A leopard can’t change his spots

I had a one-month break from my English classes but they will start again tomorrow. Meanwhile, I challenged myself to study idioms, as they were part of the first lessons I took after last summer. Once you understand the logic or origin of the expression, you'll never forget its meaning.

Here is a list of 84 idioms and expressions I gathered. Some of these are straightforward and widely known, some are quite interesting and rarely heard.

Until my next article, let me know if you find some more!

Catarina

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A leopard can’t change his spots. – ?People cannot change their basic personalities, habits, etc.

A doubting Thomas – a skeptical who needs physical or personal evidence in order to believe something

A drop in the bucket – something small and unimportant, esp. when compared with something else

A fool and his money are easily parted. - It is easy to get money from foolish people. It is difficult or unlikely that foolish people maintain their hold on acquired wealth.

A chip on the shoulder - to have an angry or unpleasant attitude or way of behaving caused by a belief that one has been treated unfairly in the past

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. - It's better to be content with what you have than to risk losing everything by seeking to get more.

A perfect storm - an unusual combination of events or things that produce a bad or powerful result

A blessing in disguise - a good thing that seemed bad at first

A dime a dozen - something common or easy to get

Add insult to injury - to make a bad situation worse

Barking up the wrong tree - to be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place

Birds of a feather flock together. - People who are alike are often friends. (usually used negatively)

Bite off more than you can chew - take on a project that you cannot finish

Break the ice - make people feel more comfortable

By the skin of your teeth - just barely

Beat around the bush - discuss a matter without coming to the point; avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable

Bite the bullet - to get something over with because it is inevitable

Break a leg - good luck

Call it a day - stop working on something

Cut somebody some slack - give additional freedom to someone, not judge someone severely, give someone a break

Cutting corners - doing something poorly in order to save time or money

Comparing apples to oranges - comparing two things that cannot be compared

Costs an arm and a leg. – It’s very expensive.

Do something at the drop of a hat – do something without having planned beforehand

Don't count your chickens before they hatch. - Don't count on something good happening until it's happened.

Don't cry over spilt milk. - There's no reason to complain about something that can't be fixed.

Don't give up your day job. - You're not very good at this. (humorous tone)

Don't put all your eggs in one basket. - What you're doing is too risky.

Easy does it - slow down

Every cloud has a silver lining. - Good things come after bad things.

Get a taste of your own medicine - get treated the way you've been treating others (negative)

Give someone the cold shoulder - ignore someone

Go on a wild goose chase - to do something pointless

Get something out of your system - do the thing you've been wanting to do so you can move on

Get your act together. - Take control of yourself and organize your activities more effectively in order to be more successful.

Go back to the drawing board - start over

Hang in there. - Don't give up.

Hit the sack - go to sleep

He's a chip off the old block - the son is like the father

Hit the nail on the head - get something exactly right

Ignorance is bliss. - better off not knowing

He has bigger fish to fry. ?- He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now.

It ain't over till the fat lady sings. - This isn't over yet.

It takes one to know one. - You're just as bad as I am. A retort to a negative accusation, implying that the accuser shares the fault.

It's a piece of cake. - It's easy.

It's raining cats and dogs. - It's raining hard.

Kill two birds with one stone - get two things done with a single action

Let someone off the hook - to not hold someone responsible for something

Let the cat out of the bag - give away a secret

Live and learn. - I made a mistake.

Look before you leap. - Take only calculated risks.

Make a long story short - tell something briefly

Miss the boat - it's too late

No pain, no gain - you have to work for what you want

On the ball - doing a good job

Once in a blue moon - rarely

On thin ice - on probation, if you make another mistake, there will be trouble

Pull someone's leg - to joke with someone

Play devil's advocate - to argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument

Put something on ice - put a project on hold

Pull yourself together. - Calm down.

Rain on someone's parade - to spoil something

Saving for a rainy day - saving money for later, for times of trouble

Slow and steady wins the race - reliability is more important than speed

Spill the beans - give away a secret

Speak of the devil - the person we were just talking about showed up

That's the last straw - my patience has run out

To get bent out of shape - to get upset

Take a rain check - postpone a plan

Take it with a grain of salt. - Don’t take it too seriously.

The ball is in your court. - It's your decision.

The devil is in the details. - It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems

The early bird gets the worm. - The first people who arrive will get the best stuff.

The elephant in the room - the big issue, the problem people are avoiding

The whole nine yards - everything, all the way

There are other fish in the sea. -?It's ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise.

There's a method to his madness. - He seems crazy but actually he's clever.

Throw caution to the wind. - Take a risk.

Under the weather - sick

We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. - Let's not talk about that problem right now.

Wrap your head around something - understand something complicated

Your guess is as good as mine. - I have no idea.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. - You can't have everything.

You can't judge a book by its cover. - This person or thing may look bad, but it's good inside.