Friends, in the English language, idioms play an important part in communication. But do you know that there are some idioms which are only used in American English?
Here are some AMERICAN IDIOMS
1 Hit it out of the park: Meaning-Do something extremely well. Example- She hit it out of the park with that presentation.
2 Monday morning quarterback: Meaning- Someone who criticises after the result is known. Example- It’s easy to be a Monday morning quarterback.
3 In a pickle: Meaning: Meaning- In trouble or a difficult situation. Example-I am in pickle; I forgot my wallet.
4 Shoot the breeze: Meaning- Chat casually. Example-We just sat outside and shot the breeze.
5 The whole nine yards: Meaning- Everything; all of it. Example- They decorated the house, the whole nine yard.
6 Bite the bullet: Meaning-Face something difficult. Example- I will bite the bullet and make the call.
7 Break the bank: Meaning-Cost too much money. Example-That vacation won’t break the bank.
8 Kick the can down the road: Meaning-Delay a decision. Example-We can’t keep kicking the can down the road.
9 Pull yourself up by your bootstraps: Meaning-Succeed through hard work. Example-He built his business by pulling himself up by his bootstraps.
10 Ride shotgun: Meaning-Sit in the front passenger seat. Example I call riding shotgun.
11 Ballpark figure: Meaning-Rough estimate. Example- Can you give me a ballpark figure?
12 Call the shots: Meaning-be in control. Example- She calls the shots in the company.
13 On the same page: Meaning-In agreement. Example-let us make sure we are on the same page.
14 Cut to the chase: Meaning-get to the point. Example- Let’s cut to the chase.
15 Go the extra mile: Meaning-Do more than required. Example- She always goes the extra mile.
16 Take a rain check: Meaning-Postpone plans. Example-I will take a rain check for dinner.
17 The ball is in your court– Meaning- It is your decision now. Example- I have done my part, now the ball is in your court.
18 Think outside the box: Meaning-Be creative. Example- We need to think outside the box.
19 Hit the road: Meaning-Leave. Example-It is late; we should hit the road.
20 Piece of cake: Meaning-very easy. Example- The test was a piece of cake.
Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
20th August 2026