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Here’s a list to jog your memory.1
A. Making Decisions Sit on the fence – Avoid making a decision. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – It's better to hold on to something you already have than risk losing it by seeking more. Stick to your guns – Stay firm with your decision despite criticism. Up in the air – No decision has been made yet. In two minds – Unsure of what to choose or do.
B. Love & Relationships Love at first sight – Falling in love instantly upon meeting. Match made in heaven – A perfect couple. Tie the knot – Get married. Puppy love – Immature or adolescent romantic feelings. Blinded by love – Unable to see flaws in someone due to love. Play gooseberry – Be the unwanted third person with a couple. Shotgun wedding – A rushed marriage due to an unplanned pregnancy. Birds and bees – Euphemism for explaining sexual intercourse. Village bicycle – Derogatory term for a promiscuous woman.
C. Secrets & Privacy Behind closed doors – In secret or privately. Cover your tracks – Hide evidence of your actions. Fly on the wall – Secretly observe without being noticed. Keep a low profile – Avoid attracting attention. Keep under wraps – Keep something secret. Skeleton in the closet – A hidden, shameful secret. Sweep under the rug – Hide something embarrassing.
D. Growing Up / Challenges Made a comeback – Returned to success after failure. Bite the bullet – Endure hardship or face a tough situation. Survive the test of time – Remain relevant or successful over time. Survival of the fittest – Only the strong succeed or survive. Tough it out – Persevere through difficulty.
E. Colour Idioms Black sheep – A family member who is a disgrace. Black out – To faint. Blacklist – A list of banned people/items. Black book – A list of secret contacts. Black-tie event – A formal social gathering. Black and white – Clear and straightforward. Black and blue – Bruised. Pass with flying colors – Do very well. True colors – One’s real nature. Be off-color – Slightly unwell or inappropriate. Lend color to – Add details to make something believable. Chase rainbows – Pursue unrealistic goals. Golden opportunity – The best chance to do something. Green light – Approval or permission. Once in a blue moon – Very rarely. White elephant – A costly, useless item. With flying colours – Very successfully. Yellow – Cowardly. Feeling blue – Feeling sad.
F. Nature Beat around the bush – Avoid the main topic. A breath of fresh air – A welcome change. Fan the flames – Make emotions stronger. Add fuel to the fire – Make a bad situation worse. Chasing rainbows – Pursue something unrealistic. Calm before the storm – A peaceful moment before chaos.
G. Health & Medicine Alive and kicking – Healthy and active. Back on one’s feet – Recovered from illness. One foot in the grave – Near death. Green around the gills – Looking sick. In the pink of health – In excellent health. A dose of one’s own medicine – Receive the same bad treatment one gave. A bitter pill to swallow – An unpleasant but necessary situation.
H. Science & Technology Blow a fuse – Lose your temper. Not rocket science – Not difficult to understand. A well-oiled machine – Works efficiently and smoothly. Pull the plug – Stop something from continuing. On the same wavelength – Understand each other well.
I. Money Penny wise, pound foolish – Save small amounts, waste large ones. Money doesn’t grow on trees – Money is not easily obtained. A fool and his money are soon parted – Careless people lose money quickly. A penny saved is a penny earned – Saving money is as good as earning it. The best things in life are free – Valuable things don’t always cost money. Save for a rainy day – Save money for difficult times.
J. Sky & Moon Idioms Aim for the sky – Set high goals. Out of the clear blue sky – A complete surprise. On cloud nine – Extremely happy. Building castles in the air – Dreaming unrealistically. Pie in the sky – Unrealistic hope or goal. The sky’s the limit – Anything is possible. Over the moon – Extremely happy. All moonlight and roses – Idealistic but unrealistic. Many moons ago – A long time ago. To ask for the moon – Ask for the impossible.
K. Transport / On the Go In the same boat – In the same difficult situation. Take flight – Flee or run away. Go off the rails – Behave in a wild or uncontrolled way. Train of thought – A line of reasoning. End of the road – The point where progress stops.
L. Birds Birds of a feather flock together – Similar people stick together. Chickens come home to roost – Bad deeds have consequences. Like a duck takes to water – Do something naturally. Albatross around one’s neck – A burden or problem. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – Better to keep what you have.
M. Idioms from Daily Life Trial and error – Experiment until something works. Odds and ends – Small leftover items. Said and done – Final conclusion or decision. Back and forth – Moving between two places. Ups and downs – Good times and bad times. Wine and dine – Entertain with lavish meals. Spick and span – Very clean and tidy. Ins and outs – Full details. Bread and butter – Main source of income.
N. Others / Pop Culture / Humour Kick the bucket – Die. The bee’s knees – Excellent. Blur like sotong – Clueless or confused.

Footnotes

  1. Yes, I prepared it for my fifth graders
It is what it is.
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I prefer the cruder version: life sucks
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Reality bites
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I prefer karma’s a bitch
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That’s a good one!
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35 sats \ 1 reply \ @stax 13 Jul
Forrest Gump 🎬:
Whoa! Buddy, you just stepped in a massive pile of shit!
[Shrugs] it happens
Car bumper sticker is born
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I do adore when shit hits the fan haha
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Blur like sotong?
Never heard it
Lately “stop clutching your pearls” has been a common expression from me
Idioms are so valuable for effective communication
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Blur like Sotong is Singaporean English
Sotong is the Malay word for squid. 🦑
We use blur like sotong to criticise how someone is confused
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There ain’t no free lunch…
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Indeed, hard work trumps all!
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i have a pretty clear memory of an uncle of mine (not a bob, sadly) telling me about this idiom and ive been amused by it ever since
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You taught me something new today! Never heard of it until now haha
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The are gold! I really need this sort of expressions to improve my English skills. Thank you!
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Oh English isn’t your native language? You have me fooled
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Thank you!!!!! I am not native, yes. But, I am constantly improving my English skills though and these kind of posts do help a lot. P.S.: I just saw I had a typo.
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