An idiom is a phrase where the words together have a meaning that is different from the dictionary definitions of the individual words

Ace up your sleeve – If you have an ace up your sleeve, you have something that will give you an advantage that other people don’t know about.

Eat something for breakfast – If you eat something for breakfast, you can do it effortlessly, and if you eat someone for breakfast, you can beat them easily.

Living over the brush – Living together out of wedlock. “They are living over the brush” originates from a form of marriage when a couple held hands and jumped over a besom to signal their commitment to each other, because they couldn’t have a church marriage.

Bet the farm – If you bet the farm, you risk everything on something you think will succeed.

Better be the head of a dog than the tail of a lion – This means that it is better to be the head or at the top of something that isn’t very important or prestigious than a small or unimportant member of something big.

Who has eaten of the pot knows the taste of the broth – Experience is the best teacher.

Scratch the surface – When you scratch the surface of something, you have a superficial knowledge or understanding of it.

Paper tiger – A paper tiger is a person, country, institution, etc, that looks powerful, but is actually weak

Pass the time of day – If you pass the time of day with somebody, you stop and say hello, enquire how they are and other such acts of social politeness

Pay the piper – Accept the consequences of something that you have done wrong or badly.

People who live in glass houses should not throw stones – People should not criticize other people for faults that they have themselves.

Rat race – The rat race is the ruthless, competitive struggle for success in work, etc.

Read between the lines – If you read between the lines, you find the real message in what you’re reading or hearing, a meaning that is not available from a literal interpretation of the words.

Real McCoy – Something that’s the real McCoy is the genuine article, not a fake.

Recipe for disaster – A recipe for disaster is a mixture of people and events that could only possibly result in trouble.

Rest on your laurels – If someone rests on their laurels, they rely on their past achievements, rather than trying to achieve things now.

Wait for a raindrop in the drought – When someone is waiting for a raindrop in the drought, they are waiting or hoping for something that is extremely unlikely to happen.

Walking encyclopedia – A very knowledgeable person is a walking encyclopedia.

Watch grass grow – If something is like watching grass grow, it is really boring.

Watch your back – If someone is after your job, or wants to harm you in any way, you need to “watch your back” to metaphorically see what is going on behind you

Dancing on someone’s grave – If you will dance on someone’s grave, you will outlive or outlast them and will celebrate their demise.

Day in the sun – If you have your day in the sun, you get attention and are appreciated.

Daylight robbery – If you are overcharged or underpaid, it is a daylight robbery; open, unfair and hard to prevent. Rip-off has a similar meaning.

Devil finds work for idle hands – When people say that the devil finds work for idle hands, they mean that if people don’t have anything to do with their time, they are more likely to get involved in trouble and criminality.

Devil is in the detail – When people say that the devil in the detail, they mean that small things in plans and schemes that are often overlooked can cause serious problems later on.

Half-baked – A half-baked idea or scheme hasn’t not been thought through or planned very well.

Hammer and tongs – If people are going at it hammer and tongs, they are arguing fiercely. The idiom can also be used hen people are doing something energetically.

Happy as Larry – When you’re as happy as Larry, you’re very happy indeed.