Idioms are fun phrases that don’t mean what they literally say. For example, when someone says it’s raining cats and dogs, it means it’s raining very heavily, not that pets are falling from the sky! This post will share some colorful idioms in English, what they mean, and how you can use them in sentences.
Colorful Idioms
Here are 20 colorful idioms in English with the meaning and an example sentence for each.
1. Out of the blue
Meaning: Unexpectedly
Example: He called me out of the blue.
2. Once in a blue moon
Meaning: Very rarely
Example: I only see him once in a blue moon.
3. Paint the town red
Meaning: Celebrate wildly
Example: Let’s go paint the town red!
4. Green with envy
Meaning: Very jealous
Example: She was green with envy.
5. Caught red-handed
Meaning: Found doing something wrong
Example: He was caught red-handed.
6. Golden opportunity
Meaning: An excellent chance
Example: This is a golden opportunity!
7. Silver lining
Meaning: Positive side of a bad situation
Example: There’s always a silver lining.
8. Tickled pink
Meaning: Very pleased
Example: She was tickled pink by the news.
9. White lie
Meaning: Harmless or small lie
Example: It was just a white lie.
10. Black sheep
Meaning: Odd member of a group
Example: He’s the black sheep of the family.
11. In the red
Meaning: Losing money
Example: Our company is in the red.
12. Red tape
Meaning: Excessive formalities
Example: There’s too much red tape.
13. Blue-blooded
Meaning: Of noble or royal birth
Example: She is blue-blooded.
14. Green thumb
Meaning: Good with plants
Example: He has a green thumb.
15. Red herring
Meaning: Something misleading
Example: That clue was a red herring.
16. Yellow-bellied
Meaning: Cowardly
Example: Don’t be yellow-bellied!
17. With flying colors
Meaning: With great success
Example: She passed with flying colors.
18. Grey area
Meaning: Unclear rule or definition
Example: That’s a grey area.
19. Green light
Meaning: Permission to start something
Example: We got the green light.
20. Red carpet treatment
Meaning: Very special treatment
Example: They gave us the red carpet treatment.
