Idioms for IELTS Vocabulary

Idioms for IELTS Vocabulary

Idioms are an important part of the English language, especially when you’re preparing for the IELTS exam. Using idioms in the right context can improve your performance in the Speaking and Writing sections, while also helping you understand informal expressions that may appear in Listening and Reading sections.

Here’s a comprehensive list of 200+ idioms to boost your IELTS vocabulary. Practice these idioms regularly to make them a natural part of your communication skills.

Idioms for IELTS Speaking

These idioms are commonly used in everyday conversations. They can help you sound more natural and fluent when speaking in the IELTS Speaking section.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A piece of cake	Something very easy	The IELTS Speaking test was a piece of cake.
Break the ice	To initiate conversation in a social setting	I told a joke to break the ice at the party.
Hit the sack	Go to bed	I’m so tired; I think I’ll hit the sack early tonight.
A blessing in disguise	Something good that isn’t recognized at first	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.
Burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night	She’s been burning the midnight oil to finish her project.
A dime a dozen	Something common and of no particular value	Reality shows are a dime a dozen nowadays.
Once in a blue moon	Rarely	We go out to eat once in a blue moon.
Under the weather	To feel unwell	I couldn’t attend the meeting because I was feeling under the weather.
Barking up the wrong tree	To make a wrong assumption	If you think I’m the one who broke it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Bite the bullet	To do something unpleasant or difficult	He had to bite the bullet and face his fears.
Hit the nail on the head	To say exactly the right thing	You hit the nail on the head with your suggestion.
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret	She accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
The ball is in your court	It’s your responsibility to take action	I’ve done my part, now the ball is in your court.
Costs an arm and a leg	Very expensive	The new phone costs an arm and a leg.
Cross that bridge when you come to it	Deal with a problem when it arises	Let’s not worry about the problem now; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Call it a day	To stop working for the day	After a long meeting, we decided to call it a day.
Give someone the cold shoulder	To ignore someone	He gave me the cold shoulder at the party yesterday.
Keep your chin up	Stay positive	Even though you lost, keep your chin up!
On the ball	To be alert and prepared	He’s really on the ball and knows what’s going on.
Out of the blue	Unexpectedly	She showed up out of the blue after not speaking to me for years.
Pull someone’s leg	To joke or tease someone	Don’t worry, I’m just pulling your leg.
A slap on the wrist	A mild punishment	He only got a slap on the wrist for breaking the rules.
The last straw	The final problem in a series of problems	His rude remark was the last straw; I’ve had enough!
Spill the beans	To reveal a secret	She spilled the beans about the surprise party.
Sit on the fence	To be undecided	He’s sitting on the fence about whether to accept the job offer.
Jump the gun	To do something prematurely	Don’t jump the gun and start the project before planning properly.
Cut to the chase	To get to the point	Let’s cut to the chase and talk about what’s really important.
Bend over backwards	To make a great effort	She bent over backwards to help her friend move.
Burn bridges	To destroy relationships	Leaving the company without notice might burn bridges with your manager.
Go the extra mile	To make a special effort	He went the extra mile to ensure the success of the event.
In the same boat	In the same situation	We’re all in the same boat when it comes to preparing for exams.
By the skin of your teeth	Narrowly or barely	He passed the driving test by the skin of his teeth.
The elephant in the room	An obvious problem everyone is ignoring	We need to discuss the elephant in the room, which is our financial issues.
Once in a lifetime	Very rare opportunity	Traveling to Japan was a once in a lifetime experience for me.
Cry over spilled milk	To waste time worrying about something that’s already happened	There’s no use crying over spilled milk.
Be in hot water	To be in trouble	He’s in hot water after missing the project deadline.
A penny for your thoughts	Asking someone what they are thinking	You’ve been quiet for a while. A penny for your thoughts?
Get cold feet	To become nervous or afraid to do something	He got cold feet before his wedding.
Be on cloud nine	To be extremely happy	She’s been on cloud nine since she got the job offer.
Go down in flames	To fail spectacularly	His business went down in flames after just one year.
A drop in the ocean	A small part of something much bigger	The money he donated was just a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed.
Hit the road	To leave or start a journey	It’s time to hit the road and start our vacation.
Blow off steam	To release anger or stress	I go for a run to blow off steam after a stressful day.
Kill two birds with one stone	To achieve two things with one action	By studying on the train, I can kill two birds with one stone.
On thin ice	In a risky or precarious situation	He’s on thin ice with his boss after coming late to work again.
The icing on the cake	Something that makes a good situation even better	Getting a promotion was the icing on the cake after a successful year.
Take with a grain of salt	To not take something too seriously	You should take his advice with a grain of salt.
A fish out of water	To feel uncomfortable in a situation	He felt like a fish out of water at the formal dinner.
Back to square one	To start over from the beginning	The project failed, so we’re back to square one.
Steal someone’s thunder	To take attention away from someone else’s achievement	She stole my thunder by announcing her promotion at my party.
Walk on eggshells	To be very careful in dealing with someone	He has been walking on eggshells around his boss lately.

Idioms for IELTS Writing

For IELTS Writing, you need to express ideas more formally and clearly. These idioms are helpful for discussing complex topics or giving a structured argument.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A blessing in disguise	Something good that isn’t recognized initially	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise as it led me to a better career.
Actions speak louder than words	What people do is more important than what they say	Actions speak louder than words, so the government must implement policies to support their promises.
Add fuel to the fire	To worsen an already bad situation	Ignoring climate change will only add fuel to the fire.
At the drop of a hat	Immediately, without hesitation	In today’s fast-paced world, people often move jobs at the drop of a hat.
Back to the drawing board	To start over from the beginning	The plan didn’t work out, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Barking up the wrong tree	To make a wrong assumption	Blaming teachers for low exam results is barking up the wrong tree.
Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about the main issue	The government needs to stop beating around the bush and address unemployment directly.
Behind the times	Out of date	Some educational methods are behind the times and need to be modernized.
Bite the bullet	To do something difficult or unpleasant	It’s time for the government to bite the bullet and tackle the housing crisis.
Burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night	Students often burn the midnight oil before exams to improve their scores.
By and large	Generally, for the most part	By and large, technology has improved our quality of life.
Call it a day	To stop doing something for the day	After analyzing the data, the research team decided to call it a day.
Cut corners	To do something in a cheap or easy way	Cutting corners in construction leads to unsafe buildings.
Face the music	To confront the consequences	The company must face the music after their environmental violations were revealed.
Far cry from	Very different from	The current education system is a far cry from what is needed in the digital age.
Few and far between	Scarce, rare	Job opportunities in rural areas are few and far between.
Food for thought	Something to think seriously about	The increasing pollution levels provide food for thought for policy makers.
Get the ball rolling	To start something	It’s time for international organizations to get the ball rolling on climate change action.
Go hand in hand	To be closely related	Economic development and environmental protection must go hand in hand.
Go the extra mile	To make a special effort	Teachers often go the extra mile to ensure their students succeed.
Hit the nail on the head	To describe a situation accurately	The essay hit the nail on the head when discussing the causes of inequality.
In the long run	Over a long period of time	In the long run, investing in renewable energy will save money.
In the same boat	In the same difficult situation	Developing countries are in the same boat when it comes to climate change.
Jump on the bandwagon	To follow a trend	Many companies are jumping on the bandwagon of sustainability to improve their image.
Keep an eye on	To monitor closely	Governments need to keep an eye on inflation to avoid economic instability.
Learn the ropes	To learn how to do something properly	New employees need time to learn the ropes before they can contribute effectively.
Make ends meet	To earn just enough to survive	Many people are struggling to make ends meet due to rising living costs.
Miss the boat	To miss an opportunity	The government missed the boat by not investing in renewable energy earlier.
On the same page	To be in agreement	Governments need to be on the same page to tackle global issues like climate change.
On the fence	To be undecided	Many voters are still on the fence about which candidate to support.
Out of the blue	Unexpectedly	The decision to cut funding came out of the blue, surprising many organizations.
Out of the question	Impossible or not allowed	Reducing greenhouse gas emissions without international cooperation is out of the question.
Play devil’s advocate	To argue the opposite side for the sake of argument	To play devil’s advocate, one might argue that economic growth should take priority over environmental concerns.
Put the cart before the horse	To do things in the wrong order	Building more roads without improving public transport is putting the cart before the horse.
Read between the lines	To understand the hidden meaning	It’s important to read between the lines when interpreting political statements.
Run-of-the-mill	Ordinary, not special	The proposal was run-of-the-mill and failed to impress the committee.
See eye to eye	To agree fully	The two countries finally saw eye to eye on trade policies.
Set the record straight	To correct a misunderstanding	The company issued a statement to set the record straight about its environmental impact.
Shoot for the stars	To aim for something extremely ambitious	Countries need to shoot for the stars in terms of reducing carbon emissions.
Sit on the fence	To be undecided	The government is sitting on the fence regarding new labor laws.
Sleep on it	To take time to think about something	I’ll sleep on it and make a decision in the morning.
Steer clear of	To avoid something	Investors should steer clear of industries with high environmental risks.
Take the bull by the horns	To confront a problem head-on	The government needs to take the bull by the horns and address the housing shortage.
The ball is in your court	It’s your responsibility to act next	Now that you have all the information, the ball is in your court.
The tip of the iceberg	A small part of a larger problem	The recent data breach is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to cybersecurity issues.
Throw in the towel	To give up	The company threw in the towel after failing to meet its financial targets.
Time flies	Time passes quickly	Time flies when preparing for the IELTS exam, so start early.
Turn a blind eye	To ignore something intentionally	Governments often turn a blind eye to environmental violations by large corporations.
Under the weather	To feel unwell	Many employees took the day off because they were feeling under the weather.
Up in the air	Uncertain	The outcome of the election is still up in the air.
Water under the bridge	Something that is in the past and no longer important	The disagreement is water under the bridge now.
Work against the clock	To be in a hurry to meet a deadline	We are working against the clock to finish the project on time.
Your guess is as good as mine	To have no idea	As to when the pandemic will end, your guess is as good as mine.

Idioms for IELTS Listening

In IELTS Listening, it is common to hear idioms that are part of everyday language. Being familiar with these will help you understand spoken English more effectively.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A piece of cake	Something very easy	The test was a piece of cake; I finished it in no time.
Break the ice	To initiate conversation in a social setting	To break the ice, she started talking about the weather.
Hit the nail on the head	To describe something accurately	You’ve hit the nail on the head by identifying the problem.
On cloud nine	Extremely happy	She was on cloud nine after winning the competition.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	I see him only once in a blue moon.
A blessing in disguise	Something good that seems bad at first	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise as it led to better opportunities.
Under the weather	Feeling sick	I didn’t go to work today because I was feeling under the weather.
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret unintentionally	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Call it a day	To stop working for the day	Let’s call it a day and continue tomorrow.
All ears	Eager to listen	I’m all ears; tell me what happened!
Back to square one	To start something over again	After the plan failed, we were back to square one.
Bend over backwards	To go out of your way to help someone	She bent over backwards to make sure the guests felt comfortable.
Bite off more than you can chew	To take on more responsibility than you can manage	He bit off more than he could chew when he agreed to complete the project alone.
Break the bank	To cost a lot of money	Buying that car would break the bank, so I’ll pass.
Burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night	He’s been burning the midnight oil to finish the project.
By the skin of your teeth	Barely making it	He passed the exam by the skin of his teeth.
Come rain or shine	No matter what happens	I’ll be there, come rain or shine.
Cost an arm and a leg	To be very expensive	The new smartphone costs an arm and a leg.
Cry over spilt milk	To complain about something that cannot be undone	There’s no use crying over spilt milk; just move on.
Cut corners	To do something cheaply or hastily	Don’t cut corners when preparing for the exam.
Drive someone up the wall	To annoy someone	His constant humming drives me up the wall.
Face the music	To confront the consequences of one’s actions	He had to face the music after his mistake was revealed.
Go the extra mile	To do more than what is required	She always goes the extra mile to help her students succeed.
Hit the books	To study hard	It’s time to hit the books if you want to pass your exams.
In the nick of time	Just in time	We arrived in the nick of time for the movie.
Jump on the bandwagon	To follow a popular trend	He jumped on the bandwagon and started investing in cryptocurrencies.
Keep an eye on	To watch or monitor something closely	Can you keep an eye on my bag while I’m away?
Let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid stirring up trouble	Let’s not bring up the argument again; let sleeping dogs lie.
On the ball	To be alert and quick to respond	You need to be on the ball during the presentation.
Out of the blue	Something unexpected	The news came out of the blue, surprising everyone.
Pull someone’s leg	To joke with someone	Don’t take him seriously; he’s just pulling your leg.
Rain on someone’s parade	To spoil someone’s plans	She didn’t want to rain on his parade, but the party was canceled.
See eye to eye	To agree with someone	They rarely see eye to eye on important decisions.
Take it with a grain of salt	To not take something too seriously	Take his advice with a grain of salt; he tends to exaggerate.
The ball is in your court	It’s your responsibility to act next	I’ve done my part; now the ball is in your court.
Through thick and thin	To support someone in all situations	She has stood by him through thick and thin.
Turn a blind eye	To ignore something intentionally	The manager turned a blind eye to the employee’s mistakes.
Up in the air	Uncertain	Our vacation plans are still up in the air.
Water under the bridge	Something in the past that is no longer important	The argument is water under the bridge now.
When pigs fly	Something that will never happen	He’ll apologize when pigs fly!
Wild goose chase	A futile search	They sent us on a wild goose chase looking for a nonexistent address.
Bark up the wrong tree	To make a wrong assumption	If you think I’m to blame, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Burn bridges	To destroy relationships through actions	Be careful not to burn bridges when leaving your job.
Caught between a rock and a hard place	To be faced with two difficult choices	She was caught between a rock and a hard place when choosing between two job offers.
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Don’t assume something will happen before it does	Don’t count your chickens before they hatch; wait for the final results.
Every cloud has a silver lining	There is something good in every bad situation	Though the project failed, every cloud has a silver lining, and we learned valuable lessons.
Fish out of water	To feel out of place	He felt like a fish out of water during his first day at the new office.
Get out of hand	To become uncontrollable	The situation got out of hand after the protest turned violent.
In hot water	To be in trouble	He found himself in hot water after missing the deadline.
It takes two to tango	Both parties involved in a situation are responsible	The argument got worse because it takes two to tango.
Let the chips fall where they may	To let things happen as they will	I’ve made my decision, and now I’ll let the chips fall where they may.
Make a long story short	To summarize	To make a long story short, they decided to cancel the project.

Idioms for IELTS Reading

In IELTS Reading, idioms may appear in different passages, especially those dealing with social and cultural topics. Understanding these will help you interpret the meaning more accurately.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
A blessing in disguise	Something good that seems bad at first	Losing that job was a blessing in disguise; it led to a better opportunity.
A drop in the ocean	A very small part of something much bigger	His efforts were just a drop in the ocean compared to what was needed.
A far cry from	Very different from	This new car is a far cry from the old one I used to drive.
Actions speak louder than words	What someone does is more important than what they say	He keeps promising to help, but actions speak louder than words.
Add fuel to the fire	To make a bad situation worse	His comments only added fuel to the fire during the argument.
All in the same boat	In the same difficult situation	We’re all in the same boat, so let’s work together.
At the drop of a hat	Without any hesitation; immediately	She’s always ready to help at the drop of a hat.
Back to the drawing board	To start something again from the beginning	The plan didn’t work, so it’s back to the drawing board.
Barking up the wrong tree	To make a wrong assumption	If you think I’m to blame, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about what’s important	Stop beating around the bush and tell me what’s wrong.
Better late than never	It’s better to do something late than not at all	He finally apologized, better late than never.
Bite the bullet	To face a difficult situation bravely	You’ll just have to bite the bullet and finish the job.
Break the ice	To initiate conversation in a social setting	She told a joke to break the ice at the meeting.
Burn the midnight oil	To work late into the night	He’s been burning the midnight oil preparing for his exams.
Caught between a rock and a hard place	To be faced with two difficult choices	She was caught between a rock and a hard place when deciding between two jobs.
Cross that bridge when you come to it	Deal with a problem if and when it happens	Don’t worry about the presentation now; we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Cry over spilt milk	To complain about something that can’t be undone	There’s no use crying over spilt milk; it’s time to move on.
Curiosity killed the cat	Being too curious can lead to trouble	She found out too much, and as they say, curiosity killed the cat.
Cut to the chase	To get to the point without wasting time	Let’s cut to the chase—what’s the real issue here?
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch	Don’t assume success before it happens	She’s already planning her victory speech, but she shouldn’t count her chickens before they hatch.
Don’t judge a book by its cover	Don’t form an opinion based on appearance	He looks unfriendly, but don’t judge a book by its cover.
Every cloud has a silver lining	There is something good in every bad situation	After losing her job, she realized every cloud has a silver lining.
Far-fetched	Something that is hard to believe	His explanation sounded far-fetched to everyone in the room.
Go the extra mile	To do more than what is required	She always goes the extra mile for her clients.
Hit the nail on the head	To describe something exactly	You’ve hit the nail on the head with your analysis of the problem.
In the same boat	In the same difficult situation	We’re all in the same boat when it comes to meeting the deadline.
It’s a small world	Used when you encounter someone you know unexpectedly	I ran into an old friend in Paris; it’s a small world.
Jump on the bandwagon	To join others in doing something trendy	He jumped on the bandwagon and started investing in stocks.
Keep your chin up	To remain positive in a tough situation	Even though the situation is difficult, keep your chin up.
Kill two birds with one stone	To achieve two things with a single action	By taking this course, you can kill two birds with one stone—improve your skills and get a promotion.
Leave no stone unturned	To do everything possible to achieve something	We’ll leave no stone unturned in our search for the missing document.
Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret unintentionally	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	To exaggerate a minor issue	Don’t make a mountain out of a molehill; it’s just a small mistake.
Miss the boat	To miss an opportunity	He missed the boat when he didn’t apply for the job on time.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	I only see him once in a blue moon.
Out of the blue	Something unexpected	The news came out of the blue and shocked everyone.
Put all your eggs in one basket	To rely on one thing for success	Don’t put all your eggs in one basket—diversify your investments.
Read between the lines	To understand something that isn’t said directly	You need to read between the lines to understand the hidden message.
Run of the mill	Ordinary or average	The restaurant was just run of the mill, nothing special.
Save for a rainy day	To save money for a future need	It’s important to save for a rainy day in case of emergencies.
The ball is in your court	It’s your responsibility to take action next	I’ve done my part; now the ball is in your court.
The best of both worlds	A situation where you can enjoy the advantages of two things	She has the best of both worlds, working part-time and spending time with her family.
The tip of the iceberg	A small part of a larger problem	The recent complaints are just the tip of the iceberg.
There’s no place like home	Home is the best place to be	After traveling for months, I realized there’s no place like home.
Throw in the towel	To give up	He threw in the towel after realizing he couldn’t win the race.
Turn a blind eye	To ignore something on purpose	The manager turned a blind eye to the employee’s mistakes.
Under the weather	Feeling sick	I didn’t go to work because I was feeling under the weather.
When pigs fly	Something that will never happen	He’ll apologize when pigs fly!
Wild goose chase	A futile search	They sent us on a wild goose chase looking for a nonexistent address.
With flying colors	To succeed brilliantly	She passed the exam with flying colors.
Your guess is as good as mine	To say that you don’t know	I don’t know what’s going on; your guess is as good as mine.

These idioms can be a powerful tool for improving your IELTS score, particularly in the Speaking and Writing sections, where showcasing a range of vocabulary and natural expressions can lead to higher band scores. Incorporate these idioms into your daily practice, and you’ll notice a boost in both your fluency and comprehension.

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