Not all English idioms are equal when it comes to wanting to sound like an English native speaker (from Britain to be precise), and Google search doesn't help either and can be misleading. Some idioms (even when they're on the list of common phrases) are simply outdated and might sound weird to a native ear. In one of its latest videos, an English teaching channel Smashing English! tells about several expressions that are perfectly fine in themselves, but might raise some eyebrows in the company of younger British native speakers. Here they are:
You crack me up!
What to say instead: you make me laugh, you're really funny, you're hilarious
It rocks! / It rules!
What to say instead: it's amazing, it's cool, it's great
Hit the sack / Hit the hay
What to say instead: I'm going to call it a night
Spend a penny
What to say instead: nip to the loo, pop to the loo, go to the toilet
Pip pip / Cheerio!
What to say instead: see you, ta ta, ta ra, see you later
It's raining cats and dogs
What to say instead: it's chucking it down
To kick the bucket / To be pushing up daisies / To be six feet under
What to say instead: to die, to be dead, to pass away
How do you do?
What to say instead: how are you?
See full video here.
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