What does “you know the drill” mean in American English?

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A2 English listening practice · American English · Picked for people who know a little

💡 Did you know?
you know the drill
American idiom
'You know the routine', used when something is so familiar you don’t need to explain it

You know the drill is a common American English phrase. It means “you know the routine” or “you know how this works.” The word drill here is from the army, where soldiers practice the same actions over and over until they know them well. Today people use the phrase any time something is so familiar they don’t need to explain it.

In this meal-prep clip, the cook tells the camera “you already know the drill” before she starts. She is saying “you’ve watched my videos, you know how I cook, let’s go.” Americans say you know the drill in offices, gyms, kitchens, and group chats.

How common are the words?

How common are the words in this A2 English listening practice video?

82.4%
of words are in the top 2,000 most common English words
Most of the words in this video are common English words.

How common in written English

74.3%
Top 1,000
82.4%
Top 2,000
94.6%
Top 5,000

How common in spoken English

83.8%
Top 1,000
91.2%
Top 2,000
100%
Top 5,000
👄 Words for talking
This video uses words people often say in English.

Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · SUBTLEX-US 2012 (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.

★Where you hear this
  • ▸In American food and meal-prep YouTube channels
  • ▸In American workout and exercise videos
  • ▸In American workplace meetings and team kickoffs
  • ▸In American sitcoms about everyday life (Modern Family, The Office)
  • ▸In American family group texts about Sunday dinner

See American English Videos You Can Understand on Reelang

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