English Expressions and Slang
ESL students looking to improve their English fluency and slang can read over these different sayings.
ESL Expressions Describing Situations
1. To be hairy: If a situation is "hairy" it is very intense and maybe even scary.
"It got pretty hairy in there. Both customers were yelling at me and my boss was angry. Luckily I talked my way out of it."
2. A nail biter: A situation is a "nail biter" if you don't know how it is going to turn out until the very end. It creates a nervous feeling.
"That game was a real nail biter. We didn't know who was going to win until the last second when the forward scored the last point."
3. Mad house: A place or situation is called a "mad house" when there is no order and everyone is going crazy.
"Don't go to my house when all of the kids are at home. It is a real mad house."
4. To go haywire: When everything starts to go wrong and chaos takes over.
"Once I dropped the glass of water on the computer everything went haywire. The computer blew up and we lost all of the files."
5. To be hard up: To not have enough money to pay for anything that you need.
"Last summer I wasn't working. I was so hard up for cash that I had to cut the neighbors lawn to get enough money to go out."
6. To be stuck between a rock and a hard place: To be in a situation that is impossible to get out of.
"Last night I was stuck between a rock and a hard place. At 7:00 PM I had to pick up my daughter from school and be at home for the cable guy. I couldn't do both things at the same time.
7. Pressure Cooker: This is a situation that is full of stress and pressure.
"That meeting was a real pressure cooker. We didn't know if we could convince the boss of our new proposal."
8. Cakewalk: Something that is easily done. It is an easy goal to accomplish.
"Getting that job was a cakewalk. I knew the owner of the company."
9. Off the hook: When something is really cool or outstanding it can be described as "off the hook".
Example: "The party was off the hook. Everyone was going crazy and having a great time."
10. To be down and out: To be in a depressed and low mood. Things are not going well for you.
"Last year I was down and out. My wife divorced me and I lost my job. Nothing was going well for me."
11. Running around like a chicken with its head cut off: This expression describes a person who is confused and frantic and unsure of what to do next.
"The kitchen staff was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. There were too many food orders and nobody knew what to do."
12. A lost cause: A situation is described as a "lost cause" when there is no hope for success.
"I tried to help him learn to play the piano, but he just won't practice. It is a lost cause thinking that he will one day play well.
13. Downer: A situation that brings everyone's mood down, like rain during a picnic or a flat tire on a road trip, is called a "downer".
"Seeing my ex wife at the party was a downer. It brought back a lot of bad memories."
14. To be up in the air: When it is uncertain how the situation will turn out it is said to be "up in the air".
"We don't know if John is returning from Iraq next month. With the war being so unpredictable everything is up in the air."
15. To kill two birds with one stone: To take care of two different obligations with one action.
"If you get a pool you will be killing two birds with one stone. You will have a place to exercise doing laps and you're kids will have a place to play."
16. Jacked up: Not working correctly. Something that is broken could be described as "jacked up".
"After the accident my bike was all jacked up. The gears were no longer working and my handle bars were crooked."
17. Dime a dozen: Something that is very common and not difficult to find.
"Employees with an MBA are a dime a dozen. To get a job in this market you need to have real experience too."
18. To get out of hand: When a situation is no longer controllable it is "out of hand".
"My party got out of hand when everyone started to drink too much. All the younger people started throwing food at each other."
19. A pigsty: A slang word to describe a place that is very messy.
"John's mom told him his room was a pigsty. He wasn't allowed to go out to play until he cleaned it."
20. To cut back: To do a certain activity less. To refrain from a previous activity.
"When the economy goes bad people cut back on spending. Everyone is scared of spending money."
21. Wealth of: To say there is a "wealth of" something means that there is a lot of it available.
"There is a wealth of information in the library. You should go there to do your research.
22. To be a "steal" If you purchase something, and you get a really good price for it, you can say it was a steal.
"That was a real steal. I got a new I pod and a Wii for $200!"
23. To be out of your league: If something is out of your league it means that you are not good enough for it. You don't have the qualities it takes to obtain that goal.
"That girl is out of your league. She is really pretty and only dates rich guys.
24. A no brainer: A situation or problem that is easy to figure out. The solution is obvious.
Example Sentence: "Choosing between going to the beach or staying home with Bob is a no brainer. The beach is fun and Bob is boring. I will go to the beach!"
25. To end on a bad note: When something ends and people are left with a bad feeling about the situation.
"Our trip ended on a bad note. The last day of travel we got a flat tire and everyone was irritable and exhausted."
ESL English Expressions To Talk About Being Sick or Ill:
1. To come down with: To say that you have "come down" with something means that you are suffering from it. People come down with colds or other sicknesses.
"I was going to attend the wedding, but I came down with the flu. My doctor told me to stay in bed."
2. To be under the weather: If you say that you are "under the weather" it means that you are not feeling well. You are sick.
"Sheila didn't make it to work yesterday. She was feeling under the weather. I guess she had a cold or something."
3. To be as sick as a dog: To be very sick. To not feel well at all.
"Yesterday I was as sick as a dog. I couldn't even get out of bed to tie my shoes."
ESL English Expressions to talk about fixing things:
1. To mess around with something: If you say that you are "messing around" with a computer, or any other electronic gadget, it means that you are causally trying to fix it or figure out how it works.
"I just bought the latest i Pod. It has a lot of features that i don't know how to work yet. I'll have to mess around with it later when I have some time to figure out how it works.
ESL English Expressions Talking about great accomplishments:
1. To top something: To "top" something is to do something better than the previous effort.
"My mom made the best dinner for my birthday last year. This year she told me that she would top that delicious meal, but I doubt that is possible.
1. To blow your top: If a person "blows his top" it means that he got really angry.
"When that lady backed into my brand new BMW I blew my top. I only had the car for a day and it already had a dent!"
2. To freak out: To lose your temper or your cool. To appear and act very agitated.
"When my mom sees what a mess I made in the house she is going to freak out."
3. To come down hard on: To be very intense in the punishment that you give someone for something they did wrong.
"The teacher comes down hard on any students that cheat on tests. She usually throws the test away.
ESL English Expressions to Describing people:
1. Eye candy: A person who is really good looking can be called eye candy.
"John's sister is real eye candy. She is super hot and shows off her good looks."
2. A looker: This is a person who is really good looking.
"That new delivery guy is a real looker. All of the women in the office can't keep their eyes off him!"
3. To be on a tight leash: To be closely watched by a spouse or an employer or anyone who has control over you.
"Tiger Woods is on a tight leash with his wife since his affairs came out in public. She has taken him back, but she is watching closely."
"My boss is a real hot head. He always yells at me for everything and I'm scared to talk to him."
5. Gunslinger: A person who is willing to take huge risks to obtain glory.
"My friend Craig is a real gunslinger. He will take crazy chances just to get the sale he is looking for.
A go-getter: A person who works hard and strives hard to get what he wants.
"Neil is a real go-getter. He got a great new job by taking the boss out out dinner and showing him his résumé."
7. Hell raiser: A person who stirs up a lot of trouble for the fun of it. Someone who like to get people upset.
"My nephew is a real hell raiser. He runs around hitting other kids just to get them to cry."
8. Nut job: A person who is mentally unstable, or just crazy in general, can be described as a "nut job".
"My science teacher is a real nut job. She talks to herself and walks around the room with a crazy look in her eye."
9. A pinhead: If you call a person a "pinhead" it means that this person is very dumb.
"My cousin Larry is a real pinhead. He says the stupidest things."
10. To Be Crunchy: A person is considered "crunchy" if he likes the outdoors, hiking, camping and environmental issues.
Sara could be considered crunchy. She rides her bike everywhere so she won't hurt the environment.
11. A show off: A person who wants everyone to see how good he or she is at a certain activity.
"My brother is a real show off when it comes to the guitar. Every chance he gets he pulls out his instrument to play."
A basket case: A person who is extremely stressed and nervous. it can be caused by a specific situation.
Example Sentence: "I was a basket case when my dog died. I loved him so much and it was hard to see him go.
ESL Expressions for Describing places:
1. Clean as a whistle: To be very clean. To be as clean as possible.
"He spent the last three hours cleaning his car. It is now as clean as a whistle."
ESL Expressions for Describing Actions:
1. To Rip off: To steal from a person through trickery or deceit.
"The used car salesman tried to rip me off. He didn't tell me that the car needed a new AC. I didn't find out until I took it for a ride."
2. On the fly: To do be done in a quick and hurried way. To complete a task while you are in a hurry.
"I'll have to complete my home work assignment on the fly. I've got a million things to do today."
3. To cut some slack: To give a person a break on an issue. To not be strict with a person.
"I wish my teachers would cut me some slack. I was sick for three days and I had to miss class. They are still making me turn in all of my work on time!"
4. To kill for: To really want something bad. It is an expression and doesn't mean to actually kill anyone.
" I would kill for a big juicy hamburger. I haven't eaten since this morning."
5. To fit in: To get along with the group. To have a feeling of belonging to a group of people.
My brother has a hard time fitting in with the people at work. They are all huge partiers and he like to just be mellow and relax.
6. To stand out: To attract attention for being exceptional or unusual.
"John really stands out for his ability to play the saxophone. Nobody in school plays that well."
7. To hold out: To not do a desired act in hopes that waiting will bring better results.
"You need to hold back on the compliments. She like a nice person, but not someone who seems overbearing."
8. To back off: To not do a certain activity with the same intensity that you were doing it.
"I will back off on smoking so much now that I had my third heart attack.
9. Cut it out: If you tell somebody to do this you man that you want that person to stop doing a certain activity.
"You need to cut it out. I don't want you saying stuff like that anymore."
10. To hang around
: To spend leisure time doing nothing of particular importance.
"My friend Bob like to
hang around my house. he doesn't like spending time with his wife."
11. To Clash with: When talking about clothing if you say something clashes it means the two clothing items don't look good together.
"My green hat clashes with my pink shorts. I will have to change."
12. To touch base with: To get in contact with a person about a previously discussed issue.
"I will touch base with you about the vacation home rental when I get back on Thursday."
13. To take the high road: To choose to make the correct and moral decision when faced with a problem or conflict.
"I could have made John pay for his mean comment by firing him. I decided to take the high road and just let it go."
14. To wear somebody out: To make a person tired by being demanding and taking up their time.
"My little daughter wears me out. She never stops asking for candy!"
15. To catch heat for: To get in trouble for something that you did.
"I caught heat for staying out late. My mom was really angry with me."
16. To hit the nail on the head: To be completely correct about an issue or an idea.
"Obama hit the nail on the head when he decided that the US needs to address health insurance."
17. To cough up: To pull out or produce something, even if you don't want to. People are said to cough up money when they have to pay for something that they don't want to.
"I had to cough up $100 for a new lamp that my wife wanted. The last thing I wanted to spend my money on was another piece of furniture for our house!"
18. To walk the line: To act and believe a certain way, but at the same time to be very close to another way of acting."
"My friend Bob walks the line between being aggressive and being an insensitive jerk."
19. To kick butt: To do really well at a certain activity.
"My brother really kicks butt at surfing. he is the best surfer I've seen.
20. To be an animal: If you describe a person as an animal it means that this person is enthusiastic, almost to a fault, about a certain activity or topic.
"When it comes to revolutionary war history John is an animal. He eats, breathes and sleeps the historical facts of this time period."
21. To Break the news: To inform somebody of news that they did not previously know.
"I hate to break it to you. Your deodorant doesn't work and quite frankly you stink!"
22. To head off: To start a movement, like walking or driving, in certain direction.
"After discussing the situation he will head off to the manger's office to inform him of the problems."
23. To strike out: In terms of dating or meeting a potential mate to "strike out" means to fail at winning this person over.
"I went up to the pretty new secretary at work to ask her out. She told me to go away. I guess I struck out again."
English ESL Expressions to Describe Preferences:
To each his own: An expression that means that every person has his or her own unique likes and we shouldn't judge.
"I can't believe John like peanut butter on his salad. Well, to each his own."
Use these ESL English Expressions in your everyday conversations as much as possible to work on your English fluency.
English Sayings:
If you wrestle with a pig you both get dirty, but the pig enjoys it:
If you have an argument with a person who just wants to fight you are both going to lose, but one person actually likes it.
