Sometimes, people want to say something is “bad,” but just saying “bad” doesn’t feel strong enough. That’s when idioms help. Idioms are fun phrases that say more than the words mean. They make what we say more colorful. For example, if someone did something wrong, instead of saying “He’s in trouble,” someone might say “He’s in hot water.”
Idioms are used every day to talk about things that go wrong, feel wrong, or sound wrong. These expressions are often used by parents, teachers, friends, or even in movies and books. In this article, we will look at many idioms that describe “bad” things. These can be about behavior, moods, problems, or situations. You will learn what they mean and how to use them. Let’s get started and explore these sayings.
Idioms for Bad
1. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble
Within a Sentence: He was in hot water after breaking the neighbor’s window. / I got in hot water for forgetting my homework.
In Other Words: In big trouble / Someone is upset with you
2. A bad apple
Meaning: A person who causes trouble
Within a Sentence: One bad apple in the class kept making noise. / Don’t be the bad apple in the group.
In Other Words: A troublemaker / Someone who causes problems
3. Rotten to the core
Meaning: Very bad or mean
Within a Sentence: That character in the movie was rotten to the core. / He was kind on the outside but rotten to the core.
In Other Words: Really mean / Very unkind
4. Down in the dumps
Meaning: Feeling very sad
Within a Sentence: She’s been down in the dumps since her pet ran away. / I felt down in the dumps after my team lost.
In Other Words: Feeling sad / Not happy
5. Out of sorts
Meaning: Not feeling well or in a bad mood
Within a Sentence: He was out of sorts all day. / I felt out of sorts when I woke up.
In Other Words: Grumpy / Not yourself
6. A storm is brewing
Meaning: Trouble is coming
Within a Sentence: When the teacher looked upset, I knew a storm was brewing. / A storm is brewing at home over chores.
In Other Words: A problem is coming / Trouble ahead
7. In a pickle
Meaning: In a tough or tricky spot
Within a Sentence: I was in a pickle when I lost my phone. / She’s in a pickle after missing practice.
In Other Words: In a jam / In trouble
8. A rough patch
Meaning: A bad or hard time
Within a Sentence: Our team is going through a rough patch. / My sister had a rough patch at school.
In Other Words: A hard time / Bad days
9. Rubbed the wrong way
Meaning: Something felt bad or upset you
Within a Sentence: His joke rubbed me the wrong way. / I got rubbed the wrong way by her comment.
In Other Words: It didn’t feel right / It upset me
10. Go from bad to worse
Meaning: Things are getting worse
Within a Sentence: The day went from bad to worse when it started raining. / My test went from bad to worse.
In Other Words: Getting worse / More problems
11. In deep water
Meaning: In serious trouble
Within a Sentence: He’s in deep water for lying to the teacher. / I was in deep water after losing the library book.
In Other Words: Big trouble / Serious problem
12. Bad blood
Meaning: Anger between people
Within a Sentence: There’s bad blood between the two classmates. / They had bad blood since the argument.
In Other Words: They don’t get along / They are upset with each other
13. Like pulling teeth
Meaning: Very hard to do
Within a Sentence: Getting him to clean was like pulling teeth. / Homework today was like pulling teeth.
In Other Words: Very difficult / No fun at all
14. A hard pill to swallow
Meaning: A bad truth to accept
Within a Sentence: Losing the game was a hard pill to swallow. / Not getting picked was a hard pill to swallow.
In Other Words: It hurt to hear / Tough news
15. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reached the worst point
Within a Sentence: He hit rock bottom after getting in trouble again. / My day hit rock bottom when I spilled my lunch.
In Other Words: It couldn’t get worse / Worst moment
16. A black cloud
Meaning: Something that brings sadness or bad luck
Within a Sentence: A black cloud followed him after his mistake. / Her bad mood was like a black cloud.
In Other Words: Sadness / Bad feeling
17. Take a wrong turn
Meaning: Make a bad choice
Within a Sentence: He took a wrong turn by skipping class. / My day took a wrong turn after the argument.
In Other Words: Made a mistake / Wrong decision
18. Go off the rails
Meaning: Act out or misbehave
Within a Sentence: He went off the rails during the test. / The class went off the rails after the teacher left.
In Other Words: Lost control / Misbehaved
19. Cross the line
Meaning: Do something too bad
Within a Sentence: She crossed the line with that comment. / He crossed the line by yelling.
In Other Words: Went too far / Did something wrong
20. Open a can of worms
Meaning: Start a big problem
Within a Sentence: Talking about the lost toy opened a can of worms. / His question opened a can of worms in class.
In Other Words: Made things worse / Started trouble
21. Sour grapes
Meaning: Saying something is bad just because you can’t have it
Within a Sentence: He said the prize was silly, but it was just sour grapes. / Her words sounded like sour grapes after losing.
In Other Words: Jealous words / Not really true
22. Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: Blaming the wrong person
Within a Sentence: He thought I broke the vase, but he was barking up the wrong tree. / You’re barking up the wrong tree if you think I cheated.
In Other Words: Wrong guess / Not my fault
23. Bad egg
Meaning: A person who behaves badly
Within a Sentence: He was a bad egg who always got into trouble. / Don’t be a bad egg like him.
In Other Words: Bad person / Trouble
24. A fishy story
Meaning: A story that sounds untrue
Within a Sentence: That excuse sounds like a fishy story. / He told a fishy story about why he was late.
In Other Words: Not believable / Sounds fake
25. Add fuel to the fire
Meaning: Make a bad situation worse
Within a Sentence: Yelling added fuel to the fire. / She added fuel to the fire by laughing.
In Other Words: Made things worse / More trouble
26. A wolf in sheep’s clothing
Meaning: Someone who seems nice but isn’t
Within a Sentence: He was a wolf in sheep’s clothing. / She acted sweet, but she was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In Other Words: Pretending to be good / Hiding bad behavior
27. Fall from grace
Meaning: Lose respect
Within a Sentence: The hero fell from grace after cheating. / His fall from grace was fast.
In Other Words: People stopped trusting him / Lost respect
28. Skating on thin ice
Meaning: Close to getting in trouble
Within a Sentence: After talking back, he was skating on thin ice. / Don’t be late again you’re skating on thin ice.
In Other Words: Almost in trouble / Warning
29. A low blow
Meaning: A hurtful or unfair action
Within a Sentence: Calling her that name was a low blow. / That joke was a low blow.
In Other Words: Not kind / Unfair
30. A slap in the face
Meaning: Something that feels hurtful
Within a Sentence: Being left out was a slap in the face. / Not being invited felt like a slap in the face.
In Other Words: It hurt my feelings / Very unfair
31. Rub salt in the wound
Meaning: Make someone feel worse
Within a Sentence: Laughing at my mistake rubbed salt in the wound. / She rubbed salt in the wound by reminding me of the loss.
In Other Words: Made me feel worse / Not helpful
32. Cold shoulder
Meaning: Ignore someone
Within a Sentence: She gave me the cold shoulder at lunch. / He got the cold shoulder after the fight.
In Other Words: Ignored / Didn’t talk
33. Out of line
Meaning: Acting badly
Within a Sentence: That comment was out of line. / He was out of line during the game.
In Other Words: Not okay / Wrong
34. Rotten luck
Meaning: Very bad luck
Within a Sentence: I had rotten luck all day. / It was rotten luck that it rained during the party.
In Other Words: Unlucky / Everything went wrong
35. A dirty trick
Meaning: A mean action to hurt someone
Within a Sentence: Taking her toy was a dirty trick. / That was a dirty trick he played on me.
In Other Words: Not fair / Very mean
36. Bad taste
Meaning: Something that feels or seems wrong
Within a Sentence: That joke left a bad taste in my mouth. / The way he talked was in bad taste.
In Other Words: Not nice / Made me feel weird
37. Leave a lot to be desired
Meaning: Not very good
Within a Sentence: That meal left a lot to be desired. / His behavior left a lot to be desired.
In Other Words: Not good enough / Could be better
38. Dig your own grave
Meaning: Cause your own problems
Within a Sentence: Lying to the teacher was digging your own grave. / He’s digging his own grave by skipping class.
In Other Words: Making trouble for yourself / Bad idea
39. Go down in flames
Meaning: Fail badly
Within a Sentence: His plan went down in flames. / The idea went down in flames quickly.
In Other Words: It didn’t work / It failed
40. Backfire
Meaning: To go wrong or have the opposite result
Within a Sentence: My plan to scare her backfired. / His trick backfired on him.
In Other Words: Turned out bad / Didn’t work
41. Bad call
Meaning: A wrong decision
Within a Sentence: It was a bad call to skip studying. / That was a bad call during the game.
In Other Words: Wrong choice / Poor decision
42. Give someone a hard time
Meaning: Treat someone badly
Within a Sentence: The kids gave me a hard time for my shirt. / Stop giving your sister a hard time.
In Other Words: Pick on / Be mean to
43. Come back to bite you
Meaning: A bad action that causes trouble later
Within a Sentence: Lying will come back to bite you. / Cheating came back to bite him on the next test.
In Other Words: You’ll regret it / It will hurt later
44. Dirty laundry
Meaning: Bad or embarrassing things about someone
Within a Sentence: They aired their dirty laundry at dinner. / Talking about his mistake was like sharing dirty laundry.
In Other Words: Personal problems / Embarrassing
45. Cut corners
Meaning: Do something the lazy or wrong way
Within a Sentence: He cut corners on his homework. / Cutting corners won’t help you do well.
In Other Words: Did a poor job / Didn’t try hard
46. Play dirty
Meaning: Use unfair ways to win
Within a Sentence: He played dirty in the game. / That was a dirty move.
In Other Words: Cheated / Not fair
47. Cry wolf
Meaning: Lie or trick people until they stop believing
Within a Sentence: He cried wolf too many times. / Don’t cry wolf or no one will trust you.
In Other Words: Lied too much / No one believes you
48. Off the mark
Meaning: Not right or correct
Within a Sentence: His guess was way off the mark. / That answer was off the mark.
In Other Words: Not right / Wrong
49. One foot in the grave
Meaning: Very close to a bad end
Within a Sentence: That plant looks like it has one foot in the grave. / His team had one foot in the grave by halftime.
In Other Words: Almost over / Very bad spot
50. Out of hand
Meaning: Out of control
Within a Sentence: The class got out of hand fast. / The party was out of hand by the end.
In Other Words: Wild / Too much
51. Walking on eggshells
Meaning: Being careful not to make things worse
Within a Sentence: I was walking on eggshells after the argument. / She walked on eggshells around her angry brother.
In Other Words: Being extra careful / Nervous
52. The last straw
Meaning: The final bad thing you can take
Within a Sentence: Losing my toy was the last straw. / The last straw was when he lied again.
In Other Words: I couldn’t take it anymore / Final problem
53. Out in left field
Meaning: Strange or off-topic
Within a Sentence: That idea came from out in left field. / His answer was out in left field.
In Other Words: Weird / Doesn’t make sense
54. All washed up
Meaning: No longer good or useful
Within a Sentence: He was all washed up after his big mistake. / That idea is all washed up.
In Other Words: Not good anymore / Failed
55. Bite the dust
Meaning: Fail or lose
Within a Sentence: Our team bit the dust in the final round. / That plan bit the dust.
In Other Words: Lost / Didn’t work
56. A sorry sight
Meaning: Looks very bad
Within a Sentence: The broken bike was a sorry sight. / I was a sorry sight after falling in the mud.
In Other Words: Messy / Not nice to see
57. Blow it
Meaning: Mess something up
Within a Sentence: I blew it on the test. / He blew it by forgetting his lines.
In Other Words: Made a mistake / Missed a chance
58. In bad shape
Meaning: Not doing well
Within a Sentence: That toy is in bad shape. / I was in bad shape after the flu.
In Other Words: Not healthy / Needs help
59. Off day
Meaning: Not doing your best
Within a Sentence: I had an off day at school. / He was having an off day in the game.
In Other Words: Not your best / Things went wrong
60. Bad news
Meaning: Someone or something that causes trouble
Within a Sentence: That new kid is bad news. / This broken phone is bad news.
In Other Words: Brings trouble / Not good
Idioms for Bad – True/False Quiz
- Saying “He’s in hot water” means he is relaxing in a pool.
True / False - If someone is “a bad apple,” they are likely to follow rules and behave.
True / False - “She gave him the cold shoulder” means she was friendly and talked a lot.
True / False - “That plan went down in flames” means it was a big success.
True / False - “You’re skating on thin ice” means you are close to getting into trouble.
True / False - “He added fuel to the fire” means he helped calm things down.
True / False - “The broken toy was a sorry sight” means it looked brand new.
True / False - “She rubbed salt in the wound” means she helped someone feel better.
True / False - “That answer was off the mark” means it was exactly right.
True / False - “Barking up the wrong tree” means you’re blaming the wrong person.
True / False - “He cut corners on his project” means he did extra work to make it better.
True / False - “Blow it” means to succeed at something.
True / False - “Walking on eggshells” means being careful not to upset someone.
True / False - “That excuse sounds fishy” means it seems honest and true.
True / False - “She had an off day” means she did her best and everything went right.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- False
Scoring Guide
- 15 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 10–14 Correct Answers: You really get idioms, nice work!
- 6–9 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–5 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about idioms together!
Conclusion
Bad things happen sometimes. When they do, people use special phrases to talk about them. These phrases are called idioms. Instead of just saying “That’s bad,” people say things like “in hot water” or “a rough patch.”
These idioms help us understand each other better. They also make talking more interesting. Try using some of these idioms the next time something goes wrong. It’s a fun way to speak and learn.
