English Idioms at B1: 20 Everyday Idioms You Will Actually Hear (and When to Use Them)
Most idiom lists start with raining cats and dogs, an idiom almost nobody says. At B1 the useful ones are much plainer: a piece of cake, in no time, make ends meet. You hear them in films, at work and in the kitchen, and because they are common you will meet each one again soon after you learn it.
An idiom is a group of words whose meaning you cannot work out from the single words. You know piece and you know cake, and a piece of cake still means that something is easy. That is why idioms feel unfair at B1: the words are not the problem, the combination is.
The good news is that the idioms people really use are a short list. The ones below were picked from our English idioms list, where every idiom carries the level at which a learner is likely to meet it. These twenty are all marked A2 or B1, so they are the ones worth learning first.
Easy, quick and difficult
These describe how hard something was or how long it took. They are the most frequent group, because people talk about tasks all day.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a piece of cake | very easy | The test was a piece of cake. I finished early. |
| a walk in the park | easy and pleasant | After the last project, this one is a walk in the park. |
| in no time | very quickly | Do not worry, we will be there in no time. |
| at the last minute | at the latest possible moment | He always books his flights at the last minute. |
| get there | succeed in the end, after effort | My English is not perfect, but I am getting there. |
Money
Two idioms cover most money conversations. Cost an arm and a leg is for things that are too expensive; make ends meet is about having only just enough to live on. The second one is not a joke, so use it with some care when you talk about other people.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| cost an arm and a leg | be very expensive | That jacket cost an arm and a leg. |
| make ends meet | have just enough money for what you need | With two jobs, they can just about make ends meet. |
Feelings
These are the idioms you hear when people talk about their week. Fed up and sick and tired of mean almost the same thing; sick and tired of is stronger and a little more dramatic.
Burst into tears and burst out laughing are worth learning as a pair. Notice the small difference in shape: burst into tears, but burst out laughing. Learners often mix them, and burst into laughing is a common mistake.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| fed up with something | annoyed or bored after a long time | I am fed up with this weather. |
| sick and tired of something | very annoyed by something that keeps happening | She is sick and tired of waiting for the bus. |
| burst into tears | suddenly start crying | When he heard the news, he burst into tears. |
| burst out laughing | suddenly start laughing loudly | We all burst out laughing at the same time. |
| a dream come true | something wonderful you wanted for a long time | Living by the sea is a dream come true. |
| deep down | in your real feelings, even if you hide them | Deep down, I knew he was right. |
Plans and progress
These turn up at work and in any conversation about the future. On track and on board are especially common in meetings, so they are safe to use in a work email.
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| on track | making progress as planned | The project is on track for June. |
| on board | agreeing with a plan and supporting it | Is everyone on board with the new schedule? |
| in the long run | over a long period of time | Learning a little every day is easier in the long run. |
| a matter of time | certain to happen sooner or later | It is only a matter of time before they find out. |
| from scratch | from the very beginning | The file was lost, so I wrote the report from scratch. |
| keep an eye on | watch carefully | Can you keep an eye on my bag for a minute? |
| for a change | doing something different from usual | Let us eat out tonight for a change. |
Which ones to keep out of a work email
Several idioms in this article are marked informal in the list: a piece of cake, a walk in the park, cost an arm and a leg, fed up and sick and tired of. They are perfectly normal with friends and colleagues in conversation. In a written message to a client or in an exam essay they sound too casual, so choose the plain word instead: easy, expensive, frustrated.
On track, on board, in the long run and from scratch are neutral, and you can use them almost anywhere.
How to make them stick
Reading a list of twenty idioms once does very little. Two things help much more. First, learn each idiom inside a sentence you might actually say, not as a definition. I am getting there is easier to remember than get there means to succeed after effort.
Second, come back to it before you forget it. Pick five idioms from this article, put each one on a flashcard with your own example sentence, and test yourself again over the next few days, leaving a longer gap each time. When one comes up in a film or a conversation, you will notice it, and that moment of recognition is what fixes it in memory. The full English idioms list has around eighty more, each marked with its level, for when these twenty feel easy.