English Idioms: A Piece of Cake

Have you ever been reading something in English and come across a phrase that just doesn't make sense? Or, maybe you are talking with someone in English, and he uses a very strange phrase, a phrase that seems to have nothing at all to do with what he is talking about? If you can answer "yes" to these questions, then you may have been the victim of an English idiom. 

Here are some examples: 

"A piece of cake"

"It's all in your head" 

"Asleep at the wheel"

"A taste of your own medicine"

"Butterflies in my stomach"

So, what is an idiom?  

"Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that cannot be translated literally. For example, the idiom "Get the ball rolling" means "get a process started", but that meaning is not obvious from the individual words. English language has many idioms, and they are challenging for esl students to learn. The best way to understand an idiom is to see it in context. Here is a small dictionary of 100 English idioms and phrases with their meaning." 

To read more about idioms and to take a test to see which idioms you might know, click here. 

To learn about some commonly used English idioms, click here. 

Click here or here to review even more idioms.

---