Idioms and Phrases
1. Make hay while the sun shines – Take advantage of favourable circumstances
2. A jack of all trade – Someone who can do many jobs but is not expert in any of them
3. Fair and square – in an honest way
4. Bite your tongue – To stop yourself from saying something
5. To be in seventh heaven – To be extremely happy
6. Turn topsy turvy – To completely change something
7. Fire in the belly – Powerful ambition
8. Give somebody a leg up – To help someone to be successful
9. A clarion call – A strong request
10. A bag of bones – A very thin person
11. To be out of action – To become dysfunctional
12. A hot potato – Something that is difficult to deal with
13. Bite the bullet – Try to do more than you are able to do
14. Feet of clay – Hidden faults
15. Feel the pinch – Having financial problems
16. Play to the gallery – To say things that will make people to admire you
17. Pay over the odds – Pay more than usual
18. A turn of the screw – An action which makes a bad situation worst
19. At somebody’s elbow – To be near to someone in order to help
20. A forgone conclusion – A result that can be predicted
21. At sixes and sevens – In a state of total confusion
22. Through thick and thin – Through difficult time
23. Be out of count – Sleeping deeply
24. Apples and oranges – People who are different/ no comparison
25. Counting your chickens – Confident of success
26. Once in a blue moon – Rarely
27. Talking twenty to a dozen – Talking hurriedly
28. Be in the red – To owe money to a bank
29. Early bird – Someone who gets up early in the morning
30. A pearl of wisdom – An important piece of advice
31. Lock horns – Argue about something
32. From pillar to post – Keep moving from one place to another
33. Spill the beans – Disclose a secret
34. Turn the tables – To change the situation completely
35. Wild goose chase – Useless efforts
36. To be in the doldrums – To be in low spirits
37. Yoman’s service – Excellent work
38. Set one’s heart on – To have as one’s ambition to obtain something
39. Set one’s teeth on edge – To irritate
40. Put the cart before the horse – To do things wrongly
41. Man of the world – An experienced man
42. Man of straw – Weak man
43. Kangaroo court – An illegal court
44. Have several irons in fire – To be involved in many activities
45. Halcyon days – Peaceful days
46. Play fast and loose – Be unreliable
47. Roll up one’s sleeves – To be prepare for hard work
48. Scratch one’s head – To be perplex
49. Show a clean pair of heels – To run away
50. Strain every nerve – To make every possible effort
