Idioms

1. Flogging a Dead Horse to insist on talking about something that no one is

interested in.
2. Discretion is the better part of valour - it is better to be careful and think before
you act than it is to be brave and take risks

3. Beauty is only skin deep - a person's character is more important than their
appearance

4. You cannot make bricks without straw - Y ou have to have all the
necessary materials in order to make something

5. Why keep a dog and bark yourself? - You should not do something you
have hired someone else to do.

6. play to the gallery -to spend time doing or saying things that will make people
admire or support you, instead of dealing with more important matters .

7. Play it by ear Decide on ones action as one goes along, depending on the
situation.
8. Kick the bucket to die.
9. Gift of gab - ability to talk readily, glibly, and convincingly.
10. Spitting image of his father like his father.
11. Throw cold water on something - to criticize or stop something that some
people are enthusiastic about

12. Wild goose chase a hopeless quest.

13. Pigs must fly If you think something will never happen.
14. Bury the hatchet to made peace.
15. be the cats whiskers to be better than everyone else. I thought I was the
cats whiskers in my new dress.
16. to play fast and loose in a reckless and irresponsible manner.
17. Make hay while the sun shines if you have a opportunity to do something,
do it before the opportunity expires.
18. Take the bull by the horns to confront a problem head-on and deal with it
openly.
19. Take a leaf out of anothers book to behave or to do something in a way
that someone else would.
20. Have a brush with to have a slight encounter.
21. Have several irons in the fire a number of jobs available at the same time.
22. pick up the tab to pay the bill. Whenever we go out, my father picks up the
tab.
23. Know the ropes knowledge of how to do something.
24. Red Tape Red Tapism is the curse for Indian bureaucracy. Official Delay.
25. Green eyed monster A feeling of jealous.
26. Snake in the grass an unrealiable person.
27. Pipe dream a wish that is impossible to achieve.
28. To strain every nerve to try extremely hard to achieve something.
29. A dark horse A candidate who is not well known but could win
unexpectedly.
30. Cock and bull story An interesting but highly implausible story often told
as an excuse.
31. A storm in a teacup A situation where the people get very angry about
something that is not important.
32. Go the extra mile to try harder to get the task done.
33. At sixes and sevens in a state of confusion.

34.Flash in the pan someone or something that draws a lot of attention for a
very brief time.
(Im afraid that my success as a painter is not a flash in the pan.)
35.Get out of the wrong side of the bed to begin the day feeling unhappy and
irritable.
36. Get down to brass tacks to begin to talk about important things.
37. To all intents and purposes In every practical sense. To all intents and
purposes, the case is closed.
38. Red letter day a memorably important or happy occasion.
39. Hobsons choice The choice of taking what is offered or nothing at all.
40. Split hairs to make a fine but needless distinction.
41. Bull in a china shop to behave awkward in a delicate situation.
42.Smell a rat to suspect that something is wrong.
43. To turn tail to run away because one is too frightened to attack.
44. Turn a deaf ear deliberately to ignore.
45. Fools paradise A state of happiness based on false hopes.
46. A man of several parts a man who is able to do many different things.
47. Southpaw someone who is left handed.
48. Queer somebodys pitch to spoil someones chances of doing something.
49. Have a chip on ones shoulder to blame other people for something bad
which has happened to you and to continue to be angry about it so that it
affects the way you behave.
(Even though he went to university, he always had a chip on his shoulder
about his poor upbringing.)
50. Put ones foot in ones mouth to say something that you regret, to say
something stupid.
51. Go the extra mile to do more than one is required to do to reach a goal.
52. Make no bones about something Acknowledge freely and openly.
53. Go out on a limb to take a risk.
54. At loggerheads in conflict with someone.
55. Greenfield from the scratch, new.
56. Brownfield structure would need to be demolished or renovated.
57. As hard as nails to have no feeling or sympathy for others.
58. Have ones head in the clouds to be unaware of what is going on,
daydream.
59. Face as long as a fiddle looks depressed.
60. One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name
61. One swallow does not make a summer one good thing has happened, you
cannot be certain that more good things will happen.
62. Playing ducks and drakes spend lavishly.
63. Turn over a new leaf To change, as ones attitude or conduct, for better.
64. Turn up ones nose
65. An axe to grind to have something to gain by an action.
66. Let the cat out of the bag to tell a secret without intending to do so.
67. To cool ones heels to be kept waiting for sometime.
68. To cry wolf to raise a false alarm.
69. Hit below the belt to hit in an unfair way.
70. Hit the ground running to begin a venture with great energy.
71. Hit the nail on the head to be absolutely right.
72. Hit the hay/sack to go to bed.

73. Wolf in sheeps clothing a dangerous person pretending to be harmless.

74. Much ado about something a furor over something unimportant.
75. To have no truck with to have nothing to do with something.
76. Wet blanket a dull or depressing person who spoils other persons
enjoyment.
77. Keep the powder dry to be ready for action.
78. Loaves and fishes material gains.
79. Head and shoulders above Outstandingly superior to.
80. Out of the frying pan into the fire From a bad situation to a worse
situation.
81. Salad days The best time of youth.
82. Labour of love work done without payment.
83. Fall through collapse.
84. Fools rush in where angles fear to tread Foolish people usually do not
understand when a situation is dangerous, so they are not afraid not to do
things that would frighten more sensible people.
85. Apple of discord cause of contention.
86. Apple of ones eye something extremely precious to one.
87. Have a bee in ones bonnet to talk a a lot about a something that you think
is important or have an obsession about something.
88. Beggar description where one cannot find words to describe it adequately.
89. Bite off more than one can chew Undertake more than one is able to
perform.
90. Black Sheep A member of family who is considered disreputable.
91. Blow hot and cold be undecided about something, vacillate, oscillate.
92. Break the ice make people feel more comfortable and start conversation
when meeting for the first time.
93. Burn the midnight oil Work, especially studying, until late at night.
94. Burn the candle at both ends To exhaust ones energies by overworking.
95. Burn ones boats/Burn ones bridges to eliminate the possibility of return.
96. Bury the hatchet make peace.
97. Cast pearls before swine To offer valuable to someone who does not
appreciate it.
98. Catch a Tartar find that the person in question is more formidable, tough
than one had expected.
99. As different as chalk is from cheese totally different.
100. Chip of the old block a person whose appearance closely resembles that of
one of the other parent.
101. When the chips are down at a critical or difficult time.
102. Come a cropper fail badly.
103. Cross the rubicon to do something which will have very important results,
which cannot be changed later.
104. Cudgel ones brain to think hard about a problem.
105. Damp squib anything that fails to meet expectations, dud.
106. Dog in the manger someone who prevents you from enjoying something
that they themselves have no need for.
107. Dogs life miserable unhappy existence.
108. Go to the dogs / go to pot become ruined.
109. In the doldrums depressed.

110. Eat humble pie/ eat crow- to be forced to admit that you are wrong and to
say that you are sorry.
111. Hand-in-glove in close cooperation.
112. Have a card ones sleeve to have an advantage that other people do not
know about.
113. leave somebody in the lurch to leave someone at a time when they need
you to stay and help them.
114. From pillar to post from one place to another, from one person to another.
115. Gird up ones loins to prepare oneself for hardwork.
116. Give somebody the cold shoulder to show no interest in
somebody/something.
117. Go at it hammer and tongs to do something with a lot of energy.
118. Go the whole hog to perform some act fully and thoroughly.
119. Laugh on the other side of ones face be unpleasantly surprised to find
that the matter differ from what were expected.
120. Not fit to hold a candle to him unable to measure up to someone.
121. Put a spoke in somebodys wheel to spoil someone else plans and stop
them from doing something.
122. Put the cart before the horse reverse the natural or proper order.
123. Read between the lines hidden significance
124. Ride roughshod over to treat someone with disdain.
125. Rule the roost Have full power and authority.
126. Throw down the gauntlet to invite someone to argue, fight or compete.
127. Run amuck to act in a wild or dangerous manner.
128. Set the Thames on fire to do something remarkable.
129. Tongue in cheek not serious.
130. Steal a march on to spoil someones plan and get an advantage over them
by doing something sooner or better than them.
131. Stick to ones guns to remain firm in ones convictions.
132. Water under the bridge Past events, bygone
133. Make a beeline To move in a direct, straight course.
134. Out of thin air without warning, from nowhere.
135. Olive branch peace offering.
136. Head over shoulders Intelligent, have common sense
137. Throwing caution to the wind to take a risk.
138. Go against the grain to do something that is opposite of what is usually
done.
139. Put all ones egg in one basket to place all ones resources in one place.
140. Bag and baggage with all ones pocessions.
141. Bark up the wrong tree- to make the wrong choice, to ask the wrong place.
142. Bring the house down to give such a performance that the audience clap
or laugh for a long time.
143. Burn ones fingers to suffer loss.
144. Have a cold feet be nervous.
145. A dead letter a law or agreement which still exists but which people do not
obey, outdated.
146. Give up the ghost to die.
147. Drink like a fish to drink alcohol excessively.
148. Donkeys years a very long time.
149. At the eleventh hour at the last minute.

150. Face the music Meet criticism

151. Two Faced, double faced Pretending to be one while one is another.
152. Feather ones nest enrich oneself by taking advantage of ones position.
153. A forlorn hope a hope that is most unlikely to be fulfilled.
154. Get the hang of become familiar with the handling of a tool or the working
of a machine.
155. Thick and thin Good and bad times.
156. Go west to die.
157. To wear ones heart on ones sleeve to show ones feeling clearly and
openly by ones behaviour.
158. Kick ones heels kept waiting or out of work.
159. A little bird told me This is a humorous way of saying one has heard
something without opening was who the informant.
160. Nigger in the woodpile Hidden motive.
161. Pay through the nose Pay an exorbitant amount.
162. Dead mens shoes Expectation of money to be inherited.
163. On a shoe string On extremely low price.
164. Sign on the dotted line To do exactly what one is told.
165. Sit on the fence not to take sides in a dispute, to delay making a decision
when you have to choose between two sides in an argument.
166. Spick and span Completely new.
167. Straight from the horses mouth Information direct from reliable sources.
168. Strike oil attain sudden and great success in becoming rich.
169. To a T perfectly.
170. Talk shop to talk about ones work.
171. Talk through ones hat to talk nonsense.
172. On tenterhooks In a state of painful suspense.
173. Wash ones dirty linen in public Discuss or make public ones grievances
that may be considered disrespectful.
174. A white elephant A possession that is burdensome in expense.
175. Woolgathering Dreamy in mood or nature.
176. Not worth his salt Not worth the salary he is paid, or not competent, not
efficient.
177. At daggers drawn Ready to fight or argue with each other.
178. Aboveboard honestly.
179. At a loss puzzled.
180. By leaps and bounds very quickly.
181. Few and far between very rare.
182. Flesh and blood a living human body.
183. By dint of something because of something. By the dint of hard work, I
was able to crack the paper.
184. For good forever, permanently. He left his native village for good.
185. Heart and soul- with all ones energy.
186. In a fix in a difficult position.
187. Kith and kin Friends and relatives.
188. In the teeth of something while experiencing some difficulties The road
was built in the teeth of fierce opposition from the environmentalists.
189. On the spur of the moment suddenly, without any planning.
190. Off ones guard napping, unprepared.
191. To blow ones own trumpet to praise one self loudly.

192. To beat about the bush to convey ones meaning in an indirect way.
193. To turn ones coat A disloyal person, to change to the opposite party.
194. To Cut a figure to create an image, to make oneself prominent.
195. To cut a sorry figure to make a poor show.
196. To die in harness to die while still working, prior to retirement.
197. To give the devil his due to give credit to a person you dont like.
198. Play the devil with upset, ruin, make a mess of it.
199. To show the white feather to show signs of fear.
200. To play second fiddle to take a subordinate position.
201. To gain ground to make progress, to advance.
202. To give vent to to express openly. He gave vent to his feelings.
203. To keep ones head over water to avoid bankruptcy.
204. A Breath of fresh air a refreshing change. The new management was like
a breath of fresh air.
205. Hold ones breath to wait expectantly.
206. Hold ones ground to maintain ones position.
207. On the horns of a dilemma not able to decide which option to take.
208. Keep the wolf from the door to avoid dying of hunger. Both spouses had
to work in order to keep wolf from the door.
209. Against the clock As fast as possible before the deadline.
210. An arm and a leg an excessively high price.
211. To keep ones chin up To remain joyful in a tough situation.
212. Till the cow come home a very long time, indefinitely.
213. To steal someones thunder to take credit for something someone else did.
214. Cant cut the mustard If u cant cut the mustard, you cannot deal with
problems or difficulties.
215. Beat a retreat to quit.
216. Beat the air to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose.
217. Bite someones head off to criticize someone angrily.
218. Buy a pig in a poke Buy a thing without looking inside first.
219. Cut the Gordian knot To solve a difficult problem.
220. Let sleeping dog lie Leave something alone it might cause trouble.
221. Put ones shoulder to the wheel Set to work vigorously.
222. In the soup in serious difficulties.
223. By the skin of ones teeth a close shave.
224. Wolf at the door Creditors.
225. Use your loaf use your brain.
226. Throw to the wolves sacrifice.
227. Beck and call ready to do whatever someone asks.
228. By fits and starts with irregular movement, with much stopping and
starting.
229. By virtue of on account of
230. Get under ones skin to annoy.
231. Top brass leader
232. Pull a fast one to deceive
233. Put/Throw a spanner/monkey in the works to do something which
prevents a plan or activity from succeeding.
234. Get off ones high horse to become humble.
235. Make heavy weather of to take longer time than necessary to do
something.

236. Writing on the wall the likelihood that something bad will happen.
237. Pay over the odds to pay more for something than it is really worth.
238. No hard feelings not angry.
239. Make a clean breast of Admit or acknowledge a wrongdoing or error,
come clean.
240. To spill the beans to give away information.
241. To bell the cat to take great personal risk.
242. To stoop to conquer to humiliate oneself to achieve success in the end.
243. At snails pace at a very slow speed.
244. To meet ones waterloo to meet ones final defeat.
245. To give one a long rope to allow a man to continue his mistake or crimes.
246. Be-all and end-all the most important.
247. A hard nut to crack difficult to deal with.
248. To call a spade a spade speak plainly.
249. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth born into a rich family.
250. Once in a blue moon very rarely.
251. A close fisted man a person unwilling to spend the money.
252. Chicken hearted easily afraid, coward.
253. In vogue in fashion.
254. Bolt from the blue unexpected event.
255. As the crow files in a straight line.
256. To turn turtle upside down.
257. Take to ones heels to run away, flee.
258. Fair weather friend someone who is friendly when it is easy.
259. Ins and outs the intricate details of a situation, process.
260. Take heart - gain courage, give encouragement.
261. Bad blood enemity.
262. No love lost no affection, animosity.
263. To take to task to censure angrily.
264. Birds eye view An aerial view.
265. Rank and file ordinary members of the organization.
267. Bottleneck which causes delay.
268. Over head and ears completely, wholly.
269. First among equals - the best or the most important of a similar group.
270. Chink in ones armor a special weakness that provides a means for
attacking someone who is otherwise invulnerable.
271. Pulls a Houdini to disappear.
272. Up in arms To prepare for fight.
273. Feeling all in exhausted.
274. To put your feat up to relax.
275. Have a field day have an enjoyable time.
276. Be on the anvil in a state of preparation.
277. To pick holes to criticize something.
278. Two left feet to be very awkward with ones feet.
279. To be in abeyance a temporary pause, suspension.
280. Think on your feet in an impromptu situation, extempore.
281. Baptism of fire a first experience of something difficult or unpleasant.
282. Hen pecked Hen pecked husband A hen pecked husband is never happy.
283. Dutch courage artificial courage arising from the influence of alcohol.
284. A jaundiced eye to look at something with a prejudiced view.

285. Left handed compliment sounds like praise but has an insulting meaning.
286. Tall Talk Exaggeration, Hyperbole,
287. A queer fish an eccentric or odd person.
288. In Black and White Communication by means of written symbols.
289. To beat black and blue bruised all over.
290. To end in smoke Failed- All his schemes ended in smoke for want of
money.
291. At one wits end confused, at a loss, puzzled, baffled.
292. Set the cat among the pigeons to say or to do something that causes
trouble and makes a lot of people angry.
293. To stir up a hornets nest to create a lot of trouble.
294. French leave a period when you are absent from work without taking
permission.
295. To have blue blood in ones veins one who belongs to a rich family.
296. Make a light of to treat something as unimportant.
297. A rush of blood you suddenly get very angry or do something silly.
298. Yeoman service to serve in an exemplary manner.
299. To rise from the ranks to rise from a low position.
300. Jump on the bandwagon to join something that is popular.
301. Stand on ceremony to behave in a formal way.
302. Wink at to ignore deliberately so as to avoid the necessity of taking action.
303. Oily tongue flattering words.
304. At crossroads to be at a stage in your life when you have to make a very
important decision or do something that will affect your life a lot.
305. Struck a chill to the heart Dil mein Darr paida karma. Arouse fear.
306. Bone to pick a cause of quarrel.
307. Blue eyed boy favourite.
308. Made my flesh creep frightened me.
309. In the cross hair in a position to be criticized.
310. Silver tongued- speaking clearly and effectively.
311. In hot water in trouble.
312. Not hold water not correct or true.
313. To put ones foot down to take a stand.
314. Under the weather ill.
315. Put two and two together to figure something out from the information
available.
316. Dressed up to the nines wearing fancy clothes.
317. Across the board equally for everyone.
318. Hot potato A difficult problem.
319. Talk nineteen to the dozen to talk without stopping.
320. Short end of the stick unfair treatment.
321. Be six feet under dead.
322. Smoke and mirrors a fraudulent explanation or description.
323. A sight for sore eyes something you are happy to see.
324. Speak with a forked tongue to tell lies.
325. In dire straits in a very serious, bad circumstance.
326. Talking to a brick wall not getting a reply.
327. Had a whale of a time an exciting or fun time.
328. On the wagon does not drink

329. Not bat an eyelid to show no sign of distress even when something bad
happends.
330. Pie in the sky something good that is unlikely to happen.
331. Toe the line to do what you are ordered.
332. Wave a dead chicken to take an action which you know in advance will be
futile.
333. Hand over fist make money very fast.
334. Be in cahoots in partnership with someone, usually for a dishonest reason.
335. Go bananas to go crazy.
336. Bag of bones extremely thin.
337. Just off the boat Inexperience, nave.
338. Go dutch to contribute.
339. Dead to the world sound asleep.
340. Dragging its feet Delaying its decision, not showing enthusiasm.
341. On the dole being given financial assistance from the government.
342. A fever pitch a state of extreme excitement.
343. Seamy side of the life the unpleasant side of life.
344. To come clean to be hones with someone about something.
345. Make much headway progress.
346. Carrot and stick a method of offering rewards or beating up the children
so that they perform in a desirable manner.
347. Lives in an ivory tower is oblivious to the problems faced by others.
348. Life of riley A comfortable and luxurious life.
349. Dig in ones heels to refuse to do something.
350. Think the world of admire her very much.
351. Silver bullet a magical solution.
352. Cant see the woods for the trees- they are unable to understand what is
important in a situation because they are giving too much attention for details.
353. Couldnt give a hoot is not bothered.
354. Get the drift to understand in a general way what someone is telling you.
355. Go into overdrive to start working hard.
356. Paddle ones own canoe to do something by oneself.
357. To keep a stiff upper lip to control emotions, to keep courage.
358. Like death warmed up very ill.
359. Strike/hit a raw nerve to touch in issue which the person is very sensitive
about.
360. Chessed off annoyed, angry with.
361. Bite the bullet to accept something difficult and try to live with it.
362. Not out of the woods improving but not yet good.
363. Put on airs to boast, act superior.
364. Pull a rabbit out of the hat to do something surprising.
365. Guinea pig A person who is used as the subject of an experiment.
366. To earn brownie point to get credit or praise for good work you have
done.
367. To take the wind out of somebodys sails to discourage someone greatly,
to cause someone to lose hope or the will to continue.
368. Jumped out of my skin to react strongly to shock or surprise.
369. To catch forty winks to take a nap, to get some sleep.
370. A shot in the arm to gives you the encouragement or energy.

371. To make amends to do something to improve the situation after doing

something wrong, stupid etc.
372. Look like something that the cat dragged in look untidy and dirty.
373. Off and on not regularly.
374. Janus-faced Hypocrite, double faced.
375. To cast aspersions to make a rude and insulting remark, deride/derisive.
376. To keep up ones appearances to make things look all right whether they
are or not.
377. To cut corners do something the cheapest way.
378. To fall head over heels to fall in love with.
379. To follow the primrose path to go in for pursuit of pleasure or an easy
life.
380. To go for the jugular to criticize someone very cruelly by talking about
what you know will hurt them most.
381. The world is ones oyster that you have the ability and the freedom to do
anything, one who is incharge of everything.
382. To take a rain-check to decline an offer but promise to accept it later.
383. A dressing down a severe scolding, to tell someone angrily what they have
done wrong.
384. To throw in towel to accept defeat.
385. Give somebody a leg up to help someone to be more successful.
386. Cloak and dagger secret, surreptitiously, clandestine.
387. To fish in troubled waters to try to win an advantage from a difficult
situation or from someone elses problems.
388. To walk a tightrope to be in a situation where one must be very cautious.
389. Not to mince words to say what you mean as clearly and simply as
possible.
390. Kangaroo Court An irregular unauthorized court.
391. To plough a lonely furrow to do something alone and without the help
from other people.
392. A man of straw A weak person that can easily be defeated or a man of no
substance.
393. To keep ones temper remain calm, not become angry.
394. Argue the toss Disagreement with a decision.
395. Make hackles rise to make angry or to annoy someone because of
someones behavior or attitude.
396. Go through the motions pretend to do something by acting as if one was
really doing it.
397. To foam at ones mouth to be extraordinary angry.
398. See eye to eye Be in agreement, agree.
399. Worse for wear tired or in poor condition because of lot of work or use.
400. On the blink out of working order.
401. Jump down someones throat- to scold someone severely.
402. Let the grass grow under their feet to waste time by delaying doing
something.
403. A dime a dozen very common. Men like him can be found a dime a dozen.
404. A figure among ciphers One eyed person is a king among the blind men.
405. Knee jerk reaction An automatic response to something.
406.