Welcome to our fun exploration of farm idioms! Idioms are phrases that don’t mean exactly what the words say. They are used to express something in a creative way. This post is perfect for kids and anyone learning English, as we’ll look at expressions related to the theme of farming.
Farm Idioms
Here are 20 farm idioms in English.
1. Buy the farm
Meaning: To pass away
Example: Grandpa sadly bought the farm last year.
2. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
Meaning: Don’t assume success prematurely
Example: Wait until you get the job offer, don’t count your chickens!
3. Put out to pasture
Meaning: Retire someone from their job
Example: After 30 years, he was put out to pasture.
4. As busy as a bee
Meaning: Very busy and active
Example: She’s as busy as a bee with the new project.
5. Make hay while the sun shines
Meaning: Take advantage of a good situation
Example: He’s making hay while the sun shines this summer.
6. Hit the hay
Meaning: Go to bed
Example: It’s late, time to hit the hay.
7. That’s the last straw
Meaning: The final problem in a series
Example: She quit her job, that was the last straw.
8. Like herding cats
Meaning: Trying to control the uncontrollable
Example: Managing toddlers is like herding cats.
9. Till the cows come home
Meaning: For a very long time
Example: You can argue till the cows come home.
10. Bet the farm
Meaning: Risk everything
Example: He bet the farm on that deal.
11. Roll in the hay
Meaning: To engage in amorous activities
Example: They enjoyed a roll in the hay.
12. Sow wild oats
Meaning: Indulge in unrestrained behavior in youth
Example: He sowed his wild oats in his twenties.
13. A pig in a poke
Meaning: Buying something unseen or unknown
Example: That car was a pig in a poke.
14. Cash cow
Meaning: A consistent source of income
Example: That rental property is a cash cow.
15. The cream of the crop
Meaning: The best of all
Example: These apples are the cream of the crop.
16. Cock and bull story
Meaning: An unbelievable tale
Example: His excuse was a cock and bull story.
17. Bull in a china shop
Meaning: Someone who is very clumsy
Example: He’s like a bull in a china shop.
18. Take the bull by the horns
Meaning: To face a problem directly
Example: She took the bull by the horns and solved the issue.
19. Chickens come home to roost
Meaning: Consequences catch up with you
Example: His lies were chickens coming home to roost.
20. Farm out
Meaning: To outsource work
Example: We farmed out the graphics work.
