Idioms & Phrases for Hangman 💬

Clues for every answer

A one-line clue for every answer, easy to hard. They're the same clues the game's 💡 Hint shows, so you can read them out when you run your own game.

Piece of cake

A job or task that is pleasant and simple to do; the saying has been recorded since 1936, first in America.

Break a leg

A way of saying 'Good luck, do your best!' to someone who is about to perform in a play or show.

Hang in there

Said to encourage someone to keep going and not give up, even when things are tough for them.

Cold feet

Nerves or worry that make someone rethink a decision just before a big event; first used in American English.

Hit the hay

A slang way of saying that you're off to bed, for example when you feel sleepy at night.

Easy as pie

An informal simile, a comparison used to say that something is very simple to do.

In hot water

In trouble, perhaps facing fierce criticism, for example after doing something you shouldn't have.

Big cheese

A rather old-fashioned name for a very important person, especially someone high up in an organisation.

Top dog

The boss or leader of the pack, or in a competition, the one that everyone expects to win.

No sweat

Informal: without any problems or difficulties, a bit like telling someone 'don't worry about it'.

On thin ice

In a risky or delicate situation, like a skater on a frozen pond that might give way beneath them.

Out of the blue

Unexpectedly, with no warning at all, like lightning striking suddenly from a clear, cloudless sky.

Call It A Day

To stop an activity, perhaps because enough has been done; it can also mean to retire from work.

On The Ball

Alert, active and paying close attention, so that you are always on top of things.

Time Flies

A saying that the hours pass quickly; it is a calque, a word-for-word copy, of the Latin 'tempus fugit'.

Over The Moon

Delighted and thrilled; the saying comes from the nursery rhyme Hey Diddle Diddle, with its leaping cow.

Fair And Square

Done within the rules and beyond any doubt, for example winning a game honestly, with no cheating.

By Heart

Learned so well that you know it from memory, like the words of a song or every street in your town.

All Ears

Listening intently and fully focused, perhaps while waiting for someone's explanation.

Hands Down

Easily, or by a large margin in a contest; the saying seems to come from mid-1800s horse racing.

Raining cats and dogs

Describes weather when it is pouring down very heavily, a day for wellies and a big umbrella.

Spill the beans

To reveal a secret or give away information; first recorded in 20th-century American English.

Once in a blue moon

Very rarely, hardly ever at all; the saying has been in use since about 1833.

Bite the bullet

To accept the unpleasant part of a situation and face it, so that you can get on with things.

Barking up the wrong tree

Following a false lead or mistaken idea, like a hunting dog waiting at the foot of a trunk its quarry never climbed.

Let the cat out of the bag

To allow a secret to become known, often by accident; first recorded around 1753 or 1770.

Cost an arm and a leg

To be very expensive, with a far higher price than seems fair for the item or service.

The elephant in the room

An important, obvious topic that everyone avoids discussing because it is awkward or controversial.

Under the weather

Feeling a bit ill or gloomy, especially when you have a cold or the flu.

Wild goose chase

A futile search or fruitless errand; early on, the phrase named a kind of 16th-century horse race.

Cool as a cucumber

Calm and composed, even in difficult or frustrating moments; first recorded around 1722.

Hit the nail on the head

To identify something exactly, or to arrive at precisely the right answer to a question.

A Penny For Your Thoughts

A way to ask what is on someone's mind, especially when they look deep in reflection.

Back To Square One

Returned right to the start, as after a dead end or a failure; probably from snakes and ladders.

Go The Extra Mile

To put in additional effort and do a particularly good job of something, not just the minimum.

Beat Around The Bush

To delay or avoid saying something difficult, leaving out the main points, often on purpose.

The Last Straw

A small extra problem that is finally too much to bear, like the one that broke the camel's back.

On Cloud Nine

Very happy and blissful; one suggested origin is the tallest type listed in an 1896 weather atlas.

Keep Your Chin Up

Advice to stay positive and cheerful, the sort of thing you might say to a friend who feels down.

When Pigs Fly

Never! It points to the fact that these farm animals have no wings, so it simply can't happen.

A storm in a teacup

A major fuss over a trivial matter; this is the British way of saying it, while Americans mostly use another.

Burning the midnight oil

Working or studying hard late into the night, like people long ago by the glow of a lamp.

Throw caution to the wind

To go ahead and do something even though you know it is risky, forgetting about being careful.

Curiosity killed the cat

A proverb, first heard in Ireland, warning people not to be nosy about things that could be dangerous.

Flogging a dead horse

Wasting effort trying to stir up fresh interest in something hopeless or already settled; mostly British.

Mad as a hatter

Crazy or loopy; first recorded in 1829, and usually linked to felt workers who handled mercury.

The best of both worlds

Enjoying a combination of two benefits that would normally seem to contradict each other.

A wolf in sheep's clothing

Someone or something harmful or threatening, hidden behind a peaceful and pleasant appearance.

Put all your eggs in one basket

To rely on just a single source, such as of income, instead of spreading your risks around.

Actions speak louder than words

Proverb: what people do shows how they truly feel more reliably than anything they claim.

Gone pear shaped

Turned out wrong or awry; a mainly British saying that may have started as Royal Air Force slang.

Straight from the horse's mouth

Firsthand, directly from the source; the idiom grew out of British racing circles and their tips.

The Ball Is In Your Court

Said when it is now someone's turn to take action, often by making a decision.

Don't Count Your Chickens

Never rely on a hopeful outcome for your plans until it's certain; first written in English in 1570.

Every Cloud Has A Silver Lining

A proverb meaning that there is something good to be found in any bad situation.

A Blessing In Disguise

Something that seems like bad luck at first but turns out to be for the best.

Don't Judge A Book By Its Cover

You can't reliably tell what people or things are really like from their outward appearance alone.

You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It

It's impossible to enjoy two things that clash, like scoffing a pudding yet still keeping it for later.

The Early Bird Catches The Worm

Whoever arrives first has the best chance of success, as some chances go only to the first.

Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

To try to do too much, taking on a bigger task than you are really able to handle.