CPI INTERMEDIATE

THE COLOURS OF ENGLISH: Idioms

BLACK IDIOMS
Black and white
To take everything into consideration and oversimplify something. To judge everything as either one way or the
other, good or bad.
 Our boss always thinks that everything is straightforward, but he doesn’t realise that this whole situation is
not as black and white as he thinks!
Black market
A term used for places where goods are illegally bought and sold for a profit.
 Jerry used to sell cigarettes from South America on the black market!
Blacklist someone
To write someone’s name on a list if they break any rules, and ban them from having the opportunity to take
part again
 “I was in a lot of debt a while ago, and was unable to pay it all back, so I’ve been blacklisted. I’m not
allowed to get a mortgage in my own name.”
Blackmail someone
To extort or take money from someone by using their secrets against them and threatening to reveal it to
others
 He has been blackmailing me for months with some photos that I didn’t know he had. I need someone to
help me stop him!
BLUE IDIOMS
Out of the blue
To appear out of nowhere without any warning, to happen quite suddenly or randomly by surprise
 You won’t believe it but Sarah called me out of the blue yesterday, and told me she’s coming to visit! How
unexpected!
 Greg has decided to quit his job out of the blue, and go travelling for a year!
Blue blood
Used to describe someone from a noble, aristocratic or wealthy family
 Many of the blue bloods in our town were invited to the royal wedding.
Blue ribbon
To be of superior quality or distinction, the best of a group
 A blue ribbon panel of experts were invited to investigate the extraordinary remains.
Feel blue
When someone looks or feels depressed or discontented
 What’s that the matter with you today? You seem really blue. Is there something you’d like to talk about?
Once in a blue moon
To occur extremely rarely, or only once in a lifetime
  My sister is working in Africa, she hardly ever has the time to call us. My parents only hear from her once in
a blue moon.
Blue collar
Used to describe men used as labourers, or factory workers
 The got rid of a lot of the blue-collar workers during the recession. I would say they definitely suffered the
most.
COLOURLESS IDIOMS
To be colourless
Used to describe someone who lacks personality, and is really boring
 It’s really hard to make conversation with her. She’s just really dull and colourless.
See someone’s true colours
To understand someone’s actual character, often for the first time
 I thought I knew her so well, but it was only until I asked her for the money she owed me that I saw her true
colours.
Chase rainbows
When someone tries to get or achieve something that is difficult or impossible
 My brother doesn’t think realistically. He’ll never get a decent job if he just chases rainbows all the time.
To show one’s true colours
To reveal one’s true nature
 When he got so angry at her in front of everybody, he showed his true colours.
With flying colours
To complete something with great distinction, and excellent results
 I didn’t think she would do so well in the final exam, but she passed it with flying colours!
GREEN IDIOMS
To be green
Used to describe someone who is immature, or inexperienced
 He can be rather green sometimes. I don’t think he’s ready to be promoted to a higher position yet.
Green with envy
Used to describe someone who is extremely jealous, full of envy
 When we were children, my older brother always used to get green with envy if my dad bought something
for me and not for him.
Give someone the green light / get the green light
When someone receives, or is given, permission to go ahead with something
 We have been given the green the light by the Marketing Executive to go ahead with the new advertising
campaign.
GOLD IDIOMS
A golden opportunity
An opportunity that may never present itself again
 Think carefully about what you’re going to do, this is a golden opportunity, and you don’t want to mess it
up!
A golden handshake
A large sum of money that is paid to a retiring manager or director, or to a redundant worker
 The company Chairman received a huge golden handshake when he retired.
PINK IDIOMS
See pink elephants
When someone sees things that are not really there, because they are in their imagination
 Anyone who hears his story thinks he sees pink elephants. It’s just such a far-fetched story, and very hard to
believe.
RED IDIOMS
To be in the red
To have an overdraft, be in debt to your bank, or owe an institution some money
 I’ve got three credit card bills to pay off at the moment. I hate being in the red!
To be out of the red
To be out of debt
 Our company is finally out of the red now. We’ve managed to pay back our loan, and now we’re making
profit!
Red hot
Something new and exciting, creating much demand
 The new video game is red-hot. Some fans have been waiting outside stores for days, to get a hold of
them!
Catch someone red-handed
To catch someone in the act of committing a crime, or doing something wrong that they shouldn’t be doing
 He kept lying to me about where he was going in the evenings, so yesterday I followed him and caught him
red-handed. He was with another woman!
Red in the face
To become embarrassed
 I went red in the face when the teacher told me off in front of everyone for arriving late!
Red-letter day
A day that is memorable because of some important event
 The day I graduated was a red-letter day for my mum, she still talks about it today!
To look through rose-coloured/tinted spectacles/glasses
When someone sees things in an overly flattering or over-optimistic light
 Sarah doesn’t understand what it’s like for us. She has always seen everything through rose-tinted
glasses because her parents spoilt her so much when she was young!
To see red
To react with uncontrollable rage against someone or something
 John saw red when he heard someone shouting at his mother.
Paint the town red
To go out and have a really good time at a party
 I’ve managed to get a babysitter for this weekend. Let’s go and paint the town red!
SILVER IDIOMS
To be given something on a silver plate/platter
When something is offered to someone whole-heartedly (in a metaphorical sense)
 I offered my heart to him on a silver platter, and he turned it down.
WHITE IDIOMS
Raise a white flag
This indicates that one has accepted defeat and surrenders to the other party
 There was such a heated debate going on in the conference room, they wouldn’t back down! I just raised
my white flag in the end.
White elephant
A term used for a useless possession, something that is of no use
 My mum bought a new CD player for me, but it’s a white elephant. I don’t need it, I don’t even have any
CDs!
White lie
An innocent lie to protect another person´s feelings.
 We told grandma that her cake was delicious, which was actually a white lie.
Black and white
Straight forward, very clear.
 The rules we gave the kids were black and white. No answering the phone or the door.

Simile uses the words "like" or "as" to draw a comparison. They are used in literature to make writing more vivid
and powerful. In everyday speech they can be used to convey meaning quickly and effectively, as many
commonly used expressions are similes.
For example, when someone says “He is as busy as a bee,” it means he is working hard, as
bees are known to be extremely busy.
Some other well-known similes you will often hear are:
 As cute as a  As white as a
kitten ghost
 As happy as a  As sweet as
clam sugar
 As light as a  As black as coal
feather  You were as  As night and day.
 As blind as a bat brave as a lion.  As thin as a rake.
 As bright as a  Like cats and  As deep as the
button dogs. ocean.
 As shiny as a new  As dry as a bone.
pin
 As cold as ice
 As common as
dirt  As funny as a
 As cool as a barrel of
cucumber monkeys.
 As strong as an
ox.
 As clear as mud/
crystal
 As hard/tough as  As easy as
nails shooting fish in a
 As hot as hell barrel.
 As innocent as a  As solid as the
lamb ground we stand
 As tall as a on.
giraffe  As nutty as a
fruitcake.