English vocabulary

Phrases and idioms

A concise reference to 25 English expressions, with clear meanings and short usage notes.

By Denis M., British English teacher. Originally published 25 August 2021.

Happiness, gratitude and relief

No news is good news: If you have not heard anything, you assume things are going well.
Make my day: Do something that makes me very happy: “Your message made my day.”
Thrilled to bits: Extremely pleased or excited, usually about good news.
Can’t thank you enough: Words do not seem enough to express how grateful I am.
On top of the world: Feeling extremely happy, similar to “over the moon”.
___ means a lot to me: Something or someone is very important to me: “My mum means a lot to me.”
A weight off my shoulders: A worry or responsibility has gone: “Finishing that work was a weight off my shoulders.”
Can’t wait to + verb: Very excited about doing something: “I can’t wait to run.” Compare “I’m looking forward to running.”

Shattered, knackered, exhausted: Extremely tired. “Shattered” is informal British English; “knackered” is very informal and can sound coarse.
Drives me crazy: Makes me very annoyed: “That noise drives me crazy.”
Fed up with something: Tired, bored or annoyed with something: “I’m fed up with waiting.”
Under the weather: Feeling slightly ill.
Shaken up: Upset, frightened or shocked by an unpleasant experience.
Bored to death: Extremely bored. Informal exaggeration.
Cranky: Irritable and easily annoyed.

Let sleeping dogs lie: Avoid bringing up an old problem if doing so could cause trouble.
The rat race: A stressful, competitive way of living in which people keep striving for money or success.
Peacocking: Showing off to attract attention or impress people, often through appearance or possessions.
Sheeple: An insulting term for people the speaker thinks follow others without thinking independently.
Barking up the wrong tree: Following the wrong explanation or approach, or suspecting the wrong person.
A sting in the tail: An unexpected unpleasant part, often discovered at the end of something that seemed good.
Sadfishing: Sharing or exaggerating personal problems online to attract sympathy. It is an accusing label, not proof of someone’s motives.
The GOAT: The “greatest of all time”. Fans might call Eliud Kipchoge the GOAT. Who deserves the title is a matter of opinion.
Cloud cuckoo land: An unrealistic world of hopes or ideas: “He thinks he can finish it tonight. He’s living in cloud cuckoo land.”
A tiger mother: A very strict, demanding mother who pushes her children to achieve. The term can express approval or criticism; it is not tied to one nationality.