Editors and clients sometimes quail at the sight of idiomatic phrases. If someone asks you to cool it with the old saws, you’ll probably want to listen up. Idiom examples can throw readers for a loop if they aren’t familiar with the sayings you’re using.

Going nuts with figurative speech can also have a variety of other effects: distracting readers from what you’re trying to convey, making you sound uneducated, or, perish the thought, pushing you over into the realm of poetry.

On the other hand, you should probably take any grammar-based criticisms with a grain of salt. Look through the idiom examples I use at the bottom of this article and you’ll see that they’re all, by definition, irregular.

Either by design or by pedigree, these idiomatic phrases break the current rules of syntax and semantics. They’re also fun — they open up a whole heap of possibilities for connecting with your audience, linking your diction to your subject or just spicing things up.

Do Idioms Follow Grammar Rules?

Should popular idioms follow grammar rules? No, idioms do not need to follow standard grammar. Specifically, a literal reading of your sentence does not have to follow the rules.

Still on the fence about a certain usage? Replace the entire idiomatic phrase with a couple of alternative words. If those words are all grammatically correct, chances are your idiom is placed correctly.

Ending an Idiom With a Preposition

Did you notice that I ended a sentence with a preposition a couple of paragraphs ago? My sixth-grade English teacher would have whipped out the red pen to let me know I committed a grave error. No offense meant, Mrs. Star, if you’re reading this.

However, AP style editors tend to let this type of thing — and other types of unconventional constructions — slide. In the case of “spicing things up,” the function of “up” is not prepositional. There’s no literal spice and no literal direction involved in the sentence. With relative impunity, you should be able to end sentences with “carry on,” “give up,” “look around,” “put up with,” and “read on.”

Understanding Idiom Agreement Rules

Some popular idiom examples seem to break plural agreement when taken literally. Anyway, let’s change gears for a second. I have a confession to make.

Sometimes, I’m all thumbs. In other words: clumsy. I’m not actually all of the thumbs (I am only two of them, and then only by synecdoche), and “clumsy” is only one word. These idioms may not follow plural rules, but these statements make sense — and they’re true. I dropped an egg on the floor the other day during an attempt at making chilaquiles.

Following Case and Capitalization When Using Idioms

Special cases, such as AP title case, might require you to capitalize all important words in an idiomatic phrase. For example, you would want to capitalize the “on” in the idiomatic phrase “bank on” in the headline “Smart Money To Bank On Bear Market in 2024.” You’re just putting a figurative layer on top of the existing AP guideline: to capitalize prepositions if they’re part of a verb phrase.

In another example, “Newly Discovered Number Has Mathematicians at Sixes and Sevens,” I would not capitalize “at” or “and.” The idiom here is standing in for “confused,” an adjective. Therefore, the phrasal verb rule does not apply.

Knowing Grammar Versus Client Style When Using Idioms

Unfortunately, just because something is grammatically correct does not automatically qualify it to be appropriate for what you’re writing. There are rules and then there are rules.

By way of an example, I’d never end a sentence with a preposition if I were writing for legal, insurance or medical businesses — not even as part of a set phrase. I’d just recast or rewrite.

The reason: Most of those clients want formal writing. They usually even request that I avoid contractions — although idioms are one of the only ways you can sneak a “don’t” into otherwise stiff copy. By way of killing two birds with one stone, I usually tone it down with the figurative language in general when communicating with or writing for these types of professionals.

Using the Correct Idiomatic Phrase

Make sure you’re copying these idiomatic phrases over correctly. Many common idioms come into parlance from antiquated terms, foreign sayings or even quotes.

For example, it’s “for all intents and purposes” and not “for all intensive purposes.” There’s nothing more embarrassing than making a mistake when even perfect execution could be considered unprofessional.

Owning Your Own Voice

My self-care rule of thumb is to use the language I love, darn the torpedoes and all that. However, I also make the changes my clients want and enthusiastically adapt to their styles. I don’t think they’re trying to stifle my creative flames — they probably just want to understand what in the blue blazes I’m saying.

I’m with John Ashbery on this subject: He said that clichés and idioms were a little holy, at least insofar as many people have used them to express something important. Did you catch yourself saying, “Holy cow!” at all of the idiom examples I threw your way today? Please let me know how many you found by leaving a note in the comments below. I counted 27, but then I revised.

40 Popular Idiom Examples and Their Meanings

And last, but not least, here is the promised list of idiom examples and their meanings. Sometimes, great writing (either for fun or for a client) starts with having the right expressions on hand.

IDIOM	MEANING
Actions speak louder than words	Show me, don’t tell me
Barking up the wrong tree	Asking the wrong person
Bend over backwards	Do everything you can
Bite your tongue	Not say something
Bottom of the barrel	The lowest-quality elements
Break a leg	Good luck
Broken record	Repeating something
Change your mind	Decide to do something else
Dead last	The very last of something
Don’t know the first thing about it	Have no knowledge
down to earth	Practical and unpretentious
Drag your feet	Delay something or move slowly
Fall flat on your face	Make a mistake
Fend for yourself	Take care of yourself without outside help
Fight tooth and nail	Use all of your strength and willpower
From the bottom of my heart	From a place of complete truth and ability
Gathering dust	Unused
Give a hand	Help
Go behind someone’s back	Do something someone doesn’t know about
Got cold feet	Became apprehensive or fearful about something
Have a blast	Have a good time
Have deep pockets	Rich
Have the final say	Make the final decision
Head over heels	Madly in love
I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it	I’ll deal with the issue when I need to.
In over your head	You’re not capable of completing something
Lick your wounds	Recover from a painful experience
Look out for number one	Do something for yourself without thinking of others
Off the beaten track	Difficult to find; remote
On the double	Quickly
Penny for your thoughts	What are you thinking?
Point of no return	Too late to change your mind
Rack my brain	Remember something
Raining cats and dogs	Raining heavily
Roll out the red carpet	Treat someone like a celebrity
Second nature	Easy to do
Stand on ceremony	Expect a formal approach
Taking care of business	Doing what is required
The ball is in your court	It’s your responsibility now.
Toot my own horn	Brag about myself
Up in arms	Vigorously protesting

Do you have any other great idiomatic phrases you love? Are there other idiom examples that aren’t as widely used, but drive the point home? Leave them in the comments below!