> Black and blue: bruised and beaten
E.g. We found the poor guy black and blue near the train tracks.
> Black and white: straightforward, very clear.
E.g. The rules we gave the kids were black and white. No answering the phone or the door.
> Blackout: faint
E.g. I always black out at the sight of blood.
> Black sheep: the odd or bad member of the group
E.g. My oldest brother was the black sheep in our family. He dropped out of school at fifteen.
> Catch red-handed: catch someone in the act of doing something wrong or illegal
E.g. The kids were caught red-handed stealing chocolate bars.
> Golden opportunity: the perfect chance
E.g. The models’ conference was a golden opportunity for me to sell my beauty products.
> Green with envy: very jealous
E.g. I am green with envy over Julio’s new wardrobe.
> Have the blues: Colour blue is associated with depression, a bad mood, and sadness.
E.g. She has the blues today. / People in the office seem to have the Monday blues. / I always have the blues during the wintertime.
> In the dark: unaware
E.g. Antoine left his wife in the dark about their honeymoon destination until they got to the airport.
> In the red: in debt
E.g. When we were in the red we almost had to sell the house.
> Red tape: official or bureaucratic tasks
E.g. There is still some red tape to deal with in terms of the inheritance.
> Red eye: an airplane flight that takes off after midnight
E.g. I caught the red eye so that I would see the sunrise over the mountains.
> Roll out the red carpet: treat someone like royalty
E.g. When relatives come to town my grandmother rolls out the red carpet.
> Rose-coloured glasses: unrealistic view
E.g. Paula imagines Hollywood with rose-coloured glasses.
> See red: be very angry
E.g. I saw red when that guy grabbed my sister’s purse.
> True colours: real self
E.g. Suzanne doesn’t show her true colours when we have guests over.
> White lie: an innocent lie to protect another person’s feelings
E.g. We told Grandma that her cake was delicious, which was actually a white lie.
> With flying colours: with distinction
E.g. I passed my road test with flying colours.
Checkout More Common English Idioms
used for IELTS Speaking Exam