<p>Have you ever heard someone in a movie say, “I’m on cloud nine”? Maybe, you started wondering where Cloud Nine is, what it looks like, and whether they’re afraid of being that high. Don’t worry, cloud nine doesn’t exist! But it is an idiom that native speakers use to express happiness.</p><p>In this article, we will dive into a journey together to explore what idioms are, some common idioms used by natives, and their Arabic equivalent in both standard and slang Arabic. Stay tuned!</p><p> </p><p>We will talk about:</p><ul><li><h2>What is an idiom?</h2></li><li><h2>Why do you need to learn them?</h2></li><li><h2>Examples on idioms to enrich your English database.</h2></li></ul><h2> </h2><h2>1. What are Idioms?</h2><p>Idioms are a group of words that always appear in the same order and have a meaning different from the individual words. In other words, idioms must be used in their fixed order to express the intended meaning.</p><p> </p><h2>2. Why are Idioms Important?</h2><p>One of the most effective ways to increase your speaking fluency and make your English sound more natural is through using idioms. By the end of this article, you will have 15 powerful idioms to use in your daily interactions; keep reading to discover them!</p><p> </p><h2>3. 15 Common English idioms</h2><p>First, you will read an example of how each idiom is used in a sentence, try to guess its meaning on your own! Then, you will find the standard and slang Arabic equivalent, and followed by a brief description about the situation in which they are used.</p><p> </p><h3>On Cloud Nine</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘I can’t believe that I scored 5.5 on my IELTS exam! I’m on cloud nine!’ </li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: في غاية السعادة</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: طاير من الفرحة</li><li>Usage: You can use this idiom to express your genuine and extreme happiness about something that happened to you.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Once in a Blue Moon</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘My brother lives abroad, so I only see him once in a blue moon.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: نادرًا</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: كل وين ووين</li><li>Usage: You can use this idiom to describe something that happens rarely and infrequently.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Cut to the Chase</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘Stop beating around the bush, and cut to the chase!’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: ادخل في صلب الموضوع</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: اعطيني الصافي</li><li>Usage: Similarly, this idiom is used to tell someone to talk about the important things and stop wasting time on unrelated topics.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Read more about <a href="https://www.unihouse.com.jo/en/blogs/journey-to-learn-english-online">learning English online</a>.</p><p> </p><h3>Break a Leg</h3><ul><li>Example: My friend told me that he had a job interview, I said, “Break a leg!”</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: أتمنى لك التوفيق</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: بالتوفيق</li><li>Usage: You can use this idiom to simply wish someone good luck. It is commonly used among natives.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Get/Have Cold Feet</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘Before my job interview, I left because I had cold feet.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: يجفل ويتراجع في اللحظة الأخيرة</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: تراجع و خاف</li><li>Usage: It is used to describe a situation in which you feel doubt or fear about doing something after planning for it.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Up in the Air</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘I can’t decide when to take my exam, it is still up in the air.’</li><li> ٍStandard Arabic equivalent: ما زلت حائرًا</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: لسا ما قررت</li><li>Usage: It is often used when you are uncertain about an issue and can’t make up your mind about it. It may also show that the results are uncertain.</li></ul><p> </p><img src="/sites/default/files/inline-images/An-illustration-of-a-person-thinking-about-a-plane-and-the-idiom-up-in-the-air.jpg" data-entity-uuid="e8eb297a-f869-41a4-ac83-6709fdfc01ef" data-entity-type="file" alt="An illustration of a person thinking about the idiom: Up in the Air, and a flying air plane" width="600" class="align-center" height="1000" loading="lazy" /><p> </p><h3>Cost an Arm and a Leg</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘This watch is very expensive, it cost me an arm and a leg!’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: كلفني ثمنًا باهظًا</li><li>ٍSlang Arabic equivalent: حطيت فيه اللي فوقي اللي تحتي</li><li>Usage: It is used to express that something is very expensive or overpriced.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Hold your Horses</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘Hold your horses and think carefully before making this decision.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: تأنى قليلًا</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: طول بالك</li><li>Usage: It is used to tell someone to slow down and think carefully before making decision or holding an opinion.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Actions Speak Louder than Words</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘He keeps promising to pay me back, but you know, actions speak louder than words.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: الأفعال أبلغ من الأقوال</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: العبرة بالأفعال مو بالأقوال</li><li>Usage: It is used to emphasize that actions are stronger and more important than words. If you want to prove something to someone, show it through your actions, not only your words.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Read between the Lines</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘Even though she didn’t tell me about her bad situation, it was all obvious when I read between the lines.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: استكشف المعنى المخفي</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: اقرأ ما بين السطور</li><li>Usage: It is used when you try to understand a situation through someone’s facial expressions or analyze the hidden messages from someone’s speech.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Out of the Blue</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘My childhood friend called me out of the blue; I didn’t expect that.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: على حين غرّة</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: فجأة، من حيث لا احتسب</li><li>Usage: It used to show that something unexpected happened in a surprising way. </li></ul><p> </p><h3>Back to Square One</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘The client didn’t like the project; we’re back to square one.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: عدنا لنقطة البداية</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: بدنا نعيد من الصفر</li><li>Usage: It is used to indicate that someone has to do something all over again from the beginning.</li></ul><p> </p><p>Read more about <a href="https://www.unihouse.com.jo/en/blogs/selt-test:-everything-you-need-to-know">SELT exams</a>.</p><p> </p><h3>Gut Feeling</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘I have a gut feeling that this won’t work.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: يخبرني حدسي</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: إحساسي أو قلبي دليلي</li><li>Usage: It is used to express that you have a strong feeling or intuition about something, yet it doesn’t have a scientific proof.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>A Piece of Cake</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘The exam was a piece of cake! I did very well.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: سهل للغاية</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: مثل شرب الماء</li><li>Usage: This idiom is used to show that something is very easy to do.</li></ul><p> </p><h3>Call it a Day</h3><ul><li>Example: ‘Let’s finish this text and call it a day.’</li><li>Standard Arabic equivalent: لننهي العمل لهذا اليوم</li><li>Slang Arabic equivalent: يكفي لليوم</li><li>Usage: This idiom is used to show that you will stop what you are doing because you either don’t want to continue or you think that you have done enough.</li></ul><p> </p><p>When you find new ways to connect English to your mother tongue language, you will remember expressions more easily, and learning English will be a piece of cake for you!</p><p>Remember, learning a new language can be challenging, but growth only happens when you challenge yourself and get out of your comfort zone.</p><p>Learn more about UniHouse's <a href="https://www.unihouse.com.jo/en/prepare">English courses</a>.</p><p> </p><p>Author: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/ru-a-khalil-246906290">Ru’a Khalil</a></p>

Discover 15 common English idioms with their meanings, usage examples, and Arabic equivalents in both standard and slang forms! Learn expressions like &quot;I&#039;m on cloud nine&quot; and &quot;Once in a blue moon&quot; to improve your fluency and sound more like a native speaker.

15 Common English Idioms to Use in your Daily Interactions