A backseat driver To give unnecessary advice

A baker's dozen A group of 13

A bad egg Someone who is dishonest and unreliable
A bed of roses Pleasant condition of life
A bird's eye view A cursory look/Aerial view
A black sheep A disgrace for the family
A blessing in disguise Bad thing that turns out to be good.
A bolt from the blue An unexpected event
A bone of contention A cause of dispute
A bull in a China shop A clumsy person in a delicate situation
A cake walk Easy Task
A change of heart Changed opinion about someone or something
A catch 22 situation A difficult situation in which the solution to a problem is
impossible
A child's play An easy task
A chip off the old block A person who is similar to one's parents in behaviour or looks
A close-fisted person A miserly person
A close shave A narrow escape from any danger or disaster
A cock and bull story A foolish and concocted story
A dark horse An unexpected winner
A dime a dozen Common and easily available
A dog's life A miserable existence
A dry run A rehearsal
A fair-weather friend A selfish friend
A fish out of water In an uncomfortable position
A fool's paradise A state of imaginary happiness
A green horn An Inexperienced person
A gut feeling A instinct or intuition feeling
A hornet's nest An unpleasant situation
A hot potato A controversial issue
A leopard can't change his spots You cannot change who you are
A live wire A very active or energetic person
A man of letters Scholar/a well educated and a wise person
A mare's nest A false invention/a confused situation
A needle in a haystack Something impossible to find
A piece of cake An easy task
A pipe dream An illusory plan/An unreal hope on your part
A Red letter day A memorable and important day
A shot in the arm A boost or stimulant
A skeleton in the cupboard An embarrassing fact to be kept secret
A snake in the grass Hidden enemy
A square deal A honest and fair transaction or trade
A storm in a tea cup A lot of anger and worry about trivial things
A wet blanket Someone who ruins other people's fun
A white elephant A costly but useless possession
A wild goose chase A futile search/effort
A wolf in sheep's clothing A dangerous person pretending to be harmless
Above board Honest and frank
Actions speak louder than words What you do is more important than what you say
Add fuel to the fire To worsen an already bad situation
Add insult to injury To make a bad situation worse
Against the clock In a great hurry to do something
All and sundry Everyone without distinction
All bark and no bite Full of talk, but low on action
All Greek to me Incomprehensible
All in all Having all authority
An achilles' Heel A vulnerable point or fault in one's character
An apple of one's eye A person of that someone loves very much
An arm and a leg Very expensive
An axe to grind A personal reason for being involved in something
A feather in one's cap An achievement to be proud of
A flash in the pan Something that is successful for short time
An eagle eye Sharp vision, Ability to see or observer keenly
Apple of discord The cause of dispute, misunderstanding or fight.
Apples and oranges Unequal Comparison
Argus-eyed Carefully observant or attentive
A French leave An unauthorized leave
As Cool as a cucumber Calm and composed
As fit as a fiddle In good health
As hard as nails Physically or mentally tough
A good turn A helpful act
At a stone's throw At a close distance
At a stretch Continuously/at one time
A grey area An unclear situation
A hobson's choice A choice forced upon someone
At large Not caught/free/As a whole
At loggerheads Disagreeing with
At one's wit's end Puzzled and didn't know what to do
A kick in the teeth A great disappointment
A lame excuse An Inappropriate excuse
At sea Perplexed/confused
A lot on one's plate A lot to do/having many responsibilities
A narrow escape Just manage to avoid danger or trouble
At the drop of a dime/ hat Without hesitation, Immediately
At the eleventh hour At the last moment
A pain in the neck Someone or something that is very annoying
A rolling stone gathers no A person who does not settle in one place for a long time, does not
moss gain any wealth, name or fame
A safe pair of hands A person who can be trusted to do something efficiently
A shot/of slab in the dark A guess
A slap on the wrist A mild punishment
A whale of a time Enjoy oneself very much
All eyes Watching eagerly/To be attentive
All eyes and ears With full focus & attention
An eye opener A shocking revelation
An eye wash A pretence
An iron hand Strict and harsh control
An olive branch A gesture of peace
Armed to the teeth Fully armed, having many weapons
At a snail's pace Very slowly
Back to square one Come to the original point
Bad blood Hostility between people
Bag and baggage With all one's possessions
Bark up the wrong tree Doing wrong thing to achieve something intended
Be all ears To listen attentively
Be hard up (To be) short of money
Beam/grin/smile from ear to ear Smiling broadly, to look extremely happy
Bear the brunt of To endure the impact of something
Bear the palm To be a winner
Beat a retreat To leave a situation/to run away from a difficult situation
Behind one's back In someone's absence
Behind the scenes Unknown to everyone
Bell the cat To do the impossible task
Bend over backwards To exert a lot of effort towards some end
Beside oneself Almost out of one's senses, consumed by an emotion
Between a rock and a hard To be stuck in two equally unpleasant situations
place
Better late than never Better to arrive late than not to come at all
Between Scylla and Charybdis Choice between two unpleasant alternatives
Between the devil and the deep Between two equally unacceptable choices
blue sea
Bid defiance to something To Ignore something
Bigger fish to fry Something more important to take care of
Birds of the same feather People with similar characteristics
Bite the dust To suffer a defeat/To die
Bite your tongue To stop yourself from saying something
Black and blue Badly bruised/injured
Blow hot and cold Vacillate/To change your opinion too often
Blaze a trail To be the first to do something new and important
Blow own's own trumpet To boast about one's own qualities
Blue blood Member of a noble, socially prominent family
Boil the ocean Try to do something impossible
Body and soul Wholly and entirely
Bread and butter Means of livelihood
Break a leg To wish someone good luck
Break fresh / new ground To do something that was not done before
Bring home the bacon To Earn the money that is needed to live
Bring someone to book To punish/scold someone
Burn your bridges To eliminate the possibility of return or retreat
Bury the hatchet To forget past quarrels
Butterflies in one's stomach Feel nervous
Buy a lemon To buy something that is of much little value
By and by Gradually
By and large On the whole
By fair means or foul To get one's way with honesty or dishonesty
By hook or by crook Using whatever methods necessary
By leaps and bounds Swiftly
By the skin of one's teeth By a very narrow margin
Carry a chip on one's shoulder To seem angry all the time because you think you have been treated
unfairly
Catch a tartar To catch an opponent more powerful than imagined
Caught red-handed Caught at the moment doing of something wrong
Chapter and verse An exact reference or authority
Chapter and verse An exact reference or authority
Chew the fat To talk to someone in an informal and friendly way
Chew the scenery To act overly emotional
Chewing the cud Contemplating
Chicken hearted Someone who lacks courage and is easily frightened
Come rain or shine Under any circumstances
Come to blows To start fighting after a disagreement
Come what may No matter what happens
Cook the books To falsify financial records
Couch Potato A lazy person/A person who watches too much television
Crack someone up To make someone laugh
Crocodile tears False tears
Cross one's mind To think of something
Cross swords To fight
Cross the bridge To solve the problem
Cry for the moon To make an impractical or unreasonable request
Cry over spilt milk To feel sorry over a mistake that can't be changed
Cry wolf To raise false alarm of help
Cut a poor/ Sorry figure To put a bad impression
Cut corners To do something perfunctorily so as to save time or money
Cut straight to the chase To avoid unnecessary introduction and go to the more important
Cut the mustard To reach the expected or necessary standard
Cut someone slack To not manage someone very strictly or critically
Cut to the chase To get to the point
Cut to the quick To hurt intensely
Dance to someone's tune To do what others want you to do
Devil's advocate One who takes an opposing position for the sake of argument
Die in harness To continue an occupation till death/ To die while working
Do sth by the skin of one's teeth Just manage to do sth
Donkey's years A very long time
Down-to-earth Practical and direct
Drag one's feet To delay taking a decision
Draw a blank To get no results
Easier said than done Not as easy as it appears to be
Eat a humble pie To feel sorry and apologise for a mistake
Elbow grease Hard physical efforts
Elbow room Very little freedom
Every cloud has a silver Every difficult situation has a hopeful aspect to it
lining
Face the music To accept unpleasant consequences
Fair and square / Fairly and Honest/Honestly
squarely
Fall flat To fail to have an effect
Feather their own nest To promote their own interest
Feel the pinch To have less money than you used to have before/ Experience
hardship
Few and far between Not very many or not appearing very frequently
Fight shy of To try to avoid something
Find one's feet To begin to understand the work and feeling confident
Find oneself in trouble waters (To be) in difficulties
First and foremost Most important aspect
Fish in troubled waters To take advantage of a difficult situation
Flog a dead horse To waste time on useless things
Fly into a passion To become angry suddenly
Fly off the handle To lose one's temper suddenly and unexpectedly
Follow suit To do the same as others
Food for thought Something worth thinking seriously about
For good For ever
Forty winks A short nap
From far and wide In all directions
Get a foot in the door To have a chance to do something
Full of beans Lively/full of energy
Full of hot air To talk a lot of rubbish/talking nonsense
Get a second wind To have renewed energy
Get down to brass tacks To start taking up the most important facts of a situation
Get into hot water To get into trouble
Get on one's nerve To annoy or irritate someone.
Get out of hand To become difficult to control
Get something off your chest To express something that has been worrying you, and you want
to say
Get the axe To lose the job
Get your act together To start to organize yourself so that you do things in an effective way
Give a piece of one's mind To rebuke someone strongly
Get on/along like a house on To get on extremely with someone
fire
Get someone's goat To irritate someone
Get up on the wrong side of Someone who is having a horrible day
the bed
Give the slip To escape
Give up the ghost To stop working/to die
Glad to see the back of To be happy when a person leaves
Go against the grain Something in conflict with one's value system
Go bananas To become angry, irrational or excited
Go belly up To fail completely/to go bankrupt
Go down in flames To fail completely/To be destroyed by fire
Go back to the drawing To start planning all over again
board
Go the extra mile To go above and beyond whatever is required for the task at hand
Go through fire and water To pass through all types of hardships
Go to the dogs To become worse
Go to the wall To fail
Go/run around in circles To be very active but with no results
Grasp/clutch/catch at a Trying to find some way to succeed when nothing
straw/straws you choose is likely to work
Grease someone's palm To bribe someone
Green-eyed Envious or jealous
Halcyon days Period of calm during the winter, when storms don't
occur/Peaceful days
Hale and hearty Strong and healthy
Hand over To give charge
Hand and glove Very intimate terms
Hang in there Don't give up
Hang up your boots To take retirement
Hard and fast Strict/not to be changed
Hard of hearing Partially deaf
Haste is waste results Doing things in a hurry does not give fruitful
Hats off to someone / hat tip Congratulations to/praise for someone
Have cold feet To become nervous or frightened
Head in the clouds Being absent minded
Highest priority First and foremost
His heart's content As much as he wanted to
Hit a brick wall To encounter an obstacle
Hit below the belt Unfairly and cruelly
Hit the books To study hard
Hit the hay To go to bed
Hold good To remain valid
Hold one's horses To tell someone to stop and consider carefully
Hold water To appear to be valid or reasonable
I don't buy it I am not convinced
Ignorance is bliss To remain ignorant of things that may cause stress/If you don't know
about something you cannot worry about
Ill at ease Feel uncomfortable or worried in a situation
In a nutshell Briefly and concisely
In a pickle In trouble
In black and white In writing
In dire straits In a very bad or difficult situation
In full swing To be very active
In high spirits Cheerful
In seventh heaven Extremely happy
In the dark Know something others are aware of
In the driver's seat To have control
In the blink of an eye Within a very short period of time
In the eye of a storm Deeply involved in a difficult situation
In the fast lane A life filled with excitement
In the fast lane A life filled with excitement
In the Pink In good health
In the heat of the moment At time when you cannot think carefully
In the long run Eventually/In the end
In the nick of time At the last possible moment
In the same boat To be in the same difficult situation as someone else
In the teeth of In direct opposition to
In two minds To be in a dilemma
In vogue In fashion
Ins and outs Detailed description
It takes two to tango For an argument both parties are equally responsible
It's a small world You frequently see the same people in different places
Ivory tower A place or situation remote from problems and practical affairs of
normal life
Jump on the bandwagon Follow a trend
Jump the gun To start something too soon or act hastily
Keep a straight face Not laugh or change your expression even though you want to laugh
Keep an eye on To watch over closely/attentively
Keep someone at arm's length To avoid becoming too close or friendly with someone
Kick up a row To Cause a disturbance
Kill two birds with one stone To achieve two things by doing a single action
Know inside out To know something thoroughly
Latin and Greek Incomprehensible
Lay our heads together To work in consultation
Lead someone by the nose To control someone completely
Learn the ropes To learn how to do a job or activity
Leave someone in the lurch To desert someone in his difficulties
Left handed compliment An insult
Lend an ear To pay attention to
Lend me your ears To politely ask for someone's full attention
Let bygones be bygones To forgive and forget
Light at the end of tunnel Hope of success, happiness after a long period of difficulty
Lily-livered Cowardly or fearful
Little/no love lost Persons who do not like each other at all
Loaves and fishes Tangible benefits or rewards, especially when they serve as one's
motivation for action
Live from hand to mouth extremely poor, having only enough money provide food and
shelter
Lock, stock and barrel Completely/including everything
Long in the tooth To be too old to do something
Look after To take care of someone or something
Look before you leap To think carefully of the consequences
Look down upon To consider someone inferior
Loosen the purse strings Allow more money to be spent.
Lose (one's) marbles To go insane/To be or become mentally deficient, incompetent,
Lose face To become less respected by others
Lose one's head To lose one's self-control
Make a bee line To stand in a queue
Make a clean breast To confess one's crime
Make both ends meet To have just enough money to live
Make off with To run away
Make no bones about To state something clearly
Make one's blood boil To make someone extremely angry
New kid on the block Someone new to the group or area.
Milk and water Weak ideas, insipid
Neck of the woods Neighbourhood
Make one's mark To attain success/Attain recognition
Make up one's mind To decide
Miss the boat To miss an opportunity
Nip someone in the bud To destroy early
Not mince one's words To speak in a very direct and honest way without worrying about
offending someone
Of the first water Of the best quality
Off and on Sometimes but not regularly
On cloud nine Very happy
On edge Nervous and unable to relax
On purpose Deliberately
On tenter hooks Worried or nervous about sth that is going to happen
On the back burner To temporarily not deal with some matter because it is not urgent
On the ball Doing a job in a quick and competent manner
On the breadline Be very poor
On the cards Possible or likely
On the horizon An event that is likely to happen soon
On the spur of the moment Acting impulsively without thinking
On thin ice In a risky situation
Once bitten, twice shy More careful next time
Once for all Conclusively, completely & finally
One's back against the wall Feel extremely excited or happy
One's cup of tea One's chosen or preferred thing
One's green fingers/ thumb Expert in gardening
One's hands are full Very busy
Out of date Something old fashioned
Out of the blue Completely unexpected
Out of the wood To be out of danger
Over my dead body Opposing something fiercely
Over one's head Beyond one's capability to understand something
Over the moon To be extremely happy
Part and parcel Basic or essential element
Pass the buck Blaming another person
Pass the hat To collect money
Pat on the back of something Go praise or approval for doing good
Pay lip service To publicly support or approve of sth
Pedal to the metal To go full speed, especially while driving a vehicle
Pocket an insult To tolerate insult without protest
Penny wise and pound foolish Careful and Economical in small matters while being wasteful
and extravagant in large one
Play devil's advocate To argue, just for the sake of it
Play ducks and drakes To use recklessly
Play it by ear To do something without special preparation
Play with fire To take a foolish risk
Poke your nose To interfere unnecessarily
Pour cold water on To spoil someone's plan
Pour oil in/on troubled water To calm a dispute or placate a situation
Pull a face To make a silly or rude expression
Pull a fast one To trick someone
Pull up his socks To make a greater effort to improve
Pull someone's leg To joke with someone
Pull yourself together Calm down after an upsetting incident
Pull/have a long face To look sad
Put two and two together To make a correct guess based on what has been seen or heard
Put your best foot forward To try as hard as one can
Queer pitch Spoil somebody's chance of doing something
Rain cats and dogs To rain very heavily
Rain on someone's parade To spoils someone's plans
Raise a few eyebrows To cause surprise or shock
Raise the bar To be better than before/To set higher goals
Read between the lines To understand something that is not said outright
Receive a new lease of life To become energetic again
Rise like a phoenix To become successful after seeming to have failed
Rise to the occasion To Show you can deal with a situation success- fully
Rock the boat Disturb a stable situation
Rub a person up the wrong way To annoy or offend a person
Rule the roost To be in complete control
Sea change Major transformation
See eye to eye To agree with someone
Sell like hot cakes To sell quickly
Separate the wheat from the To separate the valuable from the invaluable/ worthless
chaff
Shake off To get rid off
Speak one's mind To voice one's thoughts plainly or bluntly.
Split one's sides Be extremely amused
Suit (one) to a 'T' To look very good on your face
Speak/talk of the devil The person we were just talking about showed up
Spick and span Neat and clean
Spill the beans To reveal a secret information unintentionally
Spread like wild fire To Spread rapidly
Stab one in one's the back To betray someone
Start from scratch To start entirely from the beginning
Start/set/get the ball rolling To begin or start something
Steal someone's thunder To get praise for doing something before someone
Steer clear of Avoid someone or something because it is dangerous for you
Stir up a hornet's nest Provoke trouble
Straight from the horse's From the person directly concerned or involved
mouth
Strain every nerve To try extremely hard to do something
Strike while the iron is hot To act promptly
Take a rain check To refuse an offer or invitation politely
Take a toll To harm or damage
Take heart To gain courage or confidence
Take stock of To assess a situation
Take something with a To believe only part of something/Doubt the truth or value of
pinch/grain of salt something
Take the bull by the horns To handle difficulties
Take to one's heels To ran away
Take to task To rebuke
Talk chalk and cheese (To express) difference between two different things or
people
Talking through his hat Talking nonsense
The best of both worlds An advantageous situation from two different things at a
time
The crux of the matter Critical/Main point of the issue/problem
The elephant in the room A problem that people are avoiding
The gift of the gab The ability to speak easily and confidently
The last straw The final problem in a series of problems that makes the
situation intolerable
The icing on the cake Something that makes a good situation even better
The lion's share The largest portion
The rank and file Ordinary people
The pros and cons Merits and demerits
The sword of Damocles An impending threat
The whole nine yards The entirety of something
The whys and wherefores Reasons or explanation
Through thick and thin In good and bad times
Throw caution to the wind To do something without worrying about the risk
Throw up the sponge To surrender or give up the contest
Till the cows come home For a long, long time
Tit for tat Counter attack
To draw the line (To have) to set a limit on something
To Egg on To encourage someone to do something
To end in smoke To not produce concrete or positive result
Toffee-nosed Pretentiously superior, one who thinks himself of a high class
and looks down on people of lower class
Turn over a new leaf To begin again
Twiddle one's thumbs To be idle
Twist someone's arm To try to force someone to do something

Under duress Under pressure

Under the nose In full view of somebody
Up in arms In rebellion
Up to the mark Up to the required standard
Upset the apple cart To cause trouble, to spoil someone's plans
Vanish into thin air To disappear completely
Walk on air To be extremely happy
Walk the tight rope To be very cautious performing risky tasks
Wash your dirty linen in public To discuss private matters in front of others
Water under the bridge Something from the past that isn't significant or important
anymore
Wear your heart on your sleeve To display one's emotions openly
When it rains, it pours Problems seem to happen together
When pigs fly Something that is impossible
When the crunch comes At the moment of decision
Whistled in the dark Tried to keep up his confidence