Top 30 Everyday Idioms You'll Meet in YA Fiction (and How to Remember Them)
Young-adult (YA) books are full of lively talk. Characters joke, argue, and dream using idioms, short phrases that mean more than the words themselves. Learn these 30 essential idioms to make your reading clearer and cooler.
Young-adult (YA) books are full of lively talk. Characters joke, argue, and dream using idioms, short phrases that mean more than the words themselves. If you learn these idioms, the story feels clearer and cooler. Below is a friendly guide in plain 8th-grade English.
1. What is an idiom?
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning you cannot guess from the words. For example, "break the ice" does not mean smashing frozen water. It means start a friendly talk. Idioms are like secret codes. When you know them, you sound more natural.
2. How to learn idioms fast
- Picture it. Make a quick sketch in your mind (or notebook). Funny images stick.
- Use it in a sentence. Write one line about your day with the idiom.
- Say it aloud. Your tongue helps your brain remember.
- Spot it in reading. Each time you see the idiom, highlight it in EchoRead. Repeating in context makes it stick.
3. The Top 30 Idioms (with easy meanings & examples)
| # | Idiom | Simple meaning | YA-style example sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Break the ice | start talking in a new group | Ava told a joke to break the ice on the first school day. |
| 2 | Hit the books | study hard | We have finals next week, so I need to hit the books tonight. |
| 3 | Piece of cake | very easy | The math quiz was a piece of cake. |
| 4 | Under the weather | feeling sick | Liam skipped practice because he felt under the weather. |
| 5 | Spill the beans | tell a secret | Come on, spill the beans! Who is your crush? |
| 6 | Burn the midnight oil | stay up late working | Maya burned the midnight oil finishing her art project. |
| 7 | Cold feet | sudden fear before doing something | He got cold feet right before the play and almost quit. |
| 8 | Cost an arm and a leg | very expensive | Those concert tickets cost an arm and a leg. |
| 9 | Hit the sack | go to sleep | I'm tired. Time to hit the sack. |
| 10 | On cloud nine | very happy | She was on cloud nine after getting the lead role. |
| 11 | Break a leg | good luck (theater slang) | Break a leg at your audition! |
| 12 | In hot water | in trouble | I'm in hot water for missing curfew. |
| 13 | Let the cat out of the bag | reveal a surprise | Alex let the cat out of the bag about the party. |
| 14 | Bite the bullet | do something hard or unpleasant | I finally bit the bullet and apologized. |
| 15 | Hit the nail on the head | say exactly the right thing | Your guess about the ending hit the nail on the head. |
| 16 | On the same page | agree, understand each other | Let's make sure we're on the same page before we start. |
| 17 | Throw in the towel | quit | After two losses the team refused to throw in the towel. |
| 18 | Cut to the chase | get to the main point | Cut to the chase, what did the teacher say? |
| 19 | Once in a blue moon | very rarely | We only see snow here once in a blue moon. |
| 20 | The ball is in your court | it's your turn to act | I sent him a message, so the ball is in his court now. |
| 21 | Beat around the bush | avoid saying directly | Stop beating around the bush and tell me the truth. |
| 22 | Break the bank | use up all your money | Buying that phone would break the bank. |
| 23 | Blow off steam | release anger or stress | She went for a run to blow off steam after the fight. |
| 24 | Keep an eye on | watch closely | Keep an eye on my bag while I'm gone. |
| 25 | Rain check | postpone to another time | Can we take a rain check on the movie? |
| 26 | Walk on eggshells | act very carefully | We walk on eggshells when Dad is tired. |
| 27 | Hit the road | leave, start a trip | Let's hit the road early to avoid traffic. |
| 28 | In the same boat | in the same situation | Don't worry, we're all in the same boat for this test. |
| 29 | Pull someone's leg | tease or joke | Are you serious or just pulling my leg? |
| 30 | Throw cold water on | discourage | He threw cold water on her idea, but she kept trying. |
Feel free to copy this table into your notebook or flashcard app.
4. Quick practice plan (15 minutes a day)
- Pick five idioms. Read them aloud twice.
- Draw a tiny doodle for each idiom's meaning.
- Write one short sentence about your life using each idiom.
- Read a YA page in EchoRead. Try to spot any of the five idioms.
- Next day, review yesterday's five and add five new ones.
Do this for one week and you will know all 30 idioms with ease.
5. How EchoRead helps you lock them in
- Hover glosses show the idiom meaning right away, so you don't lose the story flow.
- Save phrases: click the star to add an idiom to your review list.
Try reading your next YA chapter in EchoRead and see how many of these idioms you can catch. Happy reading and happy idiom hunting!