English Idioms Video Lessons

English Idioms By Function

This group of English idioms video lessons is a series of lessons that I made discussing English idioms according to their function.

English books, lessons, teachers, websites, etc. nearly always group English idioms according to the words in the idiom. You always find ESL materials with “Idioms From Animals” or “Idioms From Colors” or “Idioms From Food”.

But that doesn’t seem very useful to me. If I’m in a situation where I’m feeling strongly about something and I want to express myself in a powerful and meaningful way, I probably wouldn’t think to myself, “Hmm, what idiom can I use right now that is about animals…”

No, I would probably think something more like, “I’m feeling surprised and angry because this person told everyone my secret- how can I express myself in English?”

And then I’d say: “You let the cat out of the bag!” “Why didn’t you keep it under your hat?!” or “I’m really angry and this is the last straw!”

So I made these videos about English idioms by function for Intermediate to Advanced students learning English as a second language.

• English Idioms About Getting Ready

  Here are a couple of idioms to talk about when you are preparing something. You're getting ready and you want to have everything exactly in the right place, everything ready. There's two idioms people use to say this. The first one is: get your...

• English Idioms To Tell Somebody To Wait

  Here are some idioms to talk about when you want to tell somebody to wait. "Just wait; wait a minute; please wait." Okay? One time I had a student who was going to America, now he lives in America, and when he was in my class he said he had friend...

• English Idioms To Talk About Telling A Lie

  Hi, I'm English Teacher Fred. How are you today? Here are some idioms to talk about a lie. Something is not true. Somebody's lying. The first one, it's called a "tall story" or a "tall tale." T-A-L-E Tale means story. A tall tale or a tall st...

• 3 English Idioms To Talk About Keeping A Secret

  Here are a few idioms to talk about keeping something a secret. If you want someone to keep a secret, you might say, "Keep it under your hat!" Keep it under your hat. Shhh. Keep a secret. Keep it under your hat. Under your hat. You're wearing a hat ...

• 2 English Idioms To Talk About Having A Bad Day

  Here are two idioms to talk about when you're having a bad day. You know, sometimes you have a good day: you get up, everything's great... Sometimes you have a bad day; it just seems like everything goes wrong. Everything happens wrong on a bad day. T...

• English Idioms To Talk About Losing A Job

  Here are some idioms to talk about getting fired. To get fired means you lose your job. It's also called being made redundant. Losing your job. You go to your job and your boss says: Go home! No more job! Stop! Get fired, all right? So here are some ...

• English Idioms To Talk About Changing After Already Starting Something

  Here are two idioms to talk about when something has begun and then it's changed in the middle. When you begin to do something and then suddenly you change and do something else. It's often used in business because a business will begin to do one ...

• English Idioms To Talk About Being Original

  Here are a few idioms to talk about being original, doing something new and different, not doing the same thing that everybody has done before. These are common for business, business situations. Because in business people often say, "Oh, we need...

• English Idioms To Talk About A Secret Plan

  Here are a couple of idioms, two idioms to talk about a secret plan. All right? You have a secret plan. The first one is, you say you have an "ace in the hole". "I have an ace in the hole; don't worry." Maybe my company is worried because I have s...

• Two English Idioms to Say You Will Like Something Later

  Here are a couple of idioms to talk about when you don't like something at the beginning, but after some time then you will like it, later. Eventually you will like it but at the beginning you're not sure. The first one is, people say, "It...

• Three English Idioms To Say You Are Upset And You Have Had Enough

  Here are three idioms to talk about when you've had enough. Something has been bothering you so you feel a little frustrated, irritated, a little bit angry. And you get to this point where you say, "Okay, that's enough. That's all. Now I can't t...

• Three English Idioms To Say Someone Is Arrogant

  Here are three idioms to talk about somebody being arrogant. Somebody who is arrogant; it means that they think they are better than everybody else. They think they are the best: they're arrogant. It's not polite, not a good way to be. This...

• English Idioms To Say One Person Is Different From The Rest

  Here are two idioms to talk about when one person is different than the group. There's a group and then one person is a little different. And maybe also a little bad. But not really bad. It's not saying they are really terrible but maybe just...

• English Idioms To Say A Secret Is Revealed

  Here are a couple of idioms to talk about when a secret is revealed. First there was a secret, nobody knew. "Shhh, keep it a secret!" And then the secret was revealed. It was let out, and now everybody knows. Okay, the first one is: let the...

• English Idioms To Say Someone Is Boring

  Here are three idioms to talk about a boring person. Three idioms to say that a person is really boring. They're no fun, they're just boring; they're not interesting. These are kind of funny idioms. Idioms are fun, you know? The first one is: ...

• English Idioms To Say Something Is Scary

  Here are three idioms to talk about when something is scary. It's scary! Oh no! Help! It's scary. Maybe you're watching a scary movie, or something happened that made you scared. The first one: people say, "It makes my skin crawl." My...

• English Idioms To Say When People Understand Each Other Or Not

  Here are a couple of idioms and a phrasal verb about how to say when two people are understanding each other, or not. Sometimes people talk together and they understand each other and everything's great. Sometimes people talk together and ...

• English Idioms To Say Something Is Important Or Not Important

  Here are three idioms to talk about when something is not important. Okay? To say, "Don't worry about it; it's not important." The first one is a saying; it's a saying where people say, "Don't cry over spilt milk." It's sort of a "wise sayi...

• English Idioms To Talk About Stopping Fighting Or Arguing

  Some English idioms to talk about stopping fighting or arguing, or when a fight or argument is finished: bury the hatchet; let bygones be bygones; water under the bridge; put it behind us; to make up.

• English Idioms To Say A Child Is The Same As Their Parent

  Here are three idioms to talk about when a child is the same as the parents. Okay? You’re saying the son or the daughter is same as the mother or the father. First one is, “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree”. Do you get i...

• English Idioms To Say Something Is Expensive

  Hello I'm English Teacher Fred how are you today? Today I've got some idioms about money. It's four idioms that mean basically the same thing. They all mean something is...

More English Idioms Video Lessons

• English Idiom To Give In

  Hi, my name's English Teacher Fred. Today I have my deck of idioms. Its a bunch of cards and an idiom on each one. So Ill just pick one, and well see: what does it mean? How about this one? To give in. Give in. To give in means basically the ...

• Three English Idioms With COVER

  Hello, let's talk about this word: cover; to cover. The word "cover" C-O-V-E-R has a lot of meanings and a lot of idioms in English. So it's very useful. To cover something, the very basic meaning, would be put something on top. Like the blanke...

• English Idioms With KNOW

  Here are some English idioms using the word "know".

• English Idioms with GET

  Hello I'm English teacher Fred. How are you today? We’re talking about some idioms with “get”. There are many many, many idioms with get but here's just a few, just four. Okay, the first one is...