Learn English idioms for talking about problems
With meanings and example sentences.
Recently we’ve been exploring the English language that we can use to speak about problems; collocations, phrasal verbs, vocabulary and so on. Today, continuing on this theme, we’re going to take a look at some of the idioms that frequently get used when talking about problems in English. As always, I’ve included definitions, plus example sentences so that you can try to introduce this idiomatic language into your conversations.
Come to a head
When a problem comes to a head, it reaches a critical point where action must be taken to resolve it. Picture a pan of water boiling until it finally bubbles over.
Example: The tension between the two colleagues finally came to a head during the meeting.
Elephant in the room
This idiom refers to an obvious problem or issue that everyone is aware of but nobody wants to address. It’s like having a huge elephant standing in the middle of the room that everyone is ignoring.
Example: The budget cuts were the elephant in the room during the staff meeting.
Grasping at straws
When someone is grasping at straws, they are trying to find a solution or explanation, no matter how unlikely or desperate it may be. It’s akin to clutching at thin pieces of straw in the hope of finding something solid to hold onto.
Example: She was grasping at straws when she blamed the traffic for being late to the interview.
Go pear-shaped
If a situation goes pear-shaped, it means that it has gone terribly wrong or become a disaster. This informal English idiom is believed to originate from British military slang, where a perfectly planned operation turning pear-shaped meant it had gone awry.
Example: The party was going well until the police arrived and then everything went pear-shaped!
Get to the bottom of things
This idiom means to discover the true cause or explanation of a problem or mystery. It’s like digging beneath the surface to uncover what’s really going on.
Example: I’m determined to get to the bottom of what happened between my colleagues. They are barely talking to each other!
Get off on the wrong foot
When you get off on the wrong foot with someone, it means you start a relationship or interaction badly, often leading to misunderstandings or conflicts. It’s like stumbling at the very beginning of a journey.
Example: He immediately got off on the wrong foot with his colleagues when he started complaining about the lazy office culture.
Jump out of the frying pan into the fire
This idiom describes moving from a bad situation to an even worse one. It’s like escaping one problem only to find yourself in another, potentially more challenging, situation.
Example: Leaving my stressful job only to start a business during a recession felt like jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.
Add fuel to the flames
When you add fuel to the flames, you make a problem or conflict worse by saying or doing something that exacerbates the situation. It’s like pouring petrol onto a fire, intensifying its heat and reach.
Example: Bringing up past grievances only added fuel to the flames of their argument.
