Studying is more than just reading textbooks—it’s about persistence, creativity, and overcoming challenges. English idioms about studying capture these experiences in vivid, memorable ways. This guide features 43 unique idioms about studying, each explained with a clear meaning, original example sentences, and alternative ways to express the idea. At the end, test your understanding with a 20-question fill-in-the-blank exercise.
43 Study Idioms
1. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To study late into the night.
In a Sentence: Jake burned the midnight oil to finish his science project. / I had to burn the midnight oil to prepare for the history exam.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up late studying, Pull an all-nighter
2. Hit the books
Meaning: To begin studying seriously.
In a Sentence: I can’t go out tonight—I need to hit the books for tomorrow’s exam. / She hit the books as soon as she got home.
Other Ways to Say: Study hard, Crack open a book
3. Learn by heart
Meaning: To memorize something completely.
In a Sentence: You need to learn the poem by heart for the recital. / I learned all the state capitals by heart.
Other Ways to Say: Memorize, Commit to memory
4. Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: To stay awake all night to study or finish work.
In a Sentence: I pulled an all-nighter before the big test. / She pulled an all-nighter to finish her essay.
Other Ways to Say: Study all night, Work through the night
5. Brush up on
Meaning: To review or refresh knowledge of something.
In a Sentence: I need to brush up on my French before the exam. / She brushed up on algebra over the weekend.
Other Ways to Say: Review, Refresh your memory
6. Ace a test
Meaning: To do extremely well on a test.
In a Sentence: She aced her chemistry quiz. / I studied hard and aced the final.
Other Ways to Say: Get a perfect score, Nail the test
7. Pass with flying colors
Meaning: To succeed very well, especially on an exam.
In a Sentence: He passed his driving test with flying colors. / She passed the entrance exam with flying colors.
Other Ways to Say: Succeed brilliantly, Achieve a high score
8. Learn the ropes
Meaning: To become familiar with how something is done.
In a Sentence: It took a few weeks to learn the ropes at my new school. / She’s still learning the ropes in her new class.
Other Ways to Say: Get the hang of, Pick up the basics
9. Buckle down
Meaning: To get serious and start working hard.
In a Sentence: If you buckle down now, you’ll finish your essay on time. / He finally buckled down and completed his project.
Other Ways to Say: Get focused, Apply yourself
10. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble, often for not completing work.
In a Sentence: She was in hot water for missing the homework deadline. / He found himself in hot water after skipping class.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble, In a tough spot
11. Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: To be exactly right about something.
In a Sentence: Your answer hit the nail on the head. / She hit the nail on the head with her explanation.
Other Ways to Say: Be spot-on, Get it right
12. Get the hang of it
Meaning: To learn how to do something after some practice.
In a Sentence: After a few tries, he got the hang of algebra. / She got the hang of using the new software quickly.
Other Ways to Say: Master it, Figure it out
13. Make the cut
Meaning: To meet the required standard.
In a Sentence: Only the top ten students made the cut for the honor roll. / She worked hard to make the cut for the debate team.
Other Ways to Say: Qualify, Meet expectations
14. Stick to your guns
Meaning: To keep your position or opinion, especially when studying gets tough.
In a Sentence: She stuck to her guns and kept studying, even when friends went out. / He stuck to his guns about his study schedule.
Other Ways to Say: Stay committed, Hold your ground
15. Make sense of
Meaning: To understand something complex.
In a Sentence: It took a while to make sense of the new grammar rules. / He finally made sense of the confusing instructions.
Other Ways to Say: Figure out, Understand
16. Go the extra mile
Meaning: To do more than what is required.
In a Sentence: He went the extra mile by researching beyond the textbook. / She always goes the extra mile on her assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Put in extra effort, Work harder
17. Jump to conclusions
Meaning: To make a decision without enough information.
In a Sentence: Don’t jump to conclusions—read the instructions first. / She jumped to conclusions about the homework.
Other Ways to Say: Assume too quickly, Guess without proof
18. Pick someone’s brain
Meaning: To ask someone knowledgeable for advice or ideas.
In a Sentence: I picked my teacher’s brain about the essay topic. / He likes to pick his mentor’s brain for study tips.
Other Ways to Say: Ask for advice, Seek guidance
19. Throw in the towel
Meaning: To give up or stop trying.
In a Sentence: She almost threw in the towel after failing the first test. / He refused to throw in the towel, even after setbacks.
Other Ways to Say: Quit, Surrender
20. Know it inside out
Meaning: To know something extremely well.
In a Sentence: He knows the periodic table inside out. / She knows the textbook inside out.
Other Ways to Say: Be very familiar with, Mastered
21. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: To take on too much work or responsibility.
In a Sentence: She bit off more than she could chew by signing up for five classes. / He bit off more than he could chew with extra projects.
Other Ways to Say: Overcommit, Take on too much
22. Have your nose in a book
Meaning: To be deeply engaged in reading or studying.
In a Sentence: He always has his nose in a book before exams. / She spent the weekend with her nose in a book.
Other Ways to Say: Be engrossed, Focus on studying
23. Piece of cake
Meaning: Something that is very easy to do.
In a Sentence: The quiz was a piece of cake for her. / That assignment was a piece of cake.
Other Ways to Say: Super easy, Simple
24. Keep your eye on the prize
Meaning: To stay focused on your main goal.
In a Sentence: She kept her eye on the prize and finished her degree early. / He keeps his eye on the prize during exam season.
Other Ways to Say: Stay motivated, Focus on the goal
25. Hit a roadblock
Meaning: To encounter a problem or obstacle.
In a Sentence: He hit a roadblock with his research and needed help. / She hit a roadblock halfway through the project.
Other Ways to Say: Face a challenge, Encounter a problem
26. Sharpen your skills
Meaning: To improve your abilities through practice.
In a Sentence: She sharpened her skills by reviewing every day. / He sharpened his skills with extra practice tests.
Other Ways to Say: Get better, Refine abilities
27. Out of the blue
Meaning: Something happens unexpectedly.
In a Sentence: The teacher announced a pop quiz out of the blue. / The assignment was given out of the blue.
Other Ways to Say: Suddenly, Without warning
28. Break new ground
Meaning: To do something innovative or different.
In a Sentence: Their science project broke new ground in robotics. / She broke new ground with her research.
Other Ways to Say: Innovate, Explore new ideas
29. Stay ahead of the curve
Meaning: To be more advanced or prepared than others.
In a Sentence: She stays ahead of the curve by studying every night. / He likes to stay ahead of the curve with extra reading.
Other Ways to Say: Be ahead, Stay prepared
30. Put your thinking cap on
Meaning: To start thinking seriously about something.
In a Sentence: Put your thinking cap on for this tricky puzzle. / The teacher told us to put our thinking caps on for the test.
Other Ways to Say: Concentrate, Think hard
31. Knowledge is power
Meaning: Learning gives you the ability to achieve more.
In a Sentence: Remember, knowledge is power in any field. / She believes knowledge is power for her future.
Other Ways to Say: Learning is important, Understanding gives strength
32. Miss the boat
Meaning: To miss an opportunity.
In a Sentence: He missed the boat by not signing up for the course early. / She missed the boat on the scholarship.
Other Ways to Say: Lose out, Miss a chance
33. No pain, no gain
Meaning: You have to work hard to achieve success.
In a Sentence: No pain, no gain if you want to get top grades. / She lives by the motto “no pain, no gain.”
Other Ways to Say: Work hard for results, Effort brings rewards
34. On the same page
Meaning: To agree or have a shared understanding.
In a Sentence: The group was on the same page about the project plan. / Make sure everyone is on the same page before starting.
Other Ways to Say: In agreement, In sync
35. Brush up on
Meaning: To review or improve your knowledge of something.
In a Sentence: I need to brush up on my French before traveling. / She brushed up on her math skills for the test.
Other Ways to Say: Review, Refresh knowledge
36. Drill into
Meaning: To practice something repeatedly until it’s learned.
In a Sentence: The teacher drilled the formulas into our heads. / The rules were drilled into us until we remembered them.
Other Ways to Say: Practice repeatedly, Memorize
37. Get down to business
Meaning: To start working seriously.
In a Sentence: Let’s get down to business and finish this assignment. / It’s time to get down to business and study for finals.
Other Ways to Say: Start working, Get serious
38. A quick study
Meaning: Someone who learns things quickly.
In a Sentence: She’s a quick study and picks up new topics fast. / He’s a quick study when it comes to languages.
Other Ways to Say: Fast learner, Learns quickly
39. Pull your weight
Meaning: To do your fair share of work.
In a Sentence: Everyone needs to pull their weight in a group project. / She always pulls her weight on team assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Contribute equally, Do your part
40. Take it one step at a time
Meaning: To do something slowly and carefully.
In a Sentence: Take it one step at a time when learning something new. / He took it one step at a time to master the material.
Other Ways to Say: Go slowly, Be patient
41. Put two and two together
Meaning: To figure something out from the information you have.
In a Sentence: He put two and two together and solved the problem. / She put two and two together and realized the answer.
Other Ways to Say: Deduce, Figure out
42. Bone up on
Meaning: To study hard, usually in preparation for something.
In a Sentence: She boned up on chemistry before the final. / I need to bone up on history for the quiz.
Other Ways to Say: Cram, Study intensively
43. Sail through
Meaning: To succeed easily, especially in a test or exam.
In a Sentence: He sailed through his math test. / She sailed through the interview with confidence.
Other Ways to Say: Pass easily, Breeze through
Fill-in-the-Blank Exercise
Complete the sentences with the correct idiom from above.
- Before the big exam, it’s time to _______ the books.
- She _______ the midnight oil to finish her term paper.
- You should _______ the poem by heart for the contest.
- He didn’t _______ a book all weekend and now he’s behind.
- Let’s _______ to come up with ideas for our project.
- I had to _______ an all-nighter to get my essay done.
- If you study hard, you might _______ the test.
- His report _______ the mark and needed more research.
- She _______ the exam with flying colors.
- It took me a week to _______ the ropes at my new school.
- If you _______ down now, you’ll finish your homework on time.
- He was _______ hot water for not turning in his assignment.
- Your answer _______ the nail on the head.
- After some practice, I finally _______ the hang of algebra.
- Only the top students _______ the cut for the honor class.
- She _______ to her guns and kept studying despite distractions.
- It took time to _______ sense of the new material.
- He always _______ the extra mile with his projects.
- Don’t _______ to conclusions—read the instructions first.
- I _______ my teacher’s brain for advice on the essay topic.
Answers
- hit
- burned
- learn
- crack
- brainstorm
- pull
- ace
- missed
- passed
- learn
- buckle
- in
- hit
- got
- made
- stuck
- make
- goes
- jump
- picked
Conclusion
Studying idioms add color and life to how we talk about learning and academic challenges. By mastering these 43 expressions, you’ll be able to describe your study habits, obstacles, and achievements with clarity and originality. Use the fill-in-the-blank exercise to reinforce your understanding and make these idioms a natural part of your English.
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