Idioms — Set 82

Set 82 of Idioms covers 5 idioms: kick the can down the road, a drop in the bucket, add insult to injury, under your nose, don’t cry over spilled milk. Each entry below includes its definition, an example sentence, and synonyms — practice them with the interactive cards above.

1. kick the can down the road · idiom/kɪk ðə kæn daʊn ðə roʊd/

   to delay dealing with a problem instead of solving it

   Instead of fixing the issue now, they just kicked the can down the road, making it worse for later.

   Origin: An American expression from the 1900s — a child kicking a tin can ahead instead of dealing with what's in front.

2. a drop in the bucket · idiom/ə drɑp ɪn ðə ˈbʌkɪt/

   a very small, insignificant amount compared to what is needed

   The small donation helped, but it was just a drop in the bucket compared to what was needed.

   Origin: From the Bible (Isaiah 40:15) — a single drop of water compared to a whole bucket shows extreme insignificance.

3. add insult to injury · idiom/æd ˈɪnsʌlt tu ˈɪndʒɚri/

   to make a bad situation even worse

   Losing his job was bad enough, but getting evicted right after added insult to injury.

   Origin: From a Phaedrus fable around 25 AD — a fly was slapped, then mocked for being weak. A double offense.

4. under your nose · idiom/ˈʌndɚ jʊr noʊz/

   to happen or exist very obviously but go unnoticed

   I was looking for my glasses everywhere, and they were sitting right under my nose the whole time!

   Origin: From the 1600s — used to describe something so visibly close that not seeing it was almost embarrassing.

5. don’t cry over spilled milk · idiom/doʊnt kraɪ ˈoʊvɚ spɪlt mɪlk/

   to not worry about something that cannot be changed

   The cake got ruined in the oven, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk—let’s just buy one from the store.

   Origin: From the 1600s English proverb — spilt milk cannot be returned to the cup, so crying over it serves no purpose.