1. A leopard can’t change its spots

    Meaning: People can’t change their fundamental nature.

    Example: Despite his promises, he hasn’t changed; a leopard can’t change its spots.

2. Don’t cry over spilt milk

    Meaning: Don’t waste time worrying about past mistakes.

    Example: I made a bad investment, but there’s no use crying over spilt milk.

3. You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs

    Meaning: Achieving something often involves sacrificing or breaking something else.

    Example: Launching a successful business can be tough; you can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.

4. To add insult to injury

    Meaning: To make a bad situation even worse.

    Example: Not only did he lose his job, but his car was stolen too—adding insult to injury.

5. The devil is in the details

    Meaning: Small things can cause big problems if they are overlooked.

    Example: The project failed because we didn’t pay attention to the details; the devil is in the details.

6. Don’t throw stones in glass houses

    Meaning: Don’t criticize others for faults that you also have.

    Example: You shouldn’t be criticizing her cooking when your own meals are terrible; don’t throw stones in glass houses.

7. To have your cake and eat it too

    Meaning: Wanting to have everything your way, without consequences.

    Example: You can’t work parttime and expect a fulltime salary; you can’t have your cake and eat it too.

8. The proof is in the pudding

    Meaning: The quality or success of something can only be judged when it’s put to the test.

    Example: We’ll see if the new marketing strategy works; the proof is in the pudding.

9. To rest on your laurels

    Meaning: To rely on past achievements and not make further efforts.

    Example: He became complacent after winning the championship, resting on his laurels instead of training harder.

10. To fly off the handle

     Meaning: To become extremely angry or lose one’s temper suddenly.

     Example: He flew off the handle when he saw the damage to his car.

11. To have a chip on your shoulder

     Meaning: To be easily offended or always ready for a fight.

     Example: Ever since he lost that promotion, he’s had a chip on his shoulder.

12. To play devil’s advocate

     Meaning: To argue a point from the opposing side, even if you don’t believe in it, to stimulate discussion.

     Example: I’ll play devil’s advocate here and point out some flaws in your plan.

13. To turn a blind eye

     Meaning: To ignore or pretend not to notice something, typically something wrong or unethical.

     Example: The manager turned a blind eye to the employee’s chronic tardiness.

14. To go down in flames

     Meaning: To fail spectacularly or disastrously.

     Example: Their business venture went down in flames, and they lost everything.

15. To steal someone’s thunder

     Meaning: To take credit for someone else’s idea or success.

     Example: He presented my project as his own, stealing my thunder.

16. To be in a pickle

     Meaning: To be in a difficult or tricky situation.

     Example: I’m in a pickle because I lost my wallet and can’t pay for lunch.

17. To pull someone’s leg

     Meaning: To tease or joke with someone in a playful manner.

     Example: I was just pulling your leg; there’s no monster under the bed.

18. To get your act together

     Meaning: To organize yourself and start behaving responsibly.

     Example: If you want to succeed, you need to get your act together and stop procrastinating.

19. To see the light at the end of the tunnel

     Meaning: To see the end or resolution of a difficult situation.

     Example: After months of hard work, she finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and completed her thesis.

20. To throw in the towel

     Meaning: To give up or quit.

     Example: After years of trying, he finally threw in the towel and sold his failing business.

21. To burn the midnight oil

     Meaning: To work late into the night.

     Example: He’s been burning the midnight oil to finish his research paper.

22. To go the extra mile

     Meaning: To make an additional effort or do more than is expected.

     Example: She always goes the extra mile to help her clients.

23. To be a piece of work

     Meaning: To be difficult, complex, or challenging.

     Example: Dealing with that customer was a real piece of work.

24. To have a skeleton in the closet

     Meaning: To have a hidden or embarrassing secret.

     Example: Nobody knew about his criminal past; he had a skeleton in the closet.

25. To be on cloud nine

     Meaning: To be extremely happy or elated.

     Example: After receiving the job offer, she was on cloud nine.

26. To hit the nail on the head

     Meaning: To describe something accurately.

     Example: His explanation hit the nail on the head; it was exactly what we needed.

27. To turn the tables

     Meaning: To reverse a situation or shift the advantage to the other side.

     Example: She turned the tables in the negotiation and got a better deal.

28. To be a wild goose chase

     Meaning: To pursue something that is unlikely to succeed or impossible to achieve.

     Example: Trying to find his lost keys in this park is a wild goose chase.

29. To be in someone’s good graces

     Meaning: To be in someone’s favor or have their approval.

     Example: After helping her with the project, I’m in the boss’s good graces.

30. To have ants in your pants

     Meaning: To be unable to sit still or be restless.

     Example: The children have ants in their pants; they can’t sit quietly for a minute.

31. To throw caution to the wind

     Meaning: To take a risk without worrying about the consequences.

     Example: She decided to throw caution to the wind and travel the world.

32. To be on thin ice

     Meaning: To be in a risky or precarious situation.

     Example: After missing so many deadlines, he’s on thin ice with his boss.

33. To let the cat out of the bag

     Meaning: To reveal a secret.

     Example: I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.

34. To have a heart of gold

     Meaning: To be kind and generous.

     Example: Despite his tough exterior, he has a heart of gold and helps those in need.

35. To make a long story short

     Meaning: To summarize something briefly.

     Example: To make a long story short, we missed our flight and had to take a later one.

36. To be in the doghouse

     Meaning: To be in trouble or disfavored.

     Example: After forgetting their anniversary, he’s definitely in the doghouse.

37. To break the ice

     Meaning: To start a conversation in a social setting.

     Example: She tried to break the ice by asking about their hobbies.

38. To have your head in the clouds

     Meaning: To be daydreaming or not paying attention.

     Example: He always has his head in the clouds during meetings.

39. To have a silver lining

     Meaning: To have a positive aspect or outcome in a negative situation.

     Example: The silver lining of the rainy vacation was that they spent quality time indoors.

40. To cry over spilled milk

     Meaning: To lament something that cannot be changed.

     Example: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; we need to find a solution.

41. To be in the same boat

     Meaning: To be in a similar situation or predicament.

     Example: We’re all facing financial difficulties; we’re in the same boat.

42. To have bigger fish to fry

     Meaning: To have more important or pressing matters to attend to.

     Example: I can’t help with that right now; I have bigger fish to fry.

43. To be out of your depth

     Meaning: To be in a situation that is too difficult to handle.

     Example: He’s out of his depth trying to manage such a large project.

44. To be in hot water

     Meaning: To be in trouble or facing difficulties.

     Example: He’s in hot water with his parents for coming home late.

45. To be a hard nut to crack

     Meaning: To be difficult to understand or get to know.

     Example: He’s a hard nut to crack; no one knows much about his personal life.

46. To be caught between a rock and a hard place

     Meaning: To be faced with a difficult decision with no good options.

     Example: She was caught between a rock and a hard place when choosing between two job offers.

47. To be a drop in the bucket

     Meaning: To be a very small amount compared to what is needed.

     Example: The donation they made was just a drop in the bucket for the charity’s needs.

48. To be on the same wavelength

     Meaning: To have a mutual understanding or shared perspective.

     Example: They were on the same wavelength when it came to their future plans.

49. To be a wolf in sheep’s clothing

     Meaning: To appear harmless but be secretly dangerous.

     Example: You can’t trust him; he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

50. To be all ears

     Meaning: To be fully attentive and eager to listen.

     Example: When she started sharing her travel stories, we were all ears.