Expression Index
42 English expressions and idioms from film and TV. Click any phrase to see its meaning, usage, and examples.
A
B
C
Commit a crime
To carry out an illegal act.
B2 Identity & Self
Con man / To con
A con man is someone who wins people's trust in...
B1 Social Situations
Connect the dots
To see how separate events or decisions in your life...
B2 Identity & Self
Curry favour" — The Shawshank Redemption
To curry favour means to try to gain someone's approval...
B1 Idioms & Expressions
F
G
H
I
L
Leave It at That
To leave it at that means to stop talking or...
B1 Relationships
Let the cat out of the bag" — Sherlock
To let the cat out of the bag means to...
B1 Idioms & Expressions
Level someone with your eyes
To emotionally overwhelm or disarm someone with a single look....
B2 Relationships
Like Someone's Killing a Cat
This is a simile. A simile is a figure of...
B1 Social Situations
Live with that
To carry the emotional weight or consequences of a past...
B2 Identity & Self
M
N
O
On the level
Honest, straightforward, and trustworthy. Not hiding anything.
B1 Social Situations
Once more into the breach
A quote from Shakespeare's Henry V meaning "let's go into...
B2 Relationships
One thing led to another
This phrase means something happened step by step, and the...
B2 Social Situations
Out of Hand
To dismiss something out of hand means to reject it...
B1 Relationships
P
Play hardball" — Pretty Woman
To play hardball means to be tough, aggressive, and uncompromising...
B1 Idioms & Expressions
Put on the map
To make a place, person, or thing famous or well...
B1 Social Situations
Put up" (money)
To put up money means to offer or contribute money...
B2 Social Situations
S
T
Talk some sense into someone
To persuade someone to think or act more clearly and...
B2 Identity & Self
That kid's long gone
The person I used to be no longer exists. I...
B2 Identity & Self
The well-worn path
The safe, familiar route that most people take. A conventional,...
B2 Identity & Self
The whole works
Everything included. The full package. Used to say you know...
B2 Relationships
The world is your oyster" — Dead Poets Society
This idiom means you have every opportunity available to you....
B1 Idioms & Expressions
Throw caution to the wind" — Groundhog Day
To throw caution to the wind means to stop worrying...
B1 Idioms & Expressions
To be fined
To be ordered to pay money as a punishment for...
B1 Social Situations
Trust your gut
To follow your instinct or inner feeling, especially when logic...
B2 Identity & Self
Two to one odds
This is a betting expression. If you have "two to...
B2 Social Situations