Plant, Tree and Flower Idioms! Learn common idioms and phrases about trees, plants and flowers in English with meaning, ESL picture and example sentences.
Plant and Tree Idioms, Flower Idioms
List of Idiomatic Expressions about Tree, Flower and Plant
- (The) Wrong End of the Stick
- (To Be) Out of One’s Gourd
- (To) Beat About the Bush (UK); Beat Around the Bush (USA)
- Beat Around the Bush
- Bed of Roses
- Can’t See the Forest for the Trees
- Don’t Amount to a Hill of Beans
- Go Out on a Limb
- Hear (Something) Through the Grapevine
- In Clover
- Knock on Wood; Touch Wood
- Make Hay (While the Sun Shines)
- Mother Nature
- No Tree Grows to the Sky
- Olive Branch (noun)
- Put Down Roots
- Pushing Up Daisies
- Nip (Something) In The Bud
- Stick-in-the-Mud
- Through the Grapevine
- Too Many To Shake A Stick At
Plant, Flower and Tree Idioms with Meaning and Examples
(The) Wrong End of the Stick
- Meaning: To have the wrong idea about something
- Example: I got the wrong end of the stick, so I showed up at the party dressed to the nines when everyone else was informal.
(To Be) Out of One’s Gourd
- Meaning: Crazy, irrational
- Example: You’re going to jump down from that ledge? Are you out of your gourd?
(To) Beat About the Bush (UK); Beat Around the Bush (USA)
- Meaning: To speak in an unclear way and reluctantly instead of being direct and frank
- Example: After beating around the bush for awhile, my girlfriend admitted she was dissatisfied in the relationship.
Beat Around the Bush
- Meaning: To speak in a roundabout way in order to avoid confronting an unpleasant topic
- Example: Stop beating around the bush. If you cheated on me, I want to know the truth.
Bed of Roses
- Meaning: A comfortable situation
- Example: Life isn’t always going to be a bed of roses. You have to learn to deal with adversity.
Can’t See the Forest for the Trees
- Meaning: Is unable to maintain a wider perspective
- Example: Andrea always obsesses too much over small details in her projects. She can’t see the forest for the trees.
Note: A British and Australian equivalent is “can’t see the wood for the trees.”
Don’t Amount to a Hill of Beans
- Meaning: Is unimportant, is negligible
- Example: There are a few problems with the new website, but they don’t amount to a hill of beans. We did it!
Go Out on a Limb
- Meaning: Assert something that may not be true; put oneself in a vulnerable position
- Example: I’m going to go out on a limb and say that we should cut salaries next year.
Hear (Something) Through the Grapevine
- Meaning: To learn something via gossip
- Example: Did you know Amanda is breaking up with Steven? I heard it through the grapevine!
In Clover
- Meaning: Benefiting from a positive financial situation
- Example: I know it’s risky, but if this plan works we’ll both be in clover for years.
Knock on Wood; Touch Wood
- Meaning: Let’s hope I have good luck or continue to have good luck.
- Example: By tomorrow night, knock on wood, I’ll be in Sydney.
Note: This is possibly of Druid origin, referring to the propitiation of tree spirits. “Touch wood” is more common in the UK, but is used in the USA as well.
Make Hay (While the Sun Shines)
- Meaning: To take advantage of an opportunity at the right time.
- Example: We can sell these stocks right now at their three-month high. Make hay while the sun shines!
Note: This is a proverb.
Mother Nature
- Meaning: The natural world
- Example: As anyone who has experienced a hurricane knows, Mother Nature can be a frightening force.
No Tree Grows to the Sky
- Meaning: Growth cannot continue indefinitely.
- Example: Yes, we’re growing by 30 percent a year now. But it can’t go on forever-no tree grows to the sky.
Olive Branch (noun)
- Meaning: A peace offering, an attempt at reconciliation.
- Example: I’ve been having a disagreement with my friend, but she recently sent me a letter of apology as an strong olive branch.
Note: This is a very old idiom, originating from the use of the branch of an olive tree as a symbol of peace or victory in ancient Greek culture.
Put Down Roots
- Meaning: Establish oneself in a place; settle
- Example: I traveled quite a bit while I was in my 20s, but then I put down roots in the Chicago area.
Pushing Up Daisies
- Meaning: Dead
- Example: I’ll be pushing up daisies before my daughter decides to get married.
Nip (Something) In The Bud
- Meaning: Deal with a problem before it becomes large
- Example: Katrina has been cheating on her homework. We need to nip that problem in the bud before she gets into the habit of doing it.
Stick-in-the-Mud
- Meaning: A person who dislikes or adapts slowly to new ideas
- Example: William is a hard worker, but he’s sort of a stick-in-the-mud when it comes to new ideas.
Through the Grapevine
- Meaning: Via gossip
- Example: I heard through the grapevine that Ivan and Amber are going out. Is it true?
Too Many To Shake A Stick At
- Meaning: A large number
- Example: Two years ago we had the field to ourselves with this project. Now there are too many competitors to shake a stick at.
Trees, Plants and Flowers Idioms in English | Image
Useful Plants and Flowers Idioms in English
Original English Course
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