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C2Vocabulary

Idioms

Advanced English idioms: what they mean and how to use them

24 questions · 3 exercises · instant feedback · free, no sign-up

Start practising Review the rules
The rulesHow to learn and use English idioms

An idiom is a fixed expression whose meaning isn't the sum of its words. At C2 level you need to recognise them in context, understand them and use them in the right situation.

  • The words are fixed

    you can't swap a word for a synonym, or the idiom stops working.

    Let sleeping dogs lie.

    It's not rocket science.

  • The verb changes, the rest stays

    the verb takes the tense or the passive you need; the other words don't change.

    They caught him red-handed.

    He was caught red-handed.

  • Most idioms are informal

    common in conversation and journalism, rare in academic writing.

    The new minister has hit the ground running.

  • Learn them in a sentence

    a whole example sentence is easier to remember than a definition, and it shows how the idiom is used.

Common mistakes

  • ✗ Let sleep dogs lie.✓ Let sleeping dogs lie.Every word of an idiom is fixed, including its form.
  • ✗ It's not a rocket science.✓ It's not rocket science.

Exercise 1: Choose the answer

Choose the correct option.

0/8 answered
  1. 1.

    After months of arguing, the two partners finally decided to … the hatchet.

  2. 2.

    He says he'll pay me back next week, but I wouldn't … my breath.

  3. 3.

    The new manager is still wet behind the …; she's only been working for a year.

  4. 4.

    Losing the contract was a blessing in …: it forced us to find better clients.

  5. 5.

    We'll have to … the bullet and tell them the truth.

  6. 6.

    He's been … the candle at both ends, and now he's ill.

  7. 7.

    The project was dead in the … as soon as the funding was cut.

  8. 8.

    I'm not going to … words: your work this month has been poor.

Exercise 2: Match the pairs

Match each idiom with its meaning. There are two meanings you don't need.

0/8 answered
not to believe something completelyto avoid choosing a sideto have nothing to doto misunderstand something completelyto feel resentful because you think you've been treated unfairlyto do something cheaply or carelessly to save time or moneyto do your fair share of the workto be extremely luckyto start planning again after a failureto keep a secret
  1. 1.

    to sit on the fence

  2. 2.

    to cut corners

  3. 3.

    to take something with a pinch of salt

  4. 4.

    to get the wrong end of the stick

  5. 5.

    to pull your weight

  6. 6.

    to be at a loose end

  7. 7.

    to have a chip on your shoulder

  8. 8.

    to go back to the drawing board

Exercise 3: Fill the gaps

The first letter of the missing word is given in brackets. Write the word in the correct form.

0/8 answered
  1. 1.

    I've told him a hundred times, but it's like to a brick wall. (t...)

  2. 2.

    The company is on its last ; it'll probably close next month. (l...)

  3. 3.

    She's a dark : nobody knew she'd written three novels. (h...)

  4. 4.

    I only got the job by the skin of my . (t...)

  5. 5.

    Stop your own trumpet; nobody likes a show-off. (b...)

  6. 6.

    Tickets for the final are like gold : everyone wants one. (d...)

  7. 7.

    The new rules are just a herring to distract us from the real problem. (r...)

  8. 8.

    Closing the factory was the last for the workers, who went on strike the next day. (s...)

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