You nailed it and other English idioms

In this post, you will learn five idioms that Americans use to praise someone for a job well done. Idioms are a type of figurative language where the words put together lose their literal meaning. The problem is that when we study English at school, we learn the literal meaning of words. And when we know all the words used in a phrase, but we still can’t understand the meaning, we feel frustrated and confused.

By the way, you don’t need to use idioms to speak good English. But because they are so widely used by native speakers, knowing some of them will help you understand what people mean in certain situations.

 

 

You nailed it

The first idiom is you nailed it. You might hear this idiom if someone wants to show you that you have done something well. It might be a work or school project, or anything else that you’ve completed. So instead of “good job,” they might say to you: you nailed it.

For example:

You nailed that job interview.

or:

Her presentation was amazing. She totally nailed it.

Or if someone asks you: How was your performance yesterday? You can answer: I nailed it. That is, if you think you did a good job, of course.

You killed it

The next idiom is you killed it. Let me tell you a little story. A while ago I heard someone complaining that he had totally misunderstood his boss because after a very important presentation at work, his boss went to him and told him; you killed it. The poor guy was devastated because he thought he had just received very negative feedback. He knew that to kill meant to cause death and he thought that the project was over due to his bad presentation.

But what he didn’t know was that this phrase has two meanings. Depending on the situation, tone of voice and body language, it can be a praise for a job well done or it can mean that something, like a joke for example, was just ruined. For instance, if you’re trying to tell a joke, but you’re making many mistakes and give away the ending too early, you can kill the joke.

But in the case of the boss who told his employee that he’d killed it, the boss was actually praising him. So, this one depends on the context.

Here are a few examples:

Congratulations on the project. You absolutely killed it.

You knocked it out of the park

Another way to praise someone for a job well done is to say: you knocked it out of the park. This phrase is associated with baseball when someone hits the ball so hard that it goes out of the stadium.

Here are a few examples:

Whatever assignment you give to this guy, he always knocks it out of the park.

Awesome job on that report, Jane. You really knocked it out of the park.

I’m sure that you’ll knock it out of the park on Sunday.

Americans have many idioms associated with sports, particularly with baseball. For someone unfamiliar with the game, these phrases may be quite startling.

You hit a home run

And speaking of sports, the next idiom comes from baseball as well. And this is: you hit a home run. A home run is when the ball is hit in a way that the batter, who is the player who hits the ball, can circle all four bases and score. Of course, there are more details to it, but in a nutshell, it means success, an excellently executed task.

I know, I know. You might ask, Am I learning English or baseball? I almost feel that if you learn baseball, you won’t have to learn much more English. But jokes aside, this phrase also means great job, so if you hear it from someone, good for you.

Here are a few examples:

She’s such an expert. If anyone could hit a home run, she could do it.

I didn’t expect this question on the exam, but I think I hit a home run with my answer.

This company has hit a home run with its latest product.

Way to go

The next idiom is way to go. Saying way to go to someone is a great encouragement, a confidence booster, and a praise for a job well done. But be aware that this phrase needs to stand alone. For example, we have a long way to go has a different meaning even though the phrase way to go is a part of it. We have a long way to go means: there are still a lot of things to do. So, you’ll need to pay attention to how it’s said and if it’s a standalone phrase or a part of a longer sentence.

Here are some examples:

Great job, guys. Way to go!

That speech was incredible, John. Way to go.

You finally found a good job. Way to go!

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Let me know in the comments if you would like to learn more idioms. Also, if you have a favorite idiom, share it in the comment section below.

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