33 Spring and Summer Themed English Sayings
Springtime is a wonderful time to learn some new English expressions and colorful phrases about the spring and summer seasons.
Many English sayings about spring and summer aren’t just about the seasons.
They have lots of other meanings and can be used in everyday life!
Contents
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The Changing of the Seasons
We love the change of seasons. Every new season has something beautiful to offer. When winter changes to spring, that might be the best change of all. Learn these sayings that are related to winter changing to spring.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder
Being away from someone (or something) you love makes you love them even more. So every time the winter feels too long and cold, just remember that it will make you love spring even more!
One swallow does not make a summer
The swallow is a bird that shows up when the winter is over. Just seeing one swallow doesn’t mean spring is here yet though. This saying reminds you that just because one good thing happened to you, it doesn’t mean everything else that happens to you will be good.
He’s/She’s no spring chicken
Baby chickens are born in spring. But this person wasn’t just born. This is saying that this person isn’t so young anymore.
Let grass grow under your feet
Grass is soft and wonderful, but if you’re letting grass grow under your feet then you’re standing still or doing nothing for too long.
Like watching grass grow
Even if you’re not standing so still that you let the grass grow under your feet, sometimes you have to be in a situation that’s very boring. In those cases you might feel like you’re watching grass grow—it’s slow and unexciting.
The Beauty of Spring
Spring is a great season. After waiting all winter long, we finally get to feel sun and warmth. Everything comes back to life. Flowers, leaves and baby animals are all around us. Enjoy these great sayings that come from the beauty of spring.
Fresh as a daisy
A daisy is a type of flower. If you’re fresh as a daisy, you’re healthy and full of energy. This is like the way you feel after getting a really good night of sleep.
Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed
Here’s another fun way of saying “fresh as a daisy.” It means the same thing (full of energy and ready to take on life’s challenges) but brings to mind a cute squirrel instead of a flower. You can decide which saying fits you better!
Not a cloud in the sky
The sky is clear and things are good! If there’s not a cloud in the sky, things look like they will be good for a while and there’s nothing to worry about.
Head in the clouds
This saying means that you’re either not paying attention to what’s going on around you or you have too many unrealistic thoughts. It can also mean that you’re always dreaming and optimistic. If someone tells you to get your head out of the clouds, you might be spending too much time thinking or dreaming.
Chasing rainbows
Rainbows are just a trick of light. You can’t actually reach them or touch them. Chasing rainbows means trying to achieve something that’s not possible or not practical.
Soak up some sun
Enjoy the sun’s rays on your skin! You can soak up the sun on the beach and get a tan. What a perfect way to spend a summer day.
Fair-weather friend
Some friends stay with you no matter what happens, but your fair-weather friends only stick with you when things are going well. The moment things become difficult, these “friends” are suddenly nowhere to be found.
A ray of hope
A ray is a bit of light coming from the sun. When it’s cloudy, you can sometimes still see some rays peeking through the clouds. A ray of hope is a tiny bit of hope that can be found in a tough situation.
A ray of sunshine
Another kind of ray, a ray of sunshine is someone or something that makes you feel happy.
Brighten up the day
Something or someone who makes you feel good and happy for the rest of the day. Someone who is a ray of sunshine can really brighten up your day.
Garden variety
Typical or common, found in everybody’s garden, this English phrase means that there’s nothing special about something.
Lead down the garden path
Typically just said as “to lead someone on,” this saying means to deceive or lie to someone.
Have a green thumb
Speaking of gardens, if you have a green thumb then you’re someone who’s great at gardening.
Social butterfly
Butterflies like to gather around flowers, but social butterflies are people who like to gather around people. A social butterfly is someone who loves company and moves from one person to another easily, like a butterfly would fly between flowers.
Money doesn’t grow on trees
Spring makes things grow, but sadly there are no trees that you can just pick money from. This saying means to be careful with how you spend your money, because it’s not that easy to get more of it.
The Heat of Summer
Summer is hot. Prepare yourself to talk about the heat with these common English sayings.
Indian summer
Sometimes the weather stays nice and warm during the autumn when it’s supposed to be colder. This is called an Indian summer. An Indian summer can also mean happiness or success that happens late in someone’s life.
It’s a scorcher!
A scorcher is a very hot day. Hopefully the summer won’t have too many of those!
Dog days
Dog days come during the hottest time of the year. Since heat makes you want to just sit around and do nothing, you can also use dog days to refer to periods of time when nothing seems to happen.
Summer fling
A summer fling is a brief romance that you have during the summer that isn’t meant to be serious, just fun.
Hot under the collar
If you’re hot under the collar you’re not just hot, you’re really angry about something.
Like a cat on a hot tin roof
Tin heats up quickly under the summer sun, which makes it pretty uncomfortable to sit on! This expression is used to say someone is restless and unable to sit still.
Full of hot air
Being full of hot air means being full of nonsense. You can use this phrase when someone is saying things that sound like nonsense or aren’t believable.
Rain Showers
Spring and summer come with lots of rain in many regions of the English-speaking world. This rain is what gives us new life and energy. Learn how to talk about rain and things related to storms with these sayings.
Take a rain check
If you plan to go on a picnic but it rains, you might take a rain check and reschedule for a later time. This saying can be used to politely decline an invitation, implying that you will accept the invitation some other time.
Steal someone’s thunder
You’re about to share some really exciting news, but someone else shares the news first. They just stole your thunder. This expression is usually used to describe when someone steals the praise and attention that really belong to someone else.
April showers bring May flowers
The rain showers of April help flowers bloom in the spring. This phrase is a way of saying that bad or unpleasant things can lead to good things happening.
It’s raining cats and dogs
This saying means that it’s raining very hard. It doesn’t mean that cats and dogs are actually falling from the sky.
Storm in a teacup
A storm in a teacup is what happens when someone makes a huge deal out of something that’s not really that important. Another very similar saying is tempest in a teapot. A tempest is a very large storm.
Come rain or shine
This is used to describe something that happens no matter what the weather is like. It will happen even if it’s raining and unpleasant outside.
Now that you’ve made it through these Spring and Summer sayings, the next step is to practice them!
You can do this with many different resources, so I’ll list some below to get you started.
- Anki: You can create flashcards using this app and review new words here. You can also personalize each flashcard with audio, video and images. Picking memorable images and recording yourself saying them can help you create memories with each saying and memorize them quicker.
- FluentU: You can watch native speakers using sayings like these in context with various authentic English videos on the language program. You can even search for videos using specific words or terms to see videos that use them. After you watch a video, you can review what you’ve learned through customized quizzes.
- Tandem: There’s no better way to practice a new phrase than by using it with a real person. You can use this app to find a language partner and practice these sayings with them. Plus, they can probably give you tips and help you understand these phrases better.
Well, now you’ve got some great sayings to use all spring and summer. Don’t forget that you can use them during the rest of the year too!
We hope you’re bright-eyed and bushy-tailed so you can soak up the sun and enjoy the beautiful weather of spring and summer.
Enjoy!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
