IDIOMS AND

IDIOMATIC
EXPRESSIONS
 ABOUT-
FACE
• DEFINITION: It is[əˈbaʊt]
a change of[fes]
direction or opinion into
the opposite. (dar media vuelta)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Mary is about-face at every moment to

confuse us.
 ALL AT
ONCE
[ɔl]is [æt]
• DEFINITION: Something that [wʌns]
not expected to happen.
(de repente, inesperadamente)
• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: A strange figure emerged from the mud, all at once it just was a dog.
 ALL
EARS
[ɔl] [irz]
• DEFINITION: (oír
It refers listening
atentamente ) attentively to the speaker.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: James is all ears when somebody talk about

him.
 ALL
THERE
[ɔl] [ðɛr]
• DEFINITION: It means being mentally stable or
(cuerdo, en sus cabales)
healthy.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Your patients arent́ all there.

 AT ALL
[æt] [ɔl]
(en absoluto, nada)

• DEFINITION: It implies that something is impossible

to understand or realize.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: I don’t know what’s coming on the test

at all.
AS STUBBORN AS
A MULE
[æz] [ˈstʌbərn] [æz] [ə] [mjul]
•(terco
DEFINITION: A) way to name someone
como una mula
who despite comments persists in doing
something.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Who is as stubborn as a mule

in the family?
 BAG AND
BAGGAGE
[bæg]
• DEFINITION: All [ænd] [ˈbægəʤ]
objects that belong to someone
(con
are found together. todas sus pertenencias )

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: My family asked the moving company to

take their car, and bag and baggage.
 BEAT ABOUT
THE BUSH
• DEFINITION: [bit] [əˈbaʊt]
Itś to leave more [ðə] [bʊʃ]
for the details and not to say
(andarse por las ramas)
directly the main theme.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Beat – Beat – Beaten - Beating

• EXAMPLE: I need you to tell us the truth, don’t beat about

the bush.
 BIG FAT
MOUTH
[bɪg] [fæt] [maʊθ]
• DEFINITION: A way of referring
(bocón) to someone who
says absolutely everything he sees.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

c
• EXAMPLE: Marta sometimes talks too much, and
she’s like a big fat mouth.
 BOBBY-
SOXER
• DEFINITION:[ˈbɑbi]-[ˈsɑksər]
A girl who is going through
adolescence or is very young.jovencita)
(adolescente,

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: That bobby-soxer is sometimes intense

with her favorite singers.
 BOSOM
FRIENDS
[ˈbʊzəm]
• DEFINITION: [frɛndz]
A way of naming friends with who
you have more confidence than)with others.
(amigos íntimos

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Sara and Charles have been my

bosom friends since first grade.
 BOTTOM
S UP
[ˈbɑtəmz]
• DEFINITION: It refers to taking[ʌp]
a single sip to finish an
alcoholic beverage (seco y volteado)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: In the party everyone said: Bottoms up!

 BREAK
DOWN
• DEFINITION: A way of calling[brek]
someone [daʊn]
who is crying badly, or the action of
knocking down an object. (sufrir colapso, llorar, echar abajo)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Break – Broke – Broken - Breaking

• EXAMPLE: My cousin broke down when she heard about the accident.
 BREAK
THE ICE
[brek]
• DEFINITION: [ði]to[aɪs]
It refers how to end tension between
people. (dar informalidad)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Break – Broke – Broken - Breaking

• EXAMPLE: After an awkward silence someone made a

joke, which broke the ice between us.
BRING HOME
THE BACON
[brɪŋ] [hom] [ðə] [ˈbekən]
(suministrarTaking
• DEFINITION: los gastoscare
de la of )
casathe household
expenses.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Bring – Brought – Brought – Bringing

• EXAMPLE: This month Mario has decided to

bring home the bacon.
 BRING
UP
• DEFINITION: It is to guide and take care of someone,
[brɪŋ] [ʌp]
so that later a bond develops.
(criar o educar a una familia)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Bring – Brought – Brought – Bringing

• EXAMPLE: When Mike’s parents died, he had to be

brought up by his grandmother.
BROKEN
ENGLISH
[ˈbrokən] [ˈɪŋlɪʃ]
•(ingles
DEFINITION:
incorrecto) A way of referring to bad
pronunciation or writing of English.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Sometimes I get nervous and I

have a broken english.
 BREAK ONE´S
HEART
• DEFINITION: A [brek]
way of[wʌns]
referring[hɑrt]
to something you find
very sad or painful.(quebrar o partir el corazón)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Break – Broke – Broken – Breaking

One’s = possessive adjective

• EXAMPLE: I have seen some videos of failed marriage

proposal, it broke my heart.
 BURST OUT
LAUGHING
• DEFINITION:[bɜ st] [aʊt]
It means [ˈlæfɪŋ]
something made you laugh too
much. (echarse a reír)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Burst – Burst – Burst – Bursting

• EXAMPLE: Yesterday I watched some videos of my

favorite youtuber and I burst out laughing.
 BURY THE
HATCHET
[ˈbɛri] [ðə] [ˈhæʧət]
• DEFINITION: Talk about the action of stopping
(hacer la paz, dejar de pelear)
fighting or arguing.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a regular verb.

Bury – Buried – Buried – Burying

c
• EXAMPLE: Sam and Mark should bury the
hatchet, I’m bored of their fights.
 BY THE SKIN OF
ONE´S TEETH
[baɪ] [ðə] [skɪn] [ʌv] [wʌns] [tiθ]
• DEFINITION: It refers to an action that has been
(por un pelo, por un tris)
carried out even if it was almost impossible.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a prepositional phrase.

One’s = possessive adjective

• EXAMPLE: In a competition, who came first went to

side the second place, but by the skin of his teeth
ended up winning.
 CALL IN
[kɔl] [ɪn]
(consultar)

• DEFINITION: The act of asking for information

that is unknown or not fully known.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a regular verb.

Call – Called – Called – Calling

• EXAMPLE: I didn’t get a message last time, so I

called in my sister where it could be.
 CALL OF
[kɔl] [ʌv]
(cancelar)

• DEFINITION: It refers to the action of saying that a

meeting or something no longer took place as agreed.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a regular verb.

Call – Called – Called – Calling

• EXAMPLE: Due to some inconvenience, the teacher

called of the meeting until later.
 CATCH A
COLD
• DEFINITION: It’s a way[kæʧ] [ə] to
of referring [kold]
the action of catching a cold.
(resfriarse)
• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Catch – Caught – Caught – Catching

• EXAMPLE: The boy ended up catching a cold for not wearing a

coat in the rain.
 CHAIN
SMOKER
[ʧen] [ˈsmokər]
• DEFINITION: A way to refer to people who cannot quit
(incesante fumador)
smoking constantly.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: I hate people who are chain smokers and

can’t stop smoking.
 CHICKEN-
HEARTED
[ˈʧɪkən]-[ˈhɑrtəd]
• DEFINITION: (cobarde,
A way of tímifo )
referring to people
who do not dare to do something out of fear.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun and adjective.

• EXAMPLE: In dangerous times, never ask

Estela for help, she’s such a chicken-hearted.
 COIN
MONEY
[kɔɪn]
• DEFINITION: It refers to [ˈmʌni]
the action of making money
faster than normal.
(enriquecerse con rapidez)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a regular verb.

Coin – Coined – Coined – Coining

• EXAMPLE: These last few weeks my aunt’s business

has coined money.
COME ALONG
[kʌm] [əˈlɔŋ]
(acompañar, escoltar)

• DEFINITION: It refers to the action of going

along with another person, either to make
company or to protect her/him.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Come – Came – Come - Coming

• EXAMPLE: Jessica has been come along by her

best friends from the party to her home.
 COME
AROUND
• DEFINITION: [kʌm]
It refers[əˈraʊnd]
to the unexpected and
unplanned visit. (visita informal)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Come – Came – Come - Coming

• EXAMPLE: You have decided to come around to

Katherine, haven’t you?
 COOL AS A
CUCUMBER
• DEFINITION: [kul]How
[æz]
to [ə]
name[ˈkjukəmbər]
someone who keeps calm
and who can manage (tranquilo,
to sereno )
concentrate despite the
difficulties.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an adjective.

• EXAMPLE: Ruben is very cool as a cucumber,

especially in stressful situations.
 COPY CAT
[ˈkɑpi] [kæt]
(copion, mona)

• DEFINITION: Denomination towards a person

who copies or attitude or dress of someone else.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

c
• EXAMPLE: Don’t be a copy cat, Annel! I’ll go in
that same dress.
COTTON PICKING
HANDS
[ˈkɑtən] [ˈpɪkɪŋ] [hændz]
• DEFINITION: It refers to the action of wanting to get
(manos entrometidas)
involved or touching something in any way.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: Don’t even think about inviting Mariela,

she’s a cotton picking hands and she’s going to
inspect everything we do.
 CUT
DOWN
• DEFINITION: It [kʌt]
means [daʊn]
returning something to its
previous state. (reducer, disminuir)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Cut – Cut – Cut – Cutting

• EXAMPLE: In this quarantine my family has tried

to cut down both electricity and water.
 DARK
HORSE
[dɑrk]
• DEFINITION: A person [hɔrs]
whose reputation or ability is
unknown. (candidato desconocido)

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a noun.

• EXAMPLE: They have seen programs where they call

someone to be a dark horse, so that person can win a
car or money.
 DASH
OFF
• DEFINITION: It is writing or [dæʃ]
copying[ɔf]
some text by hand quickly.
(escribir de prisa)
• WHAT IS IT?: It’s a regular verb.

Dash – Dashed – Dashed – Dashing

• EXAMPLE: The students dashed off, because the teacher was

about to erase the blackboard.
DON´T GIVE A
RAP
[dɑnt] [gɪv]
• DEFINITION: [ə] not
It means [ræp]
giving too much importance
to an issue, or ignoring
(ser indiferente )
its existence.
o no importante

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Give – Gave – Given - Giving

• EXAMPLE: Since I started to talk more about what I like,

people criticize me more, from there I dont́ give a rap with
that type of comments.
 DRAW
INTEREST
[drɔ] [ˈɪntərəst]
• DEFINITION: Call the action of increasing a
(ganar interes)
certain amount of interest to part of what you
should pay.

• WHAT IS IT?: It’s an irregular verb.

Draw – Drew – Drawn – Drawing

• EXAMPLE: Tatiana decided to delay paying off

her loan, and it drew interest.