Idioms 2
30-Day Challenge

Learn 150 really useful idioms - the secret to advanced English

30 days of lessons


Get a video lesson and an exercise every day, as well as lots and lots of reviews.

Useful, modern idioms


Make your English more interesting and understand native speakers with 150 really useful, common idioms.

Scientific techniques


Remember the idioms, even if you think you have a bad memory. And learn memory techniques that will help you forever.

"How do idioms help me get to advanced level?"


Students often ask me 'how can I get past the 'intermediate plateau' and speak and write more naturally, at a more advanced level?'


My answer?


It's all about vocabulary! Yes, (of course!) grammar is important, but deliberately learning high-level vocabulary will help you speak and write at a much more advanced level.


With advanced vocabulary, your English is more sophisticated, natural and precise.


One very important part of advanced vocabulary is idioms.


Idioms are expressions that don't make sense, even if you know all the words. For example, expressions like 'once in a blue moon' or 'steal someone's thunder' or 'make a pig's ear of something'.


Native English speakers use this kind of expression all the time.

 
   
     

Micahel from Ukraine

     
     

I thorougly enjoyed the course! Ten out of ten!

   
   
     

Adina from Romania

     
     

I learned a lot... it was extremely useful. Now I understand way better what native speakers say.

   
   
     

Hubavina from Bulgaria

     
     

The course is very useful for me. I've improved my understanding a lot. Thank you!

   
 
 
 
   
   
     

How can idioms improve my listening?

     


When you're listening to native English speakers, or watching a film or series, do you understand everything?


Students often ask me how to improve their listening.


I think there are two answers.


The first answer is that you need to listen enough so that you can hear each word, instead of one long noise. This is just practice.


And the second answer is that you need to know enough vocabulary. It's often true that this vocabulary isn't taught in textbooks! It's natural, everyday vocabulary, which native speakers use daily in real life.


One big part of this vocabulary is idioms. If you learn some carefully-chosen, everyday idioms properly, it really helps your understanding.

   
    
 
   
     

Svetlana from Russia

     
     

Extremely useful idioms, easy to practise, revise and memorize.

   
   
     

Mike who lives in the USA

     
     

The course has good explanations, helpful exercise and reviews. These idioms help me to understand the shows on Netflix much better! I hope another 30-day challenge idioms will be coming soon.

   
   
     

Raquel from Spain

     
     

It's a easy way to learn and remember new idioms.

   
 

"How do I know which idioms to study?"


But, how do you know which idioms to study?


There are so many! And some of them are old fashioned, or very rare, or sound strange!


One way to choose your idioms is to collect them when you're reading or listening to English.


Another way is to get some help from a teacher or native English speaker.


And another way is to join our idioms challenge! We've carefully chosen 150 really useful, everyday idioms that you'll hear and use often in real life.

 
   
     

Pauline from Chile

     
     

I liked everything!

   
   
     

Mohanapriya from India

     
     

When I am in meetings or conversations with English people I can understand more than before.

   
   
     

Hasan from Turkey

     
     

It is a very useful method - I learned many new idioms.

   
 

What you get:


30 video lessons

I explain 5 useful, modern idioms every day very clearly, with examples.

66 review exercises

Practice is key! The review exercises are carefully structured and very efficient.

PDFs of everything

You can download and print everything.

Flashcards of everything

Flashcards really, really help you to remember the idioms. They are scientifically proven to work and they're brilliant!

An email every day

We'll send you a reminder to log in, so that you don't forget to do your lesson.

Help from the Perfect English Grammar team

Got questions? Ask us inside the challenge and we'll help you.

Hi, I'm Seonaid, your teacher



And together with the Perfect English Grammar team, I've helped tens of millions of students improve their grammar.


I'm a British native speaker of English. I have a Master's degree (MPhil) from Cambridge University in English and Linguistics and I've been teaching English for many years.


Languages are wonderful! I love teaching and I love thinking about languages and how we can learn them really well. I'm here to help you use the best techniques to improve your vocabulary and achieve your English goals.

Idioms 2 Challenge Curriculum

  Questions, comments, and feedback
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  Introduction
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  Flashcards
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  Day 1: Fat chance, dead to the world, have the upper hand, a case in point, a world of difference
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  Day 2: Sweep under the carpet, take the wind out of someone's sails, a bone of contention, dodge a bullet, no strings attached
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  Day 3: Blow your own trumpet, by the skin of your teeth, have something up your sleeve, be torn, shoot yourself in the foot
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  Day 4 (over my dead body, raring to go, be head and shoulders above, at a loss for words, common ground)
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  Day 5 (same difference, baptism of fire, tough it out, go behind someone's back, get off your high horse)
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  Day 6: Make a pig's ear of something, steal someone's thunder, nearest and dearest, put it mildly, win by a landslide
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  Day 7: Go back a long way, take a shine to, hit the right note, fill someone in, go out like a light
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  Day 8: Cross that bridge when you come to it, catch someone red-handed, cast your mind back, be an old hand at, put your feet up
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  Day 9: Bite the hand that feeds you, go off the rails, hold your own, make ends meet, fly by the seat of your pants
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  Day 10: A ballpark figure, take your mind off it, take heart, in the nick of time, a loose cannon
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  Day 11: A page-turner, get your head round something, in no uncertain terms, put your mind to it, be like chalk and cheese
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  Day 12: Throw money around; play second fiddle to; time will tell; fall off the radar; blood, sweat and tears
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  Day 13: Go up in the world, word for word, so far so good, pick holes, hit the spot
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  Day 14: Like it or lump it, have two left feet, pull rank, hit and miss, be strapped for cash
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  Day 15: Last but not least, see the writing on the wall, two heads are better than one, as thick as thieves, round the clock
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  Day 16: Play it safe, know something inside out, on its last legs, have a sweet tooth, be rolling in it
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  Day 17: Scare the life out of someone, fall into your lap, blow your mind, be the spitting image of, bark up the wrong tree
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  Day 18: Hold your tongue, get your skates on, have a sinking feeling, run around like a headless chicken, in leaps and bounds
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  Day 19: Split hairs, out of your own pocket, the name escapes you, with bated breath, once in a blue moon
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  Day 20: Keep your chin up, a storm in a teacup, like two peas in a pod, be on the blink, the penny drops
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  Day 21: Can't lay your hands on something, know which side your bread is buttered, spare no expense, take a rain check, in your heart of hearts
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  Day 22: Hopping mad, win hands down, breathe down someone's neck, double whammy, go the whole hog
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  Day 23: Get to grips with, highly strung, a wild goose chase, a death trap, rock bottom
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  Day 24: Turn over a new leaf, head over heels, the tip of the iceberg, on the house, hot off the press
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  Day 25: Till the cows come home, something fishy, clear the air, given half a chance, put someone in their place
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  Day 26: A last-ditch attempt, knock someone for six, part and parcel, go down a treat, drop a clanger
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  Day 27: A flash in the pan, drop a bombshell, in one fell swoop, tie the knot, watch your back
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  Day 28: Right off the bat, the elephant in the room, see reason, bury your head in the sand, when all is said and done
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  Day 29: The icing on the cake, wet behind the ears, be under no illusion, run its course, an own goal
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  Day 30: For a split second, a square meal, in full swing, sit on the fence, take your eye off the ball
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Frequently Asked Questions

     
     

   
   
     
               
         

The challenge starts on the 1st day of the month and you get a new lesson every day for thirty days.

       
               
         

You can keep the challenge forever and study it whenever you like. It doesn't matter if you don't finish in thirty days - you can do it later.

       
       
         

There's a short video and an exercise every day, plus reviews. It will take about fifteen or twenty minutes.

       
               
         

We have thousands of happy students! But if you do decide that the challenge isn't what you need, we offer a full 30-day guarantee. Just send us an email and we'll give you your money back.

       
               
         

Yes! You are very welcome to use this material in your classroom or with your private students. Everything can be printed and photocopied.

       
     
   
 

This course is closed for enrollment.