I’ve had a few requests recently for exercises relating to idioms and sayings. This is an interesting topic to get into because the language used for idioms, proverbs and other popular expressions in English is commonly used but the  meanings can be difficult to guess. I’ve put together a list of 45 interesting, popular sayings to put into a short series of exercises, starting with one today. But first, a little introduction to idioms and sayings.

Why Is It Important to Learn Idioms and Sayings?

Idioms and popular sayings in English have commonly understood meanings that may be hard to interpret if you don’t know what they refer to. They can be entire phrases or even proverbs which produce a message, for example “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” This is not literally talking about birds, but expresses the idea that it is better to accept or hold onto a benefit already available rather than risk trying to obtain a large benefit that is not guaranteed.

Understanding complete idioms and proverbs is especially important when you consider that these sayings can also be expressed in short form. For example, if someone merely says “a bird in the hand”, they are using an abridged reference to the saying to convey that whole message! Without knowing the saying, it would be very hard to interpret that meaning. (This is a problem that was amusingly demonstrated in the movie Anchorman, which shows what happens when Ron Burgundy is not familiar with the expression “when in Rome”: you can watch a clip here.)

Other than aiding general understanding, learning specific idioms and sayings is useful for conveying complicated ideas in simpler language. On top of this, the sayings often relate to good life lessons and learned wisdom, so they’re helpful to know!

There are plenty of lists of idioms and sayings out there, so I’m not going to reproduce one here. Instead, I’m providing some exercises to help you learn a random selection (as sayings do appear in English rather randomly!).

Idioms, Sayings and Proverbs Exercise 1

This is a simple exercise to try and get you thinking creatively about idioms and sayings. Below are 15 idioms and sayings, with example sentences. Can you guess their meanings? You may know the answers to some of these, but if not try and consider the possible message of the saying, then consider its purpose in the example sentence.

1. On the ball

• The meeting went well because Peter was on the ball with the figures from the report.

2. Out of sight, out of mind

• After spending all day in the office, Ruth discovered she had forgotten to clean the dishes. Out of sight, out of mind!

3. Easy does it

• I know you are a good driver but there are lots of bends ahead, easy does it!

4. Many hands make light work

• Can your friends to help us move so we can finish quicker? Many hands make light work, after all.

5. Honesty is the best policy

• Gill was nervous about admitting she broke the vase, but decided that honesty was the best policy and confessed.

6. Barking up the wrong tree

• Susan was barking up the wrong tree when she searched for her ring in the garage. It was in her pocket all along.

7. Miss the boat

• The Hendersons wanted to invest in Bitcoin but they missed the boat and the prices went too high.

8. Ignorance is bliss

• Ryan was sad to gave up meat after watching a new documentary about cattle farming. Ignorance had been bliss.

9. Too many chefs spoil the broth

• The new town centre was messy and confusing because the council members all wanted different things. Too many chefs had spoilt the broth.

10. Learn to walk before you can run

• You may find advanced language classes demoralising if you are at a lower level; learn to walk before you can run.

11. Under the weather

• Joe couldn’t play in the football tournament because he felt under the weather.

12. When in Rome, do as the Romans do

• Harriet wasn’t sure why everyone was walking on the left, but she did the same, because when in Rome…

13. The grass is always greener on the other side

• “I wish I’d got the chocolate ice cream instead of vanilla.”
• “Ah, the grass is always greener on the other side!”

14. Where there’s a will, there’s a way

• Ulrich was certain he could build a working aeroplane, and kept telling himself that where there was a will, there was a way.

15. Get your act together

• You’ve been late three days this month; get your act together or you’ll lose your job!

Answers (Idiom and Saying Definitions)

Below are suggested definitions for the idioms and sayings; you may find some are slightly nuanced, and can carry extra meaning depending on how people use them. I’ve also included short forms that you might encounter, which would be understood with the same meaning.

1. On the ball: to be competent, focused, alert
2. Out of sight, out of mind: something that is not seen (or readily apparent) can be ignored (Short form: “out of sight”)
3. Easy does it: take care/slow down
4. Many hands make light work: with more people helping, a task becomes easier
5. Honesty is the best policy: it is best to be truthful
6. Barking up the wrong tree: pursuing an incorrect/misguided idea (or course of action)
7. Miss the boat: missed an opportunity
8. Ignorance is bliss: if you are unaware of unpleasant facts or details, you will not be troubled by them
9. Too many chefs spoil the broth: too many people’s involvement can make a task more difficult to complete properly (a direct opposite to “many hands make light work”!) (Short form: “too many chefs”)
10. Learn to walk before you can run: take small steps towards progress; don’t try to do too much too soon (Short form: “learn to walk”)
11. Under the weather: be unwell
12. When in Rome, do as the Romans do: adapt your behaviour as is appropriate to the situation or environment (Short form: “when in Rome”)
13. The grass is always greener on the other side: things we do not have always seem more appealing than what we do have (Short form: “the grass is always greener”)
14. Where there’s a will, there’s a way: with determination/desire, you can achieve your goal (Short form: “where there’s a will”)
15. Get your act together: organise/focus yourself better to be more effective

I hope you found this interesting. Please leave any questions or comments below, and I’ll be back next time with another batch!

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