Phrases with as ... as ...

 – Informal
English
 s angry as hell

 as bitter as gall

 as black as hell

 as blind as a bat

 as bold as brass as

 brave as a lion

 as bright as a button

 as busy as a bee

 as calm as a millpond

 as cheap as dirt

 as clean as a whistle

 as clear as day

 as clear as mud

 as close as the grave

 as clumsy as an elephant

 as cold as marble

 as cold as steel/stone

 as cool as a cucumber

 as cunning as a fox

 as dark as death

 as dead as a dodo/doornail

 as deaf as a post

 as drunk as a lord

 as dry as dust

 as dull as ditchwater
 as easy as anything/pie

 as fast as a deer

 as fat as a pig

 as fit as a fiddle

 as flat as a pancake

 as fresh as a daisy

 as gentle as a lamb

 as good as gold

 as good as new

 as green as grass

 as hard as nails

 as harmless as a dove

 as heavy as lead

 as high as a kite

 as hot as fire

 as hungry as a wolf

 as large as life

 as light as a feather
 as like as two peas

 as mad as a hatter

 as mean as a snake

 as nutty as a fruitcake

 as old as the hills

 as pale as death

 as poor as a church mouse

 as poor as dirt

 as pretty as a picture

 as proud as a peacock

 as quick as a flash
 as regular as a clockwor

 as right as rain

 as safe as houses

 as sick as a dog, parrot

 as slim as a willow

 as sober as a judge

 as sound as a bell

 as steady as a rock

 as sure as hell

 as thick as thieves

 as thin as a stick

 as tired as a dog

 as tough as old boots

 as ugly as sin

 as warm as toast

 as weak as water

 as white as snow

 as white as a ghost

Phrases with as ... as ... – Exercise

1
1. as brave as                        
2. as busy as                        
3. as white as                        
4. as green as                        
5. as drunk as                        
6. as steady as                        
7. as fat as                        
8. as tired as                        
9. as good as                        
10. as heavy as                        

Informal English Vocabulary,

Idioms – A – M

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

about to Peggy is about to leave.

in advance We booked the tickets in advance.

alive and kicking I love Berlin. It's alive and kicking.

I went out in the sun. Then, all of a sudden, it

all of a sudden
started to rain.

There are environmental problems all over the

all over the place
place.

to go from bad to worse My marks went from bad to worse last term.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

to bag sth. Tom bagged this special offer at an online-shop.

beat-up Mark is too beat-up to play tennis this evening.

to do the best He always does his best.

blabber Don't listen to him, he's a blabber.

Once in a while young Tim blags his father's

to blag sth.
cigarettes.

bloody What a bloody day!

to be blue She's been feeling blue all day.

a closed book  

A bouncer's task is to keep out those who might

bouncer
cause trouble.

bowl of cherries Marriage it's not always bowls of cherries.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

be broke I can't go to the cinema with you, I'm broke.

to brush up on sth. I have to brush up on my Spanish.

You can buy a DVD player for less than

buck
100 bucks.

butt You're a pain in the butt.

buzz Parachuting gives me a real buzz.

Buzz off! I have told you not to come to my place

Buzz off!
anymore.

a close call I had a close call. A stone almost hit me!

like cat and dog  

to catch sth. Sorry, I didn't quite catch your telephone number.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

to catch (a) cold I walked out in the rain, so I caught (a) cold.

not to have a clue I don't have a clue about repairing the faucet.

Come off it! Come off it! This isn't the truth.

as far as I'm concerned As far as I'm concerned, I'd like to watch the film.

A big crowd of cops gathered in front of the Bank

cop
of England.

Mother really liked corner shosp when she was a

corner shop
child.

Many pupils have to go to a cram school in the

cram school
afternoon.

on credit I'd not buy the new TV on credit.

cut Mr Brown made big cuts of $500 million.

D
Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

damned I hate going through that damned rush hour.

to drive like the devil  

If you take or express an opinion and refuse to

to dig in one's heels
change it, you dig in your heels.

dirt cheap  

to disrespect sb. Poor people shouldn't be disrespected.

to do one's best He does his best to fix the car.

to do someone good Let's go on a holiday. The sun will do us good.

to do without If there's no milk for the tea, it'll do without.

down under Down under will be my next destination.

to be up to one's ears Sorry, I can't go out with you. I'm up to my ears in

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

work.

to eat like a horse  

to eat like a pig  

every now and then Every now and then I play the piano.

every other He comes to me every other week.

to see eye to eye World Bank and IMF see eye to eye on Asia

fair enough Fair enough! Let's go out for dinner tonight.

Especially fiddles are necessary to play folk

fiddle
music.

I have to see the doctor for a checkup. - I'll keep

to keep the fingers crossed
my fingers crossed for you.
Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

flutter The old lady loves a flutter on the slot machine.

folk We all are fond of the Irish folk.

for free I was lucky. I got this CD for free.

Ron freaked out when he heard that Peter had

freak out
broken his car.

fridge Butter must be kept in the fridge.

to get a lot of stick In his new job Jack gets a lot of stick.

He wanted to speak to the boss, but he didn't.

to get cold feet
He got cold feet.

to get fed up with sth. They get fed up with their neighbour's parties.

to get rid of sth. We have to get rid of that old car.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

to get sth. Jason, did you finally get your exercise?

to take sth. for granted I took it for granted the meeting was on Tuesday.

I'd rather starve instead of eating at a greasy

greasy spoon
spoon.

groovy This cocktail tastes greasy spoon.

Jennifer fell in love with the guy from the

guy
supermarket.

had better You'd better go now.

Sue likes pop music, on the other hand she

on the other hand
doesn't like discos.

to give a hand Can you give me a hand with the cupboard?

hard graft Building our house has been a hard graft.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

by heart My brother has to learn the poem by heart.

hip Molly always knows what's hip.

›Hold your horses‹, I said when John began to

to hold s.o.'s horses
leave the room.

to be hooked on sth. Bill is hooked on car racing.

The boss jumped down my throat because I was

to jump down sb.'s throat
late for work.

knackered What has happened? You look so knackered.

to keep an eye on sth./sb. Will you keep an eye on my baby?

L
Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

Andrew had an accident while playing ice-

little by little
hockey. Little by little he begins to walk.

to look forward to sb. I look forward to my holidays in Rome.

She's been out of work for years. How can

to make ends meet
she make ends meet with four children?

to make friends easily Chris makes friends easily.

to make oneself at home Come in, please. Make youreself at home.

Let's make the most of the last day of our

to make the most
holidays.

Did you make up your mind to buy a new

to make up one's mind
computer?

mash I love Grandma's homemade mash.

What's the matter? You look sad. What's the matter? with you?

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

to be mean Grandfather is mean with money.

I don't like his ideas, but I can imagine that we

to meet sb. halfway
should meet halfway.

The clown messed around to make the children

to mess around
laugh.

to mess up Sandy has really messed up this time.

From now on I'm going to

drive more carefully.

old fart Bob isn't an entertainer, he is an old fart.

pint ›A pint for me, please.‹

to be pissed off Leave me alone, I'm pissed off!

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

pitchdark  

plonk Plonk often causes a bad headache.

to come to the point Don't talk for hours. Come to the point.

to pop in I won't be back early. I'll pop in at Max's.

My mother doesn't let me go out. Can you put in a

to put in a word for sb.
word for me, please?

pretty much They earn pretty much money together.

We can't come to the party. This is out of the

out of the question
question.

quid A quid is a pound in British currency.

R
Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

red tape Too much red tape takes everything longer.

right as rain Your baby is right as rain.

Fred was sacked because he had lost his driving

to sack sb.
licence.

scruffy Her apartment is very scruffy.

Let's have a party on Saturday. I'll see about the

to see about
drinks.

sharpish After a quarrel Mike left sharpish.

to sing like an angel  

to be in someone's shoes I don't want to be in Peter's shoes.

to shut up Shut up or disappear before I get furious.

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

can't stand I can't stand the rain.

During their holiday the Bakers lived in the sticks.

in the sticks
Far away from towns.

to stick sth./sb. I can't stick more of this.

stroppy Jimmy is a stroppy child.

Where is all that stuff I bought at Oxfam's

stuff
yesterday?

Take it easy.  

You're a couch potato. All you can do is sit in front

telly
of the telly.

thick Are you thick? This is the right number.

Think nothing of it.  

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

to be on time Please be on time.

to take one's time Take your time.

After walking through the cold rain everyone

tipple
enjoyed a tipple.

tomato-red hair He's got tomato-red hair.

Do you know where Fred lives? - I've lost track of

to loose track
him.

to take turns My sister and Anne take turns babysitting.

You'd better watch your step if you don't want

Watch your step.
trouble with your boss.

like water on a hot stone  

You've got to wear many hats if you want to run

to wear many hats
your own hotel.
Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

I think I'll stay at home tonight. I'm feeling a

to feel under the weather
little under the weather.

When push comes to shove you'd rather accept

when push comes to shove
the job.

as white as snow  

No wonder he is ill. He went out in shorts in

no wonder
winter.

a word in your ear Could I have a word in your ear?

Did you hear about Sue and Pat? – Words fail

Words fail me.
me.

to eat one's words I'm sorry. I'll eat my words.

in other words In other words, you can't answer the question.

I had words with the headteacher of my son's

to have words with sb.
school

to work like a dog  

Idioms/Informal Phrases Sample Sentences

Would you like to spend your holidays in the

would rather
North? No - I'd rather fly to Mexico.

to wow sb. His appearance at the party wowed me.

The arrow zinged through the trees as fast as

to zing through sth.
lightning.

Phrases in conversations –
Exercise
1. Would you like to come to dinner next Friday?
 I'm afraid, I can't.
 Unfortunately not.
 Certainly not.
2. Thank you very much for all your trouble.
 No matter.
 Don't mention it.
 It's not worth it.
 3. Could you tell me the way to the station, please?
 Yes, I could.
 Yes.
 Yes, of course.
4. My name is Sue. How do you do?
 How do you do?
 I'm fine, thank you.
 All right.
5. May I open the window?
 I'd rather you didn't.
 Not at all.
 No.
6. Give my love to your grandma.
 Yes, sure.
 Yes, I will. Thank you.
 Yes, please.
7. I think you've taken my bag by mistake.
 What a shame.
 Pardon.
 I'm so sorry.
8. Happy New Year.
 OK.
 The same to you.
 Yours too.
9. Lovely day today, isn't it?
 Yes, it is.
 Yes, it's so.
 Yes, of course.

15 MOST COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Here are the 15 most common English idioms and phrases that will enrich
your English vocabulary and make you sound like a native speaker.

1. ‘The best of both worlds’ – means you can enjoy two different opportunities
at the same time.
“By working part-time and looking after her kids two days a week she managed
to get the best of both worlds.”

2. ‘Speak of the devil’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about
actually appears at that moment.

“Hi Tom, speak of the devil, I was just telling Sara about your new car.”

3. ‘See eye to eye’ – this means agreeing with someone.

“They finally saw eye to eye on the business deal.”

4. ‘Once in a blue moon’ – an event that happens infrequently.

“I only go to the cinema once in a blue moon.”

5. ‘When pigs fly’ – something that will never happen.

“When pigs fly she’ll tidy up her room.”

6. ‘To cost an arm and a leg’– something is very expensive.

“Fuel these days costs and arm and a leg.”

7. ‘A piece of cake’– something is very easy.

“The English test was a piece of cake.”

8. ‘Let the cat out of the bag’ – to accidentally reveal a secret.

“I let the cat out of the bag about their wedding plans.”

9. ‘To feel under the weather’ – to not feel well.

“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”

10. ‘To kill two birds with one stone’ – to solve two problems at once.
“By taking my dad on holiday, I killed two birds with one stone. I got to go
away but also spend time with him.”

11. ‘To cut corners’ – to do something badly or cheaply.

“They really cut corners when they built this bathroom; the shower is leaking.”

12. ‘To add insult to injury’ – to make a situation worse.

“To add insult to injury the car drove off without stopping after knocking me off
my bike.”

13. ‘You can’t judge a book by its cover’ – to not judge someone or something
based solely on appearance.
“I thought this no-brand bread would be horrible; turns out you can’t judge a
book by its cover.”

14. ‘Break a leg’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on
stage).
“Break a leg Sam, I’m sure your performance will be great.”

15. ‘To hit the nail on the head’ – to describe exactly what is causing a
situation or problem.

“He hit the nail on the head when he said this company needs more HR
support.”

To test your new-found knowledge here are some sentences to practice with. Fill
in the blank!

A) I can’t afford this purse! It _______. I won’t be able to pay my rent!

B) His birthday was supposed to be a surprise! I can’t believe you _____. Now
he knows!
C) Ha! John has been promising to paint the house for five years…. Maybe
when _______.
D) Yeah, it’ll _______. I need to sign some papers at Jenny’s school anyway so
i’ll pick her up for you too.
E) I don’t really like going out to bars anymore. I only go _______.
F) I’m sorry I can’t come into work today. I’m ________. I have a sore throat
and runny nose.
G) They tried ________ when installing the pipes for the house and now we
have leaks only one month after purchasing it!
H) We missed our flight to Paris because the connecting flight was late and to
______ they made us pay for a new ticket as if it was our fault!
I) I can’t wait to see you perform on stage tonight! ______!
J) Jane is just never on time to work, it’s really annoying. O wow, ______ here
she comes…
K) So we’re going to London, then Munich, then we will fly out of Athens,
right? Great. I’m so glad to be traveling with someone I _______ with.
L) Wow, she found her dream man and has now landed an amazing job. She
really does have ______.
M) OK, she might not be the most attractive but _________. I’m sure she is a
sweetheart.
N) I have been trying to figure this out for ages. Thanks so much, you’re right.
You _______.
 O) I can’t believe that was our test. I think it was easier than some of our
homework! It was a ______.

Answers: 6, 8, 5, 10, 4, 9, 11, 12, 14, 2, 3, 1, 13, 15, 7.

Proverbs in English
 A bad workman always blames his tools.

 A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

 A friend in need is a friend indeed.

 A miss is as good as a mile.

 A new broom sweeps clean.

 A picture is worth a thousand words.

 A rolling stone gathers no moss.

 A sharp tongue does not mean that you have a keen mind.

 A stitch in time saves nine.

 Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

 Actions speak louder than words.

 All good things come to an end.

 All work and no play make Jack a dull boy.

 All that glitters is not gold.

 All's well that ends well.

 Any Tim, Dick or Harry.

 As you make your bed, so you must lie.

 Barking dogs never bite.

 Barking up the wrong tree Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

 Beauty is only skin deep.

 Before you can say Jack Robinson.

 Beggars cannot be choosers.

 Better late than never.

 Better safe than sorry.

 Birds of a feather, flock together.

 Broken crockery brings you luck.

 Charity begins at home.

 Close but no cigar.

 Do lunch or be lunch.

 Don't count your chicken before they are hatched.

 Don't cross a bridge till you come to it.

 Don't mock the afflicted.

 Dripping hollows out rock.

 Easy come easy go.

 Enough is as good as a feast.

 Every cloud has a silver lining.

 Every Jack will find his Jill.

 Fair exchange is no robbery.

 Few sandwiches short of a picnic.

 Fine feathers make fine birds.

 First come, first served.

 For Pete's sake.

 Fortune favours fools.

 Good things come to those who wait.

 Great minds think alike.

 Harm set, harm get.

 He deserved the break.

 He had reckoned without his host.

 He is a chip of the old block.

 He who makes no mistakes, makes nothing.

 Honesty is the best policy.

 I wouldn't live in that dump if you paid me! If wishes were horses, beggars
would ride.
 In for a penny, in for a pound.

 It is foolish to fear that which you cannot avoid.

 It is never too late to mend.

 It is too late to shut the barn door after the horse has bolted.

 It never rains but it pours.

 It takes two to tango.

 It's raining cats and dogs.

 Justice was never done but someone complained.

 Kill 2 birds with one stone.

 Knowledge is power.

 Lies don't travel far.

 Lies have short legs.

 Like father like son.

 Listeners hear no good of themselves.

 ... lots of red tape

 Many hands make light work.

 Mind your own business.

 Misery loves company.

 Mistakes are often the best teachers.

 Money isn't everything.

 Monkey see monkey do.

 More haste less speed.

 Necessity is the mother of invention.

 Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

 Never spread yourself too thin.

 No news is good news.

 No pains - no gains.
 Not all who own a lyre are lyre-players.

 Once bitten twice shy.

 Once one has served one's purpose one is simply discarded.

 One good turn deserves another.

 One man's meat is another man's poison.

 One swallow doesn't make a summer.

 Opportunity makes thieves.

 Out of sight, out of mind.

 Out of the heat, into the frying pan.

 Payback is a bitch.

 Penny wise, pound foolish.

 People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

 Postponed is not abandoned.

 Practice makes perfect.

 Pride comes before the fall.

 Promises are made to be kept.

 Rats desert the sinking ship.

 Slow and steady wins the race.

 Speech is silver silence is gold.

 Still waters run deep.

 Strike while the iron is hot.

 Take care of the pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.

 That's old hat.

 The early bird catches the worm.

 The end justifies the means.

 The last straw that breaks the camels back.

 The pot calling the kettle black.

 The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

 There's no fool like an old fool.

 Tit for tat.

 to be between the devil and the deep blue sea

 to beat about/around the bush

 to blow one's own trumpet

 to carry coals to Newcastle.

 to drop a brick

 to pull someone's leg

 to put the pedal to the metal

 to ride shotgun

 Too many cooks spoil the broth.

 Two wrongs don't make it right.

 What goes around comes around.

 What the eye does not see the heart cannot grieve over.

 When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

 When the cat's away the mice will play.

 When two people quarrel, a third rejoices.

 Where there is a will there is a way.

 You can easily fall into your own trap.

 You can't change the habits of a lifetime.

 You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs.

 You can't study on a full stomach.

 You can't teach an old dog new tricks.

 You don't know the value of water before the well runs dry.