BA English Idioms

Here is a list of Famous BA English Idioms

IDIOMATIC PHRASES
1. Above board Ali is an honest trader, he is above board in his business.
2. A bluestocking As a player, he will not marry a bluestocking.
3. Add insult to injury You do not return my money, and then talk against me, you clearly add insult to injury.
4.All ears While listening to the lecture, the students were all ears.
5.Apple of discord This property is an apple of discord between these two brothers.
6. Apple –pie- order Everything in the room was lying in apple – pie- order.
At a snail s, pace The child was going to school but at a snail s’ pace.
7. At the first blush He fell in love with her at the first bush.
8. At sixes and sevens He is all at sixes and sevens as he has to arrange his marriage in poverty.
9. At the eleventh hour The aid reached to the calamity stricken people but at the eleventh hour.
10. Bad blood There is not any bad blood between these two fronds.
11. Bark up the wrong tree Be careful in talking as it is you habit to bark up the wrong tree.
12. Beat about the bush Do not beat about the bush and come to the point at once.
13. Better half His better half is always seen with him in parties.
14.Bigwig Three are many bigwigs in our country
15.Black sheep The police department should try to reform all the black sheep in the department.
16. Blow one’s’ own trumpet where ever he sits, he blows his own s’ trumpet.
17. Blue eyed boy he is a blue eyed boy in this office.
18. Bolt from the blue The news of his loss in the business came as a bolt from the blue for him.
19. Bone of contention Kashmir problem is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.
20. Break the ice Everyone in the room was sitting silently, he entered and broke the ice.
21. Bridge over With a lot of courage, you can bridge over your all problems.
22. Broken reed No one trusts on him as he is a broken reed.
23. Build castles in the airs He is in the habit of building castles in the airs.
24. Burn the candle at the both ends Usually students burn the candle at the both ends near their examinations.
25. Burt the hatchet Let us bury the hatchet and be a good friends.
26. By leaps and bounds Pakistan is making progress by leaps and bounds.
Call a spade a spade He is an honest man , he always calls a spade a spade.
27. Call names To call other names, is a very bad habit.
28. Carry the day Baber carried the day in the battle of Panipat.
29. Cast pearls before swine Giving books to an illiterate person is just to cast pearls before a swine.
30. Catch at a straw The drowning man catches at a straw.
31. Cope with With a strong determination, you can cope with your all difficulties.
32. Crocodile tears The step mother is only shedding crocodile tears on her step son s’ death.
33. Cut a sorry figure He cut a sorry figure at his office and lost his job.
34. Cut a fine figure He cut a fine figure at the work place and became favorite with his boss.
35. Cut in you should not cut in my personal affairs.
36. Dark horse By getting first position, he proved himself a dark horse.
37. Damocles’ s’ sword He can be dismissed from his office any time, this dismissal is like a Damocles’ s’ sword for
him.
38. Die in harness Our great leader Quaid- Azam, worked hard and died in harness.
39. Egg on The politician egged the people on to protest against the government policies.
40. Every inch He is a good Muslim every inch.
41. Eye wash The lover said that he would marry her but it was an eye wash.
42. Face the music Due to its wrong policies the government has to face the music.
43. Fair weather friend No one likes the fair weather friend.
44. Feather in one s’ cap To this is degree is like a feather in his cap.
45. Few and far between He visits his close friend few and far between.
46. Fishy deal It is a fishy deal , don’t be party to it.
47. Flash in the pan His temporary success only proved a flash in the pan.
48. For rainy days Save something for your rainy days.
49. For good She left the country for good and went abroad.
50. Freudian slip She spoke by chance that she liked to marry Mr. X which was a Freudian slip.
51. From hand to mouth The poor are living from hand to moat in their low income.
52. From pillar to post After his fall, the Shah of Iran moved from pillar to post.
53. Get wind of How did he get wind of your secret plans?
54. Gift of the gab He is a very successful lawyer, as he has the gift of the gab.
55. Go back on Honest people never go back on their promise.
56. Hard and fast There are no hard and fast rules in this office.
57. Harp on the same string He always harps on the same string and bores others.
58. Head and shoulder above Iqbal is head and shoulders above several Eastern poets.
59. Hold water She makes reports to me which cannot hold water.
60. House of cards His plans proved only a house of cards as thety are not applicable.
61. In a fix she is in a fix what subjects she should take up in M.A.
62. In black and white She tendered the resignation in black and white.
63. Ins and outs of something He knows quite well the ins and outs of this business.
64. In line with Their plans are in lines with ours.
65. Keep up appearance it is better to be simple than to keep up appearance.
66. Kick the bucket His neighbor kicked the bucket last night.
67. Lame duck The government cannot give loan to a lame duck.
68. Laughing stock He has become a laughing stock in the class due to his foolishness.
69. Leap in the dark This businessman took a leap in the dark and his business collapsed.
70. A fish out of water At his new job, he is like a fish out of water.
71. Maiden speech. He was somewhat nervous at his maiden speech.
72. Make amends You have insulted him in public , now you will have to make amends.
73. Make both ends meet In a small income, the poor hardly make both ends meet.
74. Make off with The thief made off with the ornaments.
75. Man in the street If the man in the street is happy, the country is in good condition.
76. Man of letters Allama Iqbal was a man of letters.
77. Move heaven and earth He will move heaven and earth to marry the girl of his choice.
78. Neck or nothing He will fight against his enemy neck or nothing.
79. Nip in the bud The government should nip the corruption in the bud.
80. Pandora s’ box If you discuss their broken marriage, you will open a Pandora s’ box.
81. Pocket an insult She abused me before all, I cannot pocket this insult easily.
82. Read between the lines I can read between the lines, and say that he is not sincere to me.
83. Red rag to a bull These bitter remarks against the politician proved a red rag to a bull
 84. Rule out The U.N ruled the settle of this dispute by force.
85. Sit on the fence In this matter , he sits on the fence
86. Smell a rat The police man smelt a rat and stopped the biker.
87. Split hair You should not split hair of his failures in the exams.
88. Stir up Some politicians try to stir up trouble in the country but fail.
89. At a stone s’ throw Our college is located at a stone s’ throw.
90. Strom in the tea cup This hot discussion only proved a storm in the tea cup.
91. French leave He is in the habit of enjoying French leave.
92. Take the bull by the horns Let us take the bull by the harms, ask them directly to return our land.
93. Take the time by the forelock Being newly employed uin this office, you should tak the time by the fore lock.
94. Take to heart He took his failure to his hart.
95. Talk shop It is not good t talk shop at parties.
96. Through thick and thin I would help you through thick and thin.
97. Thumbnail sketch Here is a thumbnail sketch of our future plans.
98. Tower of strength Our great leader, the Quaid-e- Azam was a tower of strength.
99. Turn a deaf ear to You should not turn a deaf ear to your teacher s’ advice.
100.Turn the tables on Today the enemy is defeating the, tomorrow they may turn the tables on them.
101.Turn turtle The bus turned turtle on the way but all the passengers remained safe.
102.Pour oil on troubled water When his friend began fighting. He tried to pour oil on the troubled water.
103.A jail bird Being a jail bird, he often remains in the jail.
104.At home in She is at home in cooking.
105.A red letter day 14th August is a red letter day in the history of Pakistan.
106.As busy as bee At his new job, he is as busy as bee.
107.A bosom friend He is my bosom friend.
108.A hard nut to crack To pass the B.A examination is not a hard nut to crack.
109.At arms’ length keep the selfish friend at a arm s’ length.
110.A hen pecked husband He is a hen pecked husband.
111.All and sundry All and sundry came to the meeting.
112.An oily tongue A person with an oily tongue often makes his way through life.
113.A cock and bull story It is foolish to believe in a cock and bull story.
114.Bag and baggage He left the room bag and baggage.
115.By dint of He got success by dint of hard work.
116.Cry for the moon The child is crying for the moon.
117.A close fisted man He is a close fisted man.
118.Day in and day out To achieve success in life , he worked day in and day out.
119.Double faced Ghandi was a double faced politician.
120.A far cry Science is a far cry from Arts.
121.Go through fire and water. I am ready to go through fire and water to achieve my goal.
122.Hand in glove Both the friends are hand in glove with each other.
123.Hue and cry The students were raising hue and cry in the absence of teacher.
124.In no time You should leave this place in no time.
125.Nip in the bud The government should nip the corruption in the bud.
126.In lieu of We would get a holiday in lieu of Sunday.
127.In full bloom When I reached the party was in full bloom.
 128.In a nut shell In a nut shell the poet has expressed his views about youth and old age.
129.The lion s’ share He got a lion s’ share in the property of his father.
130.Leave in lurch Usually the selfish friends leave in lurch.
131.Learn by heart He learnt the poem by heart.
132.Over head and ears He is good man over head and ears.
133.Off and on He comes to see me off and on.
134.Poke nose into It is not good to poke nose into other matters.
135.Pros and cons I know quite well the pros and cons of this business.
136.Root and branch Our brave army has destroyed the enemy root and branch.
137.Taken aback I was taken aback to see the juggler s’ tricks.
138. Tooth and nail He fought his enemy tooth and nail.
139. Come true All his dreams came true.
140. A utopian scheme This, being a utopian scheme, is impracticable.
141. A wolf in the sheep s’ clothing Do not trust on him as he is a wolf in the sheep s’ clothing.
142. A yew man s’ service We should perform a yew man s’ service to the suffering mankind.
143. Off hand She failed in the exams as she appeared in the examination off hand.
144. All moonshine His love for her is all moonshine.
145. Chips of the same block Both the friends are the Chips of the same block.
146. On cloud nine( to be very happy) When he heard the news of his success in the examination,he
was on cloud nine.