don't believe it completely
• Bury the hatchet – make peace after an argument
• Cat got your tongue? – why are you so quiet?
• A fish out of water – someone uncomfortable in a new place
• The elephant in the room – an obvious problem nobody mentions
• Back to the drawing board – start planning again after something fails
• Add fuel to the fire – make a bad situation worse
• Have a sweet tooth – love sweet food
• Face the music – accept the results of what you did
• In the same boat – in the same situation as others
• Up in the air – not decided yet
• Head in the clouds – daydreaming
• Walking on eggshells – being very careful not to upset someone
• Let off steam – release energy or strong feelings
• Couch potato – someone who spends a lot of time sitting around
• Cut to the chase – get to the main point
• Throw in the towel – give up
• Wild goose chase – a search that is a waste of time
• Straight from the horse's mouth – from the person who really knows
• Like a bull in a china shop – clumsy where you need to be careful
• Busy as a bee – very busy
• Night owl – someone who likes staying up late
• Go bananas – get very excited or silly
• Full of beans – full of energy
• Give someone the cold shoulder – ignore someone on purpose
• Have your hands full – be very busy
• Learn by heart – memorise
• Off the top of your head – without checking or thinking for long
• A storm in a teacup – a big fuss about something small
• Steal someone's thunder – take attention away from someone
• Know the ropes – know how something is done
• A frog in your throat – a croaky voice
• Long story short – to sum up quickly
• A penny for your thoughts – what are you thinking about?

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