57 idioms every 11+ candidate should know

Figurative language for comprehension passages, creative writing and interviews.

Idioms and figurative language turn up in 11+ comprehension passages and creative writing mark schemes. Here are 57 common English idioms with meanings and example sentences a Year 5 or Year 6 child can relate to.

Idiom	Meaning	Example
Apple of my eye	Someone or something that you love and treasure very much.	My little sister is the apple of my eye — I would do anything for her.
Pie in the sky	An idea or plan that sounds wonderful but is very unlikely to happen.	Winning the lottery and retiring at twenty is pure pie in the sky.
Raining cats and dogs	Raining extremely heavily.	We had to cancel the sports day because it was raining cats and dogs.
Fish out of water	A person who feels uncomfortable or out of place in a particular situation.	At the fancy dinner party, he felt like a complete fish out of water.
Elephant in the room	An obvious problem or awkward issue that everyone is aware of but nobody wants to talk about.	Nobody mentioned the argument at dinner — it was the elephant in the room.
Don't put all your eggs in one basket	Do not risk everything on a single plan or option — spread your chances.	Apply to several schools; don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two things with a single action, saving time or effort.	I killed two birds with one stone by revising and listening to music at the same time.
In the same boat	In the same difficult or unfortunate situation as someone else.	We are all in the same boat — none of us have revised for the test.
Tip of the iceberg	A small, visible part of a much larger problem that remains hidden.	The missing homework was just the tip of the iceberg — he had other problems too.
Wolf in sheep's clothing	Someone who appears friendly and harmless but is actually dangerous or deceitful.	The new business partner turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Water off a duck's back	Criticism or unkind words that have no effect on a person at all.	Rude comments are water off a duck's back to her — she just ignores them.
Let the cat out of the bag	To accidentally reveal a secret.	He let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Spill the beans	To tell someone information that was supposed to be kept secret.	Don't spill the beans — it's meant to be a surprise!
Rain on your parade	To spoil someone's plans or good mood.	I don't want to rain on your parade, but the trip might be cancelled.
Hit the nail on the head	To describe something exactly right; to identify the precise problem.	You hit the nail on the head — that's exactly what the problem is.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely — almost never.	He only tidies his room once in a blue moon.
Every cloud has a silver lining	Every bad situation has some positive aspect if you look for it.	I broke my leg, but every cloud has a silver lining — I caught up on all my reading.
Under the weather	Feeling slightly ill or unwell.	She stayed home from school because she was feeling under the weather.
Break the ice	To do or say something to relieve tension or start a conversation in an awkward situation.	He told a joke to break the ice at the start of the interview.
In hot water	In a situation that causes trouble or difficulty; in trouble with someone.	She was in hot water after arriving an hour late to the exam.
Dark horse	A person who is unexpectedly successful or who wins when nobody predicted it.	Nobody expected her to win the quiz — she was a real dark horse.
A bird in the hand	It is better to keep what you have than to risk losing it by trying to get something better.	He already had a job offer, and decided a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush.
Born with a silver spoon	Born into a wealthy and privileged family.	He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never had to worry about money.
Best thing since sliced bread	An excellent invention or idea; something considered wonderful.	She thinks her new phone is the best thing since sliced bread.
Piece of cake	Something that is very easy to do.	The maths test was a piece of cake — I finished in ten minutes.
Jump on the bandwagon	To join an activity or trend that has already become popular, often without thinking carefully.	Everyone started buying the new trainers, and he jumped on the bandwagon too.
Sit on the fence	To avoid taking sides or making a decision in a dispute or argument.	When my friends argued, I sat on the fence rather than choosing who was right.
Bite the bullet	To endure a painful or unpleasant situation bravely and without complaining.	I hate the dentist, but I bit the bullet and made the appointment.
Burn your bridges	To do something that permanently destroys a relationship or opportunity, with no chance of going back.	She quit without notice and burned her bridges with her old employer.
Cost an arm and a leg	To be extremely expensive.	The new trainers cost an arm and a leg, so I saved up for months.
The ball is in your court	It is your turn to take action or make a decision.	I have made my offer — the ball is in your court now.
Beat around the bush	To avoid talking about something directly; to be evasive.	Stop beating around the bush and just tell me what happened.
It takes two to tango	Both people involved in a difficult situation are equally responsible.	They both started the argument — it takes two to tango.
Storm in a teacup	A lot of fuss and anger about something that is not very important.	The argument about the seating plan was just a storm in a teacup.
Get the ball rolling	To start an activity or process.	Let's get the ball rolling and begin the meeting.
Take with a pinch of salt	To not completely believe something because it may not be accurate.	Take his stories with a pinch of salt — he tends to exaggerate.
Back to the drawing board	To start something all over again after a failure.	The plan didn't work, so it's back to the drawing board.
Barking up the wrong tree	To look for something in the wrong place or to blame the wrong person.	If you think I broke the window, you're barking up the wrong tree.
Pull someone's leg	To joke or tease someone by trying to make them believe something untrue.	You got a hundred percent? You're pulling my leg!
A blessing in disguise	Something that seems bad or unlucky at first but turns out to be good.	Missing the bus was a blessing in disguise — I met my best friend at the bus stop.
Butterflies in the stomach	A nervous or anxious feeling, especially before something important.	I had butterflies in my stomach before walking on stage for the school play.
Kick the bucket	A humorous or informal way of saying someone has died.	The old car finally kicked the bucket after twenty years on the road.
Burn the midnight oil	To work or study late into the night.	She burned the midnight oil the night before her big exam.
The bee's knees	Something or someone outstandingly good; excellent.	She thinks her new bicycle is the bee's knees.
Crocodile tears	Fake tears or a pretend display of sadness to gain sympathy.	He shed crocodile tears when he was caught, but he wasn't really sorry.
Count your chickens before they hatch	To assume something good will happen before it actually does.	Don't count your chickens before they hatch — you haven't got the results yet.
Bookworm	A person who loves reading and reads a great deal.	She's a real bookworm — you will always find her with her nose in a book.
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade	Make the best of a bad or difficult situation.	The match was cancelled, so we made lemonade and played in the garden instead.
Take the bull by the horns	To deal with a difficult situation boldly and directly.	Instead of worrying, she took the bull by the horns and asked the teacher for help.
A feather in your cap	An achievement to be proud of.	Winning the spelling bee was a real feather in her cap.
Let sleeping dogs lie	To avoid bringing up an old problem or argument that could cause trouble again.	They had settled the disagreement, so I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.
Chasing rainbows	Pursuing something unrealistic or impossible to achieve.	He wants to be an astronaut, a footballer and a chef — he is chasing rainbows.
Straight from the horse's mouth	Information heard directly from the person involved, so it must be true.	The headteacher told me herself — I heard it straight from the horse's mouth.
A stitch in time saves nine	Fixing a small problem now prevents it from becoming a bigger one later.	Repair the hole in your bag now — a stitch in time saves nine.
The early bird catches the worm	Those who start early or act quickly have the best chance of success.	She arrived first and got the best seat — the early bird catches the worm.
Saved by the bell	Rescued from a difficult situation at the very last moment.	The teacher was about to ask me a question, but I was saved by the bell.
No use crying over spilt milk	There is no point being upset about something that has already happened and cannot be changed.	You lost the match, but it is no use crying over spilt milk — focus on the next one.

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