Idioms Beginning With L

Idioms Beginning With L

English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.

Idioms Beginning With L with Meaning and Example

Here’s a list of “Idioms Beginning With L” in English:

Let the cat out of the bag

• Meaning: Reveal a secret
• Example: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

Lend an ear

• Meaning: Listen to someone
• Example: She always lends an ear when I need to talk.

Light at the end of the tunnel

• Meaning: A sign of hope after a difficult period
• Example: After months of hardship, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Lose your touch

• Meaning: Lose a skill or ability that you once had
• Example: He used to be a great chef, but he’s lost his touch.

Look before you leap

• Meaning: Think carefully before taking action
• Example: You should look before you leap when making big decisions.

Long shot

• Meaning: An attempt with little chance of success
• Example: Winning the lottery is a long shot, but it’s worth a try.

Leave no stone unturned

• Meaning: Try every possible means to achieve something
• Example: The detectives left no stone unturned in their search for the truth.

Lay down the law

• Meaning: Establish rules or guidelines firmly
• Example: The new manager laid down the law about punctuality.

Let sleeping dogs lie

• Meaning: Avoid stirring up old conflicts
• Example: It’s better to let sleeping dogs lie and not bring up past issues.

Learn the ropes

• Meaning: Learn how to do a particular job or task
• Example: It took her a few weeks to learn the ropes at her new job.

Last straw

• Meaning: The final problem in a series of problems
• Example: Her rude comment was the last straw for me.

Lock, stock, and barrel

• Meaning: Everything; the whole thing
• Example: They bought the business lock, stock, and barrel.

Low-hanging fruit

• Meaning: The easiest targets or goals
• Example: Start with the low-hanging fruit to achieve quick wins.

Laughing stock

• Meaning: A person or thing that is ridiculed
• Example: He became the laughing stock of the school after the incident.

Live and learn

• Meaning: Learn from experiences, often from mistakes
• Example: I won’t make that mistake again. You live and learn.

Like a bull in a china shop

• Meaning: Clumsy and awkward in delicate situations
• Example: He’s like a bull in a china shop when he tries to help in the kitchen.

Let bygones be bygones

• Meaning: Forget past conflicts and move on
• Example: Let’s let bygones be bygones and be friends again.

Lead by example

• Meaning: Show the right way to do something by acting accordingly
• Example: A good leader should always lead by example.

Look a gift horse in the mouth

• Meaning: Find fault with something that has been received as a gift
• Example: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth; appreciate the gesture.

Long and short of it

• Meaning: The main point or summary
• Example: The long and short of it is that we need more time.

Let the chips fall where they may

• Meaning: Allow events to unfold naturally without intervention
• Example: I’m going to tell the truth and let the chips fall where they may.

Luck of the draw

• Meaning: Due to chance rather than skill or planning
• Example: Sometimes winning or losing is just the luck of the draw.

Leave someone in the lurch

• Meaning: Abandon someone in a difficult situation
• Example: She left me in the lurch by quitting the job without notice.

Lick into shape

• Meaning: Improve something or someone through discipline or effort
• Example: The coach managed to lick the team into shape for the championship.

Life of Riley

• Meaning: A carefree, comfortable, and enjoyable life
• Example: After retiring, he’s been living the life of Riley.

Like two peas in a pod

• Meaning: Very similar or close
• Example: Those two friends are like two peas in a pod.

Live and let live

• Meaning: Tolerate the opinions and behaviors of others
• Example: We should all live and let live despite our differences.

Labor of love

• Meaning: Work done for pleasure rather than reward
• Example: Writing her memoirs was a labor of love.

Left-handed compliment

• Meaning: A compliment that is actually an insult
• Example: Saying she’s smart for her age is a left-handed compliment.

Like a fish out of water

• Meaning: Uncomfortable or out of place in a situation
• Example: He felt like a fish out of water at the fancy gala.

Larger than life

• Meaning: More exciting or interesting than ordinary people
• Example: The movie star seemed larger than life.

Let the good times roll

• Meaning: Enjoy life and have fun
• Example: We’re on vacation, so let the good times roll!

Love is blind

• Meaning: People in love do not see the faults of the person they love
• Example: She doesn’t notice his flaws because love is blind.

Live high on the hog

• Meaning: Live luxuriously
• Example: They’ve been living high on the hog since winning the lottery.

Lost in the shuffle

• Meaning: Overlooked or forgotten in a busy or confusing situation
• Example: His application was lost in the shuffle during the hiring process.

Lay it on the line

• Meaning: Speak honestly and directly
• Example: I’m going to lay it on the line and tell you the truth.

Look out for number one

• Meaning: Take care of yourself first
• Example: Sometimes you need to look out for number one to stay healthy.

Land on your feet

• Meaning: Succeed or cope well despite difficulties
• Example: She always seems to land on her feet no matter what happens.

Look down your nose at

• Meaning: Consider someone or something inferior
• Example: He tends to look down his nose at anyone who disagrees with him.

Let off steam

• Meaning: Release pent-up emotions or energy
• Example: He went for a run to let off steam after the argument.

Lean and mean

• Meaning: Efficient and effective, often with minimal resources
• Example: The company is lean and mean after the recent restructuring.

Lock horns with

• Meaning: Engage in conflict or argument
• Example: He locked horns with his boss over the new policy.

Long face

• Meaning: A sad or disappointed expression
• Example: She had a long face after hearing the bad news.

Like it or lump it

• Meaning: Accept a situation as it is, whether you like it or not
• Example: This is the new schedule, so you’ll have to like it or lump it.

Let your hair down

• Meaning: Relax and enjoy yourself
• Example: It’s time to let your hair down and have some fun!

Live beyond your means

• Meaning: Spend more money than you can afford
• Example: They are living beyond their means and accruing debt.

Load off your mind

• Meaning: A relief from worry
• Example: Finding out he was safe was a load off my mind.

Look the other way

• Meaning: Ignore something bad or unpleasant
• Example: The manager looked the other way when employees took long breaks.

Lick your wounds

• Meaning: Take time to recover from a defeat or setback
• Example: After the loss, the team needed to lick their wounds and regroup.

Live from hand to mouth

• Meaning: Live with just enough money for basic needs
• Example: They were living from hand to mouth after the layoff.

Lump in your throat

• Meaning: A feeling of tightness caused by strong emotions
• Example: He felt a lump in his throat during the emotional speech.

Left in the dark

• Meaning: Kept uninformed or unaware
• Example: We were left in the dark about the new project details.

Love-hate relationship

• Meaning: A relationship with mixed positive and negative feelings
• Example: They have a love-hate relationship with their old hometown.

Leave well enough alone

• Meaning: Avoid changing something that is satisfactory
• Example: We should leave well enough alone and not risk making things worse.

Line in the sand

• Meaning: A point beyond which one will not go
• Example: The deadline is a line in the sand; no extensions will be granted.

Lose your head

• Meaning: Become irrational or overly emotional
• Example: He lost his head and started yelling during the argument.

Like clockwork

• Meaning: Very regularly or precisely
• Example: The trains run like clockwork in this city.

Look what the cat dragged in

• Meaning: Said when someone arrives who is unwelcome or unexpected
• Example: Well, look what the cat dragged in – it’s my long-lost cousin!

Like father, like son

• Meaning: Sons tend to resemble their fathers in behavior or appearance
• Example: He’s a great musician, just like his dad. Like father, like son.

Like a house on fire

• Meaning: Very well; quickly and with great energy
• Example: They got along like a house on fire from the moment they met.

Let fly

• Meaning: Attack or criticize strongly
• Example: She let fly with a barrage of complaints about the service.

Little by little

• Meaning: Gradually
• Example: Little by little, he improved his skills.

Laugh up your sleeve

• Meaning: Laugh secretly or quietly
• Example: He was laughing up his sleeve at their attempts to fix the problem.

Left, right, and center

• Meaning: Everywhere; from all directions
• Example: They were receiving offers left, right, and center.

Light on your feet

• Meaning: Agile and quick in movement
• Example: The dancer was light on her feet and moved gracefully across the stage.

Luck of the Irish

• Meaning: Good fortune
• Example: He won the contest by the luck of the Irish.

Like a bat out of hell

• Meaning: Very fast
• Example: He drove off like a bat out of hell after the argument.

Lead someone up the garden path

• Meaning: Deceive someone
• Example: He was led up the garden path by the false promises.

Love at first sight

• Meaning: An immediate attraction to someone or something
• Example: It was love at first sight when they met at the party.

Let loose

• Meaning: Behave in a relaxed or uninhibited manner
• Example: It’s the weekend – time to let loose and have fun!

Let it all hang out

• Meaning: Behave freely without restraint
• Example: At the party, everyone let it all hang out and enjoyed themselves.

Leap of faith

• Meaning: A risk taken in faith that it will work out
• Example: Quitting her job to start a business was a leap of faith.

Last but not least

• Meaning: Important despite being mentioned last
• Example: Last but not least, I’d like to thank my family for their support.

Left to your own devices

• Meaning: To be left alone to do as one wishes
• Example: When left to his own devices, he spent hours reading.

Light bulb moment

• Meaning: A moment of sudden realization or inspiration
• Example: She had a light bulb moment and figured out the solution.

Lay eyes on

• Meaning: To see for the first time
• Example: I knew he was the one the moment I laid eyes on him.

Look like a million bucks

• Meaning: Look very good
• Example: You look like a million bucks in that dress!

Look up to

• Meaning: Admire or respect
• Example: Many young athletes look up to professional sports stars.

Leave no man behind

• Meaning: Ensure everyone is accounted for and safe
• Example: The soldiers vowed to leave no man behind on their mission.

Lame duck

• Meaning: An ineffectual person or thing
• Example: The president was seen as a lame duck after losing the election.

Like a moth to a flame

• Meaning: Attracted to something irresistibly
• Example: She was drawn to the bright lights of the city like a moth to a flame.

Lay an egg

• Meaning: Fail badly
• Example: The comedian laid an egg with his poor performance.

Let the grass grow under your feet

• Meaning: Be idle or delay in taking action
• Example: Don’t let the grass grow under your feet; start working on the project now.

Live and breathe

• Meaning: Be deeply involved in or passionate about something
• Example: He lives and breathes music.

Like pulling teeth

• Meaning: Very difficult or unpleasant to do
• Example: Getting him to clean his room is like pulling teeth.

Lay of the land

• Meaning: The current situation or conditions
• Example: Before making any decisions, we need to understand the lay of the land.

Line your pockets

• Meaning: Make money, often dishonestly
• Example: The corrupt officials were lining their pockets with public funds.

Like taking candy from a baby

• Meaning: Very easy to do
• Example: Convincing him was like taking candy from a baby.

Live in the moment

• Meaning: Focus on the present rather than the past or future
• Example: She tries to live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow.

Last word

• Meaning: The final or definitive statement
• Example: She always has to have the last word in every argument.

Let it ride

• Meaning: Allow something to continue without interference
• Example: They decided to let it ride and see what happens.

Laugh all the way to the bank

• Meaning: Make a lot of money easily
• Example: With her successful new product, she’s laughing all the way to the bank.

Love to pieces

• Meaning: Love very much
• Example: She loves her children to pieces.

Lose track of time

• Meaning: Forget about the time due to being very involved in an activity
• Example: He lost track of time while playing video games.

Like a chicken with its head cut off

• Meaning: In a frenzied or disorganized manner
• Example: She was running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get ready.

Look alive

• Meaning: Pay attention and be ready
• Example: Look alive, team! The coach is watching us.

Lay down your arms

• Meaning: Surrender or cease fighting
• Example: The rebels agreed to lay down their arms and negotiate.

Let there be light

• Meaning: Allow enlightenment or understanding
• Example: Once the new policy was explained, it was like, “Let there be light.”

Left field

• Meaning: Unusual or unexpected
• Example: His suggestion came out of left field.

Laugh it off

• – Meaning: Dismiss something as not serious
• – Example: He just laughed it off when they teased him.

Last laugh

• – Meaning: Ultimate success after initial failure or ridicule
• – Example: She had the last laugh when her business became a success.

Larger than life

• – Meaning: Exaggerated or appearing more important than reality
• – Example: His stories always seem larger than life.

Last but not least

• – Meaning: Important despite being mentioned last
• – Example: Last but not least, let’s thank our wonderful volunteers.

Laughter is the best medicine

• – Meaning: Laughing is a good way to feel better
• – Example: They say laughter is the best medicine, so let’s watch a comedy.

Learn the ropes

• – Meaning: Understand how to do something
• – Example: It took him a while to learn the ropes, but now he’s a pro.

Leave someone in the lurch

• – Meaning: Abandon someone in trouble
• – Example: She left me in the lurch just when I needed her most.

Lend an ear

• – Meaning: Listen carefully and sympathetically
• – Example: She always lends an ear to her friends’ problems.

Let bygones be bygones

• – Meaning: Forget past disagreements
• – Example: Let’s let bygones be bygones and move forward.

Let off steam

• – Meaning: Release pent-up energy or emotions
• – Example: He goes for a run to let off steam after a stressful day.

Let one’s hair down

• – Meaning: Relax and enjoy yourself
• – Example: It’s time to let your hair down and have some fun.

Let sleeping dogs lie

• – Meaning: Avoid interfering in a situation
• – Example: It’s best to let sleeping dogs lie and not stir up trouble.

Let the cat out of the bag

• – Meaning: Reveal a secret
• – Example: She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

Let the genie out of the bottle

• – Meaning: Release a powerful force that cannot be controlled
• – Example: Once you let the genie out of the bottle, there’s no going back.

Letter of the law

• – Meaning: Exactly as the law states
• – Example: He followed the letter of the law to avoid any penalties.

Lick one’s wounds

• – Meaning: Take time to recover from defeat
• – Example: After losing the match, he took some time to lick his wounds.

Life is a bowl of cherries

• – Meaning: Life is good and pleasant
• – Example: Since retiring, life has been a bowl of cherries for them.

Light a fire under someone

• – Meaning: Motivate someone to take action
• – Example: She needed to light a fire under him to get the project started.

Light at the end of the tunnel

• – Meaning: A sign of improvement after a difficult period
• – Example: After months of hard work, there’s finally a light at the end of the tunnel.

Like a kid in a candy store

• – Meaning: Very excited and happy about something
• – Example: He was like a kid in a candy store when he saw the new video games.

Like a moth to a flame

• – Meaning: Attracted to something irresistibly
• – Example: She was drawn to the city lights like a moth to a flame.

Like father, like son

• – Meaning: Sons often resemble their fathers in behavior
• – Example: He’s a great musician, just like his dad. Like father, like son.

Like shooting fish in a barrel

• – Meaning: Very easy to do
• – Example: The test was so easy; it was like shooting fish in a barrel.

Like taking candy from a baby

• – Meaning: Very easy to do
• – Example: Convincing him was like taking candy from a baby.

Like two peas in a pod

• – Meaning: Very similar or close
• – Example: Those two friends are like two peas in a pod.

Like the cat that got the cream

• – Meaning: Very pleased with oneself
• – Example: He looked like the cat that got the cream after winning the award.

Lion’s den

• – Meaning: A place where one faces difficulty or danger
• – Example: He entered the lion’s den when he faced his critics.

Lion’s share

• – Meaning: The largest part
• – Example: She got the lion’s share of the inheritance.

Live large

• – Meaning: Live in an extravagant or luxurious manner
• – Example: They’ve been living large since they won the lottery.

Living in cloud cuckoo land

• – Meaning: Being unrealistic or overly optimistic
• – Example: He’s living in cloud cuckoo land if he thinks he’ll get that job.

Living on borrowed time

• – Meaning: Existing when something could have ended
• – Example: After the accident, he felt like he was living on borrowed time.

Living under a rock

• – Meaning: Being unaware of what is happening in the world
• – Example: If you don’t know about this, you must be living under a rock.

Loaded for bear

• – Meaning: Fully prepared for a challenging situation
• – Example: He came to the meeting loaded for bear, ready to defend his proposal.

Loan shark

• – Meaning: Someone who lends money at extremely high interest rates
• – Example: Borrowing money from a loan shark can lead to serious trouble.

Lock horns

• – Meaning: Engage in a conflict or argument
• – Example: They often lock horns over political issues.

Long shot

• – Meaning: An attempt with little chance of success
• – Example: Winning the lottery is a long shot, but it’s worth a try.

Look the other way

• – Meaning: Ignore something bad or unpleasant
• – Example: The manager looked the other way when employees took long breaks.

Look what the cat dragged in

• – Meaning: Said when someone arrives who is unwelcome or unexpected
• – Example: Well, look what the cat dragged in – it’s my long-lost cousin!

Loose cannon

• – Meaning: An unpredictable or uncontrolled person
• – Example: He’s a loose cannon, so you never know what he’ll do next.

Lose it

• – Meaning: Lose control or become very angry
• – Example: He lost it when he found out about the betrayal.

Lose one’s touch

• – Meaning: Lose a skill or ability that one once had
• – Example: He used to be a great chef, but he’s lost his touch.

Lose touch

• – Meaning: Fail to keep in contact with someone
• – Example: Over the years, they lost touch with each other.

Lose the thread

• – Meaning: Lose track of what one is saying or doing
• – Example: He lost the thread of his argument halfway through.

Love at first sight

• – Meaning: An immediate attraction to someone or something
• – Example: It was love at first sight when they met at the party.

Love rat

• – Meaning: Someone who is unfaithful in a relationship
• – Example: She found out he was a love rat when she saw him with another woman.

Love someone with all of one’s heart and soul

• – Meaning: Love someone very deeply
• – Example: She loves her children with all her heart and soul.

Lower the boom

• – Meaning: Punish someone severely
• – Example: The principal lowered the boom on students caught cheating.

Low-hanging fruit

• – Meaning: The easiest targets or goals
• – Example: Start with the low-hanging fruit to achieve quick wins.

List of Idioms Beginning With L

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