here are some idiomatic phrases (also known as figurative expression,usually used in speech)
to turn over a new leaf = to change one's behaviour for the better
no laughing matter = something very serious
child's play = very easy to do
out of the question = impossible
to smell a rat = to suspect something
caught red hended = caught while commiting a crime
in the same boat = in the same circumstances
one's bread and butter = one's livelihood
donkey work = work needing no skill
like a bear with a sore head = very bad tempered
once in a blue moon = very seldom or never
to read between the lines = to find the hidden meaning
in a nutshell = to say everything in a few words
to tell a white lie = to tell a lie for a good cause
a spacegoat = somebody who is blamed for something he didn't do
the apple of one's eye = a favoured person
to laugh up your sleeve = to laugh secretly at somebody
a snake in the grass = a person who is not to be trusted
to call a spade a spade = to be very frank and outspoken
to have green eyes = to be jealous
a greenhorn = someone new and inexperienced in a job
happy-go-lucky = easy going,trusting to luck
to pass with flying colors = to do very well in a test
to shed crocodile tears = to shed false tears
by hook or by crook = by fair means or by foul means
an eye for an eye = to return evil for evil
to burn the candle at both ends = to use too much energy
to bury the hatchet = to forget the past quarrels and become friends again
to live from hand to mouth = to live only for today with no thought of tomorrow
phew......
maybe i'll continue with another one next time