Conversation is interactive communication between two or more people. The development of conversational skills and etiquette is an important part of socialization. The development of conversational skills in a new language is a frequent focus of language teaching and learning.
List of Idioms to use in conversation
- once in a blue moon
Meaning: very rarely
Sentence: The earthquakes hits once in a blue moon in this part of the earth, we never felt it. - A brainwave
Meaning: a sudden good idea
Sentence: I had a brainwave and found a solution to the problem I was facing. - A close shave/call
Meaning: a situation in which you only just manage to avoid an accident
Sentence: He had a close shave when a tree fell just where he was standing. - A close-fisted man
Meaning: a miserly man
Sentence: He does not spend any money as he is a close-fisted man. - A cock and bull story
Meaning: a silly story or excuse
Sentence: He told us some cock-and-bull story about having lost all his money. - A dead letter
Meaning: a law or idea which is no longer effective
Sentence: An arts education is a dead letter for many students. - A dog in the manger
Meaning: selfish
Sentence: He is a real dog in the manger, even though he does not have a car, he would not let anyone else use his garage. - A dog’s life
Meaning: disgraceful life
Sentence: Death is better than a dog’s life. - A fairy tale
Meaning: a story for children
Sentence: She looks like a princess in a fairy tale. - A feather in one’s cap
Meaning: an achievement that makes you feel pleased and satisfied
Sentence: This success is a feather in your cap. - A fish out of water
Meaning: feeling uncomfortable
Sentence: I felt like a fish out of water in a new school. - A Gala Day
Meaning: A celebration day
Sentence: Christmas is a gala day for the Christians. - A gaolbird
Meaning: someone who has spent a lot of time in prison
Sentence: He is an escaped gaolbird. - A green room
Meaning: a room where actors relax
Sentence: There no green room in this studio. - A hard/bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: something very unpleasant that you have to accept
Sentence: His failure was a bitter pill to swallow. - A house of cards
Meaning: something that is likely to fall down
Sentence: cheat me will prove a house of cards. - A Jack of all trades
Meaning: someone who can do many types of work, but who often is not often skilled at any of them
Sentence: John is a Jack of all trades but master of none. - A jailbird
Meaning: a prisoner
Sentence: A Jailbird escaped last night. - A leap/shot in the dark
Meaning: to do something without knowing its results
Sentence: To start such a big business without experience is like taking a leap in the dark. - A man of his word
Meaning: someone who keeps his promises
Sentence: You can trust him as he is a man of his word. - A man of iron will
Meaning: strong will person
Sentence: A man of iron will tackle the present crisis of India. - A man of letters
Meaning: a learned man
Sentence: Our teacher is a man of letters. - A man of parts
Meaning: a man who can do many things
Sentence: Abraham is a man of parts-an an able teacher, a terrific writer, a sincere friend, to name a few. - A man of straw
Meaning: a mere puppet, an unimportant man
Sentence: In our society, no one respects a man of straw. - A man/woman after one’s own heart
Meaning: a man with similar taste to mine
Sentence: I like books, so does Jolly - A mare’s nest
Meaning: a discovery of no value
Sentence: Later the cure for ALDS proved to be a mare’s nest. - A narrow escape
Meaning: just to be safe from danger
Sentence: Jacky fell into the river but had a narrow escape from being drowned. - A near miss
Meaning: a situation in which an accident is barely avoided
Sentence: He applied brakes just in time and had a near miss. - A necessary evil
Meaning: something bad that you have to accept to get what you want
Sentence: War is a necessary evil. - A passing fancy
Meaning: one that does not last long
Sentence: His desire to become just a passing fancy. - A rolling stone
Meaning: the person who keeps changing his views
Sentence: A rolling stone gathers no moss. - A rope of sand
Meaning: illusory or deceptive security
Sentence: The American defense system, when came under attack, proved to be a rope of sand. - A Sight for sore eyes
Meaning: a pleasant and refreshing sight / a most welcome sight
Sentence: She is a sight for sore eyes. - A Snake in the grass
Meaning: a person who cannot be trusted
Sentence: Do not trust him, he is a real snake in the grass. - A split second
Meaning: an extremely short period of time
Sentence: In a split second, he solved the riddle. - A square meal
Meaning: good satisfying meal
Sentence: Children should have three square meals a day. - A square peg in a round hole
Meaning: someone or something that does not suit the position or Situation they are in
Sentence: A coward who joins the army is like a square peg in a round hole. - A stroke of luck
Meaning: something lucky that happens to you by chance
Sentence: It was a stroke of luck that no one was killed in such a major accident. - A white elephant
Meaning: something costly to maintain
Sentence: Telephone costs much, it is Just a white elephant for the common people. - A White lie
Meaning: a harmless or small lie
Sentence: Sometimes it is better to tell a white lie than to hurt someone’s feelings. - A wild goose chase
Meaning: an attempt to find something impossible
Sentence: Your attempt to pass the examination without hard work would be a wild goose chase. - A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: a person who seems to be friendly or harmless but is really an enemy
Sentence: You should not rely on this man as he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. - Again every day/week/ year
Meaning: for a long time
Sentence: Day after day it rained. - An open book
Meaning: something clear
Sentence: He is a good man as his life is an open book. - An order to
Meaning: with the purpose of
Sentence: She worked hard in order to pass the exams. - An order to
Meaning: with the purpose of
Sentence: She worked hard in order to pass the exams. - An uphill task
Meaning: a very difficult task
Sentence: To write a good book in two months is really an uphill task. - As a matter of fact
Meaning: actually
Sentence: He will not help you, as a matter of fact, he is a selfish man. - As cool as a cucumber
Meaning: very calm
Sentence: Despite the mishap, all remained as cool as a cucumber - At a loss
Meaning: to be confused
Sentence: Jack is at a loss to decide whether he should marry or not.
