Home improvement expressions give our language a makeover, just like renovating a house. Let’s check out 20 idioms and phrasal verbs related to home improvement!
Home Improvement Expressions
- Get your house in order
- Meaning: Organize things properly
- Example: He needs to get his house in order.
- Break the bank
- Meaning: Spend too much money
- Example: Renovating the kitchen broke the bank.
- Nail it down
- Meaning: Confirm something
- Example: We need to nail down the budget first.
- Hammer out
- Meaning: Negotiate or discuss details
- Example: They hammered out the contract terms.
- Hang in there
- Meaning: Persevere, don’t give up
- Example: The renovation is tough, but hang in there.
- Measure up
- Meaning: Meet standards or expectations
- Example: He didn’t measure up to expectations.
- Build bridges
- Meaning: Improve relationships
- Example: She tried to build bridges with her neighbor.
- Raise the roof
- Meaning: Make a lot of noise
- Example: They raised the roof at the party.
- Paint the town red
- Meaning: Go out and have fun
- Example: They painted the town red last night.
- Hit the nail on the head
- Meaning: Say or do exactly the right thing
- Example: He hit the nail on the head.
- Tighten the screws
- Meaning: Increase pressure
- Example: The manager tightened the screws on performance.
- Patch up
- Meaning: Fix or repair something
- Example: They patched up the holes in the wall.
- Bolt down
- Meaning: Secure firmly
- Example: We bolted down the new shelves.
- Cut corners
- Meaning: Do something poorly to save money
- Example: Don’t cut corners with safety.
- Be on the level
- Meaning: Be honest
- Example: I think he’s on the level.
- Go through the ceiling
- Meaning: Increase dramatically
- Example: Costs went through the ceiling.
- Fall through the cracks
- Meaning: Be overlooked or forgotten
- Example: Some tasks fell through the cracks.
- Go to the wall
- Meaning: Make a great effort
- Example: The team went to the wall to win.
- Through the floor
- Meaning: Decrease dramatically
- Example: Sales went through the floor.
- Shut the front door
- Meaning: Express disbelief or surprise
- Example: Shut the front door! You won?
