Practicing regularly is essential for mastering any skill. These idioms highlight the importance of practice and the various ways it can impact our abilities and achievements. Discover how practice is depicted through these idiomatic expressions and see how you can incorporate them into your everyday language.
1. Practice Makes Perfect
Meaning: Repetition leads to mastery.
Example: Keep trying; practice makes perfect.
2. Practice What You Preach
Meaning: Act according to your advice.
Example: He practices what he preaches about healthy living.
3. Practice Makes Permanent
Meaning: Repeated practice solidifies habits.
Example: Practice makes permanent, so be careful what you repeat.
4. Dry Run
Meaning: Practice session.
Example: Let’s do a dry run before the presentation.
5. On-the-Job Training
Meaning: Learning by doing.
Example: She gained experience through on-the-job training.
6. Work Out the Kinks
Meaning: Solve minor issues.
Example: We need to work out the kinks before the launch.
7. Run Through
Meaning: Quick practice.
Example: Let’s run through the routine once more.
8. Rehearse the Part
Meaning: Practice a role.
Example: She rehearsed the part until she knew it by heart.
9. Trial and Error
Meaning: Learning by experimenting.
Example: Cooking often involves trial and error.
10. Brush Up On
Meaning: Refresh skills.
Example: He needs to brush up on his Spanish.
11. Sharpen the Saw
Meaning: Improve skills.
Example: Take time to sharpen the saw and enhance your skills.
12. Get the Hang Of
Meaning: Learn how to do.
Example: He finally got the hang of using the software.
13. Go Through the Motions
Meaning: Perform without effort.
Example: He was just going through the motions in practice.
14. Iron Out
Meaning: Resolve problems.
Example: We need to iron out the details before we start.
15. Knock Into Shape
Meaning: Improve through practice.
Example: The new coach will knock the team into shape.
16. Learn the Ropes
Meaning: Understand basics.
Example: It took a while to learn the ropes at her new job.
17. Break New Ground
Meaning: Innovate through practice.
Example: They broke new ground with their unique approach.
18. Test the Waters
Meaning: Try something new.
Example: She decided to test the waters with a trial run.
19. Bend Over Backwards
Meaning: Try very hard.
Example: He bent over backwards to improve his skills.
20. Second Nature
Meaning: Easy due to practice.
Example: Playing the piano is second nature to her now.