1. Spill the beans – Accidentally reveal a secret.

2. Cut to the chase – Get straight to the point.

3. Miss the boat – Miss an opportunity.

4. Cost an arm and a leg – Be very expensive.

5. Once in a blue moon – Happens very rarely.

6. Let sleeping dogs lie – Avoid bringing up past issues to prevent trouble.

If you want to sound more natural in English, learning idioms is a game-changer. Native speakers use idioms all the time, and understanding them will make your conversations smoother and more engaging. In this post, we’ll break down six must-know idioms, their meanings, and how to use them in real life!

1. Spill the Beans 🫘

Meaning: To accidentally reveal a secret.

Example: Luna was planning a surprise party for Noah, but Jake spilled the beans!

Imagine you’re trying to keep something under wraps, but someone blurts it out—oops! That’s spilling the beans. Have you ever done this before? Let us know!

2. Cut to the Chase 🎬

Meaning: Get straight to the point and avoid unnecessary details.

Example: Okay, we’re busy, so let’s cut to the chase—what do you need?

We all know someone who tells a long story when we just need the key details. Next time, tell them, "Let’s cut to the chase!" Now, your turn: Make a short sentence using this idiom in your head—it’s the best way to remember it!

3. Miss the Boat 🚢

Meaning: To miss an opportunity.

Example: I wanted to buy that concert ticket, but I waited too long… I totally missed the boat!

Opportunities don’t wait forever, and sometimes we realize too late that we should have acted sooner. Have you ever "missed the boat" on something important? Share your story!

4. Costs an Arm and a Leg 💰

Meaning: Something very expensive.

Example: That new phone costs an arm and a leg!

Some things are so pricey that they might as well ask for your kidney too! (Just kidding!) What’s something you’ve wanted to buy, but it costs an arm and a leg?

5. Once in a Blue Moon 🌙

Meaning: Something that happens very rarely.

Example: I only eat fast food once in a blue moon!

A "blue moon" is a rare event, and this idiom is perfect for things that don’t happen often. What’s something you do only once in a blue moon? Traveling? Cooking? Exercising?

6. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie 🐶

Meaning: Leave something alone instead of causing trouble.

Example: I was going to remind my boss about my raise, but I decided to let sleeping dogs lie.

If you bring up an old argument, it could cause problems. Sometimes, it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie and move on. Do you agree?

Quick Challenge! 🚀

Now that you’ve learned these six idioms, how many do you remember? Challenge yourself by making a sentence with at least one of them! Drop your sentence in the comments and see how well you did.

Do you have any idioms you want to learn next? Let us know, and we might include them in our next post!

Script:

Alright, so today we're diving into something that I think a lot of people find really interesting

and sometimes a bit tricky too.

We're talking about idioms.

That's those colorful little phrases that pepper English conversation.

And we've got a handful of them here, like six specific ones that we're going to break

down so you can really grasp not just what they mean but how to actually use them yourself.

Yeah, and you know it's fascinating how much meaning can be packed into these short phrases.

It's almost like they have a secret code embedded within the language.

Absolutely.

So let's kick things off with our first idiom, spill the beans.

Okay, so imagine this.

You've got a surprise party all planned out top secret, right?

But then someone gets a little overexcited and accidentally lets us slip to the person the parties for.

In that moment, you might hear someone say, oh no, they spilled the beans.

Now, what comes to mind when you hear that?

You might picture like an actual mess with beans right here.

It's a natural connection our brains tend to make.

Language often uses these concrete images to express more abstract ideas.

Exactly.

But in this case, we've got a shift our thinking a little bit away from the kitchen

and more towards the idea of keeping something hidden secret.

So if someone spilled the beans, what do you think actually happened?

Well, it means that information that was supposed to be kept under wraps has been revealed

usually unintentionally.

Bingo.

Spilled the beans equals accidentally revealing a secret.

You know, you've spent weeks planning this awesome birthday bash, all hush hush,

and then your friend, totally well-meaning, but maybe a big clumsy,

mentions how excited they are for the surprise to the birthday person themselves.

And just like that, the beans are spilled.

It's such a common scenario.

You see it in movies all the time.

That moment where a secret gets out and throws everything off.

There's theory, by the way, although it's not completely confirmed that this idiom

might go all the way back to ancient times when beans were used for secret voting.

So spilling the beans would be like revealing the results before they were supposed to be known.

Pretty interesting, huh?

I love that.

It's like a little history lesson sprinkled in.

It just adds so much depth to what might seem like a simple phrase.

Now think about your own life.

Have you ever been in a situation where you are the one who spilled the beans?

Maybe even by accident.

It happens to the best of us, a slip of the tongue, a moment of excitement,

and suddenly a secret's out in the open.

Or maybe you've been on the other side the one who had the beans spilled on them.

Oh, I have definitely been on both sides.

Yeah, believe me.

All right, let's move on to our next idiom.

This one I think speaks to our modern fast-paced lives.

Imagine you're watching a movie and it feels like it's taking forever to get to the point.

There are all these side plots and extra details that don't seem that crucial.

And you're just waiting for the action to really start.

You know what I'm talking about, right?

What's that feeling?

I think a lot of people would relate to that need for efficiency

to get to the heart of the matter without all the extra stuff.

Exactly.

You might find yourself thinking,

can we just get to the chase already?

Yeah.

And there you have it.

Cut to the chase.

It means to get straight to the point,

skipping all the unnecessary bits and diving right into the most important

or the most exciting part.

And thinking about where it might come from,

some say it originated with those old action films where the chase scene was the highlight everyone was waiting for.

So cut to the chase became like saying,

let's skip to the good part.

That makes so much sense.

It's like saying,

I don't need all the background info right now.

Just give me the key takeaways.

You know, like in a work meeting when time is tight and the agenda is packed,

you might think,

okay, team, can we cut to the chase here?

What are the main decisions we need to make today?

Right.

It shows you value everyone's time

and you want to communicate efficiently and directly.

For sure.

We've all been there, right?

Not just meetings, but maybe you're scrolling through a long email and you're like,

just cut to the chase, tell me what I need to do.

Or even when you're listening to a friend tell a story that's going off on a million tangents,

you might gently encourage them to cut to the chase.

Yeah, it's definitely a handy phrase to have in your back pocket

for those moments when you need clarity and you need it fast.

So I want you listening to think for a second about a recent situation

where someone could have cut to the chase.

Maybe a presentation that dragged on or an explanation that went on and on.

Great idea.

Just picture that situation and try to form a sentence in your mind using cut to the chase.

It doesn't have to be perfect just a way to start getting comfortable with it.

It's funny how the directness of the phrase itself really reflects what it means.

There's no beating around the bush when you say cut to the chase.

Okay, so let's switch gears a bit and talk about another idiom, miss the boat.

Oh, this is a good one.

Okay, so first let's think about the literal meaning.

What happens if you actually miss a boat that you were supposed to be on?

Well, you're stuck.

You've missed your chance to go wherever that boat was headed.

There's a real sense of lost opportunity there.

Exactly.

And that feeling of missing out is exactly what this idiom captures.

To miss the boat means you missed an opportunity because you didn't act in time.

It was right there, but you hesitated and now it's gone.

And there's often this feeling of regret that goes along with it.

If only I had done the sooner kind of feeling.

Totally.

Let's say tickets for your favorite band went on sale and you thought,

oh, I'll grab them next week.

But then next week rolls around and boom, they're sold out.

You totally missed the boat on those tickets.

It's that frustrating moment when you realize the window of opportunity has slammed shut.

Oh, tell me about it.

Happens with sales all the time too.

You see something you like at a great price, but you think maybe it'll go even lower.

And then when you finally decide to buy it, the sale is over.

Prices back up, you missed the boat on that bargain.

And it's not just about buying things either.

It can apply to any kind of opportunity, a job application deadline.

You missed a chance to learn a new skill that you kept putting off

or even a social invitation that you didn't respond to in time.

So true.

Like your friends are planning a weekend trip and you keep saying you'll let them know,

but by the time you finally do, all the spots are filled.

You missed the boat on all that fun.

Okay, so think back.

Have you ever missed the boat on something?

What was it?

And as you're thinking about it, see if you can form a sentence using

missed the boat to describe that situation.

It's a great way to connect the meaning to a real experience.

Absolutely.

Yeah, even a simple sentence will help solidify it in your mind.

All right, so let's keep this idiom train rolling.

Next up, we have one that paints a pretty vivid picture.

Costs an arm and a leg.

This one is all about highlighting just how expensive something is.

Right. Imagine someone's offering you something,

but the price is so ridiculously high that you feel like you'd literally have to give up

an arm and a leg to afford it.

No, obviously that's not something anyone would actually do,

but it emphasizes that feeling of, whoa, this is way too much.

Exactly.

You see brand new car all decked out with the latest tech.

And then you look at the price tag and you're like, whoa,

that thing costs an arm and a leg.

It's a way of saying it's outrageously expensive.

It's that sticker shock moment for sure.

And it doesn't have to be a car.

It could be a designer handbag, a first-class plane ticket,

or even some rare collector's item.

If the price makes your jaw drop,

you could definitely say it costs an arm and a leg.

It usually implies that it's overpriced too.

Like, it's not really worth that much,

but someone's charging an exorbitant amount anyway.

You might admire it from afar,

but ultimately decide it's way beyond your budget.

Definitely.

You know, I was looking at some vintage vinyl records online recently,

and some of those rare first-pressings,

oh, they definitely cost an arm and a leg.

Gorgeous to look at, but way out of my price range.

Yeah, it's that feeling of, I love it,

but there's no way I'm paying that much.

So for our listeners out there,

what's something you've come across lately

that made you think that costs an arm and a leg?

Yeah, share those examples.

And as always, try using the idiom in a sentence.

Maybe it's about the cost of college these days

where the price of a new gaming console,

the more you use these idioms,

the more natural they'll become.

Speaking of natural, let's move on to our next idiom.

Once in a blue moon.

No, this one is interesting.

When we see the moon,

it's usually white or yellowish, right?

So why blue moon?

Ah, that's a great question.

And it gets right to the heart of what this idiom means.

A blue moon isn't really about the color of the moon

most of the time.

It refers to an event that's pretty rare,

like when you have a second full moon

within a single calendar month or a third full moon

in a season that usually has four.

And because these things don't happen all the time,

once in a blue moon has come to mean something

that occurs very, very infrequently.

Oh, I see.

So it's not about the moon actually being blue.

It's about how rarely something happens.

There is, precisely.

And even seeing a moon that actually looks blue

because of certain atmospheric conditions

is even a rarer than these astronomical blue moons.

So the phrase really emphasizes the idea

of something exceptional in the out of the ordinary.

That makes sense.

So if I said I go at dancing once in a blue moon,

it means it's not something I do regularly.

Maybe just for special occasions

or when I'm feeling really spontaneous.

And for me, it might be something like,

I have a completely free weekend

with absolutely no plans once in a blue moon.

With a busy life,

those truly free weekends are pretty rare.

I think we can all relate to that.

We all have those things we do,

only very occasionally like visiting a relative

who lives far away or pursuing a hobby

we don't have much time for.

So for you listening,

think about something you do once in a blue moon.

Maybe it's a particular food you enjoy very rarely

or a trip you take only once in a while.

And as always, try incorporating once in a blue moon

into a sentence about that rare event.

It'll help you remember the meaning

and make it a part of your active vocabulary.

Absolutely.

Okay, ready for our final idiom of the day?

Bring it on.

All right, here it is.

Let's sleeping dogs lie.

What do you think of when you hear that?

It definitely makes me picture a dog peacefully sleeping.

And I know if I woke it up suddenly,

I might not be too happy about it.

Exactly.

You'd be disrupting its peace

and potentially causing a negative reaction.

And that's the essence of this idiom.

Let sleeping dogs lie

means it's better to leave a situation alone,

especially if it's not causing any problems right now

to avoid stirring up trouble.

Right, it's like saying don't poke the bear

or don't rock the boat.

Sometimes it's best to just leave things be.

It's about recognizing that even if something isn't perfect

messing with it,

it might make things worse.

Oh, I've definitely been there.

Like maybe there was a disagreement at work

that seems to have calmed down.

Even though you feel you were right,

you decide to let it go instead of bringing it up again

because it might just reignite the conflict.

You're choosing to let sleeping dogs lie.

It's a practical approach often used to keep the peace

and avoid unnecessary confrontation.

For sure.

Or maybe you had an argument with a family member

and even though things aren't totally resolved,

you choose not to bring it up during a family gathering

just to keep things harmonious

or letting sleeping dogs lie.

It's about weighing the potential benefits

of addressing an issue

against the risk of making things worse

or opening old wounds.

So true.

Okay, so last question for our listeners.

Think of a time when you decided it was best

to let sleeping dogs lie.

What was the situation?

And try putting it into a sentence

using the idiom let sleeping dogs lie

to describe your decision.

And that brings us to the end of our idiom extravaganza.

We covered spill the beans, cut to the chase,

missed the boat, cost an arm and a leg,

once in a blue moon,

and let sleeping dogs lie.

Quite a collection of colorful expressions.

Definitely.

Now as we wrap things up,

take a moment to see which of these idioms really stuck with you.

Can you remember what they mean?

Maybe even picture a situation

where you might use one or two of them this week.

That's a great way to reinforce your learning

actively thinking about how you can apply

these idioms in your own life.

Exactly.

And remember the best way to truly master

any language skill is to practice.

So try making your own simple sentences

with each of these idioms.

It'll help you internalize them

and make them feel more natural

in your everyday speech.

And don't be afraid to experiment.

Language learning is all about trying things out

and seeing what works for you.

We're always curious to hear your thoughts too.

What are you struggling with in English?

What would you like to learn more about?

Let us know in the comments.

Your feedback helps us create content

that's relevant and useful for you.

Absolutely.

We appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts

and be a part of this learning journey.

Thanks for joining us for this deep dive

into the world of idioms.

Keep practicing

and you'll be amazed

at how much more expressive and fluent

your English will become.

Until next time,

keep exploring and keep learning.