| a good thing that seemed bad at first | A blessing in disguise |
| Something common | A dime a dozen |
| Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable | Beat around the bush |
| Better to arrive late than not to come at all | Better late than never |
| To get something over with because it is inevitable | Bite the bullet |
| Good luck | Break a leg |
| Stop working on something | Call it a day |
| Don't be so critical | Cut somebody some slack |
| Doing something poorly in order to save time or money | Cutting corners |
| Slow down | Easy does it |
| Get out of control | Get out of hand |
| Do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on | Get something out of your system |
| Work better or leave | Get your act together |
| Trust what someone says | Give someone the benefit of the doubt |
| Start over | Go back to the drawing board |
| Don't give up | Hang in there |
| Go to sleep | Hit the sack |
| It's not complicated | It's not rocket science |
| To not hold someone responsible for something | Let someone off the hook |
| Tell something briefly | Make a long story short |
| It's too late | Miss the boat |
| You have to work for what you want | No pain, no gain |
| Doing a good job | On the ball |
| To joke with someone | Pull someone's leg |
| Calm down | Pull yourself together |
| Things are going well so far | So far so good |
| The person we were just talking about showed up! | Speak of the devil |
| My patience has run out | That's the last straw |
| An ideal situation | The best of both worlds |
| You don't notice how long something lasts when it's fun | Time flies when you're having fun |
| To get upset | To get bent out of shape |
| Make a problem worse | To make matters worse |
| Sick | Under the weather |
| Let's not talk about that problem right now | We'll cross that bridge when we come to it |
| Understand something complicated | Wrap your head around something |
| That's true, I agree | You can say that again |
| I have no idea | Your guess is as good as mine |
| What you have is worth more than what you might have later | A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| Tell me what you're thinking | A penny for your thoughts |
| Money you save today you can spend later | A penny saved is a penny earned |
| the worst possible situation | A perfect storm |
| Better to show than tell | A picture is worth 1000 words |
| Believe what people do and not what they say | Actions speak louder than words |
| To make a bad situation worse | Add insult to injury |
| To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place | Barking up the wrong tree |
| People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively) | Birds of a feather flock together |
| Take on a project that you cannot finish | Bite off more than you can chew |
| Make people feel more comfortable | Break the ice |
| Just barely | By the skin of your teeth |
| Comparing two things that cannot be compared | Comparing apples to oranges |
| Very expensive | Costs an arm and a leg |
| Do something without having planned beforehand | Do something at the drop of a hat |
| Treat people fairly. Also known as "The Golden Rule" | Do unto others as you would have them do unto you |
| Don't count on something good happening until it's happened. | Don't count your chickens before they hatch |
| There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed | Don't cry over spilt milk |
| You're not very good at this | Don't give up your day job |
| What you're doing is too risky | Don't put all your eggs in one basket |
| Good things come after bad things | Every cloud has a silver lining |
| Get treated the way you've been treating others (negative) | Get a taste of your own medicine |
| Ignore someone | Give someone the cold shoulder |
| To do something pointless | Go on a wild goose chase |
| Be patient | Good things come to those who wait |
| He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now | He has bigger fish to fry |
| The son is like the father | He's a chip off the old block |
| Get something exactly right | Hit the nail on the head |
| You're better off not knowing | Ignorance is bliss |
| This isn't over yet | It ain't over till the fat lady sings |
| You're just as bad as I am | It takes one to know one |
| It's easy | It's a piece of cake |
| It's raining hard | It's raining cats and dogs |
| Get two things done with a single action | Kill two birds with one stone |
| Give away a secret | Let the cat out of the bag |
| I made a mistake | Live and learn |
| Take only calculated risks | Look before you leap |
| On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. | On thin ice |
| Rarely | Once in a blue moon |
| To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument | Play devil's advocate |
| Put a projet on hold | Put something on ice |
| To spoil something | Rain on someone's parade |
| Saving money for later | Saving for a rainy day |
| Reliability is more important than speed | Slow and steady wins the race |
| Give away a secret | Spill the beans |
| Postpone a plan | Take a rain check |
| Don’t take it too seriously | Take it with a grain of salt |
| It's your decision | The ball is in your court |
| A really good invention | The best thing since sliced bread |
| It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems | The devil is in the details |
| The first people who arrive will get the best stuff | The early bird gets the worm |
| The big issue, the problem people are avoiding | The elephant in the room |
| Everything, all the way. | The whole nine yards |
| It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise. | There are other fish in the sea |
| He seems crazy but actually he's clever | There's a method to his madness |
| Nothing is entirely free | There's no such thing as a free lunch |
| Take a risk | Throw caution to the wind |
| You can't have everything | You can't have your cake and eat it too |
| This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside | You can't judge a book by its cover |
| People who don't understand something fully are dangerous | A little learning is a dangerous thing |
| Events have momentum and build upon each other | A snowball effect |
| No chance at all | A snowball's chance in hell |
| Fix the problem now because it will get worse later | A stitch in time saves nine |
| A big fuss about a small problem | A storm in a teacup |
| Apples are good for you | An apple a day keeps the doctor away |
| You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder. | An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure |
| Perfect | As right as rain |
| Something that happened without warning | Bolt from the blue |
| Destroy relationships | Burn bridges |
| Something bad is coming, but right now it's calm | Calm before the storm |
| No matter what | Come rain or shine |
| Stop asking questions | Curiosity killed the cat |
| Do a good job | Cut the mustard |
| Move on, this subject is over | Don't beat a dead horse |
| Everyone gets a chance at least once | Every dog has his day |
| The better you know someone the less you like him | Familiarity breeds contempt |
| In good health | Fit as a fiddle |
| Take risks | Fortune favours the bold |
| Have more energy after having been tired | Get a second wind |
| Hear news of something secret | Get wind of something |
| Fail spectacularly | Go down in flames |
| You'll make mistakes if you rush through something | Haste makes waste |
| Not be concentrating | Have your head in the clouds |
| I'll get you back for what you did | He who laughs last laughs loudest |
| Hear something from the person involved | Hear something straight from the horse's mouth |
| He's dumb | He's not playing with a full deck |
| He's crazy | He's off his rocker |
| He can't make up his mind | He's sitting on the fence |
| If you can't do the job, don't blame it on others | It is a poor workman who blames his tools |
| Things are going to get better | It is always darkest before the dawn |
| One person alone isn't responsible. Both people are involved. | It takes two to tango |
| Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing | Jump on the bandwagon |
| Understand the situation (usually negative) | Know which way the wind is blowing |
| Look everywhere | Leave no stone unturned |
| Stop discussing an issue | Let sleeping dogs lie |
| Something you never forget how to do | Like riding a bicycle |
| They're always together | Like two peas in a pod |
| Take advantage of a good situation | Make hay while the sun shines |
| Very happy | On cloud nine |
| You're more cautious when you've been hurt before | Once bitten, twice shy |
| Things are going from bad to worse | Out of the frying pan and into the fire |
| Run fast | Run like the wind |
| Work better or leave | Shape up or ship out |
| Busy | Snowed under |
| It's too late | That ship has sailed |
| Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad | The pot calling the kettle black |
| Trouble is coming | There are clouds on the horizon |
| People who are morally questionable shouldn't criticize others | Those who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones |
| In good times and in bad times | Through thick and thin |
| Work quickly | Time is money |
| Don't waste things and you'll always have enough | Waste not, want not |
| We agree | We see eye to eye |
| Go through something difficult | Weather the storm |
| Getting a good start is important | Well begun is half done |
| Everything is going wrong at once | When it rains it pours |
| You'll get what you want by being nice | You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar |
| You can't force someone to make the right decision | You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink |
| There's always a cost to doing something | You can't make an omelet without breaking some eggs |
