Curiosity Idioms (With Meaning and Examples)

Have you ever heard a phrase and wondered what it means? Idioms are phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say, but they paint a picture or suggest an idea. This blog will help you learn about different idioms related to curiosity. These are fun phrases that people use in everyday conversation!

Curiosity Idioms

Here are 20 curiosity idioms in English with meaning and example sentence for each.

1. Curiosity killed the cat

Meaning: Being too curious can be harmful.
Example: He kept snooping around until he found the surprise party planned for him. Curiosity killed the cat!

2. Burning question

Meaning: An important or urgent question.
Example: Everyone asked the burning question: who won the contest?

3. Nosey parker

Meaning: Someone who is overly curious about others’ affairs.
Example: Don’t be such a nosey parker, it’s their private life!

4. Dig deeper

Meaning: To investigate thoroughly.
Example: To solve the mystery, they had to dig deeper.

5. Snoop around

Meaning: To look for secrets.
Example: He likes to snoop around his brother’s room.

6. Peek into

Meaning: To briefly look at something.
Example: She couldn’t help but peek into the gift box.

7. Prying eyes

Meaning: People watching too closely.
Example: Keep the document safe from prying eyes.

8. Riddle wrapped in a mystery

Meaning: Something very confusing.
Example: The old man’s past is a riddle wrapped in a mystery.

9. Itching to know

Meaning: Eager or desperate to find out.
Example: She was itching to know the results.

10. Inquisitive mind

Meaning: A mind that is curious about everything.
Example: His inquisitive mind always got him into trouble.

11. Raise eyebrows

Meaning: Cause surprise or disapproval.
Example: His strange question raised eyebrows.

12. Question marks in one’s eyes

Meaning: Looking confused or curious.
Example: He had question marks in his eyes during the lecture.

13. Fishing for information

Meaning: Trying to gather information subtly.
Example: She was fishing for information about the surprise party.

14. Hungry for knowledge

Meaning: Eager to learn more.
Example: He’s always hungry for knowledge, reading books late into the night.

15. Scratch the surface

Meaning: To investigate only superficially.
Example: We’ve only scratched the surface of this issue.

16. Spy out

Meaning: To observe or investigate secretly.
Example: He went ahead to spy out the land.

17. Ears pricked up

Meaning: Showing interest in hearing something.
Example: Her ears pricked up when she heard her name.

18. Under the microscope

Meaning: Being closely examined.
Example: His work is under the microscope this week.

19. The mind boggles

Meaning: Something is so incredible or complex that it’s hard to believe.
Example: The mind boggles at such a huge undertaking.

20. Thirst for knowledge

Meaning: A strong desire to learn.
Example: His thirst for knowledge makes him a frequent visitor to the library.

Curiosity Idioms