Top 100 Idioms and Phrases for Primary 3: A Comprehensive Learning Guide

Idiomatic expressions and phrases are vital elements of a language that help children communicate more effectively. They add color and flair to language, making it more vibrant and expressive. As your child transitions into Primary 3, expanding their knowledge base of idioms and phrases becomes critical.

Week 1: Learn this and get it into your pockets:

here are the idioms and phrases categorized into four tables:Table 1:

Idiom/Phrase	Meaning	Example
1. A piece of cake	Something that’s easy to do	“The math problem was a piece of cake for him.”
2. At the drop of a hat	Without any hesitation	“He left his game at the drop of a hat to help his friend.”
3. Barking up the wrong tree	Looking in the wrong place	“You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I took your book.”
4. Cold feet	To be nervous	“She got cold feet before her piano recital.”
5. Down in the dumps	To feel sad	“He was down in the dumps after losing his favorite toy.”
6. Every cloud has a silver lining	Good things come after difficult times	“Don’t worry about the test result, every cloud has a silver lining.”
7. Feel under the weather	To feel ill	“I can’t go to school today, I’m feeling under the weather.”
8. Go the extra mile	To do more than is required	“She always goes the extra mile to help her classmates.”
9. Hit the books	To study	“I need to hit the books for tomorrow’s exam.”
10. In the nick of time	Just in time	“He finished his project in the nick of time.”
11. Jump the gun	To do something too early	“Don’t jump the gun and start eating before everyone’s ready.”
12. Keep an eye on	To watch or monitor	“Keep an eye on your brother while I’m out, please.”
13. Let the cat out of the bag	To reveal a secret	“I accidentally let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.”
14. Miss the boat	To miss an opportunity	“He missed the boat when he forgot to bring his project to school.”
15. No pain, no gain	You have to work hard for success	“You need to practice more, remember no pain, no gain.”
16. Off the hook	Free from a responsibility	“Once he finished his chores, he was off the hook.”
17. Piece of mind	Tranquility or calmness	“Reading a book gives me peace of mind.”
18. Quality time	Spending good, meaningful time	“We spent some quality time during the summer vacation.”
19. Rain on someone’s parade	To ruin someone’s plans	“Don’t rain on his parade by telling him we can’t go to the amusement park.”
20. See eye to eye	To agree	“My best friend and I always see eye to eye on most topics.”
21. Throw in the towel	To give up	“He felt like throwing in the towel after many failed attempts, but he didn’t.”
22. Under the weather	Feeling ill	“I’m feeling under the weather today and can’t come to school.”
23. Variety is the spice of life	New and exciting experiences make life more interesting	“She likes to try different sports because variety is the spice of life.”
24. White lie	A small lie that is not meant to hurt others	“She told a white lie to her brother about eating his chocolate.”
25. You can’t judge a book by its cover	You can’t know a person’s character by their appearance	“Even though he is quiet, he is really funny. You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Welcome to Week 2: Have a good expansion!

Table 2:

Idiom/Phrase	Meaning	Example
26. Zip your lip	Be quiet	“Zip your lip during the library visit.”
27. On cloud nine	Very happy	“She was on cloud nine after getting the birthday gift.”
28. Spill the beans	Reveal a secret	“Don’t spill the beans about the surprise.”
29. Smell something fishy	Doubt something	“I smell something fishy about this deal.”
30. When pigs fly	Something impossible	“You will clean your room without being told – yeah, when pigs fly!”
31. Over the moon	Very happy	“He was over the moon when he saw his new bicycle.”
32. Pull someone’s leg	Joking or teasing	“I’m just pulling your leg, I didn’t really eat your cookies.”
33. The ball is in your court	It is up to you to make the next decision or step	“I’ve done all I can, now the ball is in your court.”
34. Out of the blue	Unexpectedly	“Out of the blue, she received a letter from her penpal.”
35. Get your act together	To behave properly	“You need to get your act together before the test.”
36. Go down in flames	Fail spectacularly	“Without enough practice, their plan to win the tournament went down in flames.”
37. Hit the nail on the head	Do or say something exactly right	“Your solution to the math problem hit the nail on the head.”
38. Kill two birds with one stone	To accomplish two tasks with one action	“By reading aloud, she could revise and entertain her little brother, thus killing two birds with one stone.”
39. Last but not least	Finally, but equally important	“Last but not least, remember to enjoy the process of learning.”
40. Make a long story short	To condense information	“To make a long story short, I found my lost book in the garden.”
41. No-brainer	An easy decision	“Choosing the chocolate ice-cream was a no-brainer for her.”
42. On the same page	Thinking in the same way	“I’m glad we’re on the same page about our project.”
43. Picture paints a thousand words	Visuals can convey information more effectively than words	“The photo of the sunset paints a thousand words about its beauty.”
44. Quiet as a mouse	Extremely quiet	“She was as quiet as a mouse while hiding for the game.”
45. Speak of the devil	The person we have just been talking about shows up	“Speak of the devil, I was just telling Jane about you.”
46. Time flies when you’re having fun	Time passes quickly when you’re enjoying yourself	“I didn’t realize it was already evening, time flies when you’re having fun.”
47. Up in the air	Uncertain or undecided	“Our holiday plans are still up in the air.”
48. Wild goose chase	A hopeless quest	“Searching for the lost coin in the sand was like a wild goose chase.”
49. X marks the spot	The exact location	“In the treasure map, X marks the spot where the treasure is buried.”
50. Your guess is as good as mine	I have no idea	“Where did I leave my keys? Your guess is as good as mine.”

Week 3 is where you are right into the fray, the bad guys are getting afraid now!

Table 3:

Idiom/Phrase	Meaning	Example
51. All ears	Ready and eager to listen	“Tell me about your day at school. I’m all ears!”
52. Break a leg	Good luck	“Break a leg at the talent show tomorrow!”
53. Call it a day	Stop working for the rest of the day	“After hours of studying, she decided to call it a day.”
54. Down to earth	Practical and realistic	“Despite his fame, he is very down to earth.”
55. Easier said than done	Not as easy as it seems	“Cleaning the whole house in one day is easier said than done.”
56. Face the music	Accept the consequences	“After breaking the vase, he had to face the music from his parents.”
57. Get a kick out of	Enjoy	“She gets a kick out of reading adventure books.”
58. Hit the sack	Go to sleep	“I’m really tired. It’s time to hit the sack.”
59. In hot water	In trouble	“He’s in hot water for not doing his homework.”
60. Jump the shark	Something starts to decline in quality	“The show really jumped the shark when they introduced a space alien.”
61. Keep your chin up	Stay positive	“Keep your chin up! You’ll do better in the next game.”
62. Let off steam	Get rid of your anger	“She let off steam by writing in her diary.”
63. Make a mountain out of a molehill	Make a small problem seem big	“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s a tiny mistake.”
64. Not a big deal	Not a serious problem	“I forgot my homework at home, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
65. Out of the frying pan into the fire	Going from a bad to a worse situation	“If you lie to cover up a lie, you’ll just go from the frying pan into the fire.”
66. Put your foot in your mouth	Say something embarrassing or wrong	“I really put my foot in my mouth when I called her by the wrong name.”
67. Quick on the draw	Doing something quickly	“She was quick on the draw and answered the question before anyone else.”
68. Right as rain	Perfect	“After a good night’s sleep, he felt as right as rain.”
69. Steal someone’s thunder	Take credit for someone else’s achievements	“She stole my thunder when she told everyone she had done all the work.”
70. Turn a blind eye	Ignore	“You can’t just turn a blind eye to your responsibilities.”
71. Under one’s belt	Have done or achieved	“With all that experience under her belt, she was the perfect candidate for the job.”
72. Vanish into thin air	Disappear completely	“My pencil seems to have vanished into thin air.”
73. Wolf in sheep’s clothing	A person who appears harmless but is dangerous	“Be careful who you trust. Some people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
74. X-factor	Noteworthy or special talent	“Her incredible voice is definitely her X-factor.”
75. You are what you eat	Your health depends on your diet	“If you want to stay healthy, remember that you are what you eat.”

Week 4! The winner always stands at the top of podium, the rest just looks up wondering “What if?”

Table 3:

Idiom/Phrase	Meaning	Example
51. All ears	Ready and eager to listen	“Tell me about your day at school. I’m all ears!”
52. Break a leg	Good luck	“Break a leg at the talent show tomorrow!”
53. Call it a day	Stop working for the rest of the day	“After hours of studying, she decided to call it a day.”
54. Down to earth	Practical and realistic	“Despite his fame, he is very down to earth.”
55. Easier said than done	Not as easy as it seems	“Cleaning the whole house in one day is easier said than done.”
56. Face the music	Accept the consequences	“After breaking the vase, he had to face the music from his parents.”
57. Get a kick out of	Enjoy	“She gets a kick out of reading adventure books.”
58. Hit the sack	Go to sleep	“I’m really tired. It’s time to hit the sack.”
59. In hot water	In trouble	“He’s in hot water for not doing his homework.”
60. Jump the shark	Something starts to decline in quality	“The show really jumped the shark when they introduced a space alien.”
61. Keep your chin up	Stay positive	“Keep your chin up! You’ll do better in the next game.”
62. Let off steam	Get rid of your anger	“She let off steam by writing in her diary.”
63. Make a mountain out of a molehill	Make a small problem seem big	“You’re making a mountain out of a molehill. It’s a tiny mistake.”
64. Not a big deal	Not a serious problem	“I forgot my homework at home, but it’s not a big deal. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”
65. Out of the frying pan into the fire	Going from a bad to a worse situation	“If you lie to cover up a lie, you’ll just go from the frying pan into the fire.”
66. Put your foot in your mouth	Say something embarrassing or wrong	“I really put my foot in my mouth when I called her by the wrong name.”
67. Quick on the draw	Doing something quickly	“She was quick on the draw and answered the question before anyone else.”
68. Right as rain	Perfect	“After a good night’s sleep, he felt as right as rain.”
69. Steal someone’s thunder	Take credit for someone else’s achievements	“She stole my thunder when she told everyone she had done all the work.”
70. Turn a blind eye	Ignore	“You can’t just turn a blind eye to your responsibilities.”
71. Under one’s belt	Have done or achieved	“With all that experience under her belt, she was the perfect candidate for the job.”
72. Vanish into thin air	Disappear completely	“My pencil seems to have vanished into thin air.”
73. Wolf in sheep’s clothing	A person who appears harmless but is dangerous	“Be careful who you trust. Some people are wolves in sheep’s clothing.”
74. X-factor	Noteworthy or special talent	“Her incredible voice is definitely her X-factor.”
75. You are what you eat	Your health depends on your diet	“If you want to stay healthy, remember that you are what you eat.”

Best Strategies to Learn Idioms and Phrases

Here are the top strategies to make the learning of idioms and phrases engaging and effective:

Contextual Learning: Use idioms and phrases in everyday conversation. This practice provides students with real-life contexts and makes learning more meaningful.
Illustrations and Stories: Create short stories or drawings that center around the idioms. It aids children in visualizing the concept and making stronger connections.
Flashcards: Prepare flashcards with idioms and their meanings. Regularly reviewing these flashcards helps reinforce learning.
Idiom Diary: Encourage students to maintain a diary where they jot down new idioms they learn each day, along with their usage in sentences.
Games and Quizzes: Incorporate idioms and phrases into language games and quizzes. This approach makes learning fun and interactive.

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Top 100 Idioms and Phrases for Primary 3

Let’s explore 100 idioms and phrases that Primary 3 students should know, along with their meanings and example sentences.

A piece of cake – Something that’s easy to do. Example: Finishing the puzzle was a piece of cake for Jane.
Raining cats and dogs – Raining heavily. Example: We cannot go out because it’s raining cats and dogs.

Games and Activities to Learn Idioms and Phrases

Learning idioms and phrases doesn’t have to be a mundane task. Here are some activities and games to make it more fun:

Idiom Charades: Play a game of charades where students act out idioms, and others guess them.
Storytelling: Organize a storytelling session where children have to incorporate as many idioms as possible in their story.
Comic Strip: Let students create a comic strip, using a certain number of idioms in the dialogues.

Useful Resources Online

BBC Learning English – The English We Speak This resource offers weekly phrases, idioms, and expressions in everyday use.
Idioms and phrases on Learn English Today This site provides a list of idioms and phrases, along with their meanings and examples.
Fun English Games – Idiom Game This game aids in learning idioms in a fun and interactive way.
Cambridge Dictionary – Idioms A great resource for understanding the meanings of idioms and their usage.
English Club – Idioms This is a resourceful site with a comprehensive list of idioms along with examples.

Some other awesome websites:

Conclusion

Learning idioms and phrases can greatly enhance a child’s command of language. The journey of learning can be fun and engaging with the right strategies and resources. So, let’s make the learning of “Idioms and Phrases for Primary 3” an enjoyable and enriching experience for your child.

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