Idioms to Express Feelings: Emotions and feelings can be positive or negative. Every day, we encounter a variety of emotions, and some days are so joyous or thrilling that we simply bask in positive feelings.
These emotions and feelings, whether happy or negative, are what keep us alive, so let us learn to express them in English with the phrases to express feelings and share our joys and sorrows with those we love.
Idioms are important because they allow you to express yourself in creative and distinctive ways. There are different types of idioms – idioms for excitement, idioms for feeling happy, or idioms for mixed emotions. It’s crucial to understand the meanings of these phrases, as well as how they’re employed in sentences and discussions, in addition to learning these idioms.
Enrich your Vocabulary by practicing the English Idioms that are commonly used in everyday conversations and understand their actual meaning.
We have collected and listed such phrases to express feelings indicated above, as well as idioms about feeling sad, in this article on idioms in English, along with the meaning and example of each idiom that will help us increase our idioms vocabulary and English language skills.
Names of Idioms to Express Feelings
List of Idioms to Express Feelings
- All the Rage
- Air Rage
- Act One’s Age
- At Wit’s End
- At the End of One’s Rope (Tether)
- Bang One’s Head Against the Wall (Against a Brick Wall)
- Blow One’s Stack
- Bent Out of Shape
- Be as Hard as Nails
- Cock-A-Hoop
- Chuck / Throw a Wobbly
- Drive Someone Up the Wall
- Draw a Blank
- Down in the Dumps
- Fed Up
- Freudian Slip
- Fly off the Handle
- Get Carried Away
- Go to Pieces
- Head Over Heels
- Living in Cloud Cuckoo Land
- Mad as a Hatter
- Meeting of the Minds
- Mixed Feelings
- No Hard Feelings
- Not Playing with a Full Deck
- On Cloud Nine
- On Pins and Needles
- On the Ball
- On the Fence
- On Top of the World
- Out of Sorts
- Off One’s Rocker
- Out of Sight, Out of Mind
- Pull Yourself Together
- Pet Peeve
- Passing Fancy
- Scare the Living Daylights out of Someone
- Spaced Out
- Shaken Up
- Short Fuse
- Tear-Jerker
- Think Big
- Take It Easy
- To Be Hopping Mad
- To Be in a Stew
- Under the Impression
- Under the Weather
- Young at Heart
Meaning and Examples of some commonly used Idioms to Express Feelings
All the Rage
Meaning: Something which is very popular or in trend.
Example: Sweatpants are all the rage in the world right now, but in a few years, probably nobody will be wearing them.
Air Rage
Meaning: Unruly, violent or angry behaviour of any passenger inside an airplane.
Example: On long airline journeys, most people are peaceful, but every now and then, you have to deal with air rage, which is frequently fuelled by alcohol.
Act One’s Age
Meaning: To behave with mature or not behave in a childish way.
Example: Joe, you need to act your age and not turn every minor problem into an argument.
At Wit’s End
Meaning: The feeling of frustration or distress when all measures to deal with something have failed.
Example: She was at her wit’s end trying to deal with the baby’s tantrums.
At the End of One’s Rope (Tether)
Meaning: Run out of patience, tolerance or endurance.
Example: Ashley keeps whispering all throughout the day. If this continues, I’m certainly at the end of my rope.
Bang One’s Head Against the Wall (Against a Brick Wall)
Meaning: Try repeatedly to complete any task or achieve some goal without making progress.
Example: Some people will never agree with you on this issue. Trying to convince them is just banging your head against the wall.
Blow One’s Stack
Meaning: To lose control over one’s temper and explode in anger.
Example: If my boss shouts at me one more time, I’m going to blow my stack.
Bent Out of Shape
Meaning: To feel very annoyed or angry.
Example: You should immediately apologise to the manager, or he will bend out of shape.
Be as Hard as Nails
Meaning: Someone who is insensitive to others and lacks empathy and compassion.
Example: Jennifer is as hard as nails, and she will be great for our business.
Cock-A-Hoop
Meaning: Elated or excited.
Example: Fans are cock-a-hoop about the team’s new goalkeeper.
Chuck / Throw a Wobbly
Meaning: To become very angry or upset and act in an emotional way.
Example: I understand your dissatisfaction. But don’t throw a wobbly in your boss’s meeting; he won’t like it.
Drive Someone Up the Wall
Meaning: Deeply irritate or annoy someone.
Example: The beeping sound of the alarm drives me up the wall.
Draw a Blank
Meaning: Unable to remember or recall something or think of anything at all.
Example: I drew a blank when she asked me the address.
Down in the Dumps
Meaning: Depressed or sad.
Example: You have been down in the dumps for the past week. Let’s go to a football game; it’ll make you feel.
Fed Up
Meaning: To feel irritated or disgusted about something and no longer want to deal with it.
Example: I am completely fed up with my old television, but I cannot afford a new one right now.
Freudian Slip
Meaning: Accidental use of an incorrect word or a revealing slip of the tongue
Example: That was a real Freudian slip when John referred to his aunt as his mother.
Fly off the Handle
Meaning: To suddenly become very angry or enraged.
Example: My mother flew off the handle when she saw I broke her favourite coffee mug.
Get Carried Away
Meaning: Become overly enthusiastic or excited.
Example: Sure, you can put some money into the stock market, but don’t get carried away – people lose a lot of money doing so.
results.
Go to Pieces
Meaning: To become deeply sad and depressed after the loss of something or someone extremely important in life or to have a mental or emotional collapse.
Example: Candy went to pieces during the funeral. She looked miserable.
Head Over Heels
Meaning: To be very much in love with someone or be deeply in love with someone.
Example: My brother was head over heels about his girlfriend when they started dating each other.
Living in Cloud Cuckoo Land
Meaning: Having unrealistic, idealized, or foolish beliefs or plans.
Example: Oliver thinks he’s going to earn 100,000 euros by next year. He’s living in cloud cuckoo land.
Mad as a Hatter
Meaning: Mentally ill, crazy, or psychotic.
Example: Because of the horrific things my grandfather saw during the war, he returned home as mad as a hatter.
Meeting of the Minds
Meaning: Strong instinctive agreement on something.
Example: The negotiations weren’t going well at first, but when the company’s president and I sat together over drinks, everything changed, and we had a meeting of the minds.
Mixed Feelings
Meaning: Positive and negative feelings that occur at the same time and are frequently in conflict with one another. You can be happy but be sad, anxious, or worried at the same time.
Example: I had mixed feelings about this new house. I am happy this house is close to my office but sad to be leaving my childhood home.
No Hard Feelings
Meaning: No ill will or without resentment, offence or anger. This phrase is often used as a standalone phrase after an argument to express the thought or hope that no one will continue to be angry afterwards.
Example: No hard feelings, but I have to end this contract right away!
Not Playing with a Full Deck
Meaning: Stupid or not mentally sound.
Example: Jim is a good man, but some of his actions make me wonder if he’s not playing with a full deck.
On Cloud Nine
Meaning: To feel extremely happy.
Example: When he finally got his promotion, he was on cloud nine.
On Pins and Needles
Meaning: To feel anxious or nervous.
Example: I was on pins and needles the whole day waiting for my entrance exam’s results.
On the Ball
Meaning: Someone who is attentive, competent, and is quick in taking action.
Example: Ronald is on the ball. I think we can trust him for this project.
On the Fence
Meaning: Undecided between two choices or unable to make a decision.
Example: I’m on the fence about the interview – both candidates have their good qualities.
On Top of the World
Meaning: To feel amazing and be jubilant, as one would feel at the top of the world, looking down at everybody else.
Example: After I got promoted, I felt on top of the world.
Out of Sorts
Meaning: Not feeling well or in a grumpy, irritable mood.
Example: I think Noah is worried about something; he has been out of sorts all day.
Off One’s Rocker
Meaning: Crazy, insane, or extremely foolish.
Example: He must be off his rocker that he decided to buy that house at such a high price.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
Meaning: When you don’t see someone or something, you tend to forget about that person or thing.
Example: My electricity bill slid to the bottom of the stack on my desk, and I completely forgot about it. It just became out of sight, out of mind.
Pull Yourself Together
Meaning: Control one’s emotions or calm oneself down to act appropriately.
Example: I know it was very hard for you after your father passed away, but you need to pull yourself together and concentrate on your studies.
Pet Peeve
Meaning: A minor issue or thing that frequently causes annoyance to someone.
Example: My pet peeve has always been those people who talk during the movie in theatres.
Passing Fancy
Meaning: Something which is temporarily interesting or attractive.
Example: She is now interested in sketching, and embroidery was only a passing fancy for her.
Scare the Living Daylights out of Someone
Meaning: To severely frighten someone.
Example: I’m not going to see that new horror picture in the theatre. Horror movies scare the living daylights out of me.
Spaced Out
Meaning: Not concentrating on what is going on around, distracted or daydreaming.
Example: Daisy, are you stressed about something? You look totally spaced out!
Shaken Up
Meaning: Greatly startled, shocked, upset or surprised after receiving a shocking news or experience something unexpected.
Example: After the car accident, I was completely shaken up. For over an hour, I couldn’t even communicate properly with the cops.
Short Fuse
Meaning: A quick temper or a tendency to get angry quickly.
Example: Jessie got furious during the argument; she has a short fuse.
Tear-Jerker
Meaning: A film or book that evokes a strong emotional reaction and makes one cry.
Example: This book is a story about an orphan boy who spent all his teenage years searching for his parents, and it is a tear-jerker of all time.
Think Big
Meaning: Consider ambitious plans or avoid getting overly concerned with minor details.
Example: When the business came up with the concept for this product, it was evident that they were thinking big.
Take It Easy
Meaning: Don’t hurry or relax or don’t get annoyed.
Example: I’ve been overworking myself. I simply want to go to the islands and take it easy for a few days.
To Be Hopping Mad
Meaning: To be extremely angry.
Example: Rebecca is hopping mad because she did all the work in the presentation and did not get any acknowledgment.
To Be in a Stew
Meaning: To be extremely concerned or upset about something.
Example: I cannot find my purse, and I am in a stew!
Under the Impression
Meaning: Believing or assuming something, perhaps mistakenly.
Example: I was under the impression that I was not invited to the party.
Under the Weather
Meaning: To feel slightly sick or just not feeling so well.
Example: Jessie is feeling a little under the weather tonight, so she won’t be coming to the party.
Young at Heart
Meaning: Someone who has a youthful outlook, regardless of their age.
Example: My grandmother is 76 years old and loves dancing to date; she is definitely young at heart.