Name: 10 Idioms That INSTANTLY Make You Sound Fluent in English
Uploaded: 2025-04-09T08:05:14.000Z
Duration: 8 min 26 s
Description: Thousands of YouTube videos with English-Chinese subtitles! Now you can learn to understand native speakers, expand your vocabulary, and improve your pronunciation...

If you want to sound like a native speaker, here are 10 idioms you need to use.

My name's Michael Anton, I'm the founder of English at the Ready, and it's my goal to make you fluent in English.

If you understand English, but you struggle to sound fluent, idioms are the missing piece.

So today, I'm going to teach you 10 everyday idioms that native speakers use all the time without even thinking about it.

Number one, what does it mean to hang tight?

When you tell somebody to hang tight, you are telling them to wait a moment.

For example, hang tight, I'll be ready in five minutes.

Or, the boss is late, just hang tight until he arrives.

You might hear it when someone is asking for patience, like when you're on the phone, or waiting for someone to finish something.

It's not about physically holding something tightly.

It's just a more natural way of saying, please wait, hang tight.

To crash means to fall asleep suddenly or from exhaustion.

For example, I was so tired after work, I crashed at 10 p.m.

Or, she partied all night and crashed on the couch.

This idiom is super common with younger people and also in casual conversation.

It just means that your body gave up and you fell asleep quickly.

You can use this one when you're really tired.

Now, what does it mean to binge-watch something?

When you binge-watch something, it means you watch a lot of episodes of a series in a row.

For example, I binge-watched an entire season of my favorite show.

Or, let's binge-watch Netflix this weekend.

This is a modern idiom that became popular with streaming platforms like Netflix or YouTube.

It's associated with relaxing or even procrastinating.

You can binge-watch YouTube videos or even documentaries.

Do you know what it means to beat around the bush?

When you beat around the bush, you avoid saying something directly.

For example, stop beating around the bush and tell me exactly what happened.

Or, instead of answering my question, he kept beating around the bush.

You can use this idiom when someone is avoiding a topic, being indirect, or just won't get to the point.

If you're tired of waiting for an answer, you can tell them, stop beating around the bush.

When you hit the sack or when you hit the hay, it means you go to bed or sleep.

For example, I'm going to hit the sack early tonight.

Why don't you hit the hay and get some rest?

You can use this idiom at the end of a long day when you're ready for bed.

It means exactly the same as to go to sleep, but it sounds a bit more casual and idiomatic.

Now, before we continue this video, if you're serious about sounding fluent in English, I've created a free fluency training that walks you through my full method of becoming fluent using your phone, your computer, and the internet.

Thousands of students have already used it to start improving their English and to start speaking more confidently.

You can watch the training for free by clicking the link in the description below.

It's completely free and it's only 30 minutes long.

If you're enjoying this video on YouTube, make sure to hit the like button.

Let me know in the comments if you've heard any of these idioms before.

And of course, don't forget to subscribe to English at the Ready here on YouTube so you don't miss the next lesson.

What does it mean to hit the nail on the head?

When you hit the nail on the head, it means you are exactly right about something.

For example, you hit the nail on the head.

Or her explanation of the problem really hit the nail on the head.

You can use this idiom for giving feedback.

If somebody understands something perfectly or gives you a perfect answer, this is the idiom to use.

Next up, what does it mean to bite the bullet?

To bite the bullet means to endure a difficult or tough situation.

For example, I don't like going to the dentist, but I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and go.

Or she didn't want to apologize, but she bit the bullet and said sorry.

You can use this idiom when something is uncomfortable or unpleasant, but you do it anyway.

It shows courage, even though the situation is already annoying or stressful.

What's the difference between these two phrases?

To have butterflies in your stomach versus to have a gut feeling.

When you have butterflies in your stomach, it means you are nervous or excited.

For example, I had butterflies in my stomach before my big speech.

When you have a gut feeling about something, it means you have an instinct.

For example, I have a gut feeling that something isn't right.

Both phrases describe feelings in your stomach, but they're actually very different.

Having butterflies in your stomach is usually emotional.

You're nervous, you're anxious, and when you have a gut feeling about something, it's more like your intuition.

When you see eye to eye with someone about something, you agree with them.

For example, my boss and I don't always see eye to eye on decisions.

Or they see eye to eye on almost everything.

This idiom is useful when talking about opinions.

You can use it in business, friendships, relationships, anytime you're aligned or not aligned with someone.

You see eye to eye or you don't see eye to eye with them.

When you cut corners, you do something quickly and cheaply, but not properly.

They didn't build the house the right way.

Or you could say, don't cut corners on the report.