Idioms (thành ngữ tiếng Anh) là cụm từ có nghĩa khác với nghĩa đen của từng từ. Dùng idioms thành thạo giúp tiếng Anh tự nhiên và bản xứ. Bài này tổng hợp 100 idioms thông dụng nhất chia theo chủ đề kèm nghĩa và ví dụ.

I. Idioms về thời gian (15 cụm)

  1. Once in a blue moon – hiếm khi: I see him once in a blue moon.
  2. In the nick of time – vừa kịp lúc: We arrived in the nick of time.
  3. Time flies – thời gian trôi nhanh: Time flies when you’re having fun.
  4. Better late than never – muộn còn hơn không: You finished it – better late than never.
  5. Around the clock – 24/7, liên tục: The hospital operates around the clock.
  6. Call it a day – kết thúc công việc: Let’s call it a day.
  7. In the long run – về lâu dài: Exercise pays off in the long run.
  8. Beat the clock – hoàn thành trước deadline: We beat the clock and finished early.
  9. Behind the times – lạc hậu: His ideas are behind the times.
  10. The eleventh hour – vào phút chót: He arrived at the eleventh hour.
  11. Day in, day out – ngày qua ngày: She works day in, day out.
  12. Kill time – giết thời gian: I read magazines to kill time.
  13. Bide your time – chờ đúng thời điểm: He’s biding his time.
  14. In no time – rất nhanh: I’ll fix it in no time.
  15. Take your time – cứ từ từ: Take your time, no rush.

II. Idioms về tiền bạc (15 cụm)

  1. Cost an arm and a leg – đắt cắt cổ: That car cost me an arm and a leg.
  2. Break the bank – tốn kém: This trip won’t break the bank.
  3. Tighten your belt – thắt lưng buộc bụng: We need to tighten our belts.
  4. Cash cow – nguồn thu chính: This product is our cash cow.
  5. Penny pincher – người keo kiệt: He’s such a penny pincher.
  6. Roll in money – giàu sụ: They’re rolling in money.
  7. Make ends meet – đủ ăn đủ tiêu: It’s hard to make ends meet these days.
  8. Worth its weight in gold – quý giá: This advice is worth its weight in gold.
  9. Foot the bill – chi trả: My boss footed the bill.
  10. Bring home the bacon – kiếm tiền nuôi gia đình: He brings home the bacon.
  11. A penny for your thoughts – bạn đang nghĩ gì?: You look serious – a penny for your thoughts?
  12. Money talks – tiền nói tất cả: In business, money talks.
  13. Pay through the nose – trả giá quá đắt: I paid through the nose for that ticket.
  14. Living on a shoestring – sống tằn tiện: Students often live on a shoestring.
  15. Save for a rainy day – tiết kiệm phòng hờ: You should save for a rainy day.

III. Idioms về cảm xúc (15 cụm)

  1. On cloud nine – rất hạnh phúc: She’s on cloud nine after the promotion.
  2. Down in the dumps – buồn rầu: He’s been down in the dumps lately.
  3. Over the moon – vui mừng khôn xiết: I’m over the moon about the news.
  4. Feeling blue – buồn: I’m feeling blue today.
  5. Lose your cool – mất bình tĩnh: Don’t lose your cool!
  6. Have a heart of gold – tốt bụng: She has a heart of gold.
  7. Hit the roof – nổi giận: He hit the roof when he heard the news.
  8. Bite someone’s head off – quát mắng: She bit my head off for being late.
  9. On pins and needles – lo lắng, bồn chồn: I’m on pins and needles waiting for results.
  10. Butterflies in your stomach – hồi hộp: I get butterflies before exams.
  11. Cry over spilled milk – than vãn chuyện đã qua: Don’t cry over spilled milk.
  12. Laugh your head off – cười nghiêng ngả: We laughed our heads off at the joke.
  13. Get cold feet – sợ, do dự: He got cold feet before the wedding.
  14. Have a chip on your shoulder – cay cú: He has a chip on his shoulder.
  15. Keep your chin up – giữ tinh thần: Keep your chin up, things will get better.

IV. Idioms về công việc (15 cụm)

  1. Burn the midnight oil – làm việc khuya: I burned the midnight oil to finish the report.
  2. Go the extra mile – cố gắng hơn: She always goes the extra mile.
  3. Climb the corporate ladder – thăng tiến: He’s climbing the corporate ladder fast.
  4. Get the ball rolling – bắt đầu: Let’s get the ball rolling on this project.
  5. Think outside the box – sáng tạo: We need to think outside the box.
  6. Touch base – liên hệ: Let’s touch base next week.
  7. On the same page – hiểu giống nhau: We need to be on the same page.
  8. Up in the air – chưa quyết: The plan is still up in the air.
  9. Back to the drawing board – làm lại từ đầu: That didn’t work – back to the drawing board.
  10. Cut corners – làm tắt: Don’t cut corners on safety.
  11. Hit the ground running – bắt đầu mạnh mẽ: New employees need to hit the ground running.
  12. Wear many hats – đảm nhiệm nhiều vai trò: In a startup, you wear many hats.
  13. Pull your weight – đóng góp công bằng: Everyone must pull their weight.
  14. In a nutshell – tóm lại: In a nutshell, we need more time.
  15. Throw in the towel – bỏ cuộc: Don’t throw in the towel yet.

V. Idioms với bộ phận cơ thể (15 cụm)

  1. Cost an arm and a leg – đắt cắt cổ (đã liệt kê)
  2. Keep an eye on – để mắt đến: Keep an eye on the kids.
  3. Pull someone’s leg – đùa: Are you pulling my leg?
  4. Give someone a hand – giúp đỡ: Can you give me a hand?
  5. Get cold feet – sợ, do dự (đã liệt kê)
  6. Head over heels – say đắm: He’s head over heels in love.
  7. Off the top of my head – không suy nghĩ kỹ: Off the top of my head, I don’t know.
  8. By the skin of your teeth – suýt soát: I passed by the skin of my teeth.
  9. See eye to eye – đồng ý: We don’t see eye to eye on this.
  10. Have a sweet tooth – thích đồ ngọt: I have a sweet tooth.
  11. Stab in the back – phản bội: That was a stab in the back!
  12. All ears – chú ý lắng nghe: I’m all ears.
  13. Wash your hands of – bỏ mặc: I wash my hands of this problem.
  14. Have your hands full – bận rộn: I have my hands full with the kids.
  15. Get something off your chest – trút bầu tâm sự: I need to get this off my chest.

VI. Idioms về động vật (10 cụm)

  1. The black sheep – người khác biệt (xấu) trong gia đình: He’s the black sheep of the family.
  2. Let the cat out of the bag – tiết lộ bí mật: She let the cat out of the bag about the party.
  3. Hold your horses – chờ đã: Hold your horses, I’m not ready yet.
  4. Kill two birds with one stone – một mũi tên hai mục đích: This way kills two birds with one stone.
  5. The elephant in the room – vấn đề ai cũng tránh: Let’s talk about the elephant in the room.
  6. A wolf in sheep’s clothing – người nguy hiểm giả vờ tốt: Be careful, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
  7. Raining cats and dogs – mưa rất to: It’s raining cats and dogs outside.
  8. When pigs fly – không bao giờ: He’ll apologize when pigs fly.
  9. The early bird catches the worm – dậy sớm thì thành công: The early bird catches the worm.
  10. Crocodile tears – nước mắt cá sấu: Those are just crocodile tears.

VII. Idioms về thực phẩm (15 cụm)

  1. A piece of cake – dễ như ăn kẹo: The exam was a piece of cake.
  2. Spill the beans – lộ bí mật: Don’t spill the beans!
  3. Bring home the bacon – kiếm tiền (đã liệt kê)
  4. In a pickle – gặp rắc rối: I’m in a pickle and need help.
  5. Couch potato – người lười, ngồi xem TV: Don’t be a couch potato.
  6. Cool as a cucumber – rất bình tĩnh: She’s cool as a cucumber in stressful situations.
  7. Apple of my eye – người mình yêu quý nhất: My daughter is the apple of my eye.
  8. Have your cake and eat it too – muốn cả hai thứ trái ngược: You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
  9. The icing on the cake – điểm cộng thêm: Getting the promotion was the icing on the cake.
  10. Take with a grain of salt – hoài nghi: Take his advice with a grain of salt.
  11. Walk on eggshells – thận trọng: I have to walk on eggshells around him.
  12. Bite off more than you can chew – tham công tiếc việc: He bit off more than he could chew.
  13. Full of beans – tràn đầy năng lượng: The kids are full of beans today.
  14. A hot potato – vấn đề nóng: Immigration is a political hot potato.
  15. Egg on your face – bị bẽ mặt: I had egg on my face after that mistake.

Mẹo học idioms hiệu quả

  1. Học theo chủ đề: dễ nhớ vì có liên kết.
  2. Đặt câu thực tế: dùng idiom mới trong tình huống thật.
  3. Đọc/xem nhiều: idioms xuất hiện nhiều trong sách, phim, podcast.
  4. Không dịch từng từ: idioms có nghĩa bóng, không phải nghĩa đen.
  5. Lưu ý ngữ cảnh: một số idioms chỉ dùng informal.

Kết luận

100 idioms trên là tập hợp cốt lõi tiếng Anh thông dụng. Dùng đúng idioms giúp bạn diễn đạt tự nhiên như người bản xứ, đặc biệt hữu ích trong IELTS Speaking (band 7+) và giao tiếp hàng ngày. Hãy học 5-10 idioms mỗi tuần và áp dụng ngay vào hội thoại.