People Idioms: We are constantly surrounded with all kinds of people wherever we go. a person who is very outgoing or a very conserved person is still surrounded by people whom they love, or even they don’t know. Having a conversation with everyone is crucial, and it’s surprising how the English language has changed the approach with a list of idioms.
We have different types of idioms for people, like idioms for a talented person. Idioms for a creative person or idioms to describe personality.
Thinking about your accessibility, we have thus created a list of few commonly used people idols that will help you have a healthy conversation with everyone. Let’s have a look at them.
Enrich your Vocabulary by practicing the English Idioms that are commonly used in everyday conversations and understand their actual meaning.
Names of People Idioms
List of People idioms
- Family man
- Couch potato
- Slime ball
- Busy body
- A bad egg
- Down to earth
- Social butterfly
- Cheapskate
- Angel investor
- Teacher’s pet
- Goody goody
- Heart of gold
- Man of his words
- Smart cookie
- Fuddy Duddy
- Poker face
- White-collar worker
- Mover and shaker
- Made of money
- Company man
- Darkhorse
- Silent partner
- Cash cow
- Top dog
- Even steven
- No names, no pack drill
- Spring chicken
- Dead ringer
- Cross to bear
- Happy Camper
- All fur and no knickers
- Green as grass
- Amateur hour
- Sharp as a tack
- Six feet under
- Early bird
- Night owl
- wimp
- Your number is up
- Jim crow
- Snowball’s chance in hell
- Sacred cow
- Saving Grace
- Pick his brain
- Great minds think alike
- Under one’s belt
- Rob peter to pay paul
- Clean up nicely
- Pain in the neck
- Party animal
- Nerd
- Fast talker
- A peoples person
- Daydreamer
- Wet blanket
- Rolling stone
- Lone wolf
- Go-getter
- Whiz kid
- Salt of the earth
- Lame-duck
- Born optimistic
- Culture vulture
- Earth mother
- Jack of all trades
Meaning and examples of few commonly used People Idioms
Family man
Meaning: family man is a person who loves to spend time with his family and can strike a perfect balance between work and his household.
Example: after I gave birth to a child, my husband has become a perfect family man; he loves to spend time with the family.
Couch potato
Meaning: a person who does not like working hard or doing any activity of physical labour. Instead, they sit on the couch and spend time watching television or doing other leisure activities.
Example: he hardly goes to work out even though he has membership; he is such a couch potato.
Slime ball
Meaning: a person who pretends to be friendly but is very unpleasant and disgusting to be with, usually referred to as a friend who is not liked by others.
Example: no one likes to spend time with him for his unpleasant nature; he is such a slime ball.
Busy body
Meaning: a busy body is a person who is not happy by looking into themselves, but always wants to poke their nose into other people’s business—a person who has a great interest in other peoples lives.
Example: we recently shifted to a new locality, and my neighbour is a real busy body.
A bad egg
Meaning: a bad egg is a person who is very old fashioned and at the same time does evil things or behaves like a jerk.
Example: he is the only bad egg in the group, but we can’t avoid him always.
Down to earth
Meaning: a person who is very close to reality and always is very caring and loving towards others. This person does not differentiate between anyone despite their caste, qualities or anything else.
Example: he is very wealthy and owns many assets throughout the world. But he is still a very down to earth person.
Social butterfly
Meaning: a person who is very friendly and can mix with other people even unknown with no problem and can make them comfortable as well. It is said that they fit in everywhere like a butterfly.
Example: Milly is a social butterfly; she loves spending time outside to meet new people.
Cheapskate
Meaning: achieved it is a person who does not like to spend money. According to them, any kind of spending money other than their essentials is a luxury, and you can’t force them to take out money from their pocket.
Example: after such a long time, all our childhood friends went to eat at a restaurant, and I was not surprised to see that Lisa is still a cheapskate.
Angel investor
Meaning: an angel investor is a person who has the capacity to invest money or provide contacts for any financial help to help a startup business or and entrepreneurs to grow their business.
Example: my father’s friend is an angel investor; without him, I would not have reached this point of success in my business.
Teacher’s pet
Meaning: a teacher’s pet is a person who is the favourite teacher’s student, they have more liberty in class than other students, and the teacher prefers them for any work.
Example: she always agrees that everything is significant and kinds of butter hurt all the time; she is nothing but just a teacher with no qualities.
Goody goody
Meaning: a person who behaves very well in front of others which is mainly to please them or being pretentious. Others do not like this kind of behaviour.
Example: the kid always tries to be a goody goody person, no one really likes him.
Heart of gold
Meaning: a person who is very kind to others and has a very good nature by which they can win over others easily as people love their personality.
Example: he gave away the brand new jacket to the beggar; he has a heart of gold.
Man of his words
Meaning: a person who keeps their word to others about what they say and promise—a person who is very trustworthy and reliable.
Example: he promised to get the best deal possible, and he is a man of his words.
Smart cookie
Meaning: a smart cookie is a person’s ability to handle any challenging situation or complex is ahead of them with intelligence and cleverness.
Example: shouldn’t we approach Mr Kim to solve a problem? Everyone knows that he is a smart cookie.
Fuddy Duddy
Meaning: a person who likes to stay in his old fashioned way and has not learned modern behaviour or thinking so he can’t match with the contemporary way of life.
Example: my father is still a fuddy-duddy; he does not like even learning how to use a phone.
Poker face
Meaning: a person’s facial expression which reveals no change of emotions or gives no hints of their thoughts or feelings.
Example: now I know how he kept such a mystery hidden from everyone; he has a terrific poker face.
White-collar worker
Meaning: a person who works in a corporate area like office earns more by using their skilled technological work and not taking part in hard labour like in factories or construction sites.
Example: after all my hard work in the factory, I am finally a white-collar worker, very thankful that I continued my studies.
Mover and shaker
Meaning: mover and shaker is a person who can influence people in a company or organization very well. It is controlling power that person can make happen a lot of good things for the company.
Example: our company needed the board of meetings approval, and Rakesh acted like a perfect mover and shaker for this situation.
Made of money
Meaning: a person who is very rich and owns a lot of wealth. That person knows everything by money, and in some cases, that person does not value other relations.
Example: he owns at Atleast six sports cars, he is made of money
Company man
Meaning: a person who follows all the company policies and works accordingly to benefit the company from his work and hard work.
Example: he does not care about anything else other than his company; he is a company man.
Darkhorse
Meaning: a person who possesses the extraordinary ability and is highly talented, but he does not show them to other people or is more likely that others are not aware of it.
Example: I did not know that jack was such an excellent dancer; he is a real dark horse.
Silent partner
Meaning: a silent partner is an individual who invests in a business and has a share on it but is not a part of any business activities like management or decision making.
Example: my father invested in my business, but he is just a silent partner in it.
Cash cow
Meaning: cash cow refers to a person who has the potential to earn money almost daily. It is a reliable source from which profit is assured.
Example: he can get into any international football club he wants; he is a cash cow full of profit.
Top dog
Meaning: being a top dog is a person’s position in a company that gives them authority and power in a particular group. It is a position they have achieved through hard work.
Example: she never wanted to be a top dog, so she did not accept the promotion ; letter and continued working as an ordinary employee.
Even steven
Meaning: a person who does not own anything and has equal shares with other persons with them.
Example: even after investing so much, he won nothing and ended up as an even-steven.
No names, no pack drill
Meaning: when a person is aware of a crime or incident and also about the person who is a part of it. But avoids any kind of accusation to not get into trouble.
Example: I know who is behind this, but I don’t want to be a part of this, no names, no pack drill.
Spring chicken
Meaning: being a spring chicken is a young person but in a negative sense means someone who is no longer young but thinks of himself the other way.
Example: you are no longer a spring chicken, so stop taking part in such risky activities.
Dead ringer
Meaning: a person who looks like a different person or resembles them. In other words, it means an exact duplicate of any other person.
Example: she is a dead ringer; you can hardly find any difference with her mother.
Cross to bear
Meaning: another person problem by which a different person gets affected wants to eat with it.
Example: the loss for her was hefty to let her cross to bear.
Happy Camper
Meaning: a happy Camper is a person who is always happy and satisfied with everything in his life—a person generally who does not complain about anything and has no complaints.
Example: the job I was offered was not what I wanted. I cannot be a happy camper.
All fur and no knickers
Meaning: a person who is well, groomed and attractive by their outer appearance but has no objective qualities or points by which you will attract a person towards them.
Example: she is all fur and no knickers, don’t fall in her words and looks.
Green as grass
Meaning: when a person has little Knowledge of something and is ready to accept things from a more experienced person in that field.
Example: he was green grass, but look him now so confident about his subject.
Amateur hour
Meaning: a person who has lacked any skill or power of judgement. It is primarily a character trait in a person which occurs in a particular situation to lose their professionalism or abilities.
Example: he was a part of the amateur hour; we couldn’t help it.
Sharp as a tack
Meaning: an individual who is very clever and cunning and it is not easy to make a fool of, so everyone tries to avoid complications with them.
Example: my sister is sharp as a tack; you should not mess up with her.
Six feet under
Meaning: a person who is dead and is buried deep inside. It is called six feet under as traditionally body is buried or most in a depth of 6 feet.
Example: I swear this was a situation she would have been six feet under by this time.
Early bird
Meaning: being an early bird is someone who wakes up very early in the morning. Being an early bird has many advantages, and this phase comes from that an early bird gets all the worms.
Example: We always had very strict rules in our household, and that has forced me to become an early bird, and I still continue being so.
Night owl
Meaning: a person who stays up late at night to complete their work. It must be that first two people who love doing their job at night in place of doing their work do you think daytime.
Example: my son has always been a night out; he never wakes up early in the morning and does not like to complete his work during that time.
Wimp
Meaning: a person who is physically not strong and lacks confidence. It means a person avoid anything which can lead to exposure.
Example: he always avoid conversations; after all these years, he is still not ready for marriage, such a wimp!
Your number is up
Meaning: A person who knows that death time has arrived, which is a negative sense, means that they are about to die as they have been suffering for a long time or just know it by instinct. It can simply mean that they are the following number from something going on now.
Example: my number is up after this interview.
Jim crow
Meaning: racist segregation done by a person which results in an equal opportunity and behaviour towards others. In specific terms, it is enforced by the government, which was in practice during 1960.
Example: he is such a Jim crow; I am not comfortable working with you in our team.
Snowball’s chance in hell
Meaning: This idiom is used mainly in the negative sense there is very little chance of a fun activity or something extremely unlikely and impossible.
Example: me getting a job in this company was nothing less than a snowball’s chance in hell.
Sacred cow
Meaning: being a sacred cow is an idea that is, most of the time and reasonable or unreal, but it does not face any criticism or opposition from others and is accepted to be a custom.
Example: the gym is like a sacred cow; even after so many false no one is going to tell him anything.
Saving Grace
Meaning: saving Grace is a definition of equality or factor which has the capacity to change someone’s life, like giving them a new life. It is a quality which can make a wrong or cold person better and more acceptable.
Example: my wife has been a saving grace for the last three years; without her, I would have been dead by now.
Pick his brain
Meaning: an ability to ask questions by which a person can get a piece of detailed information or advice about any situation which they cannot solve on their own.
Example: I can’t solve this problem on my own can I get a pick of your brain for this.
Great minds think alike.
Meaning: two people who have the same qualities and a very clever by which they mostly have the same ideas to exchange and is not the same as the other people in the room.
Example: Wiki and I came up with the idea of building a startup business at this age; great minds think alike.
Under one’s belt
Meaning: a person who has experienced or has mastered an activity and does not fear to explore it more, which gives others the security to trust them
Example: I have the match of chess under my belt now you can bet on me with closed eyes.
Rob peter to pay paul
Meaning: when a person takes something for money from someone and page it to others without their consent means taking something from a person and shifting it to another resource to clear their debt.
Example: the money I received from her was not what she owned; she presented a proper rob Peter and pay paul scenario
Clean up nicely
Meaning: when a person usually is very clumsy but looks nice and dresses appropriately to be presentable in front of others on rare occasions.
Example: look at him all decked up with the new suit looks like he had a clean up nicely.
Pain in the neck
Meaning: a person who has a very annoying nature and the people around them cannot tolerate him. It also refers to an irritating person whom people generally hate.
Example: Tom has been very irritating lately; he is a pain in the neck for me.
Party animal
Meaning: a person who likes to attend parties and spend time outside their house with friends or close ones.
Example: Sara goes out almost every weekend to attend parties; she is such a party animal.
Nerd
Meaning: a nerd is a person who mostly can be called to a very study, a student interested in science, technology or other literature subjects.
Example: he spends all his holiday sitting at home and experimenting with new scientific technologies; he is such a nerd.
Fast talker
Meaning: a person who has excellent speaking skills and is very confident about what they say. This person has unique qualities to persuade to do something dishonest and convince others to believe something that is not valid.
Example: I was almost convinced that he owned a penthouse until his mother revealed the secrets; he is such a fast talker.
A peoples person
Meaning: a person who is very outgoing and friendly and can really mix up with any people, even strangers. They are also a good listener, so it is easier to have a conversation with them.
Example: the tongue is so positive and friendly in front of everyone is a people’s person.
Daydreamer
Meaning: a person who likes to think about unrealistic things during daytime or at times of reality when they should be doing work. It is mainly related to unrealistic scenarios in their mind.
Example: I have always been a daydreamer, at school and also at home.
Wet blanket
Meaning: a person who is never satisfied with anything and complains about everything at a place like a gathering where everyone is having fun.
Example: I don’t want to invite Sara to my birthday party; she is such a wet blanket negative about everything.
Rolling stone
Meaning: a person who does not like to stick to one thing for a long time. Anyone who keeps shifting from place to place or job to job without staying at one home.
Example: my brother has always been a rolling stone; even his marriage could not change his way of living.
Lone wolf
Meaning: a lone wolf is an individual who dos not like socializing with others and do any activities. Instead, this kind of person enjoys his own company and relies on self-satisfaction.
Example: my father became a lone wolf after my mother passed away; he never really goes out.
Go-getter
Meaning: Google is a very focused person and is shared to achieve his goals. A person who does not set any boundaries and can do anything to achieve what they want.
Example: it is not surprising how he became the head of the board meeting; nothing could stop him. He was always a go-getter person.
Whiz kid
Meaning: A whiz kid is a person who is very young to others but is in contrast very clever, successful and intelligent than any other person of his age or someone elder to them
Example: You will never see someone solving a spelling test of class 12 at the age of 13. In that case, my sister son is a whiz kid because he does exactly the same.
Salt of the earth
Meaning: a person who is very simple can be relied on and is very trustworthy. You can also say that a person who does not care about his image is not sophisticated.
Example: Kevin is really a man bearing the salt of the earth.
Lame-duck
Meaning: a person whose contribution to work or an organization is significantly less and is or almost no need. A person who is unsuccessful and has not much time left in work life.
Example: he has become old and also a lame duck, he is of no use to our company.
Born optimistic
Meaning: A person who always thinks positive things in life, even in challenging situations. Any person with positivity is called a born optimist.
Example: I liked Jason; he does not let any negativity come to him even in the worst situation; he is a born optimist.
Culture vulture
Meaning: a person who has much interest in their culture or any other consider around them like theatre, music, traditional dance form and more.
Example: He spends most of his time in the theatres and has much knowledge about it. He is a real culture vulture.
Earth mother
Meaning: an earth mother is a person mostly can be said the photo of a very carrying, protective girl and has maternal qualities precisely like that of a mother.
Example: my sister has always been an Earth mother to me; she always helped me in all ways and took care of me more than my biological mother.
Jack of all trades
Meaning: Jack of all trades is a person who has the ability to do several jobs at one time or has many interests which he can master at a single time without specializing in one.
Example: my mother works two jobs and also take care of the house with her continuing passion for art; she’s a jack-of-all-trades.