Idioms and phrases
Idioms and phrases along with their meaning and examples
in use are given below in the box:
Sl.
Idiom Meaning In Use
No.
Under his Under someone’s Mina is under his thumb. She will obey
1.
thumb control anything he says.
Between two
Between He was between rock and hard place having
dangers, unable
2. rock and to choose either skydiving or bungee
to make a
hard place jumping.
decision.
Come off
with Be highly
3. Ravi came off the exam with flying colours.
flying successful
colours
To play
Ammu was playing ducks and drakes at the
4. ducks and To act foolishly
party.
drakes
To take
Sonia decided to take the bull by the
the bull To face a
5. horns when she got to know that she will
by the problem head on
have to answer her teachers.
horns
Rain cats There was a cyclone in the Arabian sea and
6. Rain heavily
and dogs it was raining cats and dogs at my place.
To move To make high
Raju decided to move heaven and earth if it
7. heaven effort to do
meant he could get into the cricket team.
and earth something
Bark up Priyal was barking up the wrong tree when
Accuse the wrong
8. the wrong everyone knew that Raghu was the actual
person
tree culprit.
9. Keep one Keep a distance Ravi didn’t like Suresh’s attitude, so he
at bay with someone. decided to keep him at bay.
Make a Confess the
clean wrong that Lakshmi decided to make a clean breast of
10.
breast of someone has it and confess that she had stolen the eggs.
it done
Have a
Kia knew that Dia had a card up her
card up Have a secret
11. sleeve so that she could win the
one’s plan in store
competition.
sleeve
Geena knew that the tale about Yash taking
Cock and A made up story
12. out a snake with his bare hands was a cock
bull story hard to believe
and bull story.
Ask for Babu felt that Neha was crying for the
Cry for
13. something moon when she asked him to get her a white
the moon
impossible peacock.
Show a Dev knew that Will would show him a clean
14. clean pair Run away pair of heels if asked to volunteer as a
of heels teacher.
Spread
The rumour that Raghu and Veena were
15. like Spread quickly
dating spread like wildfire.
wildfire
Tooth and With all the Suresh and Ramesh were fighting tooth and
16.
nail power nail for the sweet.
Take a
Harry was taking a leaf out of John’s
leaf out of
17. Imitate someone book when he decided to quit his job and
one’s
start a business.
book
A man of A man of no He doesn’t stay true to his word, he is a man
18.
straw substance of straw.
Read Understand a Isha read between the lines and understood
19.
between hidden meaning that Riya and Ishan had been fighting.
the lines
Smell a Suspect a foul I smelled a rat when I first hear that Fairuz
20.
rat play had done the work on her own.
Bury the End a quarrel and The witness and the lawyer decided to bury
21.
hatchet make peace the hatchet at last.
Like a
In a strange The first time I went to New York, I
22. fish out of
situation was like a fish out of water.
water
In hot I entered hot water when I disclosed that I
23. In trouble
water knew who the real culprit was.
Get cold I got cold feet at the last moment to enroll
24. Get hesitant
feet for the French program.
Basic things,
Bread and Food and shelter, I do a lot of photography, but accounting is
25.
Butter main source of my bread and butter.
income
a person or thing
that proves to be
26. A Lemon defective, His car turned out to be a lemon.
imperfect, or
unsatisfactory
Easy and
A piece of I never said that training him would be a
27 something easily
cake piece of cake
achieved.
a problem that is
very difficult to
Hard nut solve or a person
28 The team's defence is a tough nut to crack.
to crack who is very
difficult to
understand
29 Two peas Very similar; My brother and I are two peas in a pod
in a pod friends or a
couple made for
each other.
have other or
Bigger more important
30 the police and courts have bigger fish to fry
fish to fry matters to attend
to.
To egg to encourage a
Their mates egged them on to climb up the
31 someone person to do
roof without any safety gear.
on something silly.
a person of whom
Apple of a daughter who had ceased to be the apple
32 one is extremely
my eye of her father's eye
fond and proud.
something one
33 Cup of tea Story telling isn’t my cup of tea
likes or excels in
conceal or ignore
Sweep
a problem or The committee is being accused of
something
34 difficulty in the sweeping financial problems under the
under the
hope that it will carpet to avoid embarrassment
carpet
be forgotten.
Talking a lot,
especially
Full of Did the salesman tell you anything new, or
35 without saying
hot air was he just full of hot air?
anything of value
or meaning.
36 At the
We only received the signatures at the
11th hour the last moment
eleventh hour.
37 Have a to want to talk to I've got a bone to pick with you -
bone to someone about you've been using my brush again.
pick something
annoying they have
done
38 Get your become wrongly the source of this rumour got their
wires connected by wires crossed
crossed phone.
39 Draw the set a limit on what I draw the line at a pizza with
line one is willing to do anchovies on it
or accept
40 Draw a line finish talking about we need to draw a line under this
under it a topic and not whole affair, not prolong it
refer to it again
41 Bend question someone she regularly bent his ear with her
someone’s in detail about problems
ear something
42 A can of Revealing a to question the traditional model of
worms complicated matter education opens up too big a can of
/Open a can likely to prove worms
of worms awkward or
embarrassing
43 On the tip almost but not quite his name's on the tip of my tongue
of your brought to mind or
tongue spoken
44 Hit the nail describe exactly You hit the nail on the head with this
on the head what is causing a color of wallpaper for the living room;
problem or it looks better than I expected!”
situation
45 Eat your admit that Sam said it would never sell, but when
words something you said he sees these sales figures he'll have to
was wrong eat his words
46 Drag your deal with they dragged their feet through the
heels something slowly, orchard towards the house
because you don't
want to do it
47 Sit on the avoid making a You can't sit on the fence any longer -
fence decision or choice you have to decide whose side you're
on.
48 Nut shell very briefly, giving "What went wrong?"
only the main "In a nutshell, everything."
points
49 A finger in be involved in or I can't seem to do anything without
every pie influence many him being there
different activities Yesterday I went to the photography
club and he was there." "Well,
unfortunately he does have a finger in
every pie
50 Make a make a minor
mountain difficulty seem like
out of a a major one
molehill
51 Keep your stay calm and
hair on patient
52 Put all your risk losing
eggs in one everything by
basket limiting your
options
53 Keep keep something
something secret or
under confidential
wraps
54 An uphill difficult situation
struggle because
something/someone
is causing you
problems
55 Ruffle make someone
someone's angry or annoyed
feathers
56 Skate on Take a big risk
thin ice:
57 Bury your refuse to think
head in the about or deal with a
sand situation
