Idioms are lively, figurative expressions that can infuse conversations with vivid imagery and dynamic flair, transforming everyday discussions into engaging and memorable exchanges.
In this comprehensive listicle, we’ll explore 55 idioms related to conversation, decoding their meanings and illustrating how they can add color, humor, or depth to discussions about talking, debating, or sharing ideas. So, sharpen your tongue, open your ears, and let’s dive into this vibrant collection of idioms to see how they can enhance your conversations with wit and expressiveness.
What is an Idiom for Conversation?
Idioms for conversation are figurative phrases that describe the act, style, or outcome of talking, whether it’s casual chatter, heated debates, or heartfelt exchanges, often using imaginative imagery to capture the essence of communication.
These idioms make conversations about dialogue more captivating and relatable, turning abstract aspects of speech into vivid metaphors. Below, we explore each idiom, provide its meaning, and demonstrate its use with a long sentence to highlight its applicability in real-world scenarios.
Idioms for Conversation
1. Break the Ice
Meaning: To start a conversation in a way that reduces tension or awkwardness.
In a Sentence: At the networking event, she broke the ice with a humorous anecdote about her first job, instantly sparking a lively conversation among the strangers gathered around her.
2. Chew the Fat
Meaning: To engage in casual, leisurely conversation, often about unimportant topics.
In a Sentence: After the meeting, they stayed behind to chew the fat, their conversation meandering from weekend plans to old college memories, filling the room with relaxed banter.
3. Spill the Beans
Meaning: To reveal a secret or disclose information during a conversation, often unintentionally.
In a Sentence: During their coffee chat, he spilled the beans about the surprise party, unable to contain his excitement, which shifted the conversation to planning the event’s details.
4. Beat Around the Bush
Meaning: To avoid addressing a topic directly in conversation, often causing confusion or delay.
In a Sentence: Instead of discussing the budget cuts head-on, the manager beat around the bush with vague assurances, leaving the team frustrated and eager for a clearer conversation.
5. Get a Word in Edgewise
Meaning: To find an opportunity to speak in a conversation dominated by others.
In a Sentence: During the heated debate, she struggled to get a word in edgewise, as her colleagues’ rapid-fire arguments left little room for her to contribute to the conversation.
6. Talk a Mile a Minute
Meaning: To speak very quickly and excitedly, often overwhelming the listener.
In a Sentence: When recounting her trip to Paris, she talked a mile a minute, her words tumbling out in a whirlwind that made it hard for her friends to follow the conversation.
7. Shoot the Breeze
Meaning: To engage in casual, aimless conversation, often to pass the time.
In a Sentence: While waiting for the delayed flight, they shot the breeze about movies and travel, their lighthearted conversation easing the frustration of the long airport delay.
8. Have a Heart-to-Heart
Meaning: To engage in a sincere, emotional, or intimate conversation.
In a Sentence: After weeks of tension, they had a heart-to-heart over dinner, their candid conversation about their feelings mending the rift in their friendship with newfound understanding.
9. Put Your Foot in Your Mouth
Meaning: To say something embarrassing or tactless during a conversation, often unintentionally.
In a Sentence: During the job interview, he put his foot in his mouth by joking about the company’s outdated website, awkwardness hanging over the conversation as the interviewer frowned.
10. Talk the Hind Legs Off a Donkey
Meaning: To talk excessively or persuasively, often to the point of exhaustion.
In a Sentence: At the family reunion, she talked the hind legs off a donkey, her endless stories about her travels keeping everyone entertained but slightly overwhelmed by the conversation.
11. Speak Your Mind
Meaning: To express your opinions or feelings openly and honestly in a conversation.
In a Sentence: During the team meeting, she decided to speak her mind about the unrealistic deadlines, sparking a candid conversation that led to a more balanced project timeline.
12. All Ears
Meaning: To be fully attentive and eager to listen during a conversation.
In a Sentence: When her friend started sharing her struggles, she was all ears, her focused attention fostering a supportive conversation that made her friend feel truly heard.
13. A Penny for Your Thoughts
Meaning: To ask someone what they are thinking or to invite their opinion in a conversation.
In a Sentence: Noticing his quiet demeanor during the discussion, she said, “A penny for your thoughts,” prompting a thoughtful conversation about his concerns regarding the project.
14. Let the Cat Out of the Bag
Meaning: To reveal a secret or confidential information during a conversation.
In a Sentence: In a moment of excitement, she let the cat out of the bag about the upcoming promotion, turning the casual conversation into a buzz of speculation among her colleagues.
15. Talk Turkey
Meaning: To have a serious, straightforward conversation, often about business or important matters.
In a Sentence: After weeks of vague negotiations, they finally sat down to talk turkey, their direct conversation about contract terms leading to a clear and mutually beneficial agreement.
16. Run Your Mouth
Meaning: To talk excessively or recklessly, often saying things that shouldn’t be said.
In a Sentence: He ran his mouth about the company’s financial troubles at the bar, unaware that a journalist was listening, sparking an unintended conversation that spread like wildfire.
17. Hold Your Tongue
Meaning: To refrain from speaking or to stay silent during a conversation, often to avoid trouble.
In a Sentence: Despite her urge to argue, she held her tongue during the heated family discussion, knowing that escalating the conversation would only deepen the existing tensions.
18. Talk Through Your Hat
Meaning: To speak nonsense or make exaggerated claims in a conversation without knowledge.
In a Sentence: He was talking through his hat about his expertise in coding, but his vague answers during the technical conversation quickly revealed his lack of real experience.
19. Give Someone a Piece of Your Mind
Meaning: To angrily express your disapproval or frustration in a conversation.
In a Sentence: Fed up with her neighbor’s loud music, she marched over to give him a piece of her mind, their heated conversation finally leading to an agreement on quieter hours.
20. Chew Someone Out
Meaning: To scold or reprimand someone harshly in a conversation.
In a Sentence: After missing the deadline, the team leader chewed them out in a stern conversation, emphasizing the importance of accountability and leaving no room for excuses.
21. Talk Shop
Meaning: To discuss work or professional matters in a conversation, often in a casual setting.
In a Sentence: At the company picnic, they couldn’t help but talk shop, their conversation drifting to upcoming projects and industry trends despite their intention to relax.
22. Drop a Bombshell
Meaning: To reveal shocking or unexpected news in a conversation, often disrupting it.
In a Sentence: She dropped a bombshell by announcing her resignation during the team meeting, the conversation instantly shifting to stunned questions about her reasons and future plans.
23. Clear the Air
Meaning: To resolve misunderstandings or tensions through open, honest conversation.
In a Sentence: After weeks of awkward silence, they had a conversation to clear the air, addressing their miscommunication and restoring the warmth in their long-standing friendship.
24. Talk Until You’re Blue in the Face
Meaning: To talk persistently or at length, often without convincing the listener.
In a Sentence: She talked until she was blue in the face trying to persuade her team to adopt the new software, but their skeptical conversation showed they weren’t ready to change.
25. Get the Ball Rolling
Meaning: To start a conversation or activity, often to initiate progress.
In a Sentence: To get the ball rolling at the brainstorming session, she posed a provocative question about innovation, sparking an energetic conversation that generated dozens of ideas.
26. Keep the Conversation Flowing
Meaning: To maintain a smooth, continuous exchange of ideas or talk.
In a Sentence: With her quick wit and engaging questions, she kept the conversation flowing at the dinner party, ensuring everyone felt included and the discussion never stalled.
27. Put in Your Two Cents
Meaning: To offer your opinion or contribution in a conversation, often modestly.
In a Sentence: During the debate on workplace policies, he put in his two cents about flexible hours, sparking a broader conversation about balancing productivity and employee well-being.
28. Talk Behind Someone’s Back
Meaning: To discuss someone in a conversation, often negatively, without their knowledge.
In a Sentence: She overheard colleagues talking behind her back about her recent mistake, which led to an awkward conversation where she confronted them to set the record straight.
29. Have a Word
Meaning: To have a brief, private conversation, often to address an issue.
In a Sentence: The manager had a word with the intern about his tardiness, their quiet conversation in the hallway resolving the issue without embarrassing him in front of the team.
30. Sing Like a Canary
Meaning: To talk freely or confess everything in a conversation, often under pressure.
In a Sentence: When questioned about the prank, he sang like a canary, his conversation with the principal revealing every detail and implicating his friends in the harmless mischief.
31. Talk Out of Turn
Meaning: To speak inappropriately or at the wrong time in a conversation.
In a Sentence: He talked out of turn by interrupting the CEO’s presentation with an unrelated question, derailing the conversation and drawing surprised glances from his colleagues.
32. Pass the Buck
Meaning: To shift responsibility or blame to someone else in a conversation.
In a Sentence: During the project review, he passed the buck to his teammate, claiming she was responsible for the errors, which sparked a tense conversation about accountability.
33. Talk in Circles
Meaning: To speak in a way that is repetitive or unclear, often avoiding the main point.
In a Sentence: Trying to explain the issue, he talked in circles, his vague and repetitive conversation leaving everyone confused about the actual cause of the problem.
34. Bite Your Tongue
Meaning: To hold back from saying something in a conversation, often to avoid conflict.
In a Sentence: When her friend made a questionable remark, she bit her tongue, choosing to steer the conversation to safer topics rather than risk an unnecessary argument.
35. Talk Someone’s Ear Off
Meaning: To talk excessively to someone, often overwhelming them.
In a Sentence: At the coffee shop, she talked her friend’s ear off about her new hobby, their conversation stretching for hours as her enthusiasm filled every pause.
36. Have Your Say
Meaning: To express your opinion or viewpoint in a conversation.
In a Sentence: During the town hall, she was determined to have her say, her passionate conversation about community improvements inspiring others to join the discussion.
37. Talk Over Someone
Meaning: To interrupt or dominate a conversation, preventing others from speaking.
In a Sentence: He kept talking over his colleague during the meeting, his interruptions stifling her input and turning the conversation into a one-sided monologue.
38. Air Your Dirty Laundry
Meaning: To discuss private or embarrassing matters in a public conversation.
In a Sentence: Instead of resolving their dispute privately, they aired their dirty laundry at the family gathering, their heated conversation exposing personal grievances to everyone present.
39. Speak Volumes
Meaning: To convey a lot of information or emotion through words or actions in a conversation.
In a Sentence: Her passionate speech about environmental conservation spoke volumes, the conviction in her conversation inspiring the audience to take action on climate issues.
40. Get Straight to the Point
Meaning: To speak directly and concisely in a conversation, avoiding unnecessary details.
In a Sentence: Tired of vague responses, she asked him to get straight to the point, leading to a focused conversation that quickly resolved the scheduling conflict.
41. Talk the Talk
Meaning: To speak confidently about something, often implying the need to back it up with action.
In a Sentence: He could talk the talk about innovative marketing strategies, but the conversation shifted when his team challenged him to prove his ideas with concrete results.
42. Keep Your Cards Close to Your Chest
Meaning: To be secretive or reserved in a conversation, not revealing your thoughts or plans.
In a Sentence: During the negotiations, she kept her cards close to her chest, her guarded conversation giving little away as she carefully assessed the other party’s intentions.
43. Lay Your Cards on the Table
Meaning: To be open and honest in a conversation, revealing your true intentions or feelings.
In a Sentence: To move the discussion forward, she laid her cards on the table, her candid conversation about her concerns fostering trust and clarity among the team members.
44. Talk a Good Game
Meaning: To speak convincingly or boastfully in a conversation, often without substance.
In a Sentence: He talked a good game about his entrepreneurial skills, but the conversation took a skeptical turn when his past ventures were revealed to have flopped.
45. Speak Off the Cuff
Meaning: To speak spontaneously or without preparation in a conversation.
In a Sentence: When asked for her opinion at the panel, she spoke off the cuff, her impromptu conversation impressing the audience with its clarity and authenticity.
46. Blow Smoke
Meaning: To exaggerate or make false claims in a conversation to impress or deceive.
In a Sentence: He was blowing smoke about his connections in the industry, but the conversation shifted when someone asked for specifics, exposing his lack of credible contacts.
47. Stir the Pot
Meaning: To provoke or spark controversy in a conversation, often deliberately.
In a Sentence: By raising the divisive topic of office politics, he stirred the pot, igniting a heated conversation that revealed long-simmering tensions among the staff.
48. Put Words in Someone’s Mouth
Meaning: To misrepresent what someone said or assume their opinion in a conversation.
In a Sentence: She accused him of putting words in her mouth when he claimed she supported the plan, sparking a clarifying conversation to set her true stance straight.
49. Have a Bone to Pick
Meaning: To have an issue or grievance to discuss with someone in a conversation.
In a Sentence: She had a bone to pick with her coworker about his lack of contribution, their direct conversation addressing the issue and leading to a more equitable workload.
50. Talk Down to Someone
Meaning: To speak to someone in a condescending or patronizing way in a conversation.
In a Sentence: He talked down to the new intern during the training, his condescending conversation making her feel undervalued until she asserted herself and shifted the tone.
51. Speak Your Piece
Meaning: To express your opinion or viewpoint fully in a conversation, often before stepping back.
In a Sentence: At the community meeting, she spoke her piece about the need for better parks, her passionate conversation inspiring others to add their voices to the cause.
52. Cut to the Chase
Meaning: To skip unnecessary details and get to the main point in a conversation.
In a Sentence: Tired of the lengthy preamble, she asked him to cut to the chase, leading to a concise conversation that quickly clarified the project’s next steps.
53. Talk Through Something
Meaning: To discuss something thoroughly in a conversation to understand or resolve it.
In a Sentence: They talked through the misunderstanding about the deadline, their detailed conversation uncovering the root of the confusion and preventing future missteps.
54. Speak in Riddles
Meaning: To talk in a vague or cryptic way, often making the conversation confusing.
In a Sentence: Instead of giving a clear answer, he spoke in riddles about his plans, leaving the team frustrated and eager for a more straightforward conversation.
55. Have the Last Word
Meaning: To insist on making the final statement in a conversation, often to assert dominance.
In a Sentence: Determined to have the last word, he kept rebutting her points in the debate, prolonging the conversation until she conceded just to move on.
Quizzes About The Idioms in The Article
Quiz 1: Break the Ice
What does the idiom “Break the ice” mean?
a) To end a conversation
b) To start a conversation to reduce awkwardness
c) To argue loudly
d) To ignore someone
Quiz 2: Chew the Fat
What is the meaning of “Chew the fat”?
a) To eat together
b) To engage in casual, leisurely conversation
c) To argue intensely
d) To stay silent
Quiz 3: Spill the Beans
When someone “Spills the beans,” what are they doing?
a) Keeping a secret
b) Revealing a secret in conversation
c) Cooking a meal
d) Avoiding a topic
Quiz 4: All Ears
What does “All ears” suggest?
a) Talking excessively
b) Being fully attentive in a conversation
c) Ignoring someone
d) Misunderstanding a point
Quiz 5: A Penny for Your Thoughts
What does “A penny for your thoughts” imply?
a) Asking for money
b) Inviting someone’s opinion in a conversation
c) Ending a discussion
d) Criticizing someone
Quiz 6: Talk Turkey
What situation is described by “Talk turkey”?
a) A casual chat
b) A serious, straightforward conversation
c) A confusing discussion
d) A humorous exchange
Quiz 7: Put Your Foot in Your Mouth
What does “Put your foot in your mouth” mean?
a) To speak eloquently
b) To say something embarrassing in a conversation
c) To stay silent
d) To compliment someone
Quiz 8: Clear the Air
What is the meaning of “Clear the air”?
a) To start an argument
b) To resolve misunderstandings through conversation
c) To avoid talking
d) To complicate a discussion
Quiz 9: Get the Ball Rolling
When is it appropriate to say “Get the ball rolling”?
a) To end a conversation
b) To start a conversation or activity
c) To interrupt someone
d) To stay quiet
Quiz 10: Speak Volumes
What does “Speak volumes” suggest?
a) To talk quietly
b) To convey a lot through words or actions in a conversation
c) To avoid speaking
d) To confuse others
Answers:
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
- b
Conclusion
Idioms for conversation are like verbal spices, adding flavor and zest to discussions with their vivid imagery and expressive metaphors. Whether you’re describing someone who’s talking a mile a minute, having a heart-to-heart, or cutting to the chase, these 55 idioms offer a dynamic and engaging way to articulate the nuances of dialogue, making your conversations as lively and colorful as the exchanges they depict.