• Losing that job was a blessing in disguise—she found a better one.

• The delay was a blessing in disguise; it avoided a worse problem.

• Cheap souvenirs are a dime a dozen in the tourist area.

• Talent shows make new singers a dime a dozen.

• The donation was a drop in the ocean compared to the costs.

• One small change is a drop in the ocean for large problems.

• The award was a feather in her cap after years of work.

• Getting published is a feather in his cap.

• The missing files made a fine kettle of fish for the team.

• Now this is a fine kettle of fish—we have conflicting reports.

• Internships give you a foot in the door at big companies.

• That small job was a foot in the door to a career change.

• He promised to change, but a leopard can’t change its spots.

• She doubted his reformation—after all, a leopard can’t change its spots.

• The quiz was a piece of cake for him.

• Baking this recipe is a piece of cake.

• Arguing here will only add fuel to the fire.

• His comments added fuel to the fire and made tensions worse.

• We worked against the clock to finish the report.

• The team raced against the clock before the deadline.

• Their technology keeps them ahead of the curve.

• She stays ahead of the curve by learning new skills early.

• I’m all ears—tell me what happened.

• The class went silent; the students were all ears.

• For nurses, long shifts are all in a day’s work.

• Fixing small issues is all in a day’s work for him.

• I’m all thumbs when it comes to DIY projects.

• He’s all thumbs handling delicate equipment.

• She’ll travel at the drop of a hat.

• He accepts gigs at the drop of a hat.

• The failed test put them back to square one.

• We have to go back to square one and redesign the plan.

• Give me a ballpark figure for the renovation costs.

• The manager asked for a ballpark figure quickly.

• If you think I did it, you’re barking up the wrong tree.

• The detective was barking up the wrong tree with that lead.

• Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth.

• He always beats around the bush during reviews.

• I’ll bite the bullet and call the client now.

• She bit the bullet and finished the painful procedure.

• He was the black sheep of the family for his choices.

• The team’s black sheep changed after the scandal.

• She jogs to blow off steam after work.

• They went to the gym to blow off steam after the meeting.

• A quick game can break the ice at workshops.

• She told a joke to break the ice with the new team.

• What will you bring to the table in this role?

• Her network brings a lot to the table for partnerships.

• I need to brush up on my Spanish before traveling.

• She brushed up on coding before the interview.

• The inspector did everything by the book.

• He prefers doing things by the book to avoid errors.

• It’s late—let’s call it a day.

• After the long shoot, the crew called it a day.

• In that project, she calls the shots.

• Who’s calling the shots for this event?

• Choosing between pay and ethics left him between a rock and a hard place.

• She felt stuck—caught between a rock and a hard place.

• He had a change of heart and decided to stay.

• After thinking, she had a change of heart about quitting.

• After the fight, he gave her the cold shoulder.

• Don’t give me the cold shoulder—talk to me.

• That renovation cost an arm and a leg.

• Designer clothes can cost an arm and a leg.

• Time to crack the books for final exams.

• He cracked the books all weekend before the test.

• It’s too late to worry—don’t cry over spilt milk.

• We made a mistake, but there’s no point crying over spilt milk.

• Let’s cut to the chase—what do you want?

• He cut to the chase and gave the final numbers.

• Don’t cut corners when building safety features.

• They cut corners to finish the job faster and paid later.

• She’s successful but very down to earth.

• Keep your ideas down to earth and actionable.

• I draw the line at lying to clients.

• Where do you draw the line on acceptable behaviour?

• We dropped the ball on that shipment.

• Don’t drop the ball with the client presentation.

• The math problem was easy as pie for her.

• Setting up the app is easy as pie.

• He had to eat humble pie after the error was revealed.

• She ate humble pie and apologized publicly.

• He had to eat his words when the facts changed.

• She ate her words after the team succeeded.

• The budget cuts were the elephant in the room all meeting.

• We must address the elephant in the room: the missing funding.

• Losing the contract led to new opportunities—every cloud has a silver lining.

• Though it was hard, every cloud had a silver lining for them.

• They argued that the policy was an eye for an eye approach.

• The feud felt like an eye for an eye, escalating each time.

• After the error, he had to face the music with his boss.

• It’s time to face the music and fix the problem.

• Some emails fell through the cracks during the move.

• We tightened processes because things were falling through the cracks.

• After the haircut, she felt like a million dollars.

• He felt like a million dollars after the promotion.

• I’m feeling under the weather today and will rest.

• She felt under the weather and skipped the meeting.

• Opportunities that size are few and far between.

• Good coffee shops are few and far between in that area.

• They fought tooth and nail to save the school.

• She fought tooth and nail for her rights.

• Fill me in on the details when you can.

• He filled her in after the meeting.

• She found her feet in the new role after a month.

• It took him a while to find his feet after moving cities.

• After rehab, he’s fit as a fiddle.

• She exercises daily and is fit as a fiddle.

• That viral clip was a flash in the pan.

• Many startups are flashes in the pan without lasting models.

• Don’t fly off the handle; let’s discuss calmly.

• He flew off the handle when he saw the damage.

• Several companies followed suit with new policies.

• When one student stood, others followed suit.

• That idea is for the birds—let’s move on.

• His complaints were dismissed as for the birds.

• The prankster finally got a taste of his own medicine.

• She got a taste of her own medicine when ignored by colleagues.

• Let’s get the ball rolling on recruitment this week.

• He got the ball rolling with a quick email.

• If you want the promotion, get your act together.

• She got her act together and finished the project.

• After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder.

• Don’t give the new colleague the cold shoulder.

• The prototype failed—back to the drawing board.

• They went back to the drawing board after customer feedback.

• Good service means going the extra mile for customers.

• She always goes the extra mile in her work.

• He thought moving cities would help—the grass is greener elsewhere.

• Don’t assume the grass is greener on the other side.

• The project received the green light from management.

• We can start once we get the green light.

• She’s hands down the best speaker today.

• That was hands down the best meal I’ve had.

• Hang in there—things will improve.

• She told him to hang in there during recovery.

• I had second thoughts about buying that car.

• She had second thoughts and postponed the trip.

• With three kids, she has her hands full.

• The manager has his hands full with the new hires.

• We need someone who can hit the ground running.

• She hit the ground running on day one.

• You hit the nail on the head with that observation.

• His suggestion hit the nail on the head.

• Hold your horses—we’ll leave in a minute.

• Hold your horses before making quick decisions.

• He believed the story hook, line, and sinker.

• The audience fell for the joke hook, line, and sinker.

• In a nutshell, we need more resources.

• She explained the plan in a nutshell.

• He was in hot water after missing the deadline.

• The team is in hot water with management now.

• We are all in the same boat during the transition.

• You’re not alone—others are in the same boat.

• The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.

• They caught the offer in the nick of time.

• Many brands jumped on the bandwagon for eco-packaging.

• He jumped on the bandwagon and started using the app.

• Keep an eye on the oven while it bakes.

• I’ll keep an eye on your luggage while you go.

• Keep your chin up—better days are coming.

• She kept her chin up through recovery.

• She killed two birds with one stone by studying on the commute.

• Cooking while catching up on calls killed two birds with one stone.

• It took him months to know the ropes at work.

• She knows the ropes and trains new hires.

• Don’t lay it on thick—just say thanks.

• She laid it on thick about his performance at the party.

• He accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the wedding.

• Don’t let the cat out of the bag about the surprise.

• New regulations created a level playing field for startups.

• The competition aims for a level playing field.

• After months of work, we finally see light at the end of the tunnel.

• Recovery suggested a light at the end of the tunnel.

• I missed the train—live and learn for next time.

• She forgot the email but lived and learned.

• He used to be great at coding but seems to have lost his touch.

• Don’t worry—you’ll practice and regain your touch.

• To make a long story short, we missed our flight.

• Make a long story short: it all worked out.

• He missed the boat on that investment opportunity.

• Don’t miss the boat—apply early.

• We go out for dinner once in a blue moon.

• He calls once in a blue moon.

• The call came out of the blue last night.

• The news arrived out of the blue and surprised everyone.

• She was over the moon about the promotion.

• They were over the moon at the good news.

• Don’t pass the buck—take responsibility.

• He tried to pass the buck after the error.

• The test was a piece of cake for her.

• This recipe is a piece of cake to make.

• We’ll play it by ear and see how the weather goes.

• No schedule—let’s play it by ear.

• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket with investments.

• They put all their eggs in one basket and lost it all.

• She put her foot down and refused overtime.

• Parents sometimes must put their foot down.

• I don’t want to rain on your parade, but we need a budget.

• Don’t rain on her parade—she worked hard for it.

• Read between the lines of that email; he’s unhappy.

• She can read between the lines and sense the issue.

• Don’t rock the boat during negotiations.

• He worried that his complaint would rock the boat.

• Let’s roll up our sleeves and fix this.

• She rolled up her sleeves and started cleaning.

• The campaign ran out of steam after month two.

• He started strong but ran out of steam.

• We finally see eye to eye on the plan.

• Parents rarely see eye to eye on everything.

• The new phone sold like hotcakes on launch day.

• Tickets are selling like hotcakes for the festival.

• Sit tight while we check availability.

• The doctor told him to sit tight and wait.

• The scandal revealed a skeleton in the closet for the company.

• He was worried his past would become a skeleton in the closet.

• I’ll sleep on it and tell you tomorrow.

• She decided to sleep on it before answering.

• Don’t spill the beans about the surprise.

• He spilled the beans accidentally at lunch.

• She stood her ground during the tough negotiation.

• Stand your ground if you believe it’s right.

• He stole her thunder by announcing results first.

• Don’t steal someone’s thunder at celebrations.

• Take his boasts with a grain of salt.

• I’d take that rumor with a grain of salt until confirmed.

• She took the bull by the horns and led the project.

• He decided to take the bull by the horns and speak up.

• I’ve done my part; now the ball is in your court.

• The ball’s in their court after the proposal.

• Working part-time and freelancing gives the best of both worlds.

• She enjoys the best of both worlds with her hybrid schedule.

• The early bird catches the worm—apply early for discounts.

• He arrived early; the early bird caught the worm.

• Her late arrival was the last straw for the manager.

• Missing the meeting was the last straw for the board.

• The errors we found are just the tip of the iceberg.

• That scandal was only the tip of the iceberg for corruption.

• After repeated failures, he threw in the towel.

• Don’t throw in the towel yet; try one more approach.

• Management turned a blind eye to minor breaches.

• You can’t turn a blind eye to safety issues.

• She turned the tables on critics with solid results.

• The team turned the tables and won the match.

• Those twins are two peas in a pod.

• The partners are two peas in a pod when planning events.

• I’m feeling under the weather today and will work from home.

• She’s been under the weather since Monday.

• Travel plans are up in the air until we confirm flights.

• The future of the project is still up in the air.

• He washed his hands of the failed scheme.

• Don’t wash your hands of the project—help finish it.

• That argument is water under the bridge now.

• Let’s move on—it’s water under the bridge.

• He wears his heart on his sleeve about his family.

• She wears her heart on her sleeve, so you always know how she feels.

• I’ll clean the whole house? When pigs fly.

• He’ll apologize when pigs fly.

• Climate change is a wicked problem facing leaders worldwide.

• Designing the system proved to be a wicked problem.

• Chasing that rumor was a wild goose chase.

• The search turned into a wild goose chase with no results.

• The restaurant grew by word of mouth.

• We rely on word of mouth for new clients.

• “That was a great match.” “You can say that again!”

• “It’s hot today.” “You can say that again.”

• “When will they arrive?” “Your guess is as good as mine.”

• He shrugged—your guess is as good as mine about the results.

• The school has zero tolerance for bullying.

• There’s zero tolerance for safety breaches on site.

• I zoned out during the lecture for a moment.

• She tends to zone out when tired.

• He always has an ace up his sleeve during negotiations.

• Keep an ace up your sleeve for the presentation.

• “You look good for your age” is a backhanded compliment.

• He was upset by the backhanded compliment masked as praise.

• The old business finally bit the dust last year.

• The plan bit the dust after funding was cut.

• She calls the shots in the marketing department.

• Who’s calling the shots for this project?

• The rules are cut and dried—no exceptions.

• The decision wasn’t cut and dried; it needed debate.

• He’s a dead ringer for his father.

• That painting is a dead ringer for the original.

• Easy does it with that fragile vase.

• Easy does it—no need to rush.

• Don’t take his promise at face value.

• The offer looked good at face value, but we checked details.

• The proposal went down in flames after the audit.

• His attempt to win the account went down in flames.

• They hit the jackpot with the viral campaign.

• She hit the jackpot when the startup got acquired.

• Keep your nose to the grindstone and you’ll finish soon.

• He kept his nose to the grindstone to meet the deadline.

• That suggestion came from left field.

• The question was from left field and surprised everyone.

• Don’t ask about the old disagreement—let sleeping dogs lie.

• They decided to let sleeping dogs lie and move on.

• We need to think outside the box for this challenge.

• The team thought outside the box and found a smart solution.