Useful Idioms For PT3 and SPM Essays with its meaning

you can use these for your PT3 essays, as well as SPM essays. I often use these phrases in my essays myself, especially for informal letters and narrative esssays. 

Read these idioms often and you will be able to use them by heart in your essays too. If I can do it, so can you!

1.       Feeling under the weather – feeling unwell
If you ever feel under the weather, just drink a lot of liquid and get plenty of rest.

2.       Eleventh hour – at the last minute
To get flying colours for your exam, you must avoid doing things at the eleventh hour.

3.       Around the corner – something is getting near
When exam is around the corner, students will start to feel the pressure of it.

4.       Over the moon – feeling very happy
I am feeling over the moon for your invitation to visit your country!

5.       On the cloud nine – feeling very happy
Jeane is feeling on the cloud nine after got the news that she is accepted to Harvard University.

6.       Hit the books – study hard
You may need to start hitting the book because exam is around the corner.

7.       Brainstorm – to think very hard
I recommend you to be in a study group so that you can brainstorm these tricky questions with them.

8.       Birdbrain – expression for someone who is not so smart

Don’t be a handsome man with a birdbrain.

9.       Bookworm – someone who likes reading
I am not telling you to be a bookworm, but you need to start reading more to write better essays.

10.   Hang in there – don’t give up yet
Despite all the chaos happening in your house, just hang in there because after every storm, there will always be a rainbow.

11.   Give/lend a hand – to help someone
If you want to have a happier life, make it a habit to lend others a hand to achieve their goal.

12.   Give it a shot – give it a try
Just give this competition a shot, you may be able to unleash your hidden potential.

13.   Make up your mind – to decide something
I had to make up my mind as fast as lightning because my sister’s life is currently on the line.

14.   Time flies – time passing fast
It is common to feel that time flies during an examination. So just keep track on your time and you will never hand in an empty paper.

15.   Speak your mind – say what you honestly feel
Quit beating around the bushes and speak your mind. I have no time to argue with your endless mambo jumbo.

16.   Beating around the bushes – avoid giving direct answer.

17.   Mumbo jumbo – words that intend to confuse

18.   Bear in mind – remember
I hope that I have shared enough information about how to write a good essay. Bear in mind that you can always ask me for more tips and advices in the future!

19.   Stretch our legs – get some exercise
Upon reaching Mount Kinabalu’s base point, we stretched our legs and prepare mentally for the journey.

20.   Cross my mind – to think about something
You crossed my mind too often lately that I cannot resist but to write you this letter.

21.   Slip my mind – to forget something
Pardon me for my carelessness, I will make sure that this task will not slip my mind anymore in the future!

22.   Give a piece of your mind – give some of your thoughts/ideas
Let me give you a piece of my mind about how to handle stress.

23.   Cross your fingers – to wish good luck
I hope you have done your best in the competition. Let’s just cross our fingers and hope for the best!

24.   Safe and sound – safe
I am glad that you reached in Tenom safe and sound. Send my regards to your family!

25.   Out of the blue – without warning
Dark skies and raging thunders, it was terrifying. I was alone in the house and out of the blue, I heard a sound of shattered glasses in the kitchen. It turned out my naughty cats dropped my favourite cup!

26.   Get cold feet – getting nervous
I am pretty sure that Usain Bolt also gets cold feet before every competition. So worry no more. If he can do it well in every race, so can you!

27.   I’m all ears – I’m listening intently
I know that all those troubles in your house is bothering you a lot, but bear in mind that I’m all ears.

28.   See eye to eye – agree with each other
To be able to see eye to eye with your partner is the key to a successful marriage. Even if you cannot do so, compromise is the plan B!

29.   At your fingertips – easily accessible
With the latest technology advancement nowadays, searching for information as detail as someone’s home address is at our fingertips.

30.   The bottom line – the final result
The bottom line of the research is that every yea, people eliminate tons of garbage in their household.

31.   Rain check  - to cancel something now but will accept it later

Due to my parents’ current financial situation, I need to take a rain check  for the annual dinner.

32.   A blessing in disguise – something good behind an event
Be strong my dear friend, believe that there is a blessing in disguise. This depressing event will make you a better and stronger person in the future. Hang in there!

33.   Every cloud has a silver lining – something good behind an event

34.   Be in hot water – to be in dangerous situation
I regret my decision for coming to this adventure. Not only it was giving me a hard time surviving in a deep forest, it also made me be in hot water when we encountered the tiger!

35.   Call it a day – to stop something after working hard
I decided to call it a day after 5 hours of doing revisions and exercises.

36.   Rome was not built in a day – things take time to succeed
Lee Chong Wei is among the greatest badminton player in the world because he started training early. It shows that Rome was not built in a day. Greatness takes time to achieve.

37.   You can’t judge a book by its cover – you cannot tell someone’s true personality simply by appearance
I was feeling blue when I found out that I got that worst looking cookie among my friends. However, it tasted phenomenal because the ugliness was cause by ample of chocolate chips! This made me realize that we cannot judge a book by its cover.

38.   Go to the extra mile – to make extra effort for something

      In order to be better than your friends, you must go to the extra miles where nobody has been. 

39.   Bite your tongue – to avoid talking
Michone bit her tongue and squeezed the hands when they were making fun of her.

40.   Grab a bite – eat
Remember to grab a bite before starting your day.

41.   Practice makes perfect – with a lot of practices, you will get better
Just like the guy in the movie Whiplash, he practiced drumming all day and night because he knows that practice makes perfect.

42.   Raining cats and dogs – the rain is heavy and noisy
I was starting to feel worried,  my parents still had not fetch me from school and I had a sixth sense that it will rain cats and dogs soon!

43.   You are what you eat – if you eat healthy food, you will get a healthy body
Obesity is a forever rising issue among every range of ages. So bear in mind that you are what you eat. Start practicing healthy lifestyle now.

44.   Race against the clock – an attempt to do something very quickly
Never race against the clock while finishing your assignments.

45.   At the crack of dawn – early in the morning
We started our journey to conquer Mount Everest at the crack of dawn.

Download link for these idioms' list and meaning: IDIOMS

Good luck writing boys and girls. i hope you can get flying colours result for you exam!

EDIT: THIS IS THE NEW LIST!

Great Idioms for PT3 and SPM  - with meaning and examples