Studying is something students do almost every day. Whether it’s reading for a test, doing homework, or learning something new, studying helps us grow and understand the world better. But sometimes, talking about studying can get boring. That’s why people use idioms—fun and colorful phrases that make talking about learning more exciting and easy to understand.
Idioms about studying show how people feel about learning, trying hard, or even getting tired of schoolwork. Some idioms can be funny, and others can be serious. In this article, we will look at 48 idioms that talk about studying. These will help you learn English better and also make your speech more interesting. Let’s explore these idioms and see how people talk about studying in creative ways.
Idioms About Studying
1. Hit the books
Meaning: Start studying seriously
Example Sentence:
• I need to hit the books if I want to pass the math test.
• She hit the books right after dinner.
Other ways to say: Study hard, get to work
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom doesn’t mean actually hitting books. It just means opening them and starting to study.
Usage: When someone needs to study seriously.
2. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Stay up late studying or working
Example Sentence:
• He burned the midnight oil to finish his science project.
• She was burning the midnight oil all week for her finals.
Other ways to say: Stay up late, study all night
Fun Fact/Origin: In the past, people used oil lamps to work at night.
Usage: When someone is working or studying late at night.
3. Crack the books
Meaning: Open books to begin studying
Example Sentence:
• Time to crack the books and get ready for the quiz.
• He cracked the books after watching a short movie.
Other ways to say: Start studying, begin reading
Fun Fact/Origin: “Crack” means to open something, like a book.
Usage: When someone starts studying.
4. Learn the ropes
Meaning: Learn how to do something new
Example Sentence:
• She’s still learning the ropes in her new science class.
• It takes time to learn the ropes when you start middle school.
Other ways to say: Get the hang of it, figure things out
Fun Fact/Origin: This phrase came from sailing, where sailors learned how to use the ropes.
Usage: When someone is learning how things work.
5. Hit the ground running
Meaning: Start something quickly and with energy
Example Sentence:
• He hit the ground running when school started.
• She hit the ground running on the first day of her new class.
Other ways to say: Jump right in, start strong
Fun Fact/Origin: Used in the military when soldiers land and move quickly.
Usage: When someone begins a task or learning with energy.
6. Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: Stay awake all night to study
Example Sentence:
• I had to pull an all-nighter to finish my history paper.
• She pulled an all-nighter before the big exam.
Other ways to say: Study all night, stay up working
Fun Fact/Origin: A popular phrase among college and high school students.
Usage: When someone stays up all night to complete schoolwork.
7. Learn by heart
Meaning: Memorize something completely
Example Sentence:
• I learned the poem by heart for English class.
• He learned the math formulas by heart.
Other ways to say: Memorize, remember
Fun Fact/Origin: “By heart” comes from ancient times when people believed thoughts came from the heart.
Usage: When someone remembers something exactly.
8. Brainstorm ideas
Meaning: Think of many ideas quickly
Example Sentence:
• We brainstormed ideas for our science project.
• The class brainstormed ideas for the group story.
Other ways to say: Think up, come up with ideas
Fun Fact/Origin: “Brainstorm” combines “brain” and “storm” to show a rush of thoughts.
Usage: When a group or person thinks creatively.
9. Make the grade
Meaning: To succeed or pass
Example Sentence:
• She studied hard and made the grade.
• If I want to make the grade, I have to focus more.
Other ways to say: Pass, do well
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom comes from grading systems used in schools.
Usage: When talking about meeting standards or expectations.
10. Bookworm
Meaning: Someone who loves reading and studying
Example Sentence:
• My brother is a real bookworm.
• That bookworm is always in the library.
Other ways to say: Avid reader, study lover
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to people who “eat up” books, like worms do.
Usage: When describing someone who loves to read.
11. Ace a test
Meaning: To do very well on a test
Example Sentence:
• I studied all week and aced the test.
• She always aces her spelling quizzes.
Other ways to say: Do great, get a perfect score
Fun Fact/Origin: “Ace” was once used in cards to show the highest value.
Usage: When someone scores very well on a test.
12. School of hard knocks
Meaning: Learning from real-life experience
Example Sentence:
• He learned about saving money from the school of hard knocks.
• Some lessons come from the school of hard knocks, not a classroom.
Other ways to say: Learn by experience, tough lessons
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom means learning through tough times.
Usage: Used for learning from real-life challenges.
13. Put on your thinking cap
Meaning: Start thinking carefully
Example Sentence:
• It’s time to put on your thinking cap for the puzzle.
• The class put on their thinking caps to solve the riddle.
Other ways to say: Think hard, use your brain
Fun Fact/Origin: The “cap” part just makes it sound fun for kids.
Usage: When someone needs to concentrate.
14. Know something inside out
Meaning: Understand something completely
Example Sentence:
• She knows that book inside out.
• He knows math facts inside out.
Other ways to say: Fully understand, know well
Fun Fact/Origin: It means knowing both the outside and the hidden parts.
Usage: When someone is an expert on a subject.
15. Hit a snag
Meaning: To run into a problem
Example Sentence:
• We hit a snag while writing our report.
• I hit a snag and had to start my project again.
Other ways to say: Face a problem, get stuck
Fun Fact/Origin: “Snag” originally meant a small, sharp tree branch that causes trouble.
Usage: When a small issue causes a delay in progress.
16. Pass with flying colors
Meaning: To pass very well
Example Sentence:
• She passed the test with flying colors.
• He passed the spelling bee with flying colors.
Other ways to say: Do great, succeed
Fun Fact/Origin: This comes from navy ships returning with flags flying to show success.
Usage: Used when someone does extremely well.
17. Cut class
Meaning: Skip class without permission
Example Sentence:
• He cut class and went to the mall.
• She cut class to hang out with friends.
Other ways to say: Skip school, play hooky
Fun Fact/Origin: “Cut” means to remove or avoid something.
Usage: Used when a student skips class.
18. The bell rings a bell
Meaning: Something sounds familiar
Example Sentence:
• That name rings a bell. Did we read about it?
• The story rings a bell from last year.
Other ways to say: Sounds familiar, reminds me
Fun Fact/Origin: A bell rings when you remember something.
Usage: When something triggers a memory.
19. Cover a lot of ground
Meaning: Learn or talk about many things
Example Sentence:
• We covered a lot of ground in history class today.
• The book covers a lot of ground in science.
Other ways to say: Talk about many things, learn a lot
Fun Fact/Origin: From walking over a large area, now used for topics.
Usage: When a lesson includes many subjects.
20. A for effort
Meaning: Praise for trying hard, even if not perfect
Example Sentence:
• You didn’t win, but you get an A for effort.
• I gave him an A for effort on his project.
Other ways to say: Nice try, good effort
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the school grade “A” for good work.
Usage: When someone tries hard, even without success.
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21. Fall behind
Meaning: To not keep up with others
Example Sentence:
• He fell behind in reading class.
• Don’t fall behind on your homework.
Other ways to say: Get behind, lose pace
Fun Fact/Origin: This idiom is used for schoolwork, sports, and life.
Usage: When someone isn’t keeping up with lessons.
22. Pick your brain
Meaning: Ask someone for their ideas or knowledge
Example Sentence:
• Can I pick your brain about the project?
• She picked her teacher’s brain for ideas.
Other ways to say: Ask for advice, get ideas
Fun Fact/Origin: It’s like picking fruit—you’re taking knowledge from someone.
Usage: When someone wants to learn from another person.
23. Plug away
Meaning: Keep working hard at something
Example Sentence:
• He plugged away at his science report all week.
• Keep plugging away and you’ll finish.
Other ways to say: Keep going, work steadily
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from the idea of steady effort, like plugging at a task.
Usage: Used when someone keeps trying.
24. Cut to the chase
Meaning: Get to the main point
Example Sentence:
• Let’s cut to the chase and talk about homework.
• The teacher cut to the chase and gave us the answer.
Other ways to say: Get to the point, skip extra stuff
Fun Fact/Origin: From old movies—skip to the action.
Usage: When someone wants the main idea fast.
25. By the book
Meaning: Follow the rules exactly
Example Sentence:
• The teacher does everything by the book.
• We did the experiment by the book.
Other ways to say: Follow rules, be exact
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from rule books or instruction manuals.
Usage: When things are done exactly as told.
26. Drop out
Meaning: To quit school
Example Sentence:
• He dropped out before finishing high school.
• She didn’t want to drop out, but she had to work.
Other ways to say: Quit school, stop attending
Fun Fact/Origin: “Drop out” is often used for leaving school early.
Usage: When someone quits before completing school.
27. Pass the test
Meaning: To succeed in a test
Example Sentence:
• I studied hard and passed the test.
• She passed the test with a B+.
Other ways to say: Succeed, do well
Fun Fact/Origin: Simple school-related term used in daily speech too.
Usage: When someone does well on a test.
28. Under your belt
Meaning: Learned or achieved something
Example Sentence:
• After three lessons, I had the basics under my belt.
• She wanted more math skills under her belt.
Other ways to say: Gained, learned
Fun Fact/Origin: From keeping items in a belt, like skills in your memory.
Usage: Used for experience gained.
29. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble
Example Sentence:
• He’s in hot water for not doing his homework.
• She got in hot water for talking during class.
Other ways to say: In trouble, in a mess
Fun Fact/Origin: Hot water makes you uncomfortable—like being in trouble.
Usage: When someone gets in trouble.
30. On the same page
Meaning: Agree or understand the same thing
Example Sentence:
• The group got on the same page for the project.
• Are we on the same page about the assignment?
Other ways to say: Agree, understand each other
Fun Fact/Origin: From books—everyone reading the same thing.
Usage: Used in group work or planning.
31. Test the waters
Meaning: Try something out before doing it fully
Example Sentence:
• I’ll test the waters by joining one study session.
• She tested the waters with a practice quiz.
Other ways to say: Try out, experiment
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from testing water temperature before swimming.
Usage: When trying something before committing.
32. Easier said than done
Meaning: Not as easy to do as it sounds
Example Sentence:
• Studying for 4 hours is easier said than done.
• Memorizing the whole chapter is easier said than done.
Other ways to say: Hard to do, not simple
Fun Fact/Origin: Common way to point out that something sounds easy but isn’t.
Usage: When something is hard to do in practice.
33. Make a long story short
Meaning: To summarize
Example Sentence:
• To make a long story short, I passed the class.
• He told the whole story, then made a long story short.
Other ways to say: Summarize, give the short version
Fun Fact/Origin: Used when skipping extra details in a story.
Usage: When giving a short answer or version.
34. Sink or swim
Meaning: Succeed or fail without help
Example Sentence:
• On the quiz, it was sink or swim.
• He started a new subject and had to sink or swim.
Other ways to say: Do or fail, make it or not
Fun Fact/Origin: From swimming—either stay up or go down.
Usage: When someone has to try alone.
35. The brain behind
Meaning: The smart person who planned something
Example Sentence:
• She was the brain behind the group’s science fair win.
• He’s the brain behind our study guide.
Other ways to say: Planner, smart leader
Fun Fact/Origin: Used to describe someone who thinks of smart ideas.
Usage: When someone plans or leads.
36. Hit a wall
Meaning: Reach a point where progress stops
Example Sentence:
• I hit a wall while doing my report.
• She hit a wall during test prep and needed a break.
Other ways to say: Get stuck, stop improving
Fun Fact/Origin: Like running into a wall—you can’t go further.
Usage: When someone stops making progress.
37. Food for thought
Meaning: Something to think about
Example Sentence:
• The teacher’s question was food for thought.
• That book gave me food for thought.
Other ways to say: Something to consider, a new idea
Fun Fact/Origin: Compares ideas to food—both feed your brain.
Usage: When an idea makes you think.
38. Be on your toes
Meaning: Stay alert and ready
Example Sentence:
• You need to be on your toes during a pop quiz.
• The teacher keeps us on our toes.
Other ways to say: Be alert, pay attention
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from sports, where players stay light on their feet.
Usage: When someone needs to stay ready.
39. Back to the drawing board
Meaning: Start again from the beginning
Example Sentence:
• The project failed, so we’re back to the drawing board.
• We went back to the drawing board after bad test scores.
Other ways to say: Start over, try again
Fun Fact/Origin: From designing—going back to plan again.
Usage: When something didn’t work and needs a new try.
40. Lightbulb moment
Meaning: A sudden idea or understanding
Example Sentence:
• I had a lightbulb moment during math class.
• His lightbulb moment helped us finish the project.
Other ways to say: Aha moment, smart idea
Fun Fact/Origin: From cartoons where a lightbulb shows above a character’s head.
Usage: When someone suddenly understands or gets an idea.
41. Learn the hard way
Meaning: Learn from a bad or tough experience
Example Sentence:
• He learned the hard way not to wait until the last minute.
• She learned the hard way how to study better.
Other ways to say: Learn through mistakes, tough lesson
Fun Fact/Origin: Used when someone has to experience failure to understand.
Usage: When someone gains wisdom from failure.
42. Off the charts
Meaning: Extremely high or good
Example Sentence:
• Her test scores were off the charts.
• That student’s reading speed is off the charts.
Other ways to say: Very high, amazing
Fun Fact/Origin: From charts that measure results going beyond the limit.
Usage: When results or scores are extremely good.
43. Call the shots
Meaning: Be in charge or make decisions
Example Sentence:
• The teacher calls the shots in the classroom.
• In our group, Jane calls the shots.
Other ways to say: Lead, decide
Fun Fact/Origin: Comes from sports or the military.
Usage: When someone is the leader or boss.
44. Start from scratch
Meaning: Begin again with nothing
Example Sentence:
• We lost our data and had to start from scratch.
• The essay was wrong, so I started from scratch.
Other ways to say: Begin again, start over
Fun Fact/Origin: “Scratch” means the beginning line in a race.
Usage: When something has to be redone from the beginning.
45. Get the hang of it
Meaning: Learn how to do something
Example Sentence:
• I finally got the hang of solving fractions.
• She got the hang of the science lab rules.
Other ways to say: Learn, figure out
Fun Fact/Origin: “Hang” may refer to finding balance or control.
Usage: When someone understands how to do something.
46. Think outside the box
Meaning: Think in a creative or different way
Example Sentence:
• The class had to think outside the box to finish the project.
• He thought outside the box and won the contest.
Other ways to say: Be creative, try new ideas
Fun Fact/Origin: “The box” means regular thinking—so go beyond it.
Usage: When someone uses new and different ideas.
47. Learn the ABCs
Meaning: Learn the basics
Example Sentence:
• We started by learning the ABCs of math.
• You have to learn the ABCs before you do more.
Other ways to say: Start with the basics, learn the beginning
Fun Fact/Origin: From the alphabet—ABCs are the first thing students learn.
Usage: Used when someone starts with simple concepts.
48. Put two and two together
Meaning: Figure something out from clues
Example Sentence:
• I put two and two together and knew she had studied a lot.
• He saw the clues and put two and two together.
Other ways to say: Figure out, understand
Fun Fact/Origin: Refers to solving things by using logic like simple math.
Usage: When someone realizes something by noticing clues.
Quiz: Idioms About Studying
Instructions: Read each question and the answer choices carefully. Pick the letter that best matches the meaning of the phrase or expression.
Question Key
1. What does “hit the books” mean?
A) Throw away your books
B) Study seriously
C) Close your books and rest
2. If you “burn the midnight oil,” what are you doing?
A) Sleeping early
B) Studying very late
C) Cleaning your room
3. What does “learn by heart” mean?
A) To love something
B) To forget it quickly
C) To memorize something
4. If someone “aces a test,” what happened?
A) They passed easily
B) They failed
C) They skipped it
5. What does “pull an all-nighter” mean?
A) Study for one hour
B) Sleep early
C) Stay up all night studying
6. What does it mean to “crack the books”?
A) Break your books
B) Open your books to start studying
C) Throw your books in a bag
7. If you’re a “bookworm,” what are you like?
A) Someone who sleeps in class
B) Someone who loves reading
C) Someone who skips class
8. What does “make the grade” mean?
A) Get bad marks
B) Pass or succeed
C) Skip a class
9. What does it mean to “learn the hard way”?
A) Learn with help
B) Learn through mistakes
C) Learn quickly
10. If someone is “on the same page,” what does it mean?
A) They are reading the same book
B) They agree or understand the same thing
C) They are writing together
11. What does “food for thought” mean?
A) Real food
B) Something to make you sleepy
C) Something to think about
12. If someone says “think outside the box,” what do they want?
A) You to leave the room
B) You to clean your desk
C) You to come up with a creative idea
13. What does “pass with flying colors” mean?
A) To pass with great success
B) To color a paper
C) To copy someone else’s test
14. What does it mean to “hit a wall” while studying?
A) To fall asleep
B) To stop making progress
C) To play sports
15. If someone says “get the hang of it,” what do they mean?
A) Learn how to do something
B) Forget everything
C) Lose interest in school
Answer Key
- B – Study seriously
- B – Studying very late
- C – To memorize something
- A – They passed easily
- C – Stay up all night studying
- B – Open your books to start studying
- B – Someone who loves reading
- B – Pass or succeed
- B – Learn through mistakes
- B – They agree or understand the same thing
- C – Something to think about
- C – You to come up with a creative idea
- A – To pass with great success
- B – To stop making progress
- A – Learn how to do something
Wrapping Up
Idioms about studying make learning English more fun and easier to understand. They help explain how students feel and what they do when learning. From “hit the books” to “get the hang of it,” these idioms give color to school life. Try using a few next time you talk about homework or school projects. It can help you sound more natural and make learning more interesting.
Keep reading and using new idioms as you learn. That way, you’ll remember them better and understand how people use them every day.
