Idioms are fun!
These are ten of the most commonly used American English idioms:
1) No Worries
Examples:
“No worries, we can do it tomorrow.”
“No worries, I didn’t need it after all.”
“No worries, I need to go to bed early anyways.”
A. “I’m sorry for picking you up later than we planned.” (apology)
B. “No worries. We still have time to get there.”
A. “Thanks for giving me a ride to work today.” (thank you)
B. “No worries. I was heading this direction anyways.”
2) Hang In There
Meaning: “Do not give up.”; “Be persistent.”; “Do not lose hope.”
Usage: The word “hang” is referring to holding to something. If you are holding on to a branch, then letting go indicates that you fall down and fail. So when you tell someone to “hang in there,” you are telling them to not let go and keep on fighting even though it is hard.
Examples:
“Hang in there. I am sure things will work out in the end.”
“I know things are tough right now, just hang in there.”
A. “Work is not going well right now. They are talking about laying people off soon.”
B. “Just try and hang in there and hopefully things get better.”
3) Sick and Tired
Meaning: You no longer enjoy something because you have done it too many times.
Usage: It is common to say, “I’m sick of it” or “I’m tired of it.” Both of these are negative terms. If you have to do something again, it will either make you feel sick or tired because you do not enjoy it.
Examples:
“I’m sick and tired of eating the same thing for lunch everyday.”
“I’m getting sick and tired of this song. They play it way too often at this club.”
“I’m sick and tired of listening to her nag all the time.”
A: “Where should we go for lunch today?”
B: “I don’t know… how about a burger?”
A: “No. I eat that almost everyday. I’m getting sick and tired of it.”
B: “Let’s go eat Chinese food then.”
4) You’ve got to be kidding
Meaning: “This is ridiculous.”
Usage: “Kidding” is the same as joking. When a person hears something that is true, but it is not expected, the person will use this idiom to express that the statement is ridiculous.
Examples:
A:“Hey Jared. Mom told me to tell you that you shouldn’t stay out too late.”
B: “You’ve got to be kidding me. I’m 30 years old.”
A: “Patrick won the school election by two votes.”
B: “He’s not that popular, how did this happen?”
A: “Nobody voted because they expected Jason to win.”
B: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
5) Bored to death
Meaning: Very bored
Usage: Death is the worst thing, so using it to compare how you feel is telling someone that you are very bored.
Examples:
“I have nothing to do. I’m bored to death.”
“I hate it when I’m bored to death.”
“Would you rather be super busy or bored to death?”
A: “Hey Seth, what are you doing?”
B: “I’m reading a book. What are you doing?”
A: “I’m bored to death. Let’s do something.”
B: “Sure. Come over and we can play some games.”
6) Grab a bite
Meaning: “Get something to eat.”
Usage: “A bite” refers to food. “Grab” means “get”. This idiom is simply saying to get something to eat.
Examples:
“When do you want to go grab a bite?”
“I don’t have much time, so let’s grab a quick bite.”
“If you didn’t have lunch yet, let’s grab a bite to eat.”
A: “Did you have lunch yet?”
B: “Not yet. I’m swamped with work.”
A: “You have to eventually eat so let’s just grab a bite somewhere close.”
7) Never mind
Meaning: “Forget about it”; “I don’t need an answer any longer.”
Usage: This idiom is most commonly used by itself.
A: “Never mind.”
“Never mind what you were going to do, we need to leave now!”
“Never mind what I said before, I was wrong.”
8) Whatever
Meaning: “I don’t believe this.” OR “It does not matter.”
Usage: This idiom is also commonly used by itself. For example, when someone says something outrageous, you can simply respond “Whatever!” It is also used to show indifference or lack of preference.
“You’re saying I can’t go out tonight with my friends? Whatever!”A. “What do you want to do tonight?”
B. “Whatever, I don’t know.” (“It does not matter.”)
9) Stay in touch
Meaning: “Stay connected.”
Usage: When you can touch someone, you are physically close to that person. “Stay in touch” is indicating that the person wants to keep communicating like friends do.
Examples:
“Call me more often man. We need to stay in touch.”
“I hope you stay in touch with me. I’ll give you my contact information.”
“Let’s stay in touch. I’ll email you whenever I can.”
A: “Since you are moving to England, I’m really going to miss you.”
B: “Yeah. I’m going to miss you a lot too.”
A: “You promise that you’ll stay in touch?”
B: “Of course.”
10) It’s a Deal
Meaning: Agreeing on a proposal
Usage: Commonly used by itself when agreeing to a proposal made by someone.
Examples:
“So if I take the kids to swim lessons, you will clean the house? It’s a deal!“
“It’s a deal. I will clean the garage if you stop bothering me about it.”
A. “If you do my yard work, I will buy you candy.”
B. “No thanks. I shouldn’t eat too much candy.”
A. “If you mow my grass, I will pay you ten dollars.”
B. “Sounds good. It’s a deal.”
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