One of the things that marks a native speaker of a language is their ability to use idioms. An idiom is a figure of speech, one whose meaning in the context of a conversation may have little relationship to the actual words used. For example, if your friend in Paris says Je suis dans mon assiette she’s saying that she feels comfortable and at ease – not that she is “in my plate,” which is the literal translation. If your friend in Madrid doesn’t believe something you’ve told him, he might say a otro perro con ese hueso (give this bone to another dog) though no actual dogs or bones are involved. And if your friend in Tokyo tells you that she wants to borrow a cat’s paw (neko no te mo karitai) she doesn’t really want a cat, she’s just very busy with a lot to do, and could use some help. Here are some common English idioms:

walking on eggshells
Meaning: being very careful when you’re interacting with someone, especially by watching what you say
Example: The boss has been in such a bad mood, we’re all walking on eggshells when he’s around.

under the weather
Meaning: feeling ill or sick
Example: I don’t know what’s wrong with me; I’ve been feeling under the weather ever since January.

to push the envelope
Meaning: to go beyond the boundaries of what has been done in the past, to do something in a new and innovative way
Example: The new marketing manager really wants to push the envelope with this year’s ad campaigns.

on cloud nine
Meaning: very happy
Example: She’s been on cloud nine every since she got the acceptance letter from MIT.

let the cat out of the bag
Meaning: to reveal something that was a secret, whether accidentally or on purpose
Example: Paul’s birthday party was supposed to be a surprise, but Jane let the cat out of the bag when she accidentally sent the invitation to his e-mail address.

grab the bull by the horns
Meaning: to tackle a problem head-on, in person, without hesitation
Example: We’ve heard rumors that there might be layoffs, and at the next company meeting I’m going to grab the bull by the horns and ask the CEO to tell us if there will be staff cuts.

Learning vocabulary isn’t just about memorizing the definitions of difficult words, it’s also about getting familiar with the creative ways that common words are used. Remember, when working on improving your English vocabulary, there’s more than one way to skin a cat!*

* It’s possible to succeed at something by using several different methods