5 English idioms that mean you're winning

Sometimes, success speaks for itself. Other times, you need the right words to describe it. And in English, there's no shortage of idioms to describe winning, achieving, and making things happen. Here are five that you'll hear all the time.

Hit the jackpot

This idiom comes from gambling, where hitting the jackpot means winning big. But in everyday English, it's not just about money — it's used for any situation where someone gets lucky or achieves massive success.

For example:

"She hit the jackpot when her novel became a bestseller overnight."

"Liam applied for his dream job on a whim and hit the jackpot when he actually got it."

"They found the perfect house at an unbelievable price. Talk about hitting the jackpot!"

On a roll

When someone is on a roll, they're in a streak of success — one good thing after another keeps happening. It's like when momentum is on your side, and everything just keeps going right.

For example:

"She aced her exams, got into her dream school, and landed a scholarship — she's really on a roll!"

"After winning their first few games, the team was on a roll and couldn't be stopped."

"We hit all our sales targets this month. We're on a roll!"

Go the extra mile

If you go the extra mile, you put in more effort than expected to achieve something. It's about doing more than the bare minimum — whether at work, school, or in daily life.

For example:

"She went the extra mile and baked a cake for her friend's birthday."

"He studied all night for the test — definitely going the extra mile."

"The hotel staff went the extra mile to make sure we were comfortable."

Hit it out of the park

This idiom comes from baseball — when a player hits the ball so hard it flies out of the stadium. In everyday English, it means to do something extremely well or exceed expectations.

For example:

"Alicia hit it out of the park with her moving speech."

"His first novel was good, but this new one really hits it out of the park."

"They weren't sure how the campaign would turn out, but they hit it out of the park!"

The sky's the limit

This idiom means there's no limit to what someone can achieve. If the sky's the limit, anything is possible with enough effort and ambition.

For example:

"With his skills, the sky's the limit — he can do anything he sets his mind to."

"She just got promoted, and at this rate, the sky's the limit for her career."

"Tony is already a great athlete, but with more training, the sky's the limit."

The sky's the limit when it comes to learning English — and now you've got five new idioms to show for it. Keep practicing, and soon enough, you'll be using them like a natural.

Think you'll remember these idioms? Let's put that to the test. Watch our Daily Dose of Denglisch Docs and listen for them in real speech.