Today in class, a student asked me, "What is the difference between collocations and idioms?" I simply replied "No" without a full explanation. Let me share the explanation with all of you in this post.
A collocation is the way words combine to produce natural speech and writing. For example when you say "pay attention," it could be "give attention, or put attention" but it is not, it is "pay attention" because it is the natural way in which native speakers express that.
An idiom is a sequence of words which has a different meaning than the meaning they would have if you understood them separately. For example, when you say "it's raining cats and dogs" you do not really mean that cats and dogs are falling down from the sky but that there is a heavy rain.
from: http://education.blurtit.com/2508568/what-is-the-difference-between-collocation-and-idioms
Here are some more idioms:
1. piece of cake - to say that something was very easy to accomplish
2. cost an arm and a leg - to say that something is very expensive
3. break a leg - to wish someone good luck
4. hit the books - to study
5. let the cat out of the bag - to tell a secret that was not meant to be told
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