Cliches- the spice of life, the bread and butter of any ...



That’s life! The big list of well-worn clichés

Clichés are often frowned upon by native speakers as being trite and mundane. But for learners of English they can be a lifeline in all those situations where you’re stuck for something more original to say. In fact, used correctly, they will improve your fluency and lubricate the wheels of conversation. Enjoy!

Hello! ⋆Ain't that the pot calling the kettle black.⋆His records are selling like hot cakes. ⋆Stay cool. Don't have a cow. ⋆I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. ⋆People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. ⋆He can't see the forest for the trees. ⋆He's working like there's no tomorrow. ⋆He's busy from dusk till dawn. ⋆I could go on about this till the cows come home. ⋆What you did is too little too late. ⋆I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. ⋆Knock on wood! ⋆He's walking on eggshells. ⋆Beggars can't be choosers. ⋆She's walking on thin ice. ⋆Love is a many splintered thing. ⋆A rose is a rose is a rose. ⋆If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it must be a duck. ⋆If you can't walk the walk, don't talk the talk. ⋆If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen. ⋆Only the strong survive. ⋆It all boils down to the survival of the fittest. ⋆The meek shall inherit the earth. ⋆Ask and you shall receive. ⋆Never look a gift horse in the mouth. ⋆It's no use flogging a dead horse. ⋆There's no honour among thieves. ⋆You can't judge a book by its cover. ⋆This suit is fit for a king. ⋆Every rose has a thorn. ⋆Every dog has its day. ⋆When the going gets tough, the tough get going. ⋆If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. ⋆We are each the keepers of our own soul. ⋆I am my own redeemer. ⋆If everybody else jumped off a bridge, would you? ⋆Am I my brother's keeper? ⋆If it ain't broke, don't fix it! ⋆His lifestyle is like an accident waiting to happen. ⋆That takes the biscuit! ⋆It ain't over till the fat lady sings. ⋆I will continue seeing her through hell or high water. ⋆She's digging her own grave. ⋆Oops! Did I put my foot in my mouth? ⋆You bit off more than you could chew. ⋆It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game. ⋆He's livin' in the fast lane. ⋆He's always a day late and a dollar short. ⋆It's the greatest thing since sliced bread. ⋆Don't bite the hand that feeds you. ⋆Can you read between the lines? ⋆One man's trash is another man's treasure. ⋆You made your bed, now you gotta lie in it. ⋆Aren't you throwing the baby out with the bath water? ⋆He's as stubborn as a mule. ⋆Are you throwing in the towel? ⋆Your guess is in the right ballpark. ⋆That's out of this world! ⋆Doggone! ⋆Well, I'll be! ⋆She's too poor to paint and too proud to whitewash. ⋆I'm just staying one day ahead of yesterday. ⋆He's just taking it one day at a time. ⋆I'm up a creek without a paddle! ⋆There's more than one way to skin a cat. ⋆Out of sight, out of mind. ⋆Absence makes the heart grow fonder. ⋆Do I look like I was born yesterday? ⋆Looks like someone hit you with an ugly stick. ⋆Does a bear shit in the woods? ⋆Were you born in a barn? ⋆He ran out of the building like a bat out of hell. ⋆You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar. ⋆Romantic novels like this are a dime a dozen. ⋆Do you have skeletons in the closet? ⋆He's dumber than a bucket of rocks. ⋆Money doesn't grow on trees. ⋆I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. ⋆Out of the frying pan and into the fire. ⋆You better straighten up and fly right. ⋆I'll go out with you when hell freezes over! ⋆Or when pigs fly. ⋆A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. ⋆A penny saved is a penny earned. ⋆This is more fun than a barrel of monkeys. ⋆What's good for the goose is good for the gander. ⋆Love it or leave it. ⋆I killed two birds with one stone. ⋆If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. ⋆You're one in a million! ⋆He's just another face in the crowd. ⋆The grass is always greener on the other side. ⋆It's no use crying over spilled milk. ⋆He's still wet behind the ears. ⋆You can't teach an old dog new tricks. ⋆The hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world. ⋆A watched pot never boils. ⋆Never say never. ⋆We all have our crosses to bear. ⋆Have a nice day! ⋆Let sleeping dogs lie. ⋆That's the way the cookie crumbles. ⋆He's on top of the world. ⋆The die is cast. ⋆What's done is done. ⋆Et tu, Brute? ⋆He's as right as rain. ⋆Judge not, lest ye be judged. ⋆Give an inch, take a mile. ⋆All's well that ends well. ⋆Don't make a mountain out of a molehill. ⋆To the victor goes the spoils. ⋆Once bitten, twice shy. ⋆Better late than never. ⋆His hindsight is 20-20. ⋆If wishes were horses then beggars would ride. ⋆He's as cool as a cucumber. ⋆Monkey see, monkey do. ⋆There's something rotten in Denmark. ⋆One bad apple spoils the bunch. ⋆An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. ⋆Many hands make light the work. ⋆A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. ⋆Been there, done that. ⋆My sister had a shotgun wedding ⋆He's in trouble with a capital "T"⋆You're shooting from the hip. ⋆It was a shot in the dark. ⋆I'm on a roll! ⋆A rolling stone gathers no moss. ⋆He could read me like a book. ⋆He's a chip off the old block. ⋆I've been around the block a few times. ⋆This house is as old as the hills. ⋆He's busy as a bee. ⋆Are you a doubting Thomas? ⋆Food and sleep have lately been catch as catch can. ⋆Stupid is as stupid does. ⋆You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. ⋆We're moving at a snail's pace. ⋆She swears like a sailor/truck driver. ⋆She's got a toilet mouth. ⋆There's no time like the present. ⋆If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. ⋆If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right. ⋆Were you raised in a sandbox? ⋆Touché! ⋆What will be will be. ⋆There are plenty of fish in the sea. ⋆It's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. ⋆The emperor wears no clothes. ⋆Talk about the blind leading the dumb/naked! ⋆The only thing to fear is fear itself. ⋆You can go home. The buck stops here. ⋆The cat's out of the bag. ⋆Opportunity only knocks once. ⋆You can't pull yourself up by the bootstraps. ⋆It's not the heat, it's the humidity. ⋆Always a bridesmaid, never a bride. ⋆Women/Men, can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. ⋆Can't say, not knowing. ⋆The squeaky wheel gets the grease. ⋆Don't count your chickens before they hatch. ⋆If anything can go wrong it will (Murphy's Law). ⋆The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. ⋆The end justifies the means. ⋆What doesn't kill us makes us stronger. ⋆Where do you hang your hat? ⋆You get what you give. ⋆What goes around comes around. ⋆When in Rome, do as the Romans do. ⋆It's all Greek to me. ⋆It's on the tip of my tongue. ⋆We can put a man on the moon but we can't... ⋆What does that have to do with the price of rice/tea in China? ⋆I wouldn't do that for all the tea in China⋆The south shall rise again. ⋆What is this, the Spanish Inquisition / 20 questions? ⋆Quit giving me the 3rd degree! ⋆Speak of the devil (and there he comes). ⋆Look what the cat dragged in. ⋆Cat got your tongue? ⋆Quit bustin' my chops! ⋆The prodigal son returns! ⋆Misery loves company. ⋆Don't put the horse before the cart. ⋆It's the lesser of two evils. ⋆Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. ⋆The way to a man's heart is through his stomach. ⋆Well pinch my toes and call me a jelly doughnut! ⋆That's a whole new can of worms. ⋆You can't have your cake and eat it too. ⋆Many a mickle macks a muckle. ⋆It's a whatchamacallit / a thingamajig. ⋆I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts. ⋆An apple a day keeps the doctor away. ⋆It takes all kinds / sorts. ⋆He was at a loss for words. ⋆What goes up must come down. ⋆It was the last rose of summer. ⋆He was driving at breakneck speed. ⋆Wonders will never cease! ⋆Son of a gun! ⋆A word to the wise. ⋆Where there's smoke there's fire. ⋆He’s/She’s/It’s a thorn in my side. ⋆He's rarin' to go. ⋆He's all revved up. ⋆Get the lead out. ⋆Shape up or ship out. ⋆He was blue in the face. ⋆You better believe it! ⋆Give him/her enough rope to hang him/herself. ⋆Who died and left you the boss? ⋆When you gotta go, you gotta go. ⋆There may be snow on the roof, but there's fire in the belly. ⋆That was the last straw. ⋆Her skin was smooth as silk. ⋆Physician, heal thyself! ⋆That's like closing the barn door after the horse escapes. ⋆In one ear and out the other. ⋆It's a jungle out there. ⋆There's something in the back of my mind. ⋆Bite me! ⋆Handy as a pocket on a shirt. ⋆It beats being beat in the butt with a dead rabbit. ⋆It beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick.. ⋆He/she's so buck-toothed he/she could bite a pumpkin through a picket fence. ⋆Life's hard, then you die. ⋆Two heads are better than one. ⋆You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink. ⋆A watched pot never boils. ⋆Fools rush in where angels fear to tread. ⋆I'm so hungry I could eat the ass end out of a rhino! ⋆Whatever floats your boat! ⋆Whatever melts your butter! ⋆Don't that just butter your grits! ⋆Children should be seen, not heard. ⋆Were you born in a barn? ⋆Six of one, half dozen of the other. ⋆He's as blind as a bat. ⋆It's like trying to nail porridge to the wall. ⋆Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ⋆You don't know what's in the pickle barrel till you take the lid off. ⋆Life is like a box of chocolates (you never know whatcha gonna get). ⋆He lies like a rug. ⋆Too many cooks spoil the broth. ⋆It's not the hate, it's the stupidity. ⋆So close, yet so far away. ⋆Close, but no cigar. ⋆Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. ⋆Time flies when you're havin' fun. ⋆Things aren't always what they seem. ⋆All that glitters is not gold. ⋆You can't judge a book by its cover. ⋆It's too close for comfort. ⋆It's raining cats and dogs. ⋆There's more than one fish in the sea. ⋆That was the straw that broke the camel's back. ⋆He's got more female company than you can shake a stick at. ⋆He who has the gold, rules. ⋆Grass doesn't grow on a busy street. ⋆Time is of the essence. ⋆Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil. ⋆There's only two things certain in life - death and taxes. ⋆That sounds like somebody sawing through a bag of wet chickens. ⋆Aw, prairie shit! ⋆Stick it to the man! ⋆He/she looks like a drowned rat. ⋆If dumb were dirt, he/she would be about an acre. ⋆You can't get blood from a turnip. ⋆Let's run it up the flagpole and see who salutes. ⋆You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. ⋆You can't run a jackass in the derby and expect to win. ⋆It was as soft/smooth as a baby's bottom. ⋆That's music to my ears! ⋆She's as pretty as a picture. ⋆He was hot under the collar. ⋆He can't tell his ass from a hole in the ground! ⋆That's a sight for sore eyes! ⋆We'll leave at the crack of dawn. ⋆That's neither here nor there. ⋆When the cat's away, the mice will play. ⋆It's built like a brick shit-house. ⋆Easy come, easy go. ⋆Don't put all your eggs in one basket. ⋆He was as naked as a jaybird. ⋆It happens once in a blue moon. ⋆It's so hot I'm sweatin' pickles. ⋆I'm having a rip-snortin' good time! ⋆You could hear a mouse piss on cotton. ⋆The glove don't make the ball player! ⋆It's like déjà vu all over again! ⋆It ain't over till it's over. ⋆Measure twice, cut once. ⋆Cheat/fool me once, shame on you. Cheat/fool me twice, shame on me! ⋆When you're boarding out the boat, you don't bother to paint it. ⋆Look before you leap. ⋆He was green with envy. ⋆Does a chicken have lips? ⋆It's colder than a witch's tit! ⋆A stitch in time, saves nine. ⋆He's as useless as a screen door on a submarine. ⋆She's as useless as a pocket in a pair of underpants. ⋆He’s about as much use as a chocolate teapot. ⋆The lights are on but nobody’s home. *Blood is thicker than water. ⋆He's got enough money to burn a wet mule. ⋆That's a new wrinkle in my horn. ⋆It's gone belly up. ⋆Whatever flips your switch. ⋆Go for it! ⋆It was cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. ⋆It was colder than a well digger's ass. ⋆That's like pantyhose on a mermaid. ⋆Ta ta for now! ⋆That's making a world of difference! ⋆It's hard making ends meet each month. ⋆Dare to be different. ⋆Do the wild thing. ⋆Live dangerously ⋆He's two cans short of a six pack. ⋆You'd complain if you were hung with a new rope. ⋆No matter where you go...there you are. ⋆...since God was a small boy. ⋆He/she has money to burn. ⋆He who hesitates is lost. ⋆The more the merrier. ⋆Two’s company, three’s a crowd. ⋆Those who have, get. ⋆The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. ⋆Only time will tell. ⋆In for a penny, in for a pound. ⋆He's busier than a long snake in the mall parking lot. ⋆He's lost like a ball in high weeds. ⋆I'm insurance poor. ⋆Cool your jets! You done bumped your head! ⋆Two hairs past the freckle, eastern elbow time. ⋆Give it a rest. ⋆Well, spank my ass and call me Judy. ⋆That's the bottom line. ⋆I'm a happy camper. ⋆Alrighty, then! ⋆Is the Pope Catholic? ⋆He's so tight he squeaks. ⋆He's so crooked they'll have to screw him into the ground. ⋆Don't even go there. ⋆I've got a good memory, but it's short. ⋆Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. ⋆Thanks for the memories!

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