These fun idiom costume ideas are perfect for punny Halloween costume party ideas / work appropriate Halloween costumes, school spirit day dress up days or spirit week ideas, fun book club ideas, a classroom party for teaching idioms, or anytime you need funny dress up themes — including group costumes, bestie outfits or couples dress-up for parties!
Best Idiom Costume Ideas (Including Cheap Costume Ideas When You Don’t Want To Dress Up!)
I love Idiom Costume Days because it’s a chance to have a silly party with an easy costume that can be made with stuff you have at home (mostly!).
Before we get to the pun costume ideas and idioms dress up ideas, you may need a fresher on what an idiom is…
What is an Idiom?
An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a figurative meaning different from its literal meaning.
For example, “spill the beans” doesn’t actually mean to spill a container of beans, but rather to tell a secret or discuss something you know.
“It’s raining cats and dogs” doesn’t mean there are cats and dogs falling from the sky during a rain storm. It just means that it’s raining really hard.
Those are the kinds of funny phrases that you will use to make your DIY costume!
What is an idiom party?
An Idiom Party is a trendy party themed event where guests dress up as idioms, or common phrases with figurative meanings, by creating costumes that represent the literal interpretation of the phrase.
It’s a really fun party for schools theme days / idiom costumes for school teachers, adult or kids book clubs party, teen party theme, or fun college party ideas for frat parties or sorority party ideas!
You’ll Also Have Fun With A Rhyme Without Reason Party!
Easy Ideas for Idiom Costumes for Kids, Teen Costumes or Adult Costume Ideas for Idiom Parties
I’ve put the idioms ideas into categories. That way if you want to dress up in a specific theme, it will be easier to find!
Let me know if you have other idioms ideas that you’ve used for outfits and I’ll add them to the list for others!
Weather & Nature Inspired Idiom Costumes
- It’s raining cats and dogs – Wear a raincoat and carry an umbrella with plush stuffed animal cats and dogs pinned onto it.
- Under the weather – Wear a raincloud hat like this.
- Out of the blue – Carry a large blue cardboard with a hole that you can step through.
- Head in the clouds – Attach fluffy clouds (cotton balls) to a headband or grab this for a super easy costume.
- On cloud nine – On a poster board, draw fluffy white cloud with the number 9 on it. Then, randomly stand on it throughout the party.
- Straw that broke the camel’s back – Wear this hilarious camel hat with a straw taped to the back.
PRO PARTY TIP: If you need little kid costumes, this camel costume is super cute for this dress-up theme.
- Going against the grain – Glue rice to a shirt and walk in the opposite direction of others.
- Throwing caution to the wind – Carry caution tape and toss it in the air.
Animal-Themed Idioms
- When pigs fly – Attach wings to a pig costume or wear pig accessories with wings. Or, for a super easy costume, grab this pre-made pigs fly hat.
- The elephant in the room – Wear this easy elephant set while holding Room sign you made out of poster board.
- Let the cat out of the bag – Carry a stuffed toy cat peeking out of a shopping or gift bag.
- Hold your horses – Carry toy horses in your hands or on a leash.
- Barking up the wrong tree – Dress as a dog with these easy dog ears and look up and bark up at a picture of a tree or a funny tree prop like this.
- The early bird catches the worm – Dress as a bird with a gummy worm in your beak (mouth).
PRO PARTY TIP: I looooove these bird costume ideas for this theme!
- A fish out of water – Wear a fish costume and carry a small fish bowl.
- A little bird told me – Tape a tiny bird cutout to your shoulder or carry a toy bird and whisper to it (creepily) on occasion.
- Like two peas in a pod – Dress with a partner in a green pod-shaped costume like this.
PRO PARTY TIP: THIS IS GREAT FOR A COUPLE'S COSTUME IDEA OR BESTIE COSTUMES TO DRESS UP WITH YOUR BFF!
- A leopard can’t change its spots – Wear a leopard print onesie and pin a sign that says never changes on it.
- A wolf in sheep’s clothing – Wear a sheep costume onesie with a wolf ears.
- A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush – Hold a toy bird in one hand and tape two birds to a bush drawing that you hold in the other hand.
- All bark and no bite – Dress as a puppy dog and pin a sign on your costume or shirt that says NO BITE (or a sign with BITE and the no sign drawn through it). Randomly bark at people as they walk by.
Food Idioms for Costume Ideas
- Butterflies in my stomach – Tape or pin paper butterflies to a shirt near the stomach area.
- Couch potato – Dress as a potato with this hilarious costume and carry a couch pillow.
- Piece of cake – Wear a cake costume or carry a slice of cake labeled Easy.
- Spill the beans – Carry an empty can of beans.
- Cry over spilled milk – Carry an empty milk carton with tears drawn on your face.
- A chip on your shoulder – Tape a potato chip bag to your shoulder.
- Cool as a cucumber – Wear a cucumber costume and carry a small fan.
- Bite off more than you can chew – Take a big bite of food any time someone comes near you and let the food fall out when you talk to them. (A big baguette or bag of potato chips works really well for this.)
- A taste of your own medicine – Hold a fake medicine bottle labeled Own.
- Not my cup of tea – Carry a teacup labeled Not Mine.
Body Idioms
- Cost an arm and a leg – Carry around a fake leg and arm like these and add a price tags to them.
- Break a leg – Wrap one leg in bandages.
- Put your foot in your mouth – Put a foot sucker like this in your mouth anytime someone comes near you.
- Keep your eyes peeled – Wear giant googly eyes glasses and carry a potato peeler. Whenever someone comes near you pretend like you’re peeling your big google eyes.
- All ears – Attach multiple fake ears to a hat.
- Lend a hand – Carry an extra (fake) hand and offer it to people when they walk by.
ALSO CHECK OUT THIS FUN PARTY THEME: 115+ Best White Lie Party Ideas Tshirt Quotes For White Lies Parties
Idioms for Actions & Emotions
- Jump on the bandwagon – Make a poster board sign that says Bandwagon. Place it on the floor and jump on it anytime someone walks by.
- Jumping through hoops – Carry hula hoops and jump on them.
- Throw in the towel – Carry a towel and dramatically throw it down when someone walk by and sigh loudly.
- Beating around the bush – Carry a bush cutout or a bush drawn on a poster board and hit it with a blow up bat.
- Break the ice – Wear a white or blue outfit with a fake hammer and ice cubes attached.
PRO PARTY TIP: If you have a break the ice game, carry that around and break the ice out of it.
- Pulling someone’s leg – Carry a fake leg like a Barbie or doll leg (or a picture of a leg). Pretend to pull on it when someone walks by you.
Money Idioms Outfits
- A penny for your thoughts – Draw an empty thought bubble (quote bubble) on cardboard and glue a penny on it. Attach it to a headband and wear it on your head.
- Throw money down the drain – Tape fake dollar bills to a piece of a drain pipe. (Hit up home stores.)
- Money talks – Tape fake dollar bills to a shirt with funny sayings like the money is talking.
Miscellaneous Idiom Costume Ideas
- Light at the end of the tunnel – Hold an empty paper towel tube and shine a flashlight in one end.
- Walking encyclopedia – Wear a sandwich board (make it out of poster boards) covered in book pages or facts. Randomly shout out fun facts to people.
- Feeling blue – Dress in all blue and look sad. Maybe add some fake (drawn on) tears on your face.
- Paint the town red – Carry a paintbrush and wear red splattered t-shirt with a city scape on it.
- Keep your cards close to your chest – Tape playing cards to your shirt on your chest.
- The writing on the wall – Draw a wall on a poster board and put writing on it. Carry it around.
- Under lock and key – Wear a padlock and key around your neck like a necklace.
- Burning the midnight oil – Carry a (fake) candle with a flame and a big clock necklace pointed at midnight.
- Go the extra mile – Wear a race bib number sign with the words 1 Extra Mile printed on it.
- Hit the sack – Carry a brown bag from the grocery store and hit it with a blow up baseball bat.
I hope you have fun with these idiom costume party ideas!
