Topic 10 · 6 lessons · every one with a quiz
In the News
English from the headlines: idioms and phrases spotted in real news stories, explained for learners.
Lucky dip Take a random news story
All news stories
Newest first
The guide
About in the news
Welcome to FunkyEnglish’s In The News collection — idioms and phrases you’ll spot in real headlines and articles, each paired with a genuine citation linking back to where it’s actually been used.
Why Read English in Context?
Seeing an idiom used in a real news article does more for you than any textbook example sentence — it shows the phrase doing real work, at the register and tone native speakers actually use it in.
How These Pages Work
Each entry pairs the usual plain-English meaning and quiz with a link to a genuine article using the phrase, so you can see it in its natural habitat rather than a manufactured example.
A Few to Start With
- In The News – Artificial Intelligence — vocabulary from AI headlines
- Idiom – Cherry-pick — to carefully select only the best options
- Idiom – Choppy Waters — a difficult or unstable situation
- Idiom – See Eye To Eye — to agree with someone
New stories are added regularly.
Browse by theme
Idioms, slang and vocab grouped by subject61 lessonsAnimals60 lessonsProper British43 lessonsBody40 lessonsFood & Drink28 lessonsWeather & Nature27 lessonsWork & Jobs22 lessonsSport & Games21 lessonsLove & Friends20 lessonsFeelings19 lessonsTalk & Secrets17 lessonsTravel & Transport15 lessonsSchool & Study13 lessonsTime & Hurry12 lessonsMoney12 lessonsTechnology11 lessonsColours
Take your pick
01IdiomsRaining cats and dogs — and why02SlangChuffed, knackered, gutted03Phrasal VerbsGet on, get over, get by04GrammarTenses without the tears05Common PhrasesWhat people really say06British CultureQueues, tea and ‘you alright?’07Photo VocabWords you can actually see08ProverbsOld wisdom, still handy09LessonsThemed deep dives10In the NewsEnglish from the headlines