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By British Council

18 August 2025 - 22:00

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Learning English idioms can improve your fluency and help you express yourself in more interesting ways. Idioms are a part of natural language use, alongside phrasal verbs and collocations. If you’re taking IELTS, they’re essential to scoring a Band 7 or above in the Speaking test. 

The challenge is that there are an estimated 25,000  English idioms in use. Many of these are specific to certain regions or social groups, so how do you know which ones to use?

Randomly memorising English idioms can easily backfire. You may end up using expressions that are outdated, uncommon, or sound unnatural, which could negatively affect your performance in the IELTS Speaking test

To make things easier, we’ve put together a list of some of the most commonly used English idioms and phrases. You’ll also find practical IELTS Speaking tips - including when to use idioms naturally and how to work them into real-life responses. Let’s get started!

The most common English idioms and phrases

1. To add insult to injury

This expression is used when something makes a bad situation even worse. It fits well with everyday experiences you might talk about in Speaking Part 1.

Question: “Do you like using public transportation?”

Answer: “Yes, I usually do, but last week I missed my bus by just a minute and, to add insult to injury, it started raining heavily right after, so I got completely soaked waiting for the next one.”

2. At the drop of a hat

When was the last time you immediately started an activity without planning it first? You might say you did it ‘at the drop of a hat’.

You can use this English idiom with a wide range of topics, whether you’re talking about yourself or others. For example:

‘People can’t expect to change their entire lifestyle at the drop of a hat. You’re more likely to stick to exercise routines if you start small and develop a strong routine.’

‘While travel has become more convenient, not everyone can go abroad at the drop of a hat. Most people have to book time off work.’

3. To bark up the wrong tree

‘Barking up the wrong tree’ means someone is looking for solutions to a problem in the wrong places. It’s great for talking about social issues:

'Drivers love to blame cyclists for traffic but they’re barking up the wrong tree. The real issue is the lack of cycle lanes.'

'If people think the tourists are to blame for overcrowding, they’re barking up the wrong tree. It’s the government’s responsibility to regulate things like hotels and flights.'

4. A blessing in disguise

When a situation seems bad but turns out to be good, you can use this English idiom. It works well for talking about personal experiences:

'I was upset when my family left our hometown but it was a blessing in disguise. Because my dad got a better job, he could pay for my private English lessons.'

5. To break the ice

Meeting people for the first time can be awkward. We use ‘to break the ice’ to talk about the things we do to get to know each other and feel relaxed.

As many Part 1 questions are about people you know, a speaking tip for IELTS is to prepare expressions for talking about when you met. For example:

'My best friend and I were roommates at university. I was a little shy but she broke the ice by telling me lots of jokes.'

6. By the skin of one’s teeth

When you only just succeed at something, you can say you did it ‘by the skin of your teeth’. You can use this expression to talk about small issues in your daily life or major achievements.

'The last bus leaves ten minutes after my shift finishes. Sometimes I only make it by the skin of my teeth.'

'I was one point off failing my driving theory test so I passed by the skin of my teeth.'

 7. To call it a day

‘To call it a day’ simply means to agree to stop doing something. The expression works well for a range of IELTS topics from work and school to hobbies.

'I decided to call it a day after I’d been working at the company for two years with no promotion.'

'After I hurt my back playing football, I knew it was time to call it a day.'

8. To cut corners

People who cut corners don’t do the task properly to save time and money, but the end result isn’t usually very good.

Speaking tip for IELTS: You can use this English idiom to describe people you know who don’t always pay attention to detail or who take a more relaxed approach to work.

'My brother cuts corners in his English literature class - he always watches the film version instead of reading the books.'

Additionally, you can use it to talk about social issues in Part 2 and 3:

'You can’t cut corners when it comes to education - people need strong maths and literacy skills if they’re to thrive in the workplace.'

9. To get one’s act together

If someone should improve their behaviour or performance, you can say they need to ‘get their act together’.

It’s perfect for talking about times where you struggled:

'I kept getting Cs and Ds in English until I really got my act together and started studying more.'

10. To go the extra mile

Done something especially nice for a friend? Or worked harder to achieve something important? You can use this English idiom to talk about it in your IELTS Speaking test.

'My community went the extra mile and rebuilt all the houses that were destroyed in last year’s flood.'

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11. To hit the nail on the head

When someone is exactly right about something, we can say they ‘hit the nail on the head’. It’s one of the most common English idioms and phrases used to discuss other people’s opinions or arguments when talking about social issues in Part 2 and Part 3.

In our group discussion, one student hit the nail on the head when he said the biggest challenge with online learning is staying motivated.

12. To jump on the bandwagon

While this English idiom might sound fun, it can be both positive and negative. You say it when someone has started doing an activity or sharing an opinion because it’s popular.

Speaking tip for IELTS: Plenty of IELTS Speaking topics such as fashion and travel involve talking about trends — try using this idiom then.

'A few cafés started charging extra for students to use laptops and pretty soon all of them jumped on the bandwagon.'

13. To kill two birds with one stone

Although it’s not a pleasant image, ‘to kill two birds with one stone’ is a common English idiom. We use it to talk about how we solved two problems with one solution.

'The school killed two birds with one stone and had the older students coach the younger ones for extra credit.'

14. To let the cat out of the bag

When someone accidentally reveals a secret or a surprise, we can say they’ve ‘let the cat out of the bag’. You might use it when you’re telling a brief story about something that happened to you.

‘I was trying to keep my new job offer a secret, but my brother let the cat out of the bag during dinner.’ 

15. To let something slide

Sometimes we know someone is doing something wrong but we don’t stop them. That’s called ‘letting something slide’.

It’s a good idiom for talking about minor personal issues:

'My colleague always borrows my pens without asking but she’s nice so I let it slide.'

Speaking tip for IELTS: you can also use it to talk about bigger problems in society.

'Too many managers are letting things slide because they don’t want to upset their team and risk losing productivity'

16. Like two peas in a pod

Very similar people can be described as ‘two peas in a pod’. We mostly use this English idiom to describe appearance but it’s also perfect for talking about personalities.

Which family member are you most similar to? A good speaking tip for IELTS is preparing idioms to describe them in Part 1.

'My brother and I are like two peas in a pod. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Tall. But our little sister doesn’t look anything like us.'

17. Once in a blue moon

‘Once in a blue moon’ can replace the word ‘rarely’, but make sure you put it before or after the clause. For example:

'I rarely go out in the evenings.'

'I go out in the evenings once in a blue moon.'

'Once in a blue moon I go out in the evenings.'

18. To sit on the fence

People ‘sit on the fence’ when they find it hard to make a decision. Sometimes they might never pick a side.

English idioms like this one are a useful way of framing opinions - either yours or others around you.

'People sit on the fence when it comes to climate change but I don’t think there’s any doubt that pollution has had a lasting impact on our environment.'

19. To take something with a pinch of salt

When you take something with a pinch of salt, you’re doubtful about whether it’s the whole truth.

You can use this to suggest the IELTS examiner should be sceptical about a claim.

'Leaders in my country say they’re going to decrease inflation. Take that with a pinch of salt though.'

20. Under the weather

Feeling unwell is something most people experience at some point, making it a likely topic in the IELTS Speaking test. 

Maybe you caught a mild flu while on holiday or had to spend a short time in hospital during your studies. If your story involves a minor illness, it’s a great opportunity to use this English idiom.

'I went swimming every day on holiday except just after we arrived when I was feeling under the weather. Jet lag always makes me feel awful.'

Final Thoughts: How to increase speaking skills in IELTS

Idioms are an essential part of English vocabulary. Native speakers use them naturally, so be careful not to overdo it or use ones that don’t really fit the topic.

Also, try to avoid overused idioms that can sound a bit awkward. That means it’s not enough to just memorise a list of phrases - you need to practise using idioms in context, both when speaking and writing, well before your IELTS test day.

Idioms make your speaking more lively and interesting. Learning more of them will increase your vocabulary and improve your lexical resource, helping you get a better band score and feel more confident on test day.

The British Council has a wealth of resources, including speaking tips for IELTS, to help you get the practice you need. Our IELTS Ready Premium includes Speaking mock tests so you can experiment with using idioms in responses and see how it influences your score.

Book your IELTS exam with the British Council now