Idioms

 Under the weather - Feeling ill / Getting a cold

My mom was feeling a bit under the weather.

 Cold feet - Becoming nervous

It was her chance to speak and she was getting cold feet.

 Apple of my eye - Used to refer to someone whom you are very fond of or like
My younger brother is the apple of my eye.

 Set the record straight - To reveal the truth / To clarify

In order to set the record straight, the umpires checked the camera to review the previous
shot.

 Kill two birds with a stone - Achieve two results by doing one thing
None of us understood that he was trying to kill two birds with a stone when he joined the
military forces.

 Snowed under - To be busy

My father seems to have been snowed under for the last few weeks.

 To break someone’s bubble - To do or say something that proves someone else’s beliefs
are not true

Glint just broke my bubble when he said that he was a part of it.

 Walk on eggshells - To be very careful with your actions and words

Talking to my mom about my grades made me feel like I was walking on eggshells.

 Bite the bullet - Finish something no matter how unsatisfying or unpleasant it is /

Get something over with
Danny had been putting off discussing the financial management of the company but
decided to bite the bullet and talk to Sid today.

 Make two ends meet - To have just enough money for all your needs
Harry and Hani are finding it really difficult to make two ends meet.

 To be at loggerheads with someone - To quarrel or disagree

Jithin’s parents seem to be at loggerheads over something or the other all the time.

 Pretty penny - Expensive

The dress she wants for her birthday will cost a pretty penny.

 Break a leg - Used instead of good luck

The teacher asked us to break a leg at the annual day dance.
 Through thick and thin - At all times – both good and bad
My friends are always there for me through thick and thin.

 Beat around the bush - Not saying directly

Jason’s neighbour kept beating around the bush and did not give a direct answer.

 Hang in there - Stay strong in a difficult situation

Hang in there! Everything will be okay before you know it.

 Cut corners - Purchase something in the least expensive way or do something easily /
reduce expenses
I often cut corners in order to buy something for my brother.

 Steal someone’s thunder - Directing the attention and doing something to gain praise and
preventing another person from gaining praise
Monica claimed that Rachel tried to steal her thunder.

 Call it a day - To stop doing something

After the movie, we had planned to go to the beach, but we decided to call it a day as
everyone was tired.

 Better late than never - To do something rather than not doing

Well, we thought it was better late than never, but where are the others?

 Stick to your guns - Stay morally strong or be firm in decisions especially when being
opposed
The lawyer asked Rakesh to stick to his guns if he wants to win the case.

 Leave no stone unturned - To look everywhere without missing a spot or to take every
o effort possible to achieve something
The police were determined not to leave any stone unturned.

 Clouds on the horizon - Problems/ Trouble

Vishnu sensed that there were multiple clouds on the horizon.

 A blessing in disguise - Something that you think is bad but turns out to be a blessing
Me catching a cold was a blessing in disguise.

 Blue in the face - To be exhausted due to strain or anger

Usha looked blue in the face after the marathon.

 Make a long story short - To say something in simple words in a brief manner
We decided to cut the long story short and tell them what actually happened at the mall.
 Cup of tea - Not something that a person would do
Cooking has never been Rachel’s cup of tea.

 Beating a dead horse - Overdoing something or an action that is pointless

She was just beating a dead horse in thinking she could change his mind.

 Speak of the devil - A phrase used to refer to a person who appears as soon as they are
being mentioned
Speak of the devil! Here he comes.

 Let sleeping dogs lie - To stop discussing something that is already over or sorted out
The police had warned us to let sleeping dogs lie and move ahead with our lives.

 Let the cat out of the bag - Reveal a secret carelessly

He just let the cat out of the bag by revealing the gender of the baby.

 Elephant in the room - A controversial problem or a major issue

We had to identify the elephant in the room before we made a decision.

 To say in a nutshell - To sum up the points and be brief

The teacher asked us to quote the findings in a nutshell.

 Worth its weight in gold - To be highly valuable

Every word of what you say is worth its weight in gold.

 To weather the storm - To go through something difficult

My mom taught me how to stand strong and weather the storm.

 A piece of cake - An easy task

Solving the Wordle everyday was just a piece of cake.

 Get your act together - To stop fooling around and do something in the way it should be done

It is time you get your act together and do something useful.

 Cost an arm and a leg - Used to refer to something that is extremely expensive
I think it will cost an arm and a leg to get the car my brother wants.

 On top of the world - A state of extreme happiness

Niya seemed to be on top of the world since she heard the news of her son’s promotion.

 Time is money - To work quickly in the time that is left

The manager encouraged the employees to realise that time is money and work harder.

 Get out of hand - Not in one’s control anymore

The situation has gotten out of hand and there is nothing anyone here can do to help.
 Like two peas in a pod - Be together always
My cousin and I are always like two peas in a pod.

 Know which way the wind blows - To understand what is happening

As a detective, you are always obliged to learn which way the wind blows and then make
a statement.

 Hit the nail on the head - To do something the exact way in which it should be done /
Also refers to giving a direct answer
Harish hit the nail on the head with his decision to buy this piece of land.

 Catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar - Getting what you want by being nice

If you ask politely, you may be able to catch more flies with honey than you can with
vinegar.

 Let someone off the hook - Releasing someone or letting someone go

The court decided to let the guy off the hook as there was no evidence proving his crime.

 Like riding a bicycle - A skill that you learn and will never forget
Learning a language is like riding a bicycle; you will never forget it.

 Blame one’s tools - Blaming something on someone else

When he understood he had no way out of the problem, he blamed his tools.

 It’s not rocket science - Not that difficult to comprehend

Cooking sambar is easy; I will figure it out. After all, it is not rocket science.

 Spill the beans - Reveal a secret

Remya spilled the beans about her sister coming to her mom.

 Get the show on the road - Start something or begin an enterprise

The circus company had completed its trail run and was ready to get the show on the
road.

 Pull the last straw - The final point in a series of unfortunate events when you feel you cannot
take it anymore
Sheetal decided to pull the last straw and inform the manager about what was happening
in the office.

 That ship has sailed - It is too late to do something

Norah said that she won’t be performing live anymore as she announced to the press,
“That ship has sailed”.
 It is always the darkest before dawn - Something good is coming / Things will get better
Do not be worried about what is going on in your life right now; it is always the darkest
before dawn.

 Have one’s head in the clouds - To have no concentration at all

I knew that you had your head in the clouds throughout the ceremony. What happened to
you?

 On thin ice - Used to refer to a sensitive scenario or a person who is in trouble

Zeke was on thin ice; he had to figure out a way to help his brother.

 Give a cold shoulder - Act rudely to someone

Nobody knows why Dias gave Rayon a cold shoulder.

 Cannot make an omelette without breaking some eggs - Everything has a cost to pay
You just have to understand that you cannot make an omelette without breaking some
eggs.

 Once bitten, twice shy - Being extremely cautious as you have been hurt already
Nitheesh has been extremely careful with making new friends. After all, once bitten,
twice shy right?

 Bolt from the blue - Something that happens unexpectedly or without a warning
The news of my friend’s pregnancy was a bolt from the blue.

 When it rains, it pours - When everything goes wrong at once

They not only left home late but also got stuck in traffic. When it rains, it pours.

 Miss the boat - To act too slowly and miss an opportunity

You will miss the boat if you wait any longer.

 Pull someone’s leg - To make fun of someone

Kevin’s friends kept pulling his leg all evening.

 No pain no gain - Suffering or making efforts is required to achieve something

It is better you start learning now. It will be difficult but no pain, no gain.

 See eye to eye - Have the same opinion or have the same point of view
It is highly required that you both see eye to eye if you want this resolved.

 Wear your heart on your sleeve - To be extremely open about what you feel and think
Divya wears her heart on her sleeve; she tends to get hurt very often.

 Takes two to tango - Two persons are equally responsible for what is happening or
has happened
It is not possible Sandhya is the only one involved. After all, it takes two to tango.
 Come rain or shine - No matter what happens
Come rain or shine, I will be there for you.

 So far so good - Means that everything has turned out well until that point
Everything so far has been so good.

 Comparing apples to oranges - To compare two things that are completely different
and cannot be compared
Comparing a doctor’s profession to a teacher’s profession is like comparing apples to
oranges.

 When pigs fly - When something uncanny or impossible happens

Pigs would fly if you cooked.

 The best of both worlds - Good in every way

Having my best friend is the best of both worlds.

 Burn bridges - Do something to spoil relationships

Susan did not realise she would be burning bridges when she took up the job.

 The whole nine yards - Refer to everything that is there

He has to sell the whole nine yards if he wants to buy that house.

 Grass is greener on the other side - Never being satisfied with what one gets
For her, grass is always greener on the other side.

 Every dog has its day - Everyone gets a chance

Do not worry about it. Every dog has his day. Today, it is his.

 Counting your chickens before they hatch - Expecting good results before something is done

She started counting her chickens before they hatched. That will only disappoint her; I
hope she understands.

 Go down in flames - To fail terribly

Everything went down in flames when we lost the lottery.

 Adding fuel to the fire - Aggravating the problem

She was just adding fuel to the fire telling Tom’s mom about his health.

 Wrap your head around something - Try to make sense about what is going on
My mom was finding it hard to wrap her head around the fact that I am getting married
tomorrow.

 Cut the mustard - Do a perfectly good job

The police cut the mustard in finding the gang that robbed the bank.
 Jump from the frying pan into the fire - Refers to a situation becoming worse
He did not know he was jumping off the frying pan into the fire when he decided to speak
about the problems at work.

 Cry over spilt milk - Worrying or complaining about something that cannot be fixed/rectified

There is no use crying over spilt milk; you just have to move on with your life.

 Have a method to one’s madness - Seeming to be crazy but in fact, clever

Everyone thinks he is crazy, but he sure has a method to his madness.

 Do something at the drop of a hat - Do something unplanned

He can plan a whole trip at the drop of a hat.

 Get wind of something - To have information about something secret

It is so hard to get wind of what is going on here.

 Hear it from the horse’s mouth - To know something from the person involved
We finally heard it from the horse’s mouth.

 Fit as a fiddle - To be in good health

My great grandmother is surprisingly fit as a fiddle.

 Take everything with a pinch of salt - Refers to being sceptic and not believing blindly
My mom always asks to believe everyone with a pinch of salt.

 A pain in the neck - Refers to a person who is annoying

Rayana was a constant pain in the neck.

 The best thing since sliced bread - A good and useful invention
The smartphone is the best thing since sliced bread.

 Walk in the other’s shoes - To understand what the other is going through
You will not understand unless you walk in their shoes.

 Break the ice - To make people feel comfortable with those who are unfamiliar to them
The communication trainer conducted an activity to break the ice.

 Having a monkey on your back - To have a problem that you cannot solve or get rid off easily

Not completing my degree is a monkey on my back.

 Go on a wild goose chase - Doing something pointless

Finding the red and black dress I saw online felt like going on a wild goose chase.
 Rain cats and dogs - Raining heavily
It has been raining cats and dogs since yesterday.

 Once in a blue moon - Very rarely

We met each other only once in a blue moon.

 Bark up the wrong tree - Following a misguided or mistaken thought or action

He did not know he was barking up the wrong tree.

 Have the ball in one’s court - One can make a call / decide on their own
Rahul finally had the ball in his court.

 Devil quoting the Bible - Good things being twisted for selfish and evil purposes
Mephistopheles speaking about going to heaven is like the devil quoting the Bible.

 The devil is in the details - Refers to something that seems to be good only from a distance
Haven’t you heard the devil’s in the details?

 Other fish in the sea - More opportunities

My father told me not to worry about the competition as there would be other fish in the
sea.

 A snowball’s chance in hell - No chance at all at surviving

You will require a snowball’s chance in hell to clear this exam.

 Something ain’t over until the fat lady sings - It is not over yet / there is more to the situation

For all we know, this will not end until the fat lady sings.

 Bounce off the walls - To be extremely excited and energetic

The children were bouncing off the walls the moment they heard about going to an
amusement park this weekend.

 As right as rain - Something is perfect

I don’t know about the others, but I feel that your decision is as right as rain.

 To get bent out of shape - To be upset, to take offence, to be angry

My cousins have been bent out of shape after my uncle passed away.

 Every cloud has a silver lining - There is always some good in every thing that happens /
o Something good will happen after something bad
Do not be worried about your current situation; after all, every cloud has a silver lining.
 Play the devil’s advocate - To argue or fight over something just for the sake of it
We had no idea why he was playing the devil’s advocate when he knew what had
happened.

 Cross that bridge when we get to it - Deal with the problem when it happens
I know there are decisions to be made about the selling of the house but we will cross that
bridge when we get to it. As of now, let us focus on this.

 Throw caution to the wind - To take a risk

Gaurav threw caution to the wind in trying to save me from the accident.

 A penny for your thoughts - Used to ask someone what they are thinking
I would like to give a penny for your thoughts.

 Bite off more than you can chew - To do more than you can
My mom thinks that my brother is biting off more than he can chew by taking up a night
job and a day job.

 Judging a book by its cover - Judge or form an opinion on someone based on appearances
People are known to always judge a book by its cover.
 Rain on one’s parade - To spoil someone’s moment of praise / To spoil something
Rachel did not really think she was raining on Monica’s parade when she announced
about her new job.

 By the skin of your teeth - By a very narrow margin, the slightest if chances
The doctors said that Manu had escaped serious injuries by the skin of his teeth.

 Put all your eggs in one basket - Doing something risky

Rounak’s parents think that he is putting all his eggs in one basket.

 Put something on ice - To hold off something

We decided to put the case on ice until we had some clue of what had happened.

 Cannot have a cake and eat it too - Cannot have everything for yourself
It is not at all that you have the cake and eat it too.