‘Raining cats and dogs’, ‘as easy as pie’ and ‘bite the bullet’ are among the most confusing turns of phrase, according to Brits.

A study of 2,000 adults found a third have been perplexed by an object’s name or a common-place expression.

‘A dime a dozen’ was the most confusing, according to 24 per cent, while ‘cat got your tongue’ (14 per cent) is also baffling.

When it comes to ‘misnomers’ or misleading names, ‘tennis bracelet’ (32 per cent), ‘herringbone’ (17 per cent) and ‘koala bear’ (16 per cent) were the top causes of confusion.

While ‘wisdom teeth’ (11 per cent), ‘gravy boat’ (13 per cent) and ‘cat burglar’ (10 per cent) also feature.

This has meant 22 per cent have used a misnomer in the wrong context, while 16 per cent have misunderstood what something does.