This article discusses the capabilities of lexical approach in studying situational characteristics. There are three levels of describing situations that usually can be found in the literature: the physical, the canonical and the subjective ones. Performing the critical analysis of the levels, we infer that studying situations only at one level is inefficient. Based on empirical research review we argue for using lexical approach since it allows to describe situations at a number of levels simultaneously. We discuss advantages and limitations of different language units as stimuli. We conclude that idioms are the most promising stimuli to use in situational studies. On the one hand, idioms allow to identify the canonical characteristics of situations. On the other hand, they help distinguish and explicate one’s subjective attitudes towards these characteristics, thus widening the scope of situational studies.