Idiom puzzles: learn English idioms the fun way

Updated September 28, 2026 · 3 min read · 12 illustrated idioms · by the Rebus Master team · Favo Games

Idiom puzzles turn figurative expressions — break the ice, miss the boat, night owl — into literal pictures you have to decode. Because an idiom never means what its words literally say, drawing it literally creates a riddle: solve the picture and the idiom’s real meaning locks into memory with it.

Idioms are the hardest part of English to memorize from lists — the words tell you nothing about the meaning. Puzzles flip that weakness into the game itself: you earn each idiom by cracking it, you attach a vivid image to it, and the rebus format hands you the literal-vs-figurative gap on a plate. At heart these are word brain teasers — the picture just does the teaching. Solve up in smoke once as a picture and you will never blank on it again.

Twelve idiom puzzles to try

Each picture below is a real level from Rebus Master. Guess the idiom from the illustration and the meaning hint, then reveal the answer.

A cartoon pickaxe cracking a laughing ice cube — #1Ease awkwardness when first meeting

Seven identical birds lined up on top of one giant feather — #2Similar folks who stick together

A down arrow inside an open mouth with tears — #3Looking sad and discouraged

An arrow reading UP inside a cloud of smoke — #4Plans ruined and completely wasted

A man running after a fleeing dollar sign as coins scatter — #5Strong competition that challenges someone

A man happily washing his hands while a pile of troubles burns behind him — #6To refuse further responsibility for something

A defeated wolf licking a bandaged wound on its arm — #7Recover quietly after a defeat

A man with a gold goblet sitting high on a hog’s back among coins — #8Living richly and lavishly

A growling dog sitting in the hay of a feeding trough, keeping hungry cows away — #9Keeps what you can’t use from others

A man left on the pier holding a ticket as the boat steams away — #10To miss an opportunity by being too slow

A baseball player touching a base with his finger — #11To briefly make contact or check in with someone

A down arrow next to empty trousers with their pockets turned out — #12Broke, beaten, with no luck left

Why pictures make idioms stick

You work for the answer. Retrieval effort is what builds memory — guessing an idiom from a drawing is a workout; reading it in a list is not.
Image + meaning arrive together. The illustration shows the literal scene while the hint sentence gives the figurative meaning, so both stick as one memory.
The absurdity is the anchor. A pig living luxuriously or plans literally going up in smoke is exactly the kind of ridiculous image brains refuse to forget.

How Rebus Master teaches idioms

The catalog mixes classic idioms with everyday words and phrases — BAD EGG is level 11, sitting between words like ABANDONMENT and PISCES — so learning never feels like homework. Every level ends with a hint sentence that explains what the phrase means, and the daily rebus keeps one fresh idiom or phrase coming every midnight UTC. For mixed practice, work through our 40 rebus puzzles with answers — and keep the nine solving tricks handy while you do.

Frequently asked questions

What are idiom puzzles?

Idiom puzzles turn figurative English expressions — like “break the ice” or “miss the boat” — into pictures you decode. Because idioms don’t mean what their words literally say, drawing them literally makes a perfect riddle.

Do picture puzzles really help you learn idioms?

Working an idiom out from a picture takes more mental effort than reading a definition, and that effort is what makes it stick — you also get a vivid image and the idiom’s meaning in the same moment. Many learners find idioms they solved as puzzles far easier to recall.

Where can I practice idiom puzzles?

A free illustrated rebus goes live every day at rebusmaster.com/daily, and the Rebus Master app for iOS and Android mixes classic idioms with everyday words and phrases across 1,700+ levels — each with a hint sentence explaining the meaning.

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Learn an idiom a day

Play the free daily rebus in your browser, or take the full catalog with you — 1,700+ illustrated levels on iOS and Android.

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Free to play · every puzzle explains what the phrase means

About this page: every idiom puzzle here is a real level built by the Favo Games team, the studio behind Rebus Master. We’ve designed and illustrated 1,700+ rebus levels. Illustrations are AI-assisted; every puzzle, hint and answer is written and checked by hand.