IDIOMS AND PHRASES

S.No. Idioms & Phrases Meaning

1. Rank and File Ordinary People
2. By fits and starts In short periods, not regularly
3. A wee bit A little
4. Out of the wood Free from difficulties and dangers
5. Under his thumb Under his control
In a state where one does not know what
6. At one’s wits end
to do
7. Between the devil and the deep sea Between two dangers
8. Burn the midnight oil Work or study hard
9. Call a spade a spade Speak frankly and directly
10. Come off with flying colors Be highly successful
11. Hoping against hope Without hope
12. Hit the nail on the head Do or say the exact thing
13. An axe to grind A personal interest in the matter
14. To get rid of Dispose of
15. At daggers drawn Bitterly hostile
16. To play ducks and drakes To act foolishly or inconsistently
To tackle a problem in a bold and direct
17. To take the bull by the horns
fashion
18. Rain cats and dogs Rain heavily
19. To move heaven and earth To make a supreme effort
20. No avail Without any result
21. Bark up the wrong tree Accuse or denounce the wrong person
22. Keep one at bay Keep one at a distance
Confess – especially when a person has
23. Make a clean breast of it
done a wrong thing
24. Have a card up one’s sleeve Have a secret plan in reserve
25. Like a cat on hot bricks Very nervous
26. Cat and dog life Life full of quarrels
27. Cock and bull story Made up story that one should not believe
28. Cry for the moon Ask for the impossible
29. The pros and cons The various aspects of a matter in detail
30. Be in a tight corner In a very difficult situation
31. Cross one’s t’s and dot Be precise, careful and one’s i’s exact
32. At arm’s length To keep at a distance
33. Out of the question Impossible
34. Out of the way Strange
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
35. Show a clean pair of heals Run away
The anxiety in which you hope that
36. Keep one’s fingers crossed
nothing will upset your plans
37. In the nick of time Just at the last moment
38. Sitting on the fence Hesitate between two decisions
39. Spread like wild fire Spread quickly
40. The gift of the gab Talent for speaking
41. By hook or by crook By fair or foul means
42. Feather one’s own nest Make money unfairly
43. Throw out of gear Disturb the work
44. Take to one’s heels Run away
45. Tooth and nail With all one’s power
46. Die in harness Die while in service
47. Take a leaf out of one’s book Imitate one
48. Leave no stone unturned Use all available means
49. A man of straw A man of no substance
50. Read between the lines Understand the hidden meaning
51. In cold blood Deliberately and without emotion
52. A thorn in the flesh A constant source of annoyance
53. Smell a rat Suspect something foul
54. Harp on the same string Dwell on the same subject
55. Bury the hatchet End the quarrel and make peace
Desert one in difficulties; leave one in a
56. Leave one in the lurch
helpless condition
57. Like a fish out of water In a strange situation
58. At one’s beck and call Under his control
59. To make both ends meet To live within one’s income
60. In hot water In trouble
61. Nip in the bud Destroy in the early stage
62. Stick to one’s guns Remain faithful to the cause
To apologize humbly and to yield under
63. To eat humble pie
humiliating circumstances
64. In high spirits Very happy
65. Put the cart before the horse Put or do things in the wrong order
66. To all names To abuse
67. On tenterhooks In a state of suspense and anxiety
Discuss unpleasant in public-private
68. Wash one’s dirty linen
matters before strangers
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
69. To bell the cat To face the risk
70. A hard nut to crack A difficult problem
71. Let the cat out of the bag Reveal a secret
72. A big gun An important person
73. Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two results with one effort
74. Take one to task Rebuke
75. Gain ground Become Popular
76. To blow one’s own To praise one’s own trumpet achievement
77. A bosom friend A very close friend
78. A brown study Dreaming
79. Turn a deaf ear Disregard / ignore what one says
80. A close shave Narrow escape
81. Turn over a new leaf Change for the better
82. Make up one’s mind Decide
83. In the long run Eventually; ultimately
84. Bring to light Disclose
85. Pay off old scores Take revenge
86. Hard and fast rules Strict rules
87. At the eleventh hour At the last moment
88. A close shave Narrow escape
89. To cut a sorry figure To make a poor show
90. With a high hand Oppressively
Get into trouble by interfering in other’s
91. Burn one’s fingers
affairs
92. Laugh one’s head off Laugh heartily
93. Chew the cud Ponder over something
94. Play second fiddle Take an unimportant part
95. Above board Honest and open
96. Through thick and thin Under all conditions
97. Put a spoke in one’s wheel To upset one’s plans
In a disordered/disorganized manner,
98. At sixes and sevens
chaotic
99. At home Comfortable
100. Alpha and omega The beginning and the end
101. At sea Confused and lost
102. A bosom friend A very close friend
103. At one’s beck and call At one’s service
104. By leaps and bounds Rapidly
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
105. To burn one’s boats Go back on a decision
106. To beat about the bush Talk irrelevantly
107. To burn candle at both ends To waste lavishly
108. Take one to task Rebuke
109. A bone of contention A source of quarrel
110. Add fuel to the fire To aggravate the situation
111. An acid test A critical test
112. At a snail’s pace Very slowly
113. A bolt from the blue Something unexpected
114. To build castles in the air Make imaginary schemes
115. Once in a blue moon Something that happens very rarely
116. Beating around the bush Avoiding the main topic
Complaining about a loss or failure from
117. Cry over spilled milk
the past
When someone is upset about something
118. Chip on your shoulder
that happened a while ago
119. Piece of cake Something that is easy to understand or do
A big sum of money given to a person
120. Golden handshake
when he/she leaves a company or retires
121. Spill the beans To disclose a secret
Something good and useful that did not
122. Blessing in disguise
initially seem that way
123. Mean business Being Serious or Dedicated
124. Come hell or high water Possible obstacles in your path
125. Apple of one’s eye Being cherished
Not able to complete a task due to lack of
126. Bite off more than you can chew
ability
The benefits of widely differing
127. The best of both worlds
situations, enjoyed at the same time
128. Feeling a bit under the weather Feeling slightly ill
129. Icing on the cake Something that turns good into great
130. Cost an arm and a leg Be very expensive
131. Jump the bandwagon To join a popular activity or trend
When it is up to you to make the next
132. Ball is in your court
decision or step
133. To be in the doldrums To be in low spirits
134. To sit on the fence To remain neutral
To initiate a social conversation or
135. Break the ice
interaction
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
To hear rumors about something or
136. Hear it on grapevine
someone
Cannot judge something primarily on
137. Can’t judge a book by its cover
appearance
Actions or communications need more
138. It takes two to tango
than one person
To reveal the secret carelessly or by
139. Let the cat out of the bag
mistake
140. Black and blue Full of Bruises
141. Be on cloud nine Be very happy
142. Last straw The final problem in a series of problems
A view from a very high place that allows
143. A bird’s eye view
you to see a very large area
A method that helps to know if something
144. A litmus Test
is correct
145. At the drop of a hat Willingness to do something instantly
146. Afraid of one’s own shadow To become easily frightened
147. A house of cards A poor plan
148. Fool’s paradise False sense of happiness
149. Get a raw deal To not be treated as well as other people
150. Give cold shoulder To ignore
151. Hand to mouth Live on only basic necessities
To show dislike or disappointment
152. Make a face
through facial expressions
153. It’s Greek to me Something that is not understandable
154. To pour oil on troubled waters To make peace
Do not put all your resources in one
155. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
basket (in one place or thing)
To say in a few words or to make
156. To put in a nutshell
something concise
157. Back out To withdraw from a promise or contract
158. Blow up To explode
159. Back Up To support and sustain
160. Back Upon To be relevant
161. Break Down Failure in something
162. Break off To end or discontinue
163. Break Up To disperse / dissolve
164. Bring up To rear
165. Call forth To provoke
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166. Call out To shout
167. Call upon To order
168. Carry on To continue
169. Cast away To throw aside
170. Catch up with To overtake
171. Come off To take place
172. Cry Down To make little of
173. Catch up with To overtake
174. Cry out against To complain loudly against
175. Cut out Designed for
176. Drop in To Visit Casually
177. Drop out To fall
178. Fall back To Recede; To Retreat
179. Fall down From a higher position to a lower one
180. Fall off To Withdraw; To Drop Off
181. Fall under To come under
182. Get along To Prosper; To Progress; To Proceed
183. Get on with To Live Pleasantly Together; To Progress
184. Get into To be involved in
185. Give in To Surrender; To Yield
186. Give over Not to do any longer
187. Go after To Follow; To Pursue
188. Go Down To be accepted
189. Go without To remain without
190. Go by To follow
191. Hang about To Loiter near a place
192. Hang upon To depend upon
To Endure; To Refuse to yield; To
193. Hold out
continue; To offer
194. Hold to Abide By
195. Keep off To ward off
196. Keep up with To keep pace with
197. Knock out To win by hitting another one
Both people involved in a bad situation
198. It takes two to tango
are responsible for it
199. Last straw The final problem in a series of problems
200. Keep something at bay Keep something away
201. Kill two birds with one stone To solve two problems at a time with just
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
one action
Leave something alone if it might cause
202. Let sleeping dogs lie
trouble
Release something that was previously
203. Open the floodgates
under control
204. Out of the blue Happen unexpectedly
205. Out on a limb Do something risky
Totally excessive and not suitable for the
206. Over the Top
occasion
Words and communication have a greater
207. Pen is mightier than the sword
effect than war
208. Push one’s luck Trying to obtain more than what one has
Benefit or suffer as a direct result of past
209. Reap the harvest
actions
210. Roll up sleeves To get yourself prepared
211. See eye to eye To be in agreement with
212. Shot in the dark A complete guess
Do something with a lot of energy and
213. Sink your teeth into
enthusiasm
214. Take with a grain/pinch of salt To doubt theaccuracy of information
215. Skating on thin ice Do or say something risky
216. Tight spot A difficult situation
217. Strike while the iron is hot To act at the right time
Venture into something of one’s interest
218. Take the plunge
despite the risks involved
219. Take a nosedive Rapid drop or decrease in value
220. Think the world of Admire someone very much
To be useful or be of good service to
221. Stand in a good stead
someone
222. Take a back seat Choose to be less important in a role
223. Wave a dead chicken Do something useless
224. Whale of a time Enjoy a lot
225. Wrap one’s brain around Concentrate on something to understand
226. Zero in on something Focus all attention on one thing
227. Above all Chiefly, Mainly
228. On Account of Due to
229. On no account Not for Any Reason
230. A Fidus Achates A faithful friend or a devoted follower
231. The Heel of Achilles A Weak Point
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232. An Adonis A very handsome man
233. To assume airs To affect superiority
To keep to oneself and not mix with
234. To stand aloof
others
235. To lead to the altar To marry
236. An Ananias A Liar
237. An Apollo A Man with Perfect Physique
238. To Upset the Apple Cart To disturb the peace
239. Apple Pie Order In perfect order
240. Arcadian Life A blissful, happy, rural and simple life
241. To take up arms To fight or go to the war
242. To Grind To have some selfish objective in view
243. To break the back of anything To perform the most difficult part
244. To backbite a person To speak disguise about someone
245. He has no backbone He has no will of his own
246. To cause bad blood To Cause Enmity
247. Bag and Baggage With all one's belongings
248. To keep the ball rolling To keep things going
249. Barmecide feast Imaginary Benefits
250. Bee-line The shortest distance between two places
251. Behind one's back Without one's Knowledge
252. Behind the scenes In Private
253. To hit below the belt To act unfairly in a contest
254. To bite the dust To be Defeated in Battle
A person who discourages enjoyment or
255. A Wet Blanket
enthusiasm
256. In Cold Blood Deliberately
257. A blue Stocking A learned/educated or intellectual woman
258. At First Blush At first sight
Something completely unexpected that
259. A Bolt from the Blue
surprises you
260. One's bread and butter One's means of livelihood
261. To breadth one's last To Die
To attempt to do something without
262. To make bricks without straw
proper materials
263. To kick the bucket To die
There is no need to advertise something
264. Good wine needs no bush
good
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
To expend energy in two directions at the
265. To burn the candle at both ends
same time
If you think the remarks refer to you, then
266. If the cap fits, wear it
accept the criticism
267. Care killed the cat Don’t fret and worry yourself to death
268. To Catch one's eye To attract attention
269. To take the chair To preside a meeting
270. She is no chicken She is older than she says
271. To pick and choose To make a careful selection
272. To square the circle To attempt something impossible
273. Every cloud has a silver lining Adverse conditions do not last forever
274. Close fisted Mean
275. Cut your cloth according to your cloth Live within your income
276. A cock and bull story A foolishly incredible story
277. To be cock sure To be perfectly sure or certain
278. To throw cold water upon anything To discourage efforts
279. Off color Not in the usual form
280. To commit to memory To learn by heart
Where there are more workers than
281. Too many cooks spoil the broth
necessary
282. Crocodile tears Hypocritical Tears
283. By hook or by crook By fair or foul means
284. Cut and dried Readymade
285. Up to date Recent
286. Evil days A period of misfortune
A time when there are peace and
287. Halcyon Days
happiness in the land
288. To step into dead man's shoes To come into an inheritance
289. Go to the devil Be off
290. Devil's bones Dice
291. Devil’s Playthings Playing Cards
292. Give a dog a bad name and hang him Once a person loses his reputation
Sooner or later, everyone has his share of
293. Every dog has his day
good fortune
To try to deceive someone or mislead
294. To throw dust in one's eyes
someone
A useless possession which is extremely
295. A white elephant
expensive to keep
296. To set the Thames on fire To do something sensational or
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
remarkable
One who has had a previous unpleasant
experience is always scared of situations
297. A burnt child dreads the fire
where such experiences are likely to be
repeated
298. A fish out of water Anyone in an awkward
299. Foul play Cheating
To come out of one trouble and get into a
300. To jump from a frying pan into fire
worse
Things are not always as attractive as they
301. All that glitters are not gold
appear
To continue at one’s occupation until
302. To die in harness
death
303. Make hay while the sun shines Take advantage of all opportunities
304. Lock, stock and barrel The whole of everything
Comes nowhere near it. If someone
305. A miss is as good as a mile narrowly misses the target it still is treated
as a missed one or failure.
306. To move heaven and earth To exert all efforts
It is unreliable to base one's conclusions
307. One swallow does not make a summer
on only a single test or incident
If wishing could make things happen, then
308. If wishes were horses, beggars might ride even the most destitute people would have
everything they wanted
An event which relates a sensation for a
309. A nine days' wonder
time but is soon forgotten
Newspapers which publish sensational
310. Yellow press and unscrupulous stories and exaggerates
the news to attract readers.
311. A ball park figure A general financial figure
To make certain that the amount of money
312. To balance the books spent is not more than the amount of
money received.
A product or service that makes a lot of
313. A cash cow
money for a company
314. Devil's Advocate To present a counter argument
You are not very good at something. You
315. Don't give up the day job
could not do it professionally.
316. To cook the books To modify financial statements
317. To get the sack To be dismissed from your job
318. To be snowed under To be very busy
 IDIOMS AND PHRASES
To work your fingers to the boneOrTo
319. To work really hard
sweat blood
320. Hear it on the grapevine To hear rumors
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the
321. In the heat of the moment
moment
322. Not a spark of decency No Manners
This expression is used when the person
323. Speak of the devil!
you have just been talking about arrives
324. Whole nine yards Everything. All of it
325. Your guess is as good as mine To have no idea about anything