Did you know that costumes can be educational? Sure, you have your historical costumes and book character costumes, but there are other options, too! Playing with words is fun, and idiom costumes are great for school or themed parties. But what is an idiom? Idioms are common phrases that use a figurative meaning instead of a literal one. (Think Amelia Bedelia!) We'll share some of our favorite easy idiom costume ideas to get you started.
1. It's Not Rocket Science Costume
| Spaceship Costume | Mad Scientist Accessory Kit |
When you tell someone something isn't rocket science, you're saying it's not that difficult. But how do you express that visually with a costume? We'd suggest a mashup of a rocket ship costume and a mad scientist. This simple spaceship costume leaves your face, head, and arms available for a few scientist costume accessories like wigs, glasses, and gloves. Of course, you can always flip it and be a scientist with rocket ship accessories!
2. Class Clown Costume
| Gryffindor Uniform Sweater | Rainbow Clown Wig |
Did your classroom have a class clown? Were you the class clown? A class clown is a person who performs antics to make others laugh, commonly in a school setting. This is a fairly easy costume to assemble, and you might have most of what you need in your closet already! Wear a school uniform outfit with a clown wig, clown collar, or another common clown costume accessory. This silly costume is sure to make people laugh!
3. Under the Weather Costume
| Rain Cloud Hat | Creepy Doll Makeup |
It's not fun to be under the weather unless it's a Halloween costume! This rainy weather hat is the perfect representation of being under the weather. However, may we suggest a way to plus up your costume? Get some pink makeup or blush to give yourself a feverish, flushed face. Alternatively, you can have a thermometer as a costume prop.
4. Time Flies When You're Having Fun Costume
| White Angel Wings | Oversized Clock Necklace |
You have probably heard someone utter, "Time flies when you're having fun!" You have probably even said this exact phrase yourself. How better to represent this idiom than with a clock paired with angel wings? (And, of course, having a good time.) This idiom costume is a relatively cheap costume idea, and it's also great for people who don't like to dress up because it's made entirely of costume accessories.
5. Hit the Road Costume
| Yellow Brick Road Costume | Plastic Baseball Bat |
How many of us giggled when we read about Amelia Bedelia hitting the road? This is an excellent idiom costume that people will instantly recognize. While we have this yellow brick road costume to represent your road, you can always wear a black shirt with white tape instead. Don't forget a bat prop or some other striking implement to pull it together!
6. Blessing in Disguise Costume
| Kids' Spy Costume | Angel Halo Accessory |
Who wants to be an undercover angel? There are a few ways to create a blessing in disguise costume. You can grab a trench coat and spy accessories and add a halo, or flip it and wear an angel costume with spy costume elements. Once you assemble your costume, it's time to get out there and have fun!
7. Catch Flies with Honey Costume
| Honey Costume | Fly Headpiece |
As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. In other words, people are more willing to listen to you or help if you're nice than if you have a bad attitude. Show just how sweet you can be with this catching flies with honey costume combination!
8. Bark Up the Wrong Tree Costume
| Palm Tree Onesie | Dalmatian Accessory Kit |
Barking up the wrong tree is usually embarrassing, but it makes a hilarious costume idea! All you need is a tree costume, whether it's a scary tree, a Christmas tree, or this palm tree costume. Then, get a dog accessory kit to pair with your costume. How long will this idiom costume take your friends to figure out?
9. It's Raining Cats and Dogs Costume
| Rain Cloud Costume | Cat Accessory Kit |
You can always make your costume your own, but here's one way to assemble an "it's raining cats and dogs" costume. Our raincloud unisex costume can easily be worn with any dog or cat costume accessory kit, which leaves your hands free. Or, bring your own cat and dog stuffed animals along! Just don't forget to take them home when your event is over.
10. Once in a Blue Moon Costume
| Inflatable Moon Costume | Blue Makeup |
Blue moons are famously rare, but you can have plenty of opportunities to wear a once-in-a-blue-moon costume! We recommend wearing a moon costume with blue face paint, or you can also color your hair blue if you want more references to the "once upon" portion of the idiom. Just attach a number one to your moon costume.
11. Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Fire Costume
| Campfire Costume | Frying Pan Prop |
Were you a little bit of a troublemaker? We have the perfect costume for you! Out of the frying pan and into the fire describes getting into even bigger trouble than you were in before. Who hasn't gotten into a few shenanigans back in the day?
12. Tough Cookie Costume
| Oreo Cookie Costume | Boxing Gloves |
Have you ever been called a tough cookie? It generally carries the vibe that you're tougher than you look. In costume form, however, pairing a cookie costume with a pair of boxing gloves is easy enough! You can always ham it up by adding milk mustache makeup, or a towel around your shoulders.
13. Snug as a Bug in a Rug Costume
| Plus Size Pastel Butterfly Costume | Bedtime Bear Snuggie |
Now, you might not necessarily need to find a wearable rug, but you can find a way to be snug! A snuggie or other blanket paired with a bug costume is a surefire way to be comfortable in costume. (We especially like backless blankets if your insect costume has wings.) Thankfully, plenty of other bug costumes make you feel your buggy best!
14. Sweet Tooth Costume
| Kids' Tooth Costume | Giant Lollipop Prop |
Does your child have a sweet tooth? Maybe they can be a sweet tooth the next time they need an idiom costume! Whether they're dressing up for school or love funny Halloween costumes, a sweet tooth costume is so easy to assemble. Just dress up like a tooth, have a candy prop or two, and you're ready to go!
15. Party Pooper Costume
| Poop Emoji Costume | Birthday Party Glasses |
A party's not complete without a party pooper. Ironically, you're probably one of the most fun guests if you come wearing a party pooper costume. There are tons of fun party glasses to pair with your poop costume, but we thought these birthday party glasses were perfect for this theme.
We hope you're ready to party with these fun wordplay costumes! Are you a teacher dressing up for class? Perhaps a student wearing a costume for idiom day? Even if you're looking for clever costume ideas that are a little different, we hope you found something to wear! For other wordplay costumes, check out our punny costumes and rhyming costumes.
