COMMON IDIOMS FOR TOEFL

 

Apakah kamu mengira couch potato itu “kentang bangku”?? atau mungkin kamu juga mengira butterflies in your stomach itu artinya “ada kupu-kupu di dalam perut kamu”?? Jika kalimat ini membuat kamu menggaruk-garuk kepala, silahkan baca konten ini sampai habis!

Konten ini akan menjelaskan;

A. Apa itu idiom dan,

B. Idiom apa saja yang sering muncul dalam tes TOEFL.

A. Apa Itu Idiom?

Idiom adalah kata atau frasa yang memiliki arti yang berbeda dari definisi literalnya. Jika seseorang menggunakan frasa crying wolf, kamu mungkin tahu crying itu “menangis” dan wolf “serigala”, tetapi jika digunakan bersama, frasa ini memiliki arti yang sangat berbeda. Crying wolf adalah idiom yang berarti “meminta bantuan ketika kamu tidak benar-benar membutuhkannya.”

Idiom bisa membingungkan, bahkan untuk native English sendiri, sehingga seringkali sangat sulit bagi kita yang bukan native English ini dalam menggunakannya. Mengetahui idiom yang umum digunakan dapat membantu kamu memahami bahasa Inggris dengan lebih baik dan membuat kamu terdengar lebih seperti native English saat menggunakannya.

Perlu diketahui bahwa idiom bukan hanya dibutuhkan dalam tes TOEFL aja, tapi juga ini akan cukup berpengaruh terhadap skor ketika mengikuti tes IELTS. By the way, Homie English telah menyediakan kursus TOEFL dan IELTS Preparation yang berlokasi di Pekanbaru. Jika kamu merasa kesulitan dalam mempelajari TOEFL atau IELTS bisa menghubungi kami.

B. Idiom Yang Sering Muncul dalam Tes TOEFL

Idiom

Definition

Sample Sentence

A blessing in disguise

A good thing that seemed bad first.

Being laid off was a blessing in disguise – within a month I got a much better job.

A dime a dozen

Something common.

Those antique dishes are pretty, but they’re a dime a dozen.

A short fuse

A quick temper.

Don’t get the coach mad; he has a very short fuse.

Beat around the bush

To avoid the main topic/not speak directly.

Stop beating around the bush and tell me why you’re here.

Be on your toes

Be ready/prepared.

A fire can happen at any moment, so firemen always need to be on their toes.

Breeze though something

To do something quickly and easily.

Don’t worry about the math homework; I’m sure you’ll breeze through it.

Butterflies in your stomach

To feel nervous.

Tom always got butterflies in his stomach before giving a speech.

Costs an arm and a leg

Is very expensive.

That new purse of hers costs an arm and a leg.

Couch potato

Someone who is lazy.

You need to stop being such a couch potato and start joining me at the gym.

Cut corners

To do something badly to save time or money.

The architect cut corners on the bridge’s construction, which is why it eventually collapsed.

Cut someone some slack

To go easy on someone.

I heard Rachel’s dad is sick, so we should cut her some slack on this group project.

Feeling blue

Feeling sad or depressed.

Erika’s been feeling blue every since her boyfriend broke up with her.

Finding a needle in a haystack

Virtually impossible to find.

These days, finding a job that doesn’t require experience is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

Get some shut eye

Sleep.

I have a big exam tomorrow, so I need to get some shut eye.

Go the extra mile

Put in extra effort.

Kelsey has the highest grades in our class since she always goes the extra mile with homework assignments.

Hang in there

Be patient.

I know it’s hard waiting for the exam results, but you just need to hang in there.

Hard up

Lack money.

Ellie knew I was hard up, so she paid for my coffee.

Have a bone to pick

Have something to argue about.

I have a bone to pick with the girl who stole my boyfriend from me.

Jump on the bandwagon

To join something that’s popular.

I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and listen to that new band everyone is talking about.

Let’s get this show on the road!

Let’s get started!

We have everything packed for the road trip, so let’s get this show on the road!

Let the cat out of the bag

To tell a secret.

The surprise party was ruined when my little brother let the cat out of the bag and told our mom about it.

Lose your marbles

To be crazy. (Often said as a joke.)

Mrs. Thompson wants all this homework finished tomorrow? She must have lost her marbles!

Make a long story short

To quickly get to the point.

To make a long story short, my neighbor found my lost dog near the park.

Make your blood run cold

Frighten.

That new horror movie made my blood run cold.

Once in a blue moon

Something that happens very rarely.

Only once in a blue moon will Mr. Smith let us get out of class early.

On the fence

To not have made a decision or formed an opinion yet.

I’m on the fence as to whether this new law is a good idea.

Piece of cake

Something easy to do.

The math homework has only three questions, so finishing it will be a piece of cake.

Pulling one’s leg

To joke with someone.

You didn’t really believe that, did you? I was just pulling your leg.

Put your foot in your mouth

Say something you shouldn’t have.

The husband put his foot in his mouth when he told his wife her dress was ugly.

Raining cats and dogs

Raining very hard.

You absolutely need an umbrella; it’s raining cats and dogs out there!

Read between the lines

To detect a meaning that’s implied but not stated outright.

Reading between the lines of this poem you wrote her, it seems as though you like Elizabeth.

Run into someone

Meet someone unexpectedly.

I ran into my old kindergarten teacher at the grocery store today.

Sweating bullets

To be very nervous.

Alan was sweating bullets when he asked the girl he liked to the dance.

Tag along

Accompany.

I told my little sister she could tag along when we go to the beach.

Take a rain check

Postpone a plan.

I have the flu, so I’ll need to take a rain check on going to the club.

Take it easy

Relax.

This summer, all I’m going to do is take it easy.

Take with a grain of salt

Don’t take too seriously.

My father doesn’t know anything about cars, so take any advice he gives you about fixing your engine with a grain of salt.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree

Kids are like their parents(usually used negatively).

You’re stubborn, just like your mother! I suppose the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

Test the waters

Try something out.

If you’re not sure if you want to join the club, you can test the waters by just going to the first meeting.

Way to go!

Good job!

You got 100% on your chemistry test? Way to go!

Instruction: Silahkan dicocokkan arti kalimat di bawah ini dengan idiom nya.

Results

#1. Lack money

#2. Sleep

#3. Be patient

#4. To tell a secret

#5. Put in extra effort

#6. Something easy to do

#7. Relax

#8. Postpone a plan

#9. Feeling sad or depressed

#10. Something common

finish

 

Common Idioms for TOEFL (52 downloads)

References:

https://www.prepscholar.com/toefl/blog/toefl-idioms

https://fromizmir.com/toefl/idioms

https://ischoolprep.com/blog/idioms-for-toefl-interesting-facts

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