Nature idioms in English

Good morning everyone!

So, as we all know, English is a rich language which is full of idiomatic expressions. These are sentences that have a specific meaning which cannot be translated literally to other languages. Today we are going to look at some idioms which reference nature but have specific meanings. Check them out.

A drop in the ocean – A drop in the ocean implies that something will have little effect because it is small and mostly insignificant.
Example: “Cleaning only the dishes won’t make a difference; the whole house is so dirty! It would be a drop in the ocean”

A ray of sunshine – a happy person who makes others feel happy, especially in a difficult situation.
Example: “Louis is a little ray of sunshine, he’s always happy, even if it’s a bad day”

Beat around the bush – to avoid talking about what is important.
Example: “Stop beating around the bush, just tell me what happened to my car”

Between a rock and a hard place – to be in a very difficult situation and to have to make a hard decision.
Example: “If I study I won’t have money to pay the university, but if I work, I won’t get my degree… I’m between a rock and a hard place!”

Clear as mud – very difficult to understand, because mud is not clear.
Example: “Your explanation about why you were late again was as clear as mud. Please explain again”

Can’t see the wood for the trees – to be unable to understand a situation clearly because you are too involved in it.
Example: “Paul is so obsessed with his work, he can’t see the bigger picture. He needs to take a step back, he can’t see the wood for the trees”

Down to earth – practical and sensible.
Example: “Helen is the best person to have in an emergency; she’s so down to earth”

No smoke without fire – If unpleasant things are said about someone or something, there is probably a good reason for it.
Example: “Everyone says Tina is lazy, and there’s no smoke without fire”

Go with the flow – to do what other people are doing or to agree with other people because it is the easiest thing to do.
Example: “Today I want to be relaxed, so I am just going to go with the flow”

The tip of the iceberg – a small noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater.
Example: “The financial problems our company has are only the tip of the iceberg. The problems are many more!”

Under the weather – to be or feel ill.
Example: “I’m feeling under the weather, so I think I’ll stay at home”

Weather a storm – If someone or something weathers the storm, they successfully deal with a very difficult problem.
Example: “My relationship with John is not going very well, but hopefully we will weather the storm together”

Skate on thin ice – to be doing something risky or dangerous.
Example: “Melissa is skating on thin ice, she never does her homework and often misses school”

That was a lot, wasn’t it? These idioms are very useful in terms of trying to sound more like a native. You would be very surprised just how much people use idioms in their everyday speech in English. Try to incorporate as many of these into your daily vocabulary as much as you can and you will notice a huge improvement.

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