45 Idioms for Homework
Homework is a big part of school life, but talking about it can get boring. That’s where idioms come in. Idioms are fun phrases that make our words more colorful and interesting. They help us express feelings about homework in ways that sound natural and engaging. When we use them, people can understand our thoughts about studying and school work in a deeper way.
This article will look at idioms that relate to homework and studying. These phrases can help you talk about school work in a more creative way and express your feelings about assignments in simple but meaningful terms. You’ll also find a short activity to try using these idioms in real-life situations.
Idioms for Homework
1. Hit the books
Meaning: Start studying seriously.
Sentence Example: I need to hit the books tonight for my math test tomorrow. / After dinner, Sarah hit the books to finish her history report.
Other Ways to Say: Study hard / Get to work
2. Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: Stay up late working on homework.
Sentence Example: I had to burn the midnight oil to finish my science project. / Tommy burned the midnight oil writing his English essay.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up late / Work all night
3. Crack the whip
Meaning: Make yourself work harder on homework.
Sentence Example: Mom had to crack the whip to get me to do my math problems. / The teacher cracked the whip about turning in assignments on time.
Other Ways to Say: Be strict / Push harder
4. Buckle down
Meaning: Focus and work seriously on homework.
Sentence Example: It’s time to buckle down and finish this book report. / I need to buckle down if I want to pass the test.
Other Ways to Say: Get serious / Focus hard
5. Nose to the grindstone
Meaning: Work hard and focus on homework.
Sentence Example: I kept my nose to the grindstone all weekend doing assignments. / She put her nose to the grindstone to catch up on missed work.
Other Ways to Say: Work steadily / Stay focused
6. Pull an all-nighter
Meaning: Stay awake all night doing homework.
Sentence Example: I had to pull an all-nighter to finish my research paper. / My brother pulled an all-nighter studying for his final exam.
Other Ways to Say: Stay up all night / Work through the night
7. Sweat over something
Meaning: Work very hard and worry about homework.
Sentence Example: I really sweated over that math homework last night. / Don’t sweat over the spelling test too much.
Other Ways to Say: Worry about / Stress over
8. In over your head
Meaning: Homework is too hard or too much.
Sentence Example: I’m in over my head with all these assignments due tomorrow. / The advanced math problems left him in over his head.
Other Ways to Say: Too difficult / Can’t handle
9. Bite off more than you can chew
Meaning: Take on too much homework at once.
Sentence Example: I bit off more than I could chew by signing up for five classes. / Don’t bite off more than you can chew with extra credit work.
Other Ways to Say: Take too much / Overdo it
10. Cut corners
Meaning: Do homework quickly without much effort.
Sentence Example: I cut corners on my art project and it didn’t turn out well. / Never cut corners on important assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Rush through / Do poorly
11. Phone it in
Meaning: Do homework with little effort or care.
Sentence Example: I could tell he phoned it in on his presentation. / Don’t phone it in on your final project.
Other Ways to Say: Do carelessly / Half-hearted effort
12. Wing it
Meaning: Do homework without much preparation.
Sentence Example: I forgot about the quiz, so I had to wing it. / She always wings her book reports but still gets good grades.
Other Ways to Say: Make it up / Do without planning
13. Cram for something
Meaning: Study a lot in a short time before a test.
Sentence Example: I need to cram for my history test tonight. / Cramming for exams isn’t the best way to learn.
Other Ways to Say: Study quickly / Last-minute studying
14. Coast through
Meaning: Do homework easily without much effort.
Sentence Example: Math is so easy for her that she just coasts through it. / I can coast through my English homework.
Other Ways to Say: Sail through / Do easily
15. Ace something
Meaning: Do very well on homework or tests.
Sentence Example: I studied hard and aced my science test. / She always aces her math assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Do great / Get perfect score
16. Bomb something
Meaning: Do very poorly on homework or tests.
Sentence Example: I totally bombed my spelling test yesterday. / He bombed his presentation because he didn’t practice.
Other Ways to Say: Fail / Do terribly
17. Nail something
Meaning: Do homework perfectly or very well.
Sentence Example: I nailed that book report after working on it all week. / She nailed her science project presentation.
Other Ways to Say: Perfect it / Do excellently
18. Breeze through
Meaning: Complete homework easily and quickly.
Sentence Example: I breezed through my reading assignment in one hour. / Math homework is something I can breeze through.
Other Ways to Say: Finish easily / Do with ease
19. Struggle with something
Meaning: Find homework very difficult.
Sentence Example: I always struggle with my chemistry homework. / Many students struggle with word problems in math.
Other Ways to Say: Have trouble / Find it hard
20. Get stuck on something
Meaning: Can’t figure out part of homework.
Sentence Example: I got stuck on problem number five and couldn’t finish. / When you get stuck on reading, ask for help.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t solve / Be confused
21. Break your back
Meaning: Work very hard on homework.
Sentence Example: I broke my back studying for that final exam. / Don’t break your back over one assignment.
Other Ways to Say: Work extremely hard / Exhaust yourself
22. Burning the candle at both ends
Meaning: Working too hard on homework and other things.
Sentence Example: Between school and sports, I’m burning the candle at both ends. / She’s burning the candle at both ends with all her activities.
Other Ways to Say: Overworking / Doing too much
23. Draw a blank
Meaning: Can’t remember or think of answers during homework.
Sentence Example: I drew a blank on the history test questions. / When asked about the book, I completely drew a blank.
Other Ways to Say: Forget / Can’t remember
24. Go back to the drawing board
Meaning: Start homework over because it’s not working.
Sentence Example: My first draft was terrible, so I went back to the drawing board. / The science experiment failed, so we went back to the drawing board.
Other Ways to Say: Start over / Begin again
25. Piece of cake
Meaning: Homework that is very easy to do.
Sentence Example: That math worksheet was a piece of cake. / The spelling test will be a piece of cake if you study.
Other Ways to Say: Very easy / Simple task
26. Walk in the park
Meaning: Homework that requires no effort.
Sentence Example: After studying hard, the test was a walk in the park. / Reading that short story was a walk in the park.
Other Ways to Say: Super easy / No problem
27. Uphill battle
Meaning: Homework that is very difficult and takes lots of effort.
Sentence Example: Learning fractions has been an uphill battle for me. / Getting caught up in science class is an uphill battle.
Other Ways to Say: Hard fight / Difficult task
28. Back to square one
Meaning: Starting homework completely over.
Sentence Example: I lost my essay file, so I’m back to square one. / The experiment didn’t work, so we’re back to square one.
Other Ways to Say: Starting fresh / Beginning again
29. Burn out
Meaning: Get too tired from too much homework.
Sentence Example: I burned out from studying every night this week. / Don’t burn out before the big test comes.
Other Ways to Say: Get exhausted / Become too tired
30. Keep your eye on the ball
Meaning: Stay focused on your homework goals.
Sentence Example: Keep your eye on the ball and finish that project. / I need to keep my eye on the ball to pass this class.
Other Ways to Say: Stay focused / Pay attention
31. Cross your t’s and dot your i’s
Meaning: Be very careful and check all homework details.
Sentence Example: Make sure to cross your t’s and dot your i’s on this important report. / Always cross your t’s and dot your i’s before turning in work.
Other Ways to Say: Be careful / Check everything
32. Jump through hoops
Meaning: Do many difficult things to complete homework.
Sentence Example: I had to jump through hoops to get all my research done. / Sometimes school makes us jump through hoops for simple assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Work extra hard / Do difficult tasks
33. Pull your weight
Meaning: Do your fair share of homework in group work.
Sentence Example: Everyone needs to pull their weight in our group project. / I always pull my weight when working with classmates.
Other Ways to Say: Do your part / Help equally
34. Crack under pressure
Meaning: Not do well on homework when stressed.
Sentence Example: I tend to crack under pressure during big tests. / Don’t crack under pressure when presenting your project.
Other Ways to Say: Get nervous / Fall apart
35. Rise to the occasion
Meaning: Do better than expected on difficult homework.
Sentence Example: The test was hard, but I rose to the occasion. / She always rises to the occasion when projects are challenging.
Other Ways to Say: Step up / Do your best
36. Cut it close
Meaning: Finish homework just before it’s due.
Sentence Example: I cut it close turning in my book report at the last minute. / Don’t cut it close with important assignments.
Other Ways to Say: Almost late / Last second
37. Behind the eight ball
Meaning: In trouble with homework or falling behind.
Sentence Example: I’m behind the eight ball with all these missing assignments. / Missing school put him behind the eight ball in math class.
Other Ways to Say: In trouble / Falling behind
38. Get your ducks in a row
Meaning: Get organized with your homework.
Sentence Example: I need to get my ducks in a row before starting this big project. / Get your ducks in a row by making a homework schedule.
Other Ways to Say: Get organized / Plan ahead
39. Bite the bullet
Meaning: Start doing difficult homework you’ve been avoiding.
Sentence Example: I need to bite the bullet and start my research paper. / Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and do the hard math problems.
Other Ways to Say: Face it / Just do it
40. Spoon-fed
Meaning: Getting too much help with homework.
Sentence Example: The teacher spoon-fed us the answers during review. / I don’t want to be spoon-fed; I want to learn it myself.
Other Ways to Say: Given easy help / Made too simple
41. Learn the ropes
Meaning: Figure out how to do new types of homework.
Sentence Example: It took me a while to learn the ropes in chemistry class. / New students need time to learn the ropes about homework expectations.
Other Ways to Say: Learn how / Figure it out
42. Call it a day
Meaning: Stop doing homework for now.
Sentence Example: I’ve been studying for three hours; I think I’ll call it a day. / After finishing math problems, she called it a day.
Other Ways to Say: Stop for now / Take a break
43. Burning daylight
Meaning: Wasting time when you should be doing homework.
Sentence Example: Stop watching TV; you’re burning daylight when you have homework to do. / I realized I was burning daylight playing games instead of studying.
Other Ways to Say: Wasting time / Not using time well
44. Make the grade
Meaning: Do well enough on homework to pass.
Sentence Example: I hope my project will make the grade for a good score. / You need to turn in all assignments to make the grade.
Other Ways to Say: Pass / Do well enough
45. Go the extra mile
Meaning: Do more homework than required.
Sentence Example: I went the extra mile by adding pictures to my report. / Going the extra mile on assignments shows you care about learning.
Other Ways to Say: Do more / Try harder
Exercise to Practice
- I have a big test tomorrow, so I need to _______ tonight.
- My essay was due this morning, but I had to _______ to finish it.
- The math problems are too hard; I think I’m _______.
- Stop playing games and _______ on your science homework.
- I forgot to study, so I’ll have to _______ the presentation.
- That spelling test was a _______ because I studied hard.
- I’ve been working on homework for hours; I think I’ll _______.
- My computer crashed and I lost my report, so I’m _______.
- Everyone in our group needs to _______ to finish the project.
- I _______ by turning in my assignment just before the bell rang.
- The teacher _______ us the answers during the review session.
- I need to _______ and get organized before starting my research.
- This chemistry homework has been an _______ for me all year.
- Don’t _______ when the big test comes next week.
- I decided to _______ by adding extra research to my paper.
Answer Key
- hit the books
- burn the midnight oil
- in over my head
- buckle down
- wing it
- piece of cake
- call it a day
- back to square one
- pull their weight
- cut it close
- spoon-fed
- get my ducks in a row
- uphill battle
- crack under pressure
- go the extra mile
Conclusion
Using idioms is a fun way to talk about homework and studying. They help your words sound more natural and interesting. Whether you’re talking about a difficult assignment or celebrating when you ace a test, these phrases can help you express your school experiences in creative ways.
Try to use a few of these idioms when talking about school work. A simple “hit the books” or “piece of cake” can make conversations about homework more engaging. These colorful expressions can turn ordinary talk about assignments into something more memorable and fun.
