English Idioms Vocabulary 2022 Complete Edition

Make a meal of something (or “make a big deal of something”)
Meaning: To treat something in a way that makes it seem more significant,
valuable, or important than it actually is.
Example: Students always make such a meal of the simplest test; He made
such a meal of that task - it only took him half an hour!
Make a rod for your own back
Meaning: To do something that will cause you trouble/problems in the
future.
Example: Our management made a rod for their own back when they fired
all the highly skilled workers.
Move heaven and earth
Meaning: To try as hard as you can to achieve something; to stop at
nothing.
Example: I had to move heaven and earth to get my dream job.
Nip something in the bud
Meaning: To stop something at an early stage before it becomes a big
problem.
Example: It is extremely important to nip this problem in the bud.
Nod is as good as a wink
Meaning: To emphasize that there is no need to explain something further,
because the person already understands or knows enough about it.

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Dialogue example:
Speaker A: Do you know why Tanya is so upset?
Speaker B: All I know is that she met her ex-boyfriend at the supermarket.
Speaker A: Come on, a nod is as good as a wink. It's all because of him.
No holds barred
Meaning: Without any restrictions or limits.
Example: In my house you can do whatever you want, no holds barred.
No picnic
Meaning: Quite difficult or unpleasant.
Example: College life is no picnic; Being a single parent is no picnic.
No prizes for guessing
Meaning: To emphasize that it is very easy to guess something; something
that is very obvious.
Example: No prizes for guessing where John is; No prizes for guessing the
answer to that simple question.