50 Most Popular Proverbs and Idioms

8/12/2019 50 Most Popular Proverbs and Idioms

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1. "Two wrongs don't make a right."-When someone has done something bad toyou, trying to get revenge will only make things worse.

2. "The pen is mightier than the sword."-Trying to convince people with ideasand words is more effective than trying to force people to do what you want.

3. "When in Rome, do as the Romans."-Act the way that the people around you

are acting. This phrase might come in handy when you're traveling abroad noticethat people do things differently than you're used to.4. "No man is an island."-You can't live completely independently. Everyone

needs help from other people.5. "Fortune favors the bold."-People who bravely go after what they want are

more successful than people who try to live safely.6. "Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst."-This seems pretty clear.7. "Better late than never."-This one's clear, too.8. "Birds of a feather flock together."-People like to spend time with others who

are similar to them.9. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer."-If you have an enemy,

pretend to be friends with them instead of openly fighting with them. That wayyou can watch them carefully and figure out what they're planning.10."A picture is worth a thousand words."-Pictures convey emotions and

messages better than written or spoken explanations. That's why PhraseMix hasillustrations :)

11."There's no such thing as a free lunch."-Things that are offered for freealways have a hidden cost.

12."There's no place like home."-Your own home is the most comfortable place tobe.

13."The early bird catches the worm."-You should wake up and start work early ifyou want to succeed.

14."You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs."-When you try to dosomething great, you'll probably make a few people annoyed or angry. Don'tworry about those people; just focus on the good results.

15."God helps those who help themselves."-Don't just wait for good things tohappen to you. Work hard to achieve your goals.

16."You can't always get what you want."-Don't whine and complain if you don'tget what you wanted.

17."Cleanliness is next to godliness."-Be clean.18."A watched pot never boils."If something takes time to finish, don't watch it too

closely because it will seem like it's taking forever.19."Beggars can't be choosers."-If you're asking for a favor from someone else,

you have to take whatever they give you.20."Actions speak louder than words."-Just saying that you'll do something

doesn't mean much. Actually doing it is harder and more meaningful.21."If it ain't broke, don't fix it."-Don't try to improve something that already works

fairly well. You'll probably end up causing new problems.22."Practice makes perfect."-You have to practice a skill a lot to become good at

it.

PROVERB


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23."Too many cooks spoil the broth."-When there are too many people trying tolead and give their opinions, it's confusing and leads to bad results. Jobs andprojects should have one or two strong leaders.

24."Easy come, easy go."-When you get money quickly, like by winning it, it's easyto spend it or lose it quickly as well.

25."Don't bite the hand that feeds you."-If someone's paying you or helping youout, you have to be careful not to make them angry or say bad things aboutthem.

26."All good things must come to an end."-You can't keep having good luck orfun forever; eventually it will stop.

27."If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."-When you try to change someone's behaviorand it doesn't work, you might have to change instead. For example, if you'retrying to get your classmates to focus on studying but they want to party, maybeyou should just party with them.

28."One man's trash is another man's treasure."Different people have differentideas about what's valuable.

29."There's no time like the present."-If you need to do something, don't wait untillater. Do it now.30."Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."Different people have different ideas

about what's beautiful.31."A penny saved is a penny earned."-Save your money.32."You can't judge a book by its cover."-Things sometimes look different than

they really are. A restaurant that looks old and small might have amazing food,for example.

33."Good things come to those who wait."-Be patient.34."Don't put all your eggs in one basket."-Have a backup plan. Don't risk all of

your money or time in one plan.35."Two heads are better than one."-When two people cooperate with each other,

they come up with better ideas.36."The grass is always greener on the other side of the hill."-People tend to

want whatever they don't have.37."Honesty is the best policy."-Don't lie.38."You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink."- If you try to

help someone, but they don't take your advice or offers, give up. You can't forcesomeone to accept your help.

39."Don't count your chickens before they hatch."-Your plans might not workout, so don't start thinking about what you'll do after you succeed. Wait untilyou've already succeeded, and then you can think about what to do next.

40."If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself."-Don't trustother people to do important things for you. You have to do things yourself tocontrol the quality of the results.


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1. HE WHO LAUGHS LAST LAUGHS LONGEST!= the person who plays the last joke(trick) has the longest laugh!

2. TO LEND A HAND= to help

3. IN HOT WATER = in trouble

4. PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS!= If you believe that what you aresaying is true/right, let's bet on it!

5. THAT TAKES THE CAKE!= That's unbelievable/incredible/ridiculous!

6. NOT PLAYING WITH A FULL DECK= crazy

7. TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE!= Two people who work together will havemore ideas than just one person!

8. TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT= to lose all of or most of your money

9. TO LOSE TOUCH= to fail to keep in contact/communication with someone

10. PAINT THE TOWN (RED)= Let's go out and enjoy the exciting entertainment of thecity!

11. A PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS!= A picture explains things better

than words can explain thingsONCE IN A BLUE MOON= Once in a while, occasionally

12. TO BET ON THE WRONG HORSE= To make an incorrect guess about the future

13. TO BE FULL OF HOT AIR!= When someone talks a lot about something he/shecan or will do but in reality, there is no truth in any of what he/she is saying - just hot air!

14. WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH, THE TOUGH GET GOING!= When there areproblems, strong people take action to solve the problems!

15. TO BLOW ONE'S OWN HORN= when a person boasts about how great he/she is ...!

16. BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER!= People who have something incommon feel comfortable together.

17. HIT THE BOOKS= to study, prepare for class

18. I CAN HAVE MY CAKE AND EAT IT TOO!= I can have EVERYTHING I want in life!

IDIOMS


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19. A POKER FACE= a face with no expression

20. TO LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS= to look great, to be very well dressed!

21. A DIME A DOZEN= very common, easy to find (countable nouns in plural form)

22. CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT!= It's not good to be too curious!

23. THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG!= The secret is not a secret anymore!

24. THERE'S NO TIME LIKE THE PRESENT!= It is best to do it now!

25. TIME HEALS ALL WOUNDS= With time, sadness will pass

26. TIME OUT! = Stop, calm down! (usually said in the middle of a discussion orargument)= Let's take a break now!

27. WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!= If you treat people badly, somethingbad will happen to you and if you treat people well, something good will happen to you.This common idiom proves that Americans are superstitious!

28. ALL THAT GLITTERS ISN'T GOLD!= Not everything is as wonderful as it seems(this can refer to material things and also situations)

29. YOU SCRATCH MY BACK AND I'LL SCRATCH YOURS!= If you do a favor forme, I will do a favor for you!

30. ROME WASN'T BUILT IN A DAY!= It might take a long time to achieve somethinggreat.

31. MONEY TALKS= Money has power/influence!

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50 Most Popular Proverbs and Idioms