English Idioms: Meanings, Examples and Equivalents
Learn English idioms with meanings, examples, origins and multilingual equivalents.
Akcento is a growing collection of English idioms paired with their natural equivalents in Russian, Spanish and French — not word-for-word translations, but expressions real speakers would actually use. Every entry includes the meaning, origin story and example sentences in all four languages.
Popular Idioms
Over the moon
🇷🇺 Вне себя от радости · 🇪🇸 Más contento que unas castañuelas · 🇫🇷 Aux angesExtremely happy and delighted.
Red-handed
🇷🇺 С поличным · 🇪🇸 Con las manos en la masa · 🇫🇷 La main dans le sacIn the act of doing something wrong.
Cold shoulder
🇷🇺 Холодный приём · 🇪🇸 Hacer el vacío · 🇫🇷 Battre froid à quelqu'unAn intentional display of coldness or disregard.
Castles in the air
🇷🇺 Воздушные замки · 🇪🇸 Castillos en el aire · 🇫🇷 Châteaux en EspagneUnrealistic plans or hopes that are unlikely to happen.
Cry over spilled milk
🇷🇺 Что с возу упало, то пропало · 🇪🇸 Llorar sobre la leche derramada · 🇫🇷 Pleurer sur le lait renverséTo waste time worrying about something that cannot be undone.
Back to the drawing board
🇷🇺 Начать всё с чистого листа · 🇪🇸 Empezar de cero · 🇫🇷 Retourner à la planche à dessinTo start planning something again because the previous plan failed.
Browse by Category
Action & Decision
🇷🇺 Действия и решения · 🇪🇸 Acciones y decisiones · 🇫🇷 Actions et décisionsEnglish idioms and expressions about actions, decisions, choices, and taking action. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and equivalents…
Communication
🇷🇺 Общение · 🇪🇸 Comunicación · 🇫🇷 CommunicationCommon English communication idioms with meanings, examples, and translations. Explore expressions about speaking, conversation, and social interaction.
Daily Expressions
🇷🇺 Повседневные выражения · 🇪🇸 Expresiones cotidianas · 🇫🇷 Expressions du quotidienEnglish idioms and expressions used in everyday communication. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and equivalents in other languages.
Effort & Success
🇷🇺 Усилия и успех · 🇪🇸 Esfuerzo y éxito · 🇫🇷 Effort et réussiteEnglish idioms and expressions about effort, achievement, progress, and success. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and equivalents in…
General Phrases
🇷🇺 Общие выражения · 🇪🇸 Expresiones generales · 🇫🇷 Expressions généralesCommon English idioms and expressions that cover a wide range of everyday situations. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Luck & Chance
🇷🇺 Удача и случай · 🇪🇸 Suerte y azar · 🇫🇷 Chance et hasardEnglish idioms and expressions about luck, chance, fortune, and unexpected events. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and equivalents…
Mind & Emotions
🇷🇺 Разум и эмоции · 🇪🇸 Mente y emociones · 🇫🇷 Esprit et émotionsEnglish idioms and expressions about thoughts, attitudes, emotions, and states of mind. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and…
Money & Cost
🇷🇺 Деньги и расходы · 🇪🇸 Dinero y costes · 🇫🇷 Argent et coûtsEnglish idioms and expressions about money, prices, costs, wealth, and spending. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and equivalents…
Nature & World
🇷🇺 Природа и мир · 🇪🇸 Naturaleza y mundo · 🇫🇷 Nature et mondeEnglish idioms and expressions inspired by nature, the world, animals, and the environment. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Secrecy & Secrets
🇷🇺 Тайны и секреты · 🇪🇸 Secretos y confidencialidad · 🇫🇷 Secrets et confidentialitéEnglish idioms and expressions about secrets, secrecy, hidden information, and keeping things private. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Social Interactions
🇷🇺 Социальные взаимодействия · 🇪🇸 Interacciones sociales · 🇫🇷 Interactions socialesEnglish idioms and expressions about relationships, communication, social situations, and interactions with others. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Time & Action
🇷🇺 Время и действия · 🇪🇸 Tiempo y acción · 🇫🇷 Temps et actionEnglish idioms and expressions about time, timing, actions, and getting things done. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and…
Time & Change
🇷🇺 Время и перемены · 🇪🇸 Tiempo y cambio · 🇫🇷 Temps et changementEnglish idioms and expressions about time, change, transformation, and the passage of time. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Weather & Nature
🇷🇺 Погода и природа · 🇪🇸 Tiempo y naturaleza · 🇫🇷 Météo et natureEnglish idioms and expressions related to weather, nature, seasons, and natural phenomena. Explore their meanings, examples, translations, and…
Work & Business
🇷🇺 Работа и бизнес · 🇪🇸 Trabajo y negocios · 🇫🇷 Travail et affairesEnglish idioms and expressions about work, business, careers, professional relationships, and workplace situations. Explore their meanings, examples, translations,…
Latest Idioms
Go down a rabbit hole
🇷🇺 Уйти с головой в тему · 🇪🇸 Meterse en un berenjenal · 🇫🇷 Se perdre dans les méandres d’un sujetTo become deeply absorbed in a topic or activity, often following one intriguing detail after another and losing track of time. It can also mean entering a confusing or unexpectedly complicated situation.
Cut someone some slack
🇷🇺 Дать поблажку · 🇪🇸 Darle un respiro a alguien · 🇫🇷 Lâcher un peu de lestTo be less demanding or critical of someone, or allow them some leeway because of their circumstances. It suggests tolerance rather than full forgiveness of a serious wrongdoing.
Have an axe to grind
🇷🇺 Преследовать свои интересы · 🇪🇸 Arrimar el ascua a su sardina · 🇫🇷 Prêcher pour sa paroisseTo have a personal grievance, hidden agenda, or self-interested reason for taking a position. Often implies that the person’s apparent objectivity is compromised by an ulterior motive.
Keep your powder dry
🇷🇺 Держать порох сухим · 🇪🇸 Mantener la pólvora seca · 🇫🇷 Garder sa poudre sècheTo remain prepared and preserve your resources or options until the right moment to act. The phrase usually recommends patience, readiness, and restraint rather than immediate confrontation.
Go out on a limb
🇷🇺 Подставить себя под удар · 🇪🇸 Mojarse · 🇫🇷 Se mouillerTo take a personal risk by expressing an uncertain opinion, making a bold prediction, or publicly supporting someone when others may disagree. The phrase often suggests that the speaker could be proved wrong, criticized, or left without support. It is especially common in the formula “I’ll go out on a limb and say…” when introducing a tentative but confident guess.
Throw a spanner in the works
🇷🇺 Вставлять палки в колёса · 🇪🇸 Poner palos en las ruedas · 🇫🇷 Mettre des bâtons dans les rouesTo disrupt a plan or process by introducing an unexpected obstacle. The phrase is especially common in British English; American English often uses “throw a wrench in the works.”
Move the goalposts
🇷🇺 Менять правила игры на ходу · 🇪🇸 Cambiar las reglas del juego sobre la marcha · 🇫🇷 Changer les règles du jeu en cours de routeTo change the criteria, rules, or expectations after a process has begun, often making success harder or an agreement unfair. Usually used critically when the other party changes what counts as a satisfactory result.
Money burns a hole in one's pocket
🇷🇺 Деньги карман жгут · 🇪🇸 El dinero le quema en el bolsillo · 🇫🇷 L'argent lui brûle les doigtsA strong urge or inability to resist spending money as soon as one has it, rather than saving it. It’s often said about someone with a habit of impulsive spending, sometimes affectionately and sometimes as gentle criticism.
Keep it under your hat
🇷🇺 Держать в тайне · 🇪🇸 Guardárselo para uno mismo · 🇫🇷 Garder pour soiTo keep something confidential, telling no one else. It’s usually said as an informal request or instruction, often about information that isn’t officially secret but shouldn’t be spread around yet.
In the long run
🇷🇺 В долгосрочной перспективе · 🇪🇸 A la larga · 🇫🇷 À long termeOver an extended period of time, considering eventual or final results rather than immediate, short-term effects. It’s often used to argue that something worth doing may not pay off right away, but will prove beneficial once enough time has passed.
The calm before the storm
🇷🇺 Затишье перед бурей · 🇪🇸 La calma antes de la tempestad · 🇫🇷 Le calme avant la tempêteA period of unusual peace or quiet immediately preceding intense conflict, activity, or upheaval. The phrase carries a sense of foreboding: the calm isn’t reassuring, it’s a warning sign that something disruptive is about to break the silence.
Hit the spot
🇷🇺 То, что доктор прописал · 🇪🇸 Caer de maravilla · 🇫🇷 Tomber à picTo satisfy a strong need or desire.
Why Are English Idioms Important?
Idioms are an essential part of natural English. You will hear them in everyday conversations, movies, podcasts, books, news, and social media. Even when you know every word in a sentence, an idiom can still change its meaning completely.
Idioms Help You Understand Real English
Knowing individual words is not always enough to understand what someone means. Expressions like spill the beans or under the weather have meanings that cannot be guessed from the words alone. Learning common idioms helps you understand native speakers more easily and avoid confusion.
Idioms Make Your English More Natural
Idioms are also a way to make your own English sound more natural and expressive. Instead of always describing an idea literally, you can use the expressions that English speakers commonly use in real conversations and writing.
Idioms Reflect Culture and History
Many idioms come from everyday life, historical events, literature, occupations, traditions, and cultural habits. Understanding where an expression comes from can make its meaning easier to remember — and gives you a glimpse into the culture behind the language.
Learning Idioms Across Languages
An idiom becomes even more interesting when you discover how the same idea is expressed in another language. A literal translation may sound strange or unnatural, while another language may have its own expression with a similar meaning. Akcento helps you discover these natural equivalents and see how different languages express the same ideas in their own way.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Akcento?
Akcento is a multilingual idiom dictionary. Each entry shows an English idiom together with its natural equivalents in Russian, Spanish and French, along with meaning, origin and example sentences.
Why aren't the translations literal?
Idioms rarely translate word for word — “it’s raining cats and dogs” has nothing to do with animals in Russian or Spanish. Instead of literal translations, we match idioms across languages by meaning.
How can I find an idiom?
Use the search bar at the top of any page, or browse all idioms by category or by first letter on the All Idioms page.
Is Akcento free?
Yes, Akcento is free to browse.