All Idioms
Take the bull by the horns
To deal with a difficult situation directly and courageously.
Take with a grain of salt
To view something with skepticism.
The best of both worlds
A situation where one can enjoy two different opportunities.
The calm before the storm
A 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.
The early bird catches the worm
Success comes to those who prepare and act early.
The tip of the iceberg
A small visible part of a much larger hidden problem.
Think outside the box
To think creatively in an unconventional way.
Through the grapevine
Learned through informal conversation or rumor.
Through thick and thin
Under all circumstances, no matter how difficult.
Throw caution to the wind
To take a major risk without worrying about consequences.
Throw in the towel
To give up or admit defeat.
Throw under the bus
To sacrifice an ally for personal advantage or protection.
Tie the knot
To get married.
Time heals all wounds
Emotional pain decreases with time.
Time is money
Time is a valuable resource.
Too many cooks spoil the broth
Too many people involved in a task can ruin the result.
Touch base
To briefly contact someone to exchange news.
Touch wood / Knock on wood
Said to avoid bad luck after making a confident statement.
Turn back the hands of time
To return to the past.
Turn over a new leaf
To make a fresh start or improve one's behavior.
Two heads are better than one
Collaborative decision making is more effective than acting alone.
Under a cloud
Under suspicion or in trouble.
English Idioms: Meaning, Usage and Equivalents
English idioms are expressions whose meaning cannot always be understood from the individual words they contain. Their meaning often depends on context, usage, and the situation in which they appear. Learning an idiom therefore means learning not only what it means, but also how and when it is used.
Understanding English Idioms
Meaning depends on context
An idiom can have a clear meaning in one situation but sound unnatural or inappropriate in another. Context helps determine whether an expression is suitable, how formal or informal it is, and what exactly the speaker intends to convey.
For this reason, idioms are best learned together with examples rather than as isolated definitions.
Literal meaning vs. figurative meaning
The literal meaning of an idiom’s words is often different from its actual meaning. Spill the beans, for example, is not about spilling beans; it means to reveal a secret. Understanding this distinction is essential when learning idiomatic English.
English Idioms and Their Equivalents in Other Languages
Why idioms are rarely translated word for word
Idioms are closely connected to the way each language expresses ideas. A literal translation may preserve the individual words while losing the meaning or producing an expression that native speakers would never use.
A natural equivalent can use completely different imagery while expressing essentially the same idea. This is why translating an idiom often requires finding an expression with the same function and meaning rather than translating its words.
Equivalent does not always mean identical
Some idioms have close equivalents in another language: they may use similar imagery or have a comparable structure. Others share only the underlying meaning.
Akcento distinguishes between these cases rather than treating every equivalent as an exact match. The difference can be useful for understanding how languages express the same ideas in different ways.
How to Learn English Idioms Effectively
Idioms are easier to remember when learned in context. Pay attention to example sentences, the situations in which an expression is normally used, and whether it is formal, informal, humorous, old-fashioned, or specific to a particular context.
It is also useful to compare an English idiom with a natural equivalent in another language. The comparison can reveal both similarities and differences in the way languages express the same idea.
Explore the Idiom Collection
Browse the complete collection of English idioms by category or initial letter. Each entry includes the meaning, origin, example sentences, and natural equivalents in Russian, Spanish, and French.