S.No.

Idioms/Phrases English Meaning

1. A hard nut to crack A difficult problem
2. A thorn in the flesh A constant source of annoyance
3. At one’s beck and call Under one’s control
4. An acid test A critical test
5. All eye for an eye Tit for tat
6. At once At the same time, promptly, instant
7. At home Comfortable
8. All in all Most important
9. Achilles’ heels A small but fatal weakness
10. Add fuel to fire To make a matter worse
11. An arm chair job Good income job with high comfort
12. An axe to grind Something done for selfish reasons
13. An iron will Strong will power
14. An old flame A person, one had a romantic relationship with, in the past.
A child or young person who thinks and talks like an older and experienced
15. An old head on young shoulders
person
16. An olive branch Peace request/peace treaty
17. Apple of discord Matter of dispute
18. Apple of one’s eye Very lovable/dearest one
19. Apple pie order In good condition
20. At a lose To be unable to decide
21. At a pinch In a trouble
22. At arm’s length Avoid becoming too friendly
23. At daggers drawn To have bitter enmity
24. At ease Free from pain and anxiety
25. At one’s finger ends To have complete knowledge, to be expert in
26. At one’s wits ends Puzzled/confused/perplexed
27. At sixes and sevens In disorder
28. At stake At risk or insecure
29. At the eleventh hour At last moment
30. A man of straw A man with no voice or will of his own/(a man of no substance)
31. A black sheep An unlucky person, Bad characters
32. At a snail’s pace Very slowly
33. At logger heads In dispute, to fight
34. All at sea Completely confused
35. A white elephant An expensive but useless possession
36. Axe out To turn out
37. Bring to light Disclose
38. Bread and butter Material welfare
39. By and by Slowly
40. Back stair gossip Talk among servants/unfair talk
41. Back and forth Backward and forward
42. Bad blood Enmity/ bitter relation, Ill feelings
43. Bag and baggage With all belongings
44. Baker’s dozen Thirteen in number
Be born with a silver spoon in one’s
45. To be born in a rich family
mouth
46. Be in the driving seat Bearing all responsibilities
47. Bear the brunt of To bear the main part of something unpleasant
48. Beat about the bush To talk in a roundabout manner/circumlocution
49. Beat black and blue Beat mercilessly
50. Beat the record to do better than ever before
51. Beat hollow To beat thoroughly and convincingly
52. Bed of roses Pleasant situation of comfort
53. Bed of thorns A situation of extremely difficulty
54. Beggar description A person with no source
55. Bell the cat Taking first step at personal risk
56. Between the devil and the deep sea Between two difficult situation
57. Between Scylla and Charybdis Between two difficult situation
58. Big gun An influential person
59. Bird of passage One who comes occasionally
60. Bird’s eye view Overview
61. Bird’s of feather People with the same idea, characteristics and interests
62. Bite the dust To be defeated
63. Black sheep A person who is regarded as disgrace of his family/team etc…
64. Blind alley A situation in which no further progress can be made
65. Blind date A meeting between a girl and a boy, who have not met before
66. Blow one’s own trumpet To praise oneself
67. Blue blood Royal or aristocratic descent
68. Blue book Government report
69. Body and soul Entirely
70. Bolt from the blue Unexpected problem
71. Bone of contention Subject of a dispute
72. Boon/blessing in disguise Hidden blessing
73. Bosom friend Fast friend
74. Break the ice Break the silence/to start a conversation
75. Breathe one’s last To pass way/ to die
76. Broad day light In day light (when crime cannot be hidden)
77. Broken reed A weak, unreliable person
78. Brown study A state of deep thought
79. Bull in the china shop One who is out of place in a dedicated situation
80. Burn a hole in the pocket Money spend quickly
81. Burn one’s finger To get oneself into trouble
82. Burn the candle at both ends To work very hard and stay very late at night and get up early in the morning
83. Burn one’s boats Go back on a decision
84. Burn the midnight oil Laboring/studying late night
85. Burning question An important topic, hot issue
86. Bury the hatchet To end enmity/hostility
87. By fits and starts Irregularly/sporadic
88. By hook or by crook By any means, right or wrong
89. By leaps and boundslhek) At a rapid pace
90. By the skins of one’s teeth/ by a whisker Narrowly/ by a hair breadth
91. By long adds By a great difference
92. Bricks and mortar Buildings
93. Blow hot and cold Support and oppose

94. Bring home To convince

95. Bite one’s lips Control one’s anger
96. Beat black and blue Beat mercilessly

97. Bee in one’s bonnet To be crazy about something

98. Be nipped in the bud To destroy a thing in the very beginning
99. To be above board To be honest in any business deal
100. By and large On the whole, speaking generally
101. Blow hot and cold To be irresolute
102. To be on one’s mind To worry about something
103. Bear the hunt Suffer the most
104. To be on the apex To be at the highest point
105. By the strong hand By force
To blow one’s stack top or blow a
106. Lose one’s temper, become extremely angry
fuse/gasket
107. To beat a hasty retreat go away hurriedly
Spending time and energy in doing something that is useless and wastage of
108. Carry the coal to new castle
energy
109. Cast pearls before the swine A right thing in a wrong hand
110. Castles in the air Day dream/a hope or desire unlikely to be realized
111. Cat and dog life Troublesome life
112. Catch the tarter To grapple with an unexpectedly/ to catch a dangerous person
113. Cat’s paw A person used by another as a dupe or tool
114. Chew the cud To ponder over/meditate
115. Chicken hearted Lacking courage/cowardly
116. Cock and bull story A concocted story
117. Crocodile tears An false display of grief
118. Cross swords To quarrel or fight
119. Cry for the moon To desire the unattainable
120. Cry over spilled milk Regret in vain for what cannot be undone
121. Cut a sorry fingure To give a poor show
122. Cut both ways Argue in favour of both sides
123. Cut no ice To fail to make an impression
124. Creature comforts Luxuries
125. Curry favour to seek to win favour by gifts or flattery
126. Cheek by jowl very close- intimate
127. Catch a straw to accept help and support even from the insignificant
128. Cry wolf go give false alarm
129. Call a spade a spade Resist from making controversial statement, be out spoken in language
130. Cut both end Behave dishonestly
131. Cut the Gordian knot To short out the problem
132. Clear the decks To remove obstructions
133. Crust fallen To be dejected
134. Cool head To have a nature of not easily being excited
135. Come a cropper To fail completely
136. Come back to earth Return to reality
137. Call in question To doubt, find fault with
138. Cut a sorry figure Not to leave a good impression
139. Cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth To live within one’s means
140. Dance to one’s tune Obeying one’s order
141. Dark horse One who wins unexpectedly
142. Dead letter A law or ordinance that is no longer enforced
143. Damocles sword Constant threat
144. Die a dog’s death To die a shameful death
145. Die in harness Die while in service
146. Dog in the manger A person who prevents others from enjoying what he cannot
147. Donkey’s years A long time
148. Draw a line Set a limit
149. Duck in a thunder storm In a painful condition
150. Do a good turn Do an act of kindness
151. Eagle eyed With keen eye sight
152. Eat humble pie To apologize
153. Eat one’s words Take the statement back
154. Eat one’s heart out Suffer silently
155. Elbow room Sufficient scope to move or function
156. End in smoke Come to nothing
157. Escape one’s lips Speak unintentionally or unexpectedly
158. Edge out To push out slowly
159. Egg-on To instigate to proceed further
160. Eke out Supplement income
161. Fabian policy Deliberate slow policy/policy of delaying decisions
162. Fair and square In an honest way
163. Fair sex Women
164. Fair weather friend Selfish friend who are with us only in comfortable situations.
165. Fancy price At any cost/at demanded prices
166. Feather in the cap Additional success
167. Feather one’s nest To enrich oneself by taking advantage of one’s position
168. Fight shy of To attempt to avoid a thing or person
169. Fish in trouble waters To take advantages of the problems of others
170. Fish out of water Out of one’s usual and uncomfortable place
171. Fly in the ointment A light unpleasant thing that obstruct the enjoyment of something
172. Fool’s paradise A state of being happy for foolish or unfounded reasons
173. Forty winks A nap
174. French leave A leave without information or permission
175. Fringe benefits An additional benefit apart from salary
176. From hand to mouth Providing only bare essential
177. Flesh and blood A human being with his natural limitation

178. Gala day Celebration day

179. Get away with To escape
180. Get down to To attend to work seriously
181. Get into a soup Get into a trouble
182. Get into hot water Get into a trouble
183. Get off scot free To escape without punishment
184. Get on one’s nerves To irritate or annoy
185. Get the wind of To know the secrets
186. Go the whole hog Do something fully, completely
187. Give up the ghost To die, stop working, stop doing something
188. Go down well with Applauded by
189. Get the wind up To be scared
190. Give me a hand To take help
191. Gain ground Become popular
192. Gribble- gabble Foolish talk
193. Gift of the gab To talk well/ talent of speaking
194. Give a piece of mind To rebuke scold
195. Go through fire and water To brave any danger
196. Go to dogs To deteriorate/degenerate
197. Go to rack and ruin To decay or get destroyed
198. Good Samaritan A person who helps and pays sympathy to those in distress
199. Grass widow A woman who is separated, divorced or lives apart from her husband
200. Grease the palm To bribe
201. Green room A lounge in a theatre or studio for the performers to get ready
202. Grist to one’s mill Something that can be used for one’s advantages
203. Halcyons days Peaceful days
204. Hammer and sickle A symbolic representation of communism in general
205. Hand and glove with In close co-operation
206. Hang by a thread Be in a risky situation
207. Hard nut to crack A difficult problem to solve/a person difficult to understand
208. Haul over the coals To take to task, to reprimand
209. Have finger in the pie To be involved in something
210. Have one’s hand full To be completely occupied
211. Have one’s way The way one wants
212. Have several iron in the fire To be involved in many project or activities at the same time
213. Hen-pecked husband Admirer of one’s own wife in a servile manner
214. Herculean task Task requiring tremendous effort
215. High and dry In a deprived situation (alone)
216. High hand Overbearing
217. High living Living with comfort and ease
218. Hit below the belt To strike unfairly
219. Hit the jackpot Gaining a big/great success (specially by luck)
220. Hit the nail on the head To do the right thing at the right time
221. Hobson’s choice No alternatives
222. Hole and corner policy Secret policy
223. Hold no water Not correct or true
224. Hue and cry Any loud public outcry

225. Hush money Money given to someone to keep something secret

226. In a fix In difficulty
227. In no time Very quickly indeed
228. In a fog Confused, not able to understand
229. In a nutshell In very brief form
230. In black and white In printed or written form
231. In full swing At the height of activity
232. In the blues In dumps depressed
233. In the long run Ultimately
234. In the nick of the time At the last possible moment
235. In the same boat Sharing the same problems
236. In vogue In the current fashions
237. Ins and outs Intricacies or complications/full detail
238. Iron hand/iron fist Rigorous control
239. Itching palm Craving for bribe
240. Itsy bitsy Very small or tiny
241. Jack of all trades and master of none A person who knows many different kinds of work but is a master of none
242. Jail word A person who is or has been confined in jail
243. Jaundice eye To look at a conclusion prematurely
244. Kangaroo’s court An illegal court
245. Keep one’s cards close to one’s chest Hiding something
246. Keep one’s finger crosses To wait expectantly
247. Keep one’s word To keep one’s promises
248. Keep the ball rolling To maintain the progress of a project or plan
249. Keep the wolf from the door To avert poverty/starvation
250. Kill two birds with one stone Doing two things at the same time while effort is made for one
251. Kith and kin Blood relation/Nepotism
252. Knit one’s brow To frown
253. Lady’s man A man who is fond of the company of women
254. Lame excuse False excuse/baseless excuse
255. Left-handed complement An insult disguise as a compliment
256. Lion’s share Large part
257. Live in an ivory tower Living in comfort and being unaware of realities of other’s miseries
258. Loaves and fishes Material benefit.
259. Look of colours Look ill or unhealthy.
260. Look through coloured glasses To see with different
261. Lump in the throat A tight or uncomfortable feeling in throat due to emotions
262. Mad as a march hare Crazy and insane
To tell the truth about something especially something bad or illegal you have done or
263. Make a clean breast of
you do not.
264. Maiden name A woman’s surname before marriage
265. Maiden speech First speech
266. Make a hash To mess up
267. Make a mountain out of a mole hill To exaggerate a minor difficulty
268. Make both ends meet To live within one’s means

269. Make hay while the sun shines To take the benefit of an opportunity
270. Make or mar To make or destroy
271. Make the best of both the worlds Getting benefited from both the sides
272. Make up one’s mind To decide
273. Man of means A wealthy man
274. Man of iron Man with strong will-power
275. Man of letter Learned person
276. Man of parts A man of qualities
277. Man of spirit A man full of enthusiasm
278. Man of straw A weak person or idea that is easy to defeat
279. Man of the world An experienced person
280. Man of word True to one’s word or promises
281. A man of God A male priest
282. A match made in heaven A happy and harmonious marriage or partnership
283. Mare’s nest A false invention/ rumour
284. Midas touch A man with extraordinary
285. Mince matters To moderate or restrain one’s language
286. To mind one’s P’s and Q’s Taking care of behaviour properly
287. Miss the beat To lose an opportunity
288. Mother wit Common sense
289. Move heaven and earth To try one’s best
290. To make one’s mark Become famous, well known
291. Milk of human kindness Good feelings towards others
292. Made of money Very wealthy
293. Man of/in the street Ordinary, average person
294. Make head or tail Understand
295. Meet one’s waterloo Make one feel terrified, horrified
296. Much cry and little wool Lots of fanfare for something which have very little importance
297. Narrow escape/close shave To escape by a little margin
298. Nig-nag A noun used to address someone (with jock and furnace)
299. Nine day’s wonder Something that arouses great interest but for a very short period
300. Null and void Ineffective
301. Nurse and grudge Bear resentment for long period
302. Oily tongue Flattering words
303. On one’s guard Vigilant, careful
304. On one’s last legs Close to collapsing
305. Once for all For the last time/conclusively
306. Out of sorts Unwell, slightly ill
307. Once in a blue moon Very seldom
308. Open question A question which may have more than one answer
309. Palmy days Prosperous/affluent days
310. Pandora’s box A source of extensive but unforeseen troubles
311. Part and parcel Inseparable part
312. Past master An expert
313. Pay the piper To bear the cost of something/some

314. Pay through his nose To pay dearly

315. Penny wise pound foolish Careful about trifles but wasteful in large venture
316. Pick up the gauntlet To accept the challenge
317. Play duck and drakes To waste money
318. Play second fiddle To be at a subordinate position
319. Play truant To be absent from duty without permission
320. Poison someone ears To speak against one to another
321. Poke one’s nose To interfere
322. Pour oil on troubled water To pacify the matters
323. Pros and cons To evaluate the advantages and disadvantages
324. Pull one’s legs To make fun of or to tease
325. Pull the wool over somebody’s eyes To mislead/Cheat
326. Put a spoke in one’s wheel To obstruct, thwarft the execution of the plan, to stop someone’s plan
327. Put in cold storage To keep a work pending
328. Put one’s foot down To act firmly
329. Put one’s shoulders to the wheel To work or exert oneself heavily
330. Put the cart before the horse To do things wrongly
331. Put the cat among pigeons To say/do something that causes trouble or make many very angry
332. Quarrel with one’s bread and butter To fight with the executive or employer, who is providing one’s means of living
333. Queer fish Strange person
334. Rain cats and dogs Rain very heavily
335. Rainy day Future time of need, especially financial need
336. Read between the lines To understand the hidden meaning
337. Red handed Exactly while committing a crime or doing something wrong
338. Red letter day A memorably important or happy occasion
339. Red tapism Strict adherence to excessive paper work and official formalities
340. Rest on one’s laurels Depending on the achievement made in the past
341. Rhyme or reason Sense, logic or meaning
342. Right hand man One’s most supporter person
343. Rock the boat To disturb a situation which was otherwise stable
344. Rolling stone A restless person
345. Royal road An easy or direct way of achieving a desired result
346. Rule the roost To dominate
347. Run amuck Made with murderous frenzy
348. run of the mill Average/common
349. Run the gauntlet To go through an unpleasant experience
350. Root and branch completely
351. Sail under false colours To pretend to be something that you are not
352. Save one’s skin To save oneself
353. See eye to eye Showing agreement/to agree
354. See pink elephant Any visual hallucination arising due to intoxication

355. See red Be very angry

356. See through Comprehend
357. Set at naught To disregard or treat as of no importance
358. Set one’s face against To oppose with determination
359. Set one’s heart on To have as one’s ambition to obtain something
360. Set one’s teeth on edge To irritate or annoy someone
361. Set the Thames on fire To achieve something amazing
362. Shoulder to shoulder With united effort
363. Show white feather To show cowardice
364. Sine die Indefinitely
365. Sit on the fence Refuse to take side in a dispute
366. Slip of the tongue Spoken unintentionally
367. Slow coach A person with lazy approach of working
368. Small fry Insignificant person
369. Smell a rat To suspect something wrong done
370. Smooth sailing Easy progress
371. Snake in the grass A secret enemy
372. Shake in the shoes A tremble with fear or apprehension
373. Show the dragon’s teeth To create future trouble for yourself or others
374. Speak one’s mind Speak what one really thinks
375. Spick and span In order/neat and clean
376. Stand on one’s legs To be self-dependent
377. Stand/stick to one’s guns To be strict and determined
378. State somebody in good stead To be of great use and benefit to someone
379. Steal a march To obtain an advantage by secret means
380. Step into another’s shoes To take over a job/responsibility of some other person
381. Stiff-necked person Stubborn or arrogant
382. Stir a finger Making effort
383. Stone’s throw Very near
384. Street Arabs A homeless person (especially who survive by begging)
385. Sum and substance Main idea or gist
386. Swan song The last ceremony or farewell
387. Sweat of one’s brow Hard labour
388. Swelled head Grand opinion of oneself/conceited
389. Sworn enemy People enemies
390. Sang froid Composure
391. Spilling the beans Reveal the information indiscreetly
392. Set the record straight Give a correct account
393. Safe and sound Quite well
394. Snake in the shoes To be in a state of fear
395. Snake in the grass A hidden army
396. Salad days Adolescence
397. Shake a leg To go fast, hurry
398. Spread like wild fire Spread quickly
399. Take away one’s breath Take by storm
400. Take by storm To surprise unexpectedly
401. Take into account To consider
402. Take one at one’s word To be convinced of one’s sincerity and act in accordance with his/her statement
403. Take the bull by the horns To adopt the most direct but the most dangerous way of facing a difficulty
404. Take to one’s heels To run away
405. Talk big To boast or brag
406. Talk of the town To be the person or subject everyone is talking about

407. The printer’s devils Error in printing

408. Think twice To consider carefully before deciding
409. Through thick and thin In good and bad times
410. Throw cold water To criticise or stop someone from doing something that he is enthusiastic about
411. Throw down the gauntlet To challenge
412. Tooth and nail To violently
413. True to one’s salt Loyal person
414. Turn a deaf ear to Not to pay attention to
415. Turn over a new leaf To be entirely changed (for good)
416. Turn the corner To pass through a critical point in a process
417. Turn turtle To overturn
418. Throw out of gear Disturb the work
419. Take to one’s heels Run away
420. To go the whole hog To do complete
421. Time and tide Course of time
422. The long and short of In brief
423. To crow over To triumph over someone
424. To blow a fuse To turn someone angry
425. Take your medicine To accept the consequences of something you have done wrong
426. To leave someone in the lurch To desert someone in his difficulties
427. To join forces Join together, become united
428. To kick of a row Raise dispute
429. To laugh in or up one’s sleeves Be secretly amused
430. Turn a blind eye To ignore intentionally
431. Take one to task Rebuke, scold, castigate
432. Turn a deaf ear Disregard / ignore what one says
433. Turn up one’s nose at To take lightly with contempt
434. Under the nose of Right in front of someone
435. Under the thumb of Under the power influence of
436. Up and doing Active in work
437. Up one’s sleeves An item kept hidden and used whenever required
438. Uphill task Difficult task
439. Upon one’s sweet will Oneself desire or wish
440. Ups and downs God and bad times
441. Utopian scheme A visionary scheme though impractical
442. Weather the storm Survive by coming out of difficulties
443. Well-to-do Affluent
444. Wet blanket One who spoil the enjoyment
445. Wheels within wheels A series of intricately connected events
446. White elephant Expensive but no use
447. White lie A minor lie
448. Will o’ the wisp Elusive/unreal
449. Windfall Sudden gain received unexpectedly
450. With a grain of salt To accept with misgiving
451. With one accord\in one voice Unanimously
452. Wolf in sheep’s clothing A malicious person in harmless or benevolent disguise
453. Word for word In exactly the same word
454. Word of mouth Informal oral communication
455. Yeoman’s service Excellent work