Introduction — What is an idiom in English?

An idiom (or idiomatic expression) is a phrase whose real meaning cannot be deduced from a word-for-word translation. For example, "it's raining cats and dogs" has nothing to do with animals: it simply means it is raining very hard.

Idioms are everywhere: in films, TV shows, professional conversations, and in English exams like the ECL. Mastering them means moving from textbook English to living English. This list of 60 English idioms, grouped by context and translated into French, is your reference so you never get stuck on these expressions again.

Group 1 — Everyday idioms (20 essential expressions)

These expressions appear in everyday conversations, films, podcasts, and American or British TV series. Knowing them lets you understand spoken English like a native.

Idiom 🇬🇧 Literal meaning Real meaning 🇫🇷 French equivalent Example
hit the nail on the head to strike a nail right on its head to say exactly the right thing Tomber pile / Mettre dans le mille "You hit the nail on the head — that's exactly the problem."
bite the bullet to bite down on a bullet to endure something difficult Serrer les dents / Avaler la pilule "I hate going to the dentist, but I'll just bite the bullet."
break a leg to fracture your own leg good luck Merde ! (au théâtre) "You have your presentation today? Break a leg!"
cost an arm and a leg to cost an arm and a leg (body parts) to cost a lot of money Coûter les yeux de la tête "That new phone costs an arm and a leg."
the tip of the iceberg the pointed top of an iceberg a small part of a much larger problem La partie visible de l'iceberg "The leak was just the tip of the iceberg."
under the weather to be below the weather to feel unwell Ne pas être dans son assiette "I'm a bit under the weather today — I think I have a cold."
once in a blue moon once when the moon is blue very rarely Tous les trente-six du mois "She only calls once in a blue moon."
beat around the bush to beat around a bush to avoid saying things clearly Tourner autour du pot "Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth."
spill the beans to knock over a jar of beans to reveal a secret Vendre la mèche "He spilled the beans about the surprise party."
let the cat out of the bag to let a cat escape from a bag to accidentally reveal a secret Vendre la mèche "She let the cat out of the bag when she mentioned the gift."
a piece of cake a slice of cake something very easy Simple comme bonjour "The exam was a piece of cake."
kill two birds with one stone to kill two birds with a single stone to accomplish two things at once Faire d'une pierre deux coups "I'll shop for groceries and pick up the kids — kill two birds with one stone."
it's raining cats and dogs cats and dogs are falling from the sky it is raining very hard Il pleut des cordes "We can't go out — it's raining cats and dogs."
break the ice to shatter the ice to ease tension at the start Briser la glace "He told a joke to break the ice at the meeting."
the ball is in your court the ball is on your side of the court it is your turn to act / decide C'est à toi de jouer "I've made my offer. The ball is in your court now."
bite off more than you can chew to take a bigger bite than you can chew to take on more than you can handle Avoir les yeux plus grands que le ventre "He bit off more than he could chew by taking three jobs."
get a taste of your own medicine to receive your own medicine to experience what you do to others Être servi à sa propre sauce "He was always late, then he got a taste of his own medicine when his team kept him waiting."
actions speak louder than words actions make more noise than words what you do matters more than what you say Les actes valent mieux que les mots "Stop promising — actions speak louder than words."
you can't judge a book by its cover you cannot evaluate a book from its cover alone you cannot judge by appearances L'habit ne fait pas le moine "He seemed unfriendly at first, but you can't judge a book by its cover."
at the drop of a hat as soon as a hat falls immediately, without hesitation Au quart de tour / Sans hésiter "She's always ready to help at the drop of a hat."

Group 2 — Professional and workplace idioms (20 expressions)

These idioms are ubiquitous in English-speaking professional environments: meetings, emails, presentations, and interviews. Mastering them is essential for working in English or understanding shows like The Office or Suits.

Idiom 🇬🇧 Literal meaning Real meaning 🇫🇷 French equivalent Example
get the ball rolling to make a ball start rolling to launch / kick off something Lancer la machine / Démarrer le projet "Let's get the ball rolling on this new project."
touch base to touch a base to make contact, check in briefly Faire le point / Prendre des nouvelles "I'll touch base with you after the meeting."
think outside the box to think outside a box to come up with original, creative ideas Sortir des sentiers battus "We need to think outside the box to find a solution."
on the same page to be on the same page of a book to agree, to share the same understanding Être sur la même longueur d'onde "Are we all on the same page about the deadline?"
back to the drawing board back to the drafting table to start over from scratch Repartir de zéro / Retour à la case départ "The plan failed — it's back to the drawing board."
hit the ground running to hit the ground at a run to start very quickly and efficiently Démarrer en trombe "The new employee really hit the ground running."
the bottom line the last line of an accounting sheet the key point, the final result L'essentiel / Le résultat net "The bottom line is: we need more funding."
go the extra mile to walk one more mile to make an extra effort Faire un effort supplémentaire / Se surpasser "She always goes the extra mile for her clients."
cut corners to shorten the corners of a path to do things while sacrificing quality Faire des économies de bouts de chandelle "Don't cut corners on safety procedures."
ahead of the curve in front of the curve ahead of one's time, innovative En avance sur son temps "Their technology is ahead of the curve."
in the loop inside the loop to be informed, in the know Être dans la boucle "Keep me in the loop on any developments."
out of the loop outside the loop to be unaware of what is happening Être tenu à l'écart "I've been travelling — I'm completely out of the loop."
a learning curve a curve showing progress in learning a period of necessary adjustment Courbe d'apprentissage "There's a steep learning curve with this software."
raise the bar to lift a bar higher to raise the standard of expectations Élever le niveau / Monter la barre "Their latest product has raised the bar for the industry."
take the bull by the horns to grab a bull by its horns to tackle a problem head-on Prendre le taureau par les cornes "We need to take the bull by the horns and address this issue."
drop the ball to let a ball fall to miss an opportunity, fail a responsibility Rater le coche / Laisser tomber "Sorry, I dropped the ball on that report."
have a lot on your plate to have a full plate of food to have a lot of work or responsibilities Avoir beaucoup sur les bras "I can't take on more work — I already have a lot on my plate."
pull strings to pull strings like a puppeteer to use connections to get something Tirer des ficelles "He pulled strings to get the contract."
keep your options open to keep your choices available not to commit too early Ne pas se fermer de portes "Don't sign yet — keep your options open for now."
bite the bullet (pro) to bite down on a bullet to make a difficult but necessary decision Prendre une décision difficile "We have to bite the bullet and lay off some staff."

Group 3 — ECL idioms and formal contexts (20 expressions)

These 20 idioms appear frequently in the ECL reading and listening comprehension texts, as well as in formal, journalistic, or institutional contexts. Some have a military origin but have entered everyday language.

Idiom 🇬🇧 Literal meaning Real meaning 🇫🇷 French equivalent Example
hold the line to hold a line in place to resist, to maintain one's position Tenir bon / Tenir la position "The team held the line despite the pressure."
under fire under gunfire under attack or intense criticism Sous le feu des critiques / Sous pression "The minister is under fire for his decision."
in the line of fire in the trajectory of bullets in an exposed position, directly targeted En première ligne "As the spokesperson, she was constantly in the line of fire."
stand your ground to hold the ground you stand on to maintain your position in the face of opposition Tenir ses positions "She stood her ground despite the pressure to resign."
call the shots to call out the shots being fired to make the decisions, to be in charge Mener la barque / Être aux commandes "In this company, the CEO calls the shots."
bite the dust to fall face-down into the dust to fail, to fall Mordre la poussière / Tomber "Several companies bit the dust during the crisis."
a shot in the dark firing a gun in complete darkness an attempt with little chance of success Un coup dans le vide / Dans l'obscurité "Guessing the answer was a shot in the dark."
have someone's back to be behind someone's back to support someone, to protect them Couvrir quelqu'un / Être là pour lui "Don't worry — I've got your back."
face the music to face the music playing to accept the consequences of one's actions Assumer les conséquences "He made a mistake and now has to face the music."
the last resort the final option left the final solution when everything else has failed Le dernier recours "Negotiation failed — military action was the last resort."
raise the alarm to sound an alarm bell to alert others to danger Donner l'alerte / Sonner l'alarme "Scientists raised the alarm about climate change years ago."
on the front line at the very front of the battlefield directly exposed to a problem or danger En première ligne "Doctors are on the front line of this health crisis."
take cover to get behind shelter to protect oneself, to seek shelter Se mettre à l'abri "When the storm broke, we had to take cover."
in hot water submerged in hot water in a difficult situation, in trouble Dans une mauvaise posture / Dans le pétrin "He's in hot water after missing the deadline."
under pressure under physical pressure subject to strong pressure Sous pression "She performs well even under pressure."
hold fire to hold back from shooting to wait before acting Attendre / Patienter avant d'agir "Hold fire on that announcement until we have all the facts."
take no prisoners to take no one prisoner to act without compromise, relentlessly Ne pas faire de quartier "In negotiations, she takes no prisoners."
all hands on deck every sailor to their post on deck everyone mobilised to help Tout le monde sur le pont "It's a crisis — all hands on deck!"
in the trenches inside the battle trenches in the thick of difficult action Dans le dur / Au cœur de l'action "He's been in the trenches of this project for months."
mission accomplished the mission is done the objective has been achieved Mission accomplie "The report is submitted — mission accomplished."

Idioms in TV shows and films: recognising them in context

Understanding idioms in writing is good. Recognising them out loud in a TV show or film is even better. Here are concrete examples drawn from English-speaking popular culture.

Friends (everyday sitcom)

  • "You hit the nail on the head": Ross often uses this expression when someone identifies a problem perfectly.
  • "Break a leg": a classic expression before an audition or a presentation.
  • "It costs an arm and a leg": Joey often talks about money using this idiom.

The Office (professional setting)

  • "Get the ball rolling": Michael Scott loves this expression to kick off his meetings.
  • "Think outside the box": ubiquitous in the office brainstorming sessions.
  • "On the same page": Jim uses it frequently during team meetings.
  • "The bottom line is...": a recurring expression in budget discussions.

Band of Brothers (formal historical context)

  • "Hold the line": used in both its literal and figurative sense.
  • "All hands on deck": during emergency situations.
  • "In the trenches": literal sense (WWI) that became a common idiom.

Suits (law and negotiation)

  • "Take no prisoners": Harvey Specter embodies this idiom perfectly.
  • "Call the shots": a central theme of the show — who is really in charge?
  • "Face the music": characters regularly have to accept the consequences of their actions.

Practical tip: When watching a TV show in English, turn on the English subtitles (not French). Whenever an expression seems strange when translated word for word, write it down — it is probably an idiom.

How to learn English idioms effectively

Memorising 60 idioms at once is counterproductive. Here is a 4-step method:

1. Learn by context, not by list
Group idioms by situation (everyday, work, current events). You will retain them better because your brain associates the expression with a concrete scene.

2. Create personal sentences
For each idiom, invent a sentence that relates to your own life. "Mon chef prend toutes les décisions — c'est lui qui calls the shots." Personalisation anchors the memory.

3. Review with spaced repetition
Use flashcards (physical or Anki) and review at D+1, D+3, D+7, D+21. This technique reduces forgetting by 60%.

4. Encounter them in spoken English
Podcasts, TV shows, films in English with English subtitles. The goal is to hear the expression before reading it. The brain memorises far better what has been heard.

FAQ — Frequently asked questions about English idioms

Q1: What is the difference between an idiom and a fixed expression?
An idiom is an expression whose figurative meaning is completely different from its literal meaning ("bite the bullet" is not about a bullet). A fixed expression may have a more transparent meaning ("it goes without saying"). Idioms are a subset of fixed expressions.

Q2: Do idioms appear in the ECL exam?
Yes. The reading and listening comprehension texts of the ECL regularly use idioms, especially in journalistic, institutional, and professional themes. Group 3 idioms (formal context) are the most frequent.

Q3: How many idioms do you need to know to speak English fluently?
Linguists estimate that a native speaker uses between 4,000 and 25,000 idioms. In practice, knowing 200 to 300 common idioms is enough to understand 90% of idiomatic expressions in everyday contexts (films, work, press).

Q4: Are all English idioms understood by all English speakers?
Most idioms listed here are understood by American, British, and Australian English speakers. Some idioms are regional (notably British ones like "brilliant" = excellent), but those in this list are universal.

Q5: Can idioms be used in formal written texts?
Some idioms are accepted in formal texts ("the bottom line", "on the same page", "raise the bar"). Others are too informal for academic or official writing ("it's raining cats and dogs"). When in doubt, prefer a direct formulation.

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