Learn English Idioms

Grow Your Idioms! (1): Strike while the iron’s hot

Welcome to my new idioms section: GROW YOUR IDIOMS!

Anybody who has been following me for a while on Twitter will know I’m nuts about idiomatic expressions – you can find my idiom tweets under the hashtag #FabIdioms.

And I’m not just crazy about them in my own language, I love Spanish, French and German idioms, well, idioms from anywhere and everywhere. However, we’ll keep our eyes on the prize and I’ll just teach you English ones here on my blog! 🙂

If you love idioms too, let me know in the comments below, and tell me some of your favourites.

So, let’s get cracking (= let’s start), shall we?

Idiom 1: STRIKE WHILE THE IRON’S HOT

Meaning: take immediate advantage of an opportunity (because later on the situation may not be so favourable)

Examples:

Katerina is about to graduate from university and she’s thinking of travelling round the world for a year. However, the job market is currently very good so her father thinks she shouldn’t travel right now but start applying for jobs. He thinks she should strike while the iron’s hot.

I said to a friend of mine, “You’re not working at the moment and you really need a good level of English to secure a well-paid job. Now’s the time to study and connect with English as much as possible. Make the most of this free time you have. Strike while the iron’s hot!

blacksmith
Origin: A blacksmith needs to strike the iron while it’s still red hot and soft.

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