Idioms & Phrases Pictionary Words

Sayings and figures of speech, the classic hard round. 539 words from easy to hard, with a generator locked to the category.

Your word
Chicken and egg
Idioms · Medium · Difficult
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532 words match
Score & history (0 drawn)
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Team B
0

    Drawing tips for idioms & phrases

    Draw it literally, then add the clue that it is a saying: a row of dashes for the word count, a speech bubble around the whole thing. Guessers should call out each word as they get it; the drawer circles the parts that are right.

    Who this category suits

    It is the classic hard round, and the category that decides most adult games. There are 147 easy words, 201 medium and 191 hard, so it works as a whole-game theme rather than a single round: set the difficulty from the menu above and the pool moves with the table. 9 of the words are grown-up references that only appear with the Adults audience; the rest are safe for everyone. A round idea: Literal round: whoever guesses must also explain what the idiom actually means, or the point goes to the other team.

    The full idioms & phrases list

    All 539 words, grouped by difficulty. The letter after each word is its classic card category (P, O, A or D); hover to see the name.

    Easy (147)

    • Happily ever afterD
    • Piece of cakeD
    • Raining cats and dogsD
    • Cool as a cucumberD
    • Busy as a beeD
    • Quiet as a mouseD
    • Blind as a batD
    • Eat like a horseD
    • Sleep like a logD
    • Snug as a bugD
    • Easy as pieD
    • Hit the hayD
    • The early bird gets the wormD
    • Cat got your tongueD
    • Apple of my eyeD
    • Fish out of waterD
    • Elbow greaseD
    • Spill the beansD
    • Hold your horsesD
    • Break a legD
    • Pig outD
    • Chicken outD
    • Wild goose chaseD
    • It's a zoo in hereD
    • Ants in your pantsD
    • Bed of rosesD
    • Hit the booksD
    • Cry over spilled milkD
    • Big cheeseD
    • Top dogD
    • UnderdogD
    • In a pickleD
    • Cold turkeyD
    • Hot potatoD
    • Bite off more than you can chewD
    • Egg on your faceD
    • Walking on sunshineD
    • The bee's kneesD
    • Cat napD
    • Dog days of summerD
    • Holy cowD
    • Lucky duckD
    • Sitting duckD
    • Party animalD
    • A frog in your throatD
    • A fly on the wallD
    • Eagle eyeD
    • Bird brainD
    • ButterfingersD
    • Lone wolfP
    • Eager beaverP
    • Cool catP
    • Fat catP
    • Ugly ducklingP
    • Like a duck to waterD
    • Snail mailO
    • Snail's paceD
    • Monkey businessD
    • Horse aroundA
    • Free as a birdD
    • Nest eggO
    • A little bird told meD
    • Something smells fishyD
    • A whale of a timeD
    • Come out of your shellD
    • Snake in the grassD
    • Bee in your bonnetD
    • Wolf down your foodA
    • Chicken scratchD
    • Rubber chickenO
    • Bad eggD
    • Good eggD
    • EggheadD
    • Cherry on topD
    • Cool beansD
    • Full of beansD
    • Bread and butterO
    • Butter someone upA
    • Smart cookieD
    • Tough cookieD
    • Bad appleD
    • Top bananaD
    • Go bananasD
    • In a nutshellD
    • A tough nut to crackD
    • Sour grapesD
    • Icing on the cakeD
    • Pie in the skyD
    • Eat humble pieD
    • In hot waterD
    • Full of hot airD
    • Not my cup of teaD
    • Bring home the baconA
    • Selling like hotcakesD
    • Half-bakedD
    • Bird's-eye viewD
    • Nose in a bookA
    • Big mouthD
    • Put your foot downA
    • Two left feetD
    • Foot in the doorD
    • Head in the sandD
    • Hold your head highD
    • Let your hair downA
    • All hands on deckD
    • Twiddle your thumbsA
    • Shoulder to cry onD
    • Pain in the neckD
    • Neck and neckD
    • Stick your neck outA
    • Have a heartD
    • Pick your brainD
    • LazybonesD
    • Skin and bonesD
    • Hit the sackA
    • Long faceD
    • On your toesD
    • Long time no seeA
    • Hit the spotD
    • Shake a legA
    • No sweatD
    • Chill outA
    • Hold the phoneD
    • Light as a featherD
    • Sly as a foxD
    • Strong as an oxD
    • Proud as a peacockD
    • Stubborn as a muleD
    • Red as a beetD
    • Cold as iceD
    • Hard as nailsD
    • Quick as a flashD
    • Once upon a timeD
    • Monkey see monkey doD
    • Teddy bear hugD
    • Sweet dreamsD
    • Bear hugA
    • Silly gooseD
    • Cheeky monkeyD
    • Sleep like a babyA
    • Rise and shineA
    • Home sweet homeP
    • Cross my heartA
    • Flat as a pancakeD
    • Cute as a buttonD
    • Wise as an owlD
    • Hungry as a bearD

    Medium (201)

    • Kill two birds with one stoneD
    • Let the cat out of the bagD
    • The elephant in the roomD
    • When pigs flyD
    • Straight from the horse's mouthD
    • A wolf in sheep's clothingD
    • The lion's shareD
    • A bull in a china shopD
    • A can of wormsD
    • Barking up the wrong treeD
    • Put all your eggs in one basketD
    • Don't count your chickensD
    • A leopard can't change its spotsD
    • Crocodile tearsD
    • The last strawD
    • A needle in a haystackD
    • A drop in the bucketD
    • On thin iceD
    • Under the weatherD
    • Over the hillD
    • Up in the airD
    • Down to earthD
    • Out of the blueD
    • Once in a blue moonD
    • A storm in a teacupD
    • The calm before the stormD
    • A ray of sunshineD
    • Head over heelsD
    • Cost an arm and a legD
    • Pull someone's legD
    • All earsD
    • All thumbsD
    • A chip on your shoulderD
    • Foot in mouthD
    • On the tip of my tongueD
    • Keep your eye on the ballD
    • A bird in the handD
    • The ball is in your courtD
    • Back to square oneD
    • Hit the nail on the headD
    • Burn the midnight oilD
    • Burning bridgesD
    • Cross that bridge when you come to itD
    • Go the extra mileD
    • In the same boatD
    • Miss the boatD
    • Rock the boatD
    • Jump shipD
    • Sink or swimD
    • The tip of the icebergD
    • A blessing in disguiseD
    • A dime a dozenD
    • Beat around the bushD
    • Bite the bulletD
    • The best of both worldsD
    • Better late than neverD
    • A penny for your thoughtsD
    • Break the bankD
    • Call it a dayD
    • Cut cornersD
    • Curiosity killed the catD
    • Hit the roadD
    • Hang in thereD
    • It takes two to tangoD
    • Keep your chin upD
    • On the fenceD
    • Pull yourself togetherD
    • See eye to eyeD
    • Speak of the devilD
    • Throw in the towelD
    • Time fliesD
    • A taste of your own medicineD
    • Wear your heart on your sleeveD
    • Back to the drawing boardD
    • The lion's denP
    • Water off a duck's backD
    • Fly the nestD
    • Fish for complimentsD
    • Feather in your capD
    • Clam upD
    • Bite the hand that feedsD
    • The cat's pajamasD
    • Smell a ratD
    • Chicken and eggD
    • A fine kettle of fishD
    • Meat and potatoesD
    • Cream of the cropD
    • Salt of the earthD
    • A grain of saltD
    • Sugarcoat itD
    • Butter wouldn't meltD
    • You're toastD
    • Gravy trainD
    • Peanut galleryD
    • Second bananaD
    • The whole enchiladaD
    • Two peas in a podD
    • Cook up a stormA
    • Recipe for disasterD
    • Pay through the noseD
    • Turn up your noseA
    • Ear to the groundD
    • Wet behind the earsD
    • Word of mouthD
    • Foot the billD
    • Off on the wrong footD
    • Put your best foot forwardD
    • Keep your head above waterD
    • Hands are tiedD
    • Wash your hands of itD
    • Under your thumbD
    • Twist my armD
    • Knee-high to a grasshopperD
    • Breathe down your neckD
    • Eat your heart outD
    • Fire in the bellyD
    • Grit your teethD
    • Long in the toothD
    • Skin of your teethD
    • Slip of the tongueD
    • Bite your tongueD
    • My lips are sealedD
    • Stiff upper lipD
    • Read my lipsD
    • Rub elbowsD
    • Rack your brainD
    • Get under your skinD
    • Jump out of your skinD
    • Sleep on itD
    • Keep a straight faceD
    • Step on someone's toesD
    • Tie the knotD
    • On the same pageD
    • Think outside the boxD
    • The ship has sailedD
    • Spread your wingsD
    • Read between the linesD
    • Add fuel to the fireD
    • A walk in the parkD
    • Rain on your paradeD
    • The sky's the limitD
    • A bolt from the blueD
    • Snowed underD
    • Money talksD
    • Hang by a threadD
    • Tied up in knotsD
    • Pull the plugD
    • Keep it under your hatD
    • An ace up your sleeveD
    • Laugh your head offD
    • In stitchesD
    • A barrel of laughsD
    • On the ballD
    • Drop the ballD
    • Get the ball rollingD
    • Throw a curveballD
    • Jump through hoopsD
    • The eye of the stormD
    • The coast is clearD
    • On the houseD
    • In the bagD
    • An open bookD
    • A red flagD
    • The green lightD
    • With bells onD
    • Make a beelineD
    • Mind your own beeswaxD
    • In the doghouseD
    • Work like a dogD
    • Fight like cats and dogsD
    • A one-trick ponyD
    • Safe and soundD
    • Through thick and thinD
    • Clean as a whistleD
    • Right as rainD
    • Sharp as a tackD
    • White as a sheetD
    • Better safe than sorryD
    • My badD
    • Go with the flowD
    • Make a splashD
    • Smooth sailingD
    • Blow off steamD
    • Full steam aheadD
    • Playing with fireD
    • Hit the brakesD
    • Spinning your wheelsD
    • In the driver's seatD
    • Roll with the punchesD
    • Saved by the bellD
    • Down for the countD
    • Grasping at strawsD
    • Draw the short strawD
    • Knock on woodD
    • Out on a limbD
    • A late bloomerD
    • Nip it in the budD
    • Stop and smell the rosesD
    • Bigger fish to fryD
    • Have a cowD
    • Until the cows come homeD

    Hard (191)

    • The pot calling the kettle blackD
    • Don't throw the baby out with the bathwaterD
    • You can't have your cake and eat it tooD
    • Every cloud has a silver liningD
    • The grass is always greenerD
    • Actions speak louder than wordsD
    • The squeaky wheel gets the greaseD
    • A watched pot never boilsD
    • Birds of a feather flock togetherD
    • Don't judge a book by its coverD
    • Two heads are better than oneD
    • Too many cooks in the kitchenD
    • The apple doesn't fall far from the treeD
    • Rome wasn't built in a dayD
    • When in romeD
    • The writing on the wallD
    • The whole nine yardsD
    • The eleventh hourD
    • A skeleton in the closetD
    • A bone to pickD
    • Down the rabbit holeD
    • Jump on the bandwagonD
    • Steal someone's thunderD
    • The devil's advocateD
    • A wild cardD
    • A red herringD
    • A loose cannonD
    • A dark horseD
    • A smoking gunD
    • The black sheepD
    • The third wheelD
    • A white lieD
    • A gray areaD
    • Green thumbD
    • Golden handcuffsD
    • Born with a silver spoonD
    • Blue bloodD
    • Paint the town redD
    • Out of the woodsD
    • The boy who cried wolfD
    • A knight in shining armorD
    • The tortoise and the hareD
    • The goose that laid the golden eggD
    • Put a sock in itD
    • Zip your lipD
    • A slap on the wristD
    • A kick in the pantsD
    • A pat on the backD
    • A shot in the darkD
    • A long shotD
    • A close callD
    • A rain checkD
    • A game changerD
    • A wake-up callD
    • A piece of my mindD
    • A sight for sore eyesD
    • A leg upD
    • A heads-upD
    • An uphill battleD
    • A slippery slopeD
    • A double-edged swordD
    • The last laughD
    • Teach an old dog new tricksD
    • Let sleeping dogs lieD
    • Every dog has its dayD
    • Look what the cat dragged inD
    • The world is your oysterD
    • Frying pan into the fireD
    • Make hay while the sun shinesD
    • Money doesn't grow on treesD
    • The road less traveledD
    • A stitch in time saves nineD
    • The cart before the horseD
    • You reap what you sowD
    • A rolling stone gathers no mossD
    • Look before you leapA
    • Many hands make light workD
    • Practice makes perfectD
    • Haste makes wasteD
    • No pain no gainD
    • You snooze you loseD
    • Slow and steady wins the raceD
    • Pen mightier than the swordO
    • All that glitters is not goldD
    • Worth a thousand wordsD
    • Strike while the iron is hotD
    • There's no place like homeD
    • Home is where the heart isD
    • Walk a mile in my shoesA
    • Easy come easy goD
    • Out of sight out of mindD
    • Absence makes the heart grow fonderD
    • Lead a horse to waterD
    • Gift horse in the mouthD
    • When the cat's awayD
    • Every rose has its thornD
    • Lightning never strikes twiceD
    • It's not rocket scienceD
    • Sharpest tool in the shedD
    • Lights on but nobody's homeD
    • Elvis has left the buildingP
    • Burn the candle at both endsD
    • Money where your mouth isD
    • Like a broken recordD
    • A moth to a flameD
    • Like clockworkD
    • Like watching paint dryD
    • Like riding a bikeA
    • Too big for your britchesD
    • The tail wagging the dogD
    • The more the merrierD
    • Great minds think alikeD
    • Build castles in the airA
    • You are what you eatD
    • A fly in the ointmentD
    • Bury the hatchetA
    • An olive branchO
    • Take the cakeD
    • A lot on your plateD
    • Cut the mustardD
    • On the back burnerD
    • Put a pin in itD
    • Get your ducks in a rowD
    • Pass with flying colorsD
    • Out of the loopD
    • Raise the roofD
    • Hit the roofD
    • Through the roofD
    • Over the topD
    • In the redD
    • A storm is brewingD
    • Turn back the clockD
    • Race against the clockD
    • A blast from the pastD
    • An old flameP
    • The honeymoon is overD
    • Love is blindD
    • A match made in heavenD
    • Pop the questionA
    • Keeping up with the JonesesD
    • A cash cowD
    • No spring chickenP
    • The chickens come home to roostD
    • Plenty of fish in the seaD
    • A shrinking violetP
    • Turn over a new leafD
    • Shake like a leafA
    • The forest for the treesD
    • A chip off the old blockP
    • Throw your hat in the ringD
    • Keep your eye on the prizeD
    • Hit it out of the parkD
    • A swing and a missD
    • At the end of my ropeD
    • Asleep at the wheelD
    • Put the pedal to the metalD
    • Running on fumesD
    • Seat of your pantsD
    • Light a fire under someoneD
    • Where there's smoke there's fireD
    • Go up in smokeD
    • Fly under the radarD
    • Batten down the hatchesD
    • Loose lips sink shipsD
    • Open the floodgatesD
    • Toot your own hornD
    • Clear as a bellD
    • Get back on the horseA
    • Get off your high horseD
    • Wouldn't hurt a flyD
    • Bitten by the travel bugD
    • Happy as a pig in mudD
    • It's a dog's lifeD
    • Cat on a hot tin roofD
    • Nine livesD
    • The cat's meowD
    • Grin like a Cheshire catD
    • Bats in the belfryD
    • A bear with a sore headD
    • A monkey wrench in the worksD
    • A barrel of monkeysD
    • Pardon my FrenchD
    • A bump on a logD
    • A hot knife through butterD
    • Life is a bowl of cherriesD
    • Kick up your heelsA
    • Jack of all tradesP
    • Big fish in a small pondD
    • In one ear out the otherD
    • Take the bull by the hornsA
    • Rabbit out of a hatA

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    Frequently asked questions

    What are good idioms & phrases Pictionary words?

    Easy ones first: once upon a time, happily ever after, piece of cake, raining cats and dogs, cool as a cucumber. Then medium: kill two birds with one stone, let the cat out of the bag, the elephant in the room, when pigs fly. And when the table is warmed up: the pot calling the kettle black, don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, you can't have your cake and eat it too. The full list on this page has 539.

    How do you draw idioms in Pictionary?

    Draw it literally, then add the clue that it is a saying: a row of dashes for the word count, a speech bubble around the whole thing. Guessers should call out each word as they get it; the drawer circles the parts that are right.

    Are the idioms words safe for kids?

    Yes with the Kids or Everyone audience: 347 of the words are available to children, and the 9 grown-up references in this category (marked in the generator’s Adults audience) never appear for them.

    How many idioms words are there?

    539: 147 easy, 201 medium and 191 hard. The generator above draws from all of them and never repeats one within a session.

    Can I print this list?

    Yes. The printable page lays out any category as cut-out cards, or press Copy list under the generator after a game.