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idioms-everyday Words

A free, playable vocabulary list. · 18 words · CEFR B2

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#WordPOSLevelDefinition & example
1piece of cakeidiomB2something that is very easy to do
The test was a piece of cake.
2break the iceidiomB2to make people feel comfortable at a first meeting
A funny story broke the ice at the party.
3under the weatheridiomB2feeling slightly ill
She stayed home because she felt under the weather.
4call it a dayidiomB2to stop working for the day
We were tired, so we called it a day.
5cost an arm and a legidiomB2to be extremely expensive
The repair cost an arm and a leg.
6once in a blue moonidiomB2very rarely
He visits us once in a blue moon.
7miss the boatidiomB2to lose a chance by acting too slowly
Apply now, or you will miss the boat.
8hit the nail on the headidiomB2to say exactly the right thing
You hit the nail on the head with that idea.
9out of the blueidiomB2suddenly and without warning
She called me out of the blue yesterday.
10a blessing in disguiseidiomB2something bad that later brings good results
Losing that job was a blessing in disguise.
11back to the drawing boardidiomB2starting a plan again after it failed
The plan failed, so it is back to the drawing board.
12burn the midnight oilidiomB2to work or study until very late
He burned the midnight oil before the exam.
13get cold feetidiomB2to become too nervous to do something you planned
She got cold feet before the speech.
14sit on the fenceidiomB2to avoid choosing one side in a disagreement
Stop sitting on the fence and decide.
15let the cat out of the bagidiomB2to tell a secret by accident
He let the cat out of the bag about the party.
16kill two birds with one stoneidiomB2to reach two goals with one single action
Walking to work kills two birds with one stone.
17spill the beansidiomB2to tell a secret to people
Come on, spill the beans about the surprise.
18the best of both worldsidiomB2the good parts of two very different situations
This job gives her the best of both worlds.

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FAQ

How do I learn the idioms-everyday vocabulary on this page?

Read the word list, then press one of the "Play" buttons to open the same idioms-everyday words inside a memory game. Playing the words in a game trains recall much better than reading alone.

Are these idioms-everyday words free to use in class?

Yes. Every word list on this site is free to use in classrooms and for personal study. You can print any list and hand it out to students.

Can I add these words to my review deck?

Yes. Start any game with this list, and every word you answer wrong is saved automatically to your deck at /my-deck/ for spaced-repetition review.