101 American English Idioms
This ebook “101 American English Idioms” is a wonderful pdf for learners who wish to learn American English and sound the same as the American speakers of English. Like the US, the US English is dominating and outweighing other varieties of English. So, if you’re desirous for learning American English, then this pdf is just for you.
The pdf contains the essential American English idioms that are used in everyday conversations and real life situations by the speakers of the United States of America. Want to sound like Americans? then learn the idioms, phrases and proverbs mentioned in this pdf book.
What Are Idioms, Phrases and Proverbs?
- Idioms: they are a special type of phrase that has a figurative meaning and that is spoken and understood by a certain community of speakers. The idioms are a group of words. each of the word in an idiom individually means a different, however, when they’re put together in the group, they give a metaphoric meaning.
- Phrases: They are any type of group of words that can either a literal meaning as in “the prepositional phrase: under the tree” or a metaphoric meaning as in “the idiomatic phrase: once in a blue moon.” Phrases can be noun phrases, verb phrases, adjective phrases, prepositional phrases, etc.
- Proverbs: They are statements in nature which point to some certain body of wisdom and principle that is relevant and frequent within a specific community of language users. Proverbs can influence or criticize your actions by telling you what to do or what should be done.
How Many English Idioms are There?
It’s a bit tricky question to answer as the absolutely exact number of English idioms is not known to us. No one can tell you the exact number, because the English language is global with more than 1.4 billion speakers who speak English worldwide.
English has got many dialects and varients such as American, British, Australian or Indian English. Different races, different communities and different peoples add their idioms to the English language.
However, some studies have tried to give an estimation about the number of English idioms. According to The London School of English, the number of English idioms is twenty five thousand.
Table of Contents
Here is the table of contents of the book which showcases the list of topics that have been greatly discussed in it:
Section One:
It’s a Zoo Out There 6–16
Smell a Rat
Go to the Dogs
Fishy
Take the Bull by the Horns
Horse of a Different Color
Let the Cat Out of the Bag
For the Birds
Straight From the Horse’s Mouth
Horse Around
Cat Got Your Tongue?
Section Two:
The Body Has Many Uses 17–29
Get in Someone’s Hair
Shoot Off One’s Mouth
Jump Down Someone’s Throat
Pay Through the Nose
Tongue-In-Cheek
Pull Someone’s Leg
Play It by Ear
Stick Out One’s Neck
Shake a Leg
All Thumbs
Not Have a Leg to Stand On
Get Off Someone’s Back
Section Three:
That’s Not Nice 30–38
Drive Someone Up a Wall
String Someone Along
Sell Someone Down the River
Leave Someone High and Dry
Sell Someone Short
Snow Job
Spill the Beans
Feed Someone a Line
Section Four:
People Do the Strangest Things 39–53
On Ice
Shoot the Breeze
Bite the Dust
Bend Over Backwards
Hit the Hay
Cough Up
Jump the Gun
Scratch Someone’s Back
Hit the Ceiling
Fork Over
Turn Some One Off
Go Fly a Kite
Kick the Bucket
Raise a Stink
Section Five:
Clothes Make the Man (and Woman) 54–64
Wet Blanket
Keep Under One’s Hat
Up One’s Sleeve
Dressed to Kill
Give Someone the Slip
Knock Someone’s Socks Off
Talk Through One’s Hat
Lose One’s Shirt
In Stitches
Dressed to the Teeth
Section Six:
When Things Go Wrong 65–73
Lemon
Out of the Woods
Get Up on the Wrong Side of the Bed
Out on a Limb
Eating Someone
Get the Ax
In the Hole
Section Seven:
When Things Go Well 74–84
For a Song
Make a Splash
Have the World by the Tail
Sitting Pretty
Feel Like a Million Dollars
Kick Up One’s Heels
Bury the Hatchet
Paint the Town Red
Get Away Clean
Come Alive
Section Eight:
Do Your Best 85–97
Toot One’s Own Horn
Stick to One’s Guns
Get the Ball Rolling
Mind One’s P’s and Q’s
Hang On
Give It One’s Best Shot
Make Ends Meet
Get the Jump on Someone
Pull Strings
Spread Oneself Too Thin
Go to Bat for Someone
Duck Soup
Section Nine:
You Don’t Say 98 – 109
Money Talks
Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
Shape Up or Ship Out
If the Shoe Fits, Wear It
Different Strokes for Different Folks
Bark Worse Than One’s Bite
Eyes Are Bigger Than One’s Stomach
Put One’s Money Where One’s Mouth Is
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
People Who Live in Glass Houses Shouldn’t Throw Stones
All’s Well That Ends Well
Index to Idioms 110
Conclusion: 101 American English Idioms
In sum, the book contains all the essential idioms, phrases and proverbs that you most frequently encounter when listening to native speakers, reading books, articles or magazines and engaging in conversation with your speaking partners. The best part of the book is that it has covered all the classic idioms from classic literary works such “All’s well that ends well,” “The early bird catches the worm” and “If the shoe fits, wear it”
The pdf can certainly take you closer to the natural English as idioms, phrases and proverbs are the identity of a certain community and they speak them and understand them. So, if you want to sound like them, you need to use their tongue in your conversations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an idiom English?
An English idiom is a short phrase or group of words that is used by the speakers of English to express a figurative meaning which is not a dictionary meaning. For example, “a piece of cake” is an idiom which means “very easy.”
How many English idioms are there?
The London School of English states that there are twenty five thousand idioms in English. Remember that this number is merely an estimation, not the exact number of total idioms in English.
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