30+ Idioms on the Topic of Nature and the Environment for IELTS Speaking

IELTS Speaking – Compilation of Idioms on the Topic: Business and Economics

In English, besides using collocations to make your speech more natural and engaging, idioms are also frequently used in everyday…

IDIOMS	MEANING	EXAMPLE
A breath of fresh air	someone or something that is new and different and makes everything seem more exciting	Angela’s so cheerful and lively – she’s like *a breath of fresh air* when she visits.
Add fuel to the fire	to make an argument or bad situation worse	The discovery that the government was aware of the cover-up has really added *fuel to the fire*.
Always chasing rainbows	constantly pursuing something more appealing than what one currently has – no matter how unrealistic it is	Although he is 48 years old, he is still dreaming of becoming a famous singer. He’s *always chasing rainbows*.
Barking up the wrong tree	trying to do something in a way that will not work	His attorney suggested that the investigators might be barking up the wrong tree.
Dead in the water	having failed and very unlikely to have any success in the future	If the conservative party doesn’t vote for the treaty, it would become *dead in the water.*
In deep water	To be in or get into serious trouble	The director knew he’d be in deep water if he didn’t mention his wife in his acceptance speech.
In hot water	in a difficult situation in which you are likely to be punished	If our President finds out that we took her off the train and made all that fuss over nothing, we may *be in hot water*.
Be in the land of the living	to be awake or to be alive	He was working all night long. I don’t think he’ll *be in the land of the living* before noon.
Bed of roses	an easy and happy existence	My life hasn’t exactly been *a bed of roses*.
Castles in the air	plans that are unlikely to happen	You need sound financial advice and a strong plan if you’re going to start your own business – don’t just build castles in the air.
(Has the) cat got your tongue?	something you say to someone when you are annoyed because they will not speak	Why are you ignoring me, has the cat got your tongue?
Come into bloom	to start to produce flowers	With the warm spring this year, many flowers have come into bloom* earlier than usual.*
Come under fire	to be criticized	The president has *come under fire* for his decision to postpone the elections.
Draw the shortest straw	to be selected to do an undesirable task	I *drew the short straw* and got stuck doing the whole project alone.
Fan the flames	to make a bad feeling or situation become worse or more intense	His speeches fanned the flames* of racial tension.*
Have your head in the clouds	to not know the facts of a situation	He always has his *head in the clouds*!
The final/last straw	the last in a series of unpleasant events that finally makes you feel that you cannot continue to accept a bad situation	Losing my job was bad enough, but being evicted was *the last straw*.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem	Stop *making a mountain out of a molehill* mum, I’ll be back at 11!
Nature calls	the need to use the toilet	Don’t wait for me, *nature calls*!
This, our, etc. neck of the woods	this, our, etc. a particular area	I didn’t expect to see you in this *neck of the woods.*
Hold out/offer an olive branch	to do or say something in order to show that you want to end a disagreement with someone	He held out an olive branch* to the opposition by releasing 42 political prisoners.*
Out of the woods	not having a problem or difficulty any longer	It’s too soon to say if either airline is *out of the woods* yet.
Paper tiger	an enemy or foreign country, that seems very strong and dangerous but is really weak and not harmful	The Soviet Union was suddenly revealed as a *paper tiger*.
Back the wrong horse	to make the wrong decision and support a person or action that is later unsuccessful	In all his years as a book publisher, he rarely backed the wrong horse.
Under the weather	slightly unwell or in low spirits	He is feeling a little *under the weather* today.
A drop in the ocean	a very small amount compared to the amount needed	My letter of protest was just a drop in the ocean.
The sands (of time) are running out	used to say that there is not much time left to do something	I know that picking a college is a big decision, but the sands are running out.
A ray of sunshine	a happy person who makes others feel happy, especially in a difficult situation	We love looking after our grandchild. He’s a ray of sunshine!
At sea	confused	I’m all/completely at sea* with the new computer system.*
Can’t see the forest/wood for the trees	cannot see, understand, or focus on a situation in its entirety due to being preoccupied with minor details	The way he’s obsessing over one doorknob when we’re renovating the entire house makes me think that he can’t see the forest for the trees.
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	We always do things your way – can’t you just go with the flow* for once?*
A/(lone) voice in the wilderness	someone who expresses an unpopular opinion or idea	She felt like a voice in the wilderness* as she tried to warn others about the impending economic collapse.*
Tip of the iceberg	a small, noticeable part of a problem, the total size of which is really much greater	These small local protests are just the tip of the iceberg.
Beat around the bush	to avoid talking about what is important	Don’t beat around the bush* – get to the point!*