Twenty Idioms for New Beginnings

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January always feels like the perfect time of year to make some lifestyle changes – last week we even looked at five New Year’s resolutions to help you improve your spelling. Here are twenty idioms for new beginnings:

  1. a change is as good as a rest – a change of occupation can be as relaxing as a break.
     
  2. at the crossroads – at the point where you must make the choice between two courses of action with diverging consequences.
     
  3. early bird catches the worm – the person who takes the earliest opportunity to do something will have an advantage over other people.
     
  4. a breath of fresh air – a refreshing or invigorating change.
     
  5. new blood – new members of a group (who usually bring with them fresh ideas about how the group might run).
     
  6. nothing ventured, nothing gained – without taking risks, you can’t expect to achieve.
     
  7. to blaze a trail – to innovate in a particular field and thus lead the way for others.
     
  8. to blow away the cobwebs – to refresh yourself from a state of sluggishness.
     
  9. to break new ground – to do something innovative in a particular field.
     
  10. a new lease of life – an occasion or circumstance that leads you to becoming more energetic than you were previously.
     
  11. to go back to square one – to acknowledge that an idea has been unsuccessful and that you will need to come up with a new one (see to go back to the drawing board).
     
  12. to go back to the drawing board – to acknowledge that an idea has been unsuccessful and that you will need to come up with a new one (see to go back to square one).
     
  13. to make a clean breast of it – to admit to your mistakes.
     
  14. to make headway – to make progress.
     
  15. to move mountains – to go out of your way and to great efforts to achieve something that seems impossible.
     
  16. to pave way for – to develop a situation or circumstance that enables something to happen.
     
  17. to quit cold turkey – to abruptly and completely give something up (i.e. drugs, alcohol, caffeine).
     
  18. to shake things up – to make significant changes to an already established system.
     
  19. to start with a clean slate – to put your (usually negative) past behind you and start over.
     
  20. to turn over a new leaf – to begin to behave in a more responsible manner.

If you’ve found this post useful, why not check out our other articles on idioms?

We’d love to hear about your 2015 spelling goals – whether you’re setting them as an individual, family, or school. Let us know how you’re getting on in the comments, or on Facebook or Twitter. Don’t forget to use #Spellzone2015.


12 Jan 2015
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"Thank goodness for Spellzone during this remote learning phase. The site is easy for students to navigate independently and they're really enjoying the activities and spelling games. You get an awful lot for your money with Spellzone. Really reassuring is the very prompt response with helpdesk queries. I've very rarely needed the helpdesk, but when I have, the issue has been addressed and sorted within a very short time."

Sarah Taggart, Oasis Academy Lord's Hill