English Idioms and Expressions
- Tania Ceniccola
- 1 feb 2023
- Tempo di lettura: 5 min
Aggiornamento: 21 feb
Idioms are difficult for non natives, in particular for lower levels, although they fascinate many who want to sound more natural when speaking English.
What are idioms?
An idiom is a word or phrase with a figurative, rather than literal, meaning which is culturally understood though it differs from what the word's denotation seems to suggest.
This means that the words making up the idiom have a different meaning from the one you would find in the dictionary when looking up the single words.
Of course, this is the main reason idioms are so hard to make sense of and remember for non natives, and also the reason for which recognizing the most common English idioms and expressions is the key to a deep knowledge of spoken and colloquial English.
Some of such expressions may be understood by drawing a parallel with Italian expressions, but most of them, instead, if translated literally, would absolutely make no sense.
In formal contexts idioms are less common, although in less formal everyday talk they are definitely recurrent.
Here are some English Idioms you might hear: (with explanations for Italians)
Get the sack Letteralmente significa "prendere il sacco" ma in realtà significa "essere licenziati".
Es. Simon got the sack for not taking enough care with his work. If your boss finds out you make so many personal phone calls during office hours, you'll certainly get...
Cut your teeth Letteralmente significa "tagliarsi i denti" ma in realtà traduce il nostro "farsi le ossa" cioè farsi dell'esperienza e imparare l'ABC di qualcosa.
Es. She cut her teeth on a local nwespaper before getting a job offer for the New York Post.
Hit the nail on the head Letteralmente significa "colpire il chiodo sulla testa" ma traduce il nostro "azzeccarci" o meglio "dire o fare la cosa giusta", "fare centro"
Es. Paul really hit the nail on the head when he said the the company was going to close...
Be on the same page Letteralmente significa "essere sulla stessa pagina" e infatti viene usato per tradurre il nostro "essere sulla stessa lunghezza d'onda" o anche "andare d'accordo"
Es. Sally and I are really on the same page. "Each of us has been busy with his own projects lately, so...
Better safe than sorry! Letteralmente si tradurrebbe con "meglio salvi che dispiaciuti"... Ma persino Google Translate lo traduce con "Meglio pensarci prima!"
Es. He's obsessive about locking his front door, he always double-checks before leaving the house. But better safe than sorry.
Hit the roof Letteralmente "colpire il tetto" ma significa arrabbiarsi molto o meglio "andare su tutte le furie".
Es. I told Jason about seeing his girlfriend kissing another man and he really hit the roof; My brother hit the roof when I said...
Take a French leave Significa "andarsene alla chetichella, andasene da un posto senza salutare". E' interessante notare che in francese per indicare l'idea di "andarsene alla chetichella" si dice "filer à l'anglaise"
Es. They took a French leave during the party, they might have had a discussion and probably didn't feel like staying.
Keep an eye on Significa "tenere d'occhio qualcosa/qualcuno"
Es. Can you please keep an eye on the soup? I'm just going to make a few phone calls; She asked her mother to keep an eye on the children while she...
Get cold feet Non ha nulla a che fare col suo significato letterale ("avere i piedi freddi"). In realtà significa "aver paura e tirarsi indietro all'ultimo momento".
Es. James had been engaged for a year but on his wedding day he got cold feet.
Icing on the cake La traduzione letterale (la glassa sulla torta) non si discosta molto dal significato in italiano, che è "la ciliegina sulla torta".
Es. I had a big promotion at work and the company car they gave me was really the icing on the cake!
Knock/blow your socks off Si usa per descrivere qualcosa che ci farà impazzire, che troveremo estremamente piacevole.
Es. I'm going to take you to a new restaurant that will knock your socks off!
A storm in a teacup Una tempesta in una tazza di té sarebbe ben poca cosa e di certo produrrebbe ben pochi danni ... ecco quindi che quest'espressione (la cui traduzione letterale è appunto "una tempesta in una tazza di té") significa "una tempesta in un bicchier d'acqua"
Es. Eventually the excitement about his remark will prove to be a storm in a teacup.
Your Strategic English Coach,
Tania
Imagine a conversation with English-speaking colleaues or counterparts, filled with idiomatic expressions:
Do you feel your English skills are truly solid enough for real-life Global Communication?
Yes, I am confident about my English
Not yet, I need targeted training
If you chose Not yet—you’re not alone.
Many dedicated professionals know the language but lose points to small, avoidable communication mistakes.
The good news? You don’t need to figure this out by yourself.
That’s exactly why I created my Strategic Business English Courses and JFLT Upgrade Courses:
focused, practical training designed to prepare you for Global Communication with precision, structure, and confidence.
🎯 Ready to upgrade your performance?
Join my Strategic English Courses and start training with authentic materials designed for real-life missions, in the boardroom and on the field.
DO YOU KNOW what you DON'T KNOW?
Test Your English Level
and Identify your Weak Areas to Reinforce them!
Want to Really Improve Your English with Free Resources? 🚀 Try the following 3 Quick Fixes:
❶ Follow me 📌on Social Networks for more insights! 💎
Enjoy more Dynamic Advice and Join Our Online English Community:
Make your feed more Inspiring, Fun and Useful for your English!
❷ Sign Up 💌for free English Tips, Resources & Blog Updates!
Make sure you Never Miss an Opportunity to Learn, Be Informed and Advance!
Get Your free English Tips, Inspiration & Advice!
❸ Engage 🥇by Commenting and Sharing Your Opinion:
If you don't Play, you can't Win!
Learn Faster with my Reading & Listening Posts and by Writing your thoughts in the comments ✍🏻 Practice all possible Skills!
Get comfortable with the English Language here
& then show the world what you've got!
It's Fun, it's Free.. Why not?💡
★ Still not enough❓
Enquire about my Strategic English Courses. I'm here to help!
Best Tip:
Skip the alienating apps
& Ditch standardized methods that have already proven they don't work for you!
Choose to Learn faster and better
Directly with the Expert English Coach Trusted for Success
by Leading Institutions, Companies & Top Language Schools.
Opt for the VIP treatment
with the English Whisperer they always call back!
Discover the Power of English Coaching.
Start Your Journey Now!
#EnglishCoachTorino #EnglishCoach #english #englishteacher #englishlearning #englishlanguage #englishtips #englishclass #englishcourse #englishonline #englishlesson #personalcoach #militaryenglish #jflt #businessenglish #grammar #esl #ingleseperadulti #ingleseperitaliani #ingleseonline #imparareinglese #flexiblescheduling #personalizedlearning #mobilelearning #blendedlearning #communication #softskills #success #goals
Commenti