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Idioms

Music Idioms

Average: 1.7 (175 votes)

The beat of a different drum

To be different from the rest; to do things in your own way.
"Everyone except Sarah went to the bar. She marches to the beat of a different drum."

Blow your own trumpet

When you blow your own trumpet you boast about your achievements or talents; you are not modest.
"I don't want to blow my own trumpet, but I got the highest score on the test."

Danny's 'Where are you going now?'

Average: 3.9 (8 votes)

Have you ever looked back at your life and found yourself wondering how you got to where you are today? Ever noticed how every single decision you've ever made has, directly or indirectly, brought you here?

Amazing, isn't it, when you think about it...

Cartoon - Cut it

Average: 3.2 (12 votes)

Cut It - Learn English Cartoon

We use scissors to cut paper. Cut can be used as a verb. Did you know that cut is used in a common English idiom? Read on...

Work Idioms

Average: 3.9 (19 votes)

Any plans for the summer? Will you be working or taking some time off? There's no time off for us hardworkers here at EC!

Anyway, here are some idioms which are related to work or holidays:

All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy

Proverb: It is not healthy for someone to work all the time and never play:

'Come to the beach with us today. Remember, all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.'

A busman's holiday

Doing something on holiday which is similar to your job:

School Talk - Learn Idioms

Average: 3.5 (8 votes)

What are the similarities and differences between your school system and the American one?  What kind of student are you?  Are you brainy (very smart) or a low achiever (a poor performer)?  Do you sometimes ditch your classes (not attend your classes)?  Or, are you the teacher's pet (the teacher's favorite student)? 

Take this quiz to see how good you are at recognizing some common American expressions for talking about school performance. 

Baseball Idioms for everyday English

Average: 3.4 (30 votes)

Baseball is considered America's favorite pastime, and as a result there are many idiomatic expressions which come from this great sport. If you are not familiar with baseball jargon, some very common idioms may be difficult to understand. Here are some of the most common expressions and idioms from the world of baseball:

Your Questions: The best of June

Average: 3.3 (20 votes)

Every month we ask our newsletter readers to send in their questions to Tim, our English teacher at EC Brighton, about the English language. Here are your questions:

 

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June's Star Question - Thanks to Thao from Vietnam:

Learn English Idioms

Average: 4.7 (10 votes)

Idioms. There are thousands of them! Pick up a newspaper or watch a TV show and you'll find them everywhere. Let's see how many of these idioms you are familiar with. Choose the correct word to complete each idiom. 

Link: Practice Idioms

Practice Idioms

Average: 3.7 (39 votes)

Well, last week you said that you did well on our idiom quiz, so here's another one. How many can you get right? Can you do better than last week. Have I come up with a test that's too difficult for you? Who wins: me or you? Let's find out! Go! Go! Go!

Learn Idioms

Average: 3.7 (18 votes)

Here's a quiz to test your knowledge of common English idioms.