1

Complete Notes

Interm
mediate Part
P II
Important
Idiom
ms and phrasses

Saif Ullah Zahid

USMAN ACADEMY
Hussain Khan Wala Hithar
Phone: 03017980076
www.zahideno otes.com
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Important Idioms and Phrases

Intermediate PART-II
Usman Academy Hussain Khan Wala Hithar, Ph: 0301-7980076, Email: saifullahcr@gmail.com
www.zahidenotes.com
Sr.
Idiom Meaning Sentence
No.
1 Above board The honest people do everything above board.
2 A bad debt A lot of companies go down because of bad debt.
3 Abide by We should abide by the traffic rules.
4 All in all The principal is all in all in this college.
5 All and sundry We should help sincerely all and sundry.
6 Alpha and omega Allah is the alpha and omega of Islam.
7 A rotten egg The principal has struck off the rotten eggs of the class.
An apple of
8 New business has become an apple of discord between them.
discord
9 Apple of one’s eye "! # The youngest son was the apple of his father's eye.
10 An eyewash %& % Government’s new scheme is just an eyewash.
Socialists have no political axe to grind; they
11 An axe to grind )'(
just want to save the society.
12 Again and again "" He requested my help again and again.
USMAN ACADEMY
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13 As the crow flies *+' , The hospital is only a mile as the crow flies from my house.
14 At a loss "-%./0 He was at a loss when he missed the last train.
15 At large 1 The culprit of the Ali’s murder is still at large.
16 At home in 2 He is at home in Physics.
17 At arm’s length *34 Keep bad friends at arm’s length.
At the eleventh
18 *5 6 The match was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
hour
19
20 At a stone’s throw 7 8 The hospital is at stone’s throw from my home.
At the daggers Local residents are at daggers drawn with the council over
21 9
drawn rubbish collection.
22 A narrow escape : He had a narrow escape from the railway accident.
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23 A jail bird ; <=>" " His father is an escaped jailbird.

24 A queer fish ?@ I cannot understand the ways of Mr. Arif. He is a queer fish.
A blessing in AB "CD Dad's illness was a blessing in disguise as it brought the family
25
disguise E" Together for the first time in years.
Aslam is a close fisted man as he never spends a penny on
26 A close fisted man H FG
entertainment.
"I I JK L
27 A near miss I managed to brake just in time and the accident was a near miss.
M=
As cool as a
28 NO* She was as cool as cucumber even when she caught red handed.
cucumber
29 A wild goose chase PQ"%R To look for a good restaurant in this town is a wild goose chase.
30 A gala day N %ST Every Sunday is gala day for students.
The late comers always come with a fishy story about the late
31 A fishy story UVWX
arrival.
A fair weather
32 Y Z A fair-weather friend isn't much help in an emergency.
friend
33 A blind alley [ The latest evolutionary theory may turn out to be a blind alley.
USMAN ACADEMY
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The nonsense talk will make you a laughing stock among your
34 A laughing stock \]^
friends.
35 A rolling stone _(%`aR A rolling stone gathers no moss.
36 A sugar daddy )b01 cN J Mr. akram is sort of a sugar daddy to the whole team.
37 Add fuel to fire d e*f Shouting at a crying child just adds fuel to the fire.
38 Back out =g We should not back out of our promises.
39 Bag and baggage hij"0 He left for another country bag and baggage.
40 Bad blood k There should be no bad blood among the Muslims.
41 Blue blood %N lmn Although Hina’s family is poor, she has blue blood in her veins.
You may think your heart is broken, but you'll feel better by and
42 By and by oo
by.
By hook or by
43 pqr= r= He wants to become rich by hook or by crook.
crook
44 By fits and starts stuR The dull students are not regular, they work by fits and starts.
By leaps and
45 vwx "v N Our country is making progress by leaps and bounds.
bound
46 Bed of roses y z({ Life is a hard challenge, not a bed of roses.
47 Beat about the | _ Don’t beat about the bush, just come to the point.
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bush
48 Beat in the air PQ}% If you want to make him a good boy, you are beating the air.
49 Bird’s eye view ~ •• We had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the hill.
50 Broken reed "€•‚ You cannot rely on Usama’s support as he is a broken reed.
51 Black sheep Nƒ „… One black sheep can spoil the whole class.
Amina kept blowing hot and cold about the idea of working abro
52 Blow hot and cold † ‡ˆ‰Šˆ
ad.
53 Break the news •Ž Œ 1 ‹ I broke the news of his son’s excellent result in exams.
54 Bread and butter W" 1" Teaching at the local college is his bread and butter.
56 Bring to book •• J The umpire was brought to book for wrong decision.
57 Broad daylight ‘ "!1 " The robbers robbed the bank in the broad daylight.
58 Better half (imp) ’“” 1 His better half is an educated lady.
59 Between two fires N•" Cz– They decided to retreat lest they would be between two fires.
60 Bosom friends Y — Ali is my bosom friend, and I trust him.
Bone of
61 Kashmir is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.
contention
USMAN ACADEMY
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03017980076
62 Bolt from the blue U˜ M™ His death at the age of 28 is a bolt from the blue for his parents.
There was complete silence in the class and the teacher broke
63 Break the ice bšxO
the ice.
64 Burning question ›œ • Kashmir is burning question between India and Pakistan.
Burn the mid night “žŸ ¡ Qx "
65 You have to burn midnight oil to pass the exams.
oil ¢£
Burn the candle at
66 ¤ ¥ You'll wear out if you keep burning the candle at both ends.
both ends
Both parties have buried the hatchet after 28 years of family
67 Bury the hatchet , k“ ¦
enmity.
Call a spade a
68 x §¨§¨ The honest people always call a spade a spade.
spade
69 Call in question Our religion forbids calling any one’s character in question.
70 Carry one’s point ªB © We can carry our point by dint of hard work.
Our team didn't play well at
71 Carry the day «L¬•%
first, but we carried the day in the end.
72 Cast aside - I knew you would cast me aside once you became famous.
73 Catch at straw "2z® ¯°AD A drowning man catches at a straw.
74 cat’s paw "%; Aslam is not the mastermind of this plan; he is just a cat’s paw.
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75 Close shave ±²³ The shot missed him, but it a close shave.
76 Cock and bull story UVx´µ I cannot believe in his cock and bull story.
77 Call names ¶ z·¸ Bad boys call names of others.
Cold blooded
78 ¹]%º I condemn the cold blooded murder of the innocent child.
murder
Four officers have faced charges since the scandal came to light l
79 Come to light »
ast month.
In the end, he came to grief because he did not follow
80 Come to grief ¼½¾
instructions.
81 With flying colours «L¬•%" l¿ Sidra qualified for the race with flying colours.
82 Crocodile tears À CÁ‡ÁX He shed crocodile tears on the death of his revolting wife.
83 Cheek by jowl  8 The two families lived cheek by jowl in one house.
84 Chicken-hearted à Chicken-hearted people die before their death.
85 Cut a sorry figure Ä sÅÆ British high commissioner cut a sorry figure on visa scandal.
86 Cut one to quick Ç Èx É Your heartless comments cut me to the quick.
87 Dark horse Ê"Ë A dark horse player can win if all the others are creeps.
88 Drawn game CÌÍ Neither of the teams could win the game; it was a drawn game.
N " Csl1Î
89 Die in harness Quad-e-Azam died in harness.
x4
The ceasefire agreement is a dead letter between India and
90 Dead letter }Ï%
Pakistan because neither side follows it.
USMAN ACADEMY
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91 Every inch *"ÐÑ“"Ò"Ò Nobody in politics is every inch a gentleman.
92 Eat one’s words ÓÔ ÕÖ Look before you leap otherwise you will have to eat your words.
Face the music
93 × 1Ø You've been caught cheating now you must face the music.
(imp)
94 Fair and square §Ù§¨“" Új Fair and square elections are difficult in Pakistan.
95 Fall flat ÛR My advice fell flat on the naughty boy.
96 Flesh and blood xÜUƒ This cold weather is more than what flesh and blood can stand.
From hand to
97 Ý"Þ ß After she lost her job she was living from hand to mouth.
mouth
98 French leave àáâ Í He has received a notice for taking a French leave.
99 Fall back on Ó "€ Ali fell back upon his old complaint.
Few and far
100 "㈠He visits me few and far between.
between
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101 First and foremost ä The first and foremost duty of a student is to work hard.
102 Find fault with åæ Man is apt to find fault with others.
103 For good çCè He had a quarrel with his wife and left the house for good.
104 Give vent to "é Children give vent to their anger in various ways.
105 Get into hot water êAß We'll get into hot water if the teacher hears about this.
106 Get wind of ëŽj "¿ Our competitors must not be allowed to get wind of our plans.
107 Get rid of «Lxì It is difficult to get rid of insects.
108 Gift of the gab í%¡î Our new English professor has a great gift of grab.
109 Give up the ghost = x4 He gave up the ghost after a prolonged illness of two months.
110 Go back on ¶ ï C& He went back on me, and joined a rival company in such a way.
111 Go hand in hand ð"ñ Wealth and power go hand in hand in most societies.
Go to dogs/go to Owing to the corruption, the economy of our county is going to
112 ò
wall walls/dogs.
Go through fire Ahmad is always ready to go through fire and water for the sake
113 óô%`õ
and water of his friends.
114 Hand in glove with Y `ö The two friends are hand in glove with each other.
Hair breadth
115 ®÷ß She had a hair breadth escape in the bus accident.
escape
The new principal has set some hard and fast rules for the
116 Hard and fast £
students.
117 Heart and soul N= I will put my heart and soul into this job.
Hit the nail on its Bob doesn't say much, but every now and then he hits the nail ri
118 *5 ø}%
head ght on its head‫۔‬
119 Hope against hope ù"ú ûA ú I'm hoping against hope that someone will return my wallet.
USMAN ACADEMY
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120 Hold water ü ýþ Nothing you’ve said so far holds water.
121 Hue and cry " There was a hue and cry on the bomb blast spot.
122 In a fix A The surprise attack of China put India in a fix.
123 Ill at ease N **"Ð He is always ill at ease when facing his step-father.
124 Ins and outs x } He knows all the ins and outs if this plan.
125 In black and white *"Ð ¡ He submitted his explanation in black and white.
126 In a nutshell Tell me your new idea in a nutshell.
127 In the air } 1N 1 His secret affairs were soon in the air.
128 In full swing * J`"Ò When we arrived the party was already in full swing.
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129 In the teeth of J C Š The new policy was adopted in the teeth of fierce criticism.
The company is struggling to keep pace with changes in the
130 Keep pace with "
market.
131 Kith and kin •"u He is very kind to his poor kith and kin.
132 Keep an eye on ù" Keep an eye on the notice boards for forthcoming events .
133 Keep abreast of ð" Read the papers if you want to keep abreast of current affairs.
134 Keep back ù"1 She was unable to keep back her tears, and wept freely.
135 Kick the bucket = His heirs were greedily waiting for him to kick the bucket.
136 Lame excuse _X She's always got some lame excuse for being late.
137 Lay by ù" He laid his tools by for the next project.
138 Lay down arms ¶ " The rebel soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered.
139 Lick the dust You will never lick the dust unless you give up!
140 Look down upon x" You shouldn't look down upon him just because he is a dustman.
141 Lead by nose Û *"ÐÑ He thinks she's perfect, and she leads him around by the nose.
Lead a cat and dog
142 ð"I I The love married couple soon started to lead a cat and dog life.
life
Let the cat out of I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Amina went and let
143 »1 "
the bag the cat out of the bag.
144 lion’s share 8 Boss took the lion’s share of bribed amount.
145 Life and soul z "Ç! " My parents are life and soul of my aspirations.
146 Long and short •!!" Please write the long and short of this essay.
147 Maiden speech ¡î# His maiden speech was too long and boring.
Make both ends
148 Ý"Þ I have to work at two jobs to make both ends meet.
meet
149 Make amends for $% They must make amends for the harm they've caused you
150 make fun of b&' The boys made fun of her short dress at the party.
USMAN ACADEMY
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151 Man of parts H (u Men of parts achieve their goals.
152 man of letters ?) Prof. Anjum is a man of letters.
We visit my parents
153 Now and then *
now and then, but we rarely see our other relatives.
154 Null and void }Ï% The old rules of taxation are null and void now.
Once in a blue
155 " 1¿ We go out to eat once in a blue moon.
moon
156 On the eve of x"+," He felt sick on the eve of the race.
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157 Oily tongue N 1 /¿T.}- She has an oily tongue but bad heart.
158 Pay lip service 0 N 1§1 The government always pays lip service to women issues.
159 Play truant (imp) =23 ‚ O Our institute is clamping down on those who often play truant.
160 Part and parcel 4H1 Breathing is the part and parcel of life.
He did not retaliate and pocketed an insult when his friend called
161 Pocket an insult ü ý5 R
him by names.
162 Rainy day 5 %x" 6 Wise people save something for the rainy day.
163 Rank and file 78“} Most rank and file police officers rejected the new pay offer.
164 Red tape 9 "% : ; It takes months for a case to get through the red tape.
165 Royal road < "Nô There is no royal road to success.
166 Safe and sound = > I reached home safe and sound.
167 Set off ]" We ate a hearty breakfast before we set off.
168 Sixes and sevens 9 ? The books were laying sixes and sevens on the table.
169 Smell a rat He could smell a rat in the way the men were talking.
170 Snake in the grass 9@ Beware of your new friend, he is a snake in the grass.
171 Split hairs " Scholars nowadays just split hairs; they never address the basics.
172 Spick and span A§¨ She keeps her room spick and span.
173 Storm in a tea cup ½B*x 78 His anger was unreasonable, it was just a storm in a teacup.
174 Talk tall "CD Some people talk tall about their achievements.
175 Time and tide 5 Þ Time and tide waits for none.
The sum and
176 •!!" Quickly tell me the sum and substance of your proposal.
substance
The apple of one’s He has five kids, but his only daughter is clearly the apple of his e
177 " %E
eye ye.
Through thick and
178 A5 `ý" n Good friends stand by each other through thick and thin.
thin
To be caught red
179 "FGzH°I" The thief was caught red handed.
handed
180 To pass on "# The committee passed on the proposal, so work can now begin.
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181 To pass away = I'm sorry to hear that your father passed away last night.
182 To be taken aback = "JK I was taken aback by the news of his death.
183 To nip in the bud ¶ Aá Æ A bad habit in a child should be nipped in the bud.
They must take practical measures to carry out their plan;
184 To end in smoke ÂL M4R
otherwise it will end in smoke.
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185 Turn a deaf ear to N% The boss turned a deaf ear to my explanation.
186 Up to the mark N C"O Her latest batch of work just isn't up to the mark.
187 Ups and downs 1P Q There were many ups and downs in his political career.
188 Up to the mark N C"O Her school work is not quite up to the mark.
189 Wet blanket R STJ A selfish person is a wet blanket.
190 White elephant U VW The old car has now become a white elephant for him.
191 With a view to qm He's painting the house with a view to selling it.
192 With open arms ,X* Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.
193 Work wonders Å M4 j18 This new medicine works wonders with my headaches
Phrases
Sr.
Phrase Meaning Sentence
No.
Break
194 Break away =ÁY ZU[ I tried to break away from him, but he was holding me too tight.
195 Break into \] Spies have been trying to break into my computer.
196 Break out ŸÁ{^_ A fire broke out in the forest.
Bring
197 Bring down ` Government brought down the prices of petrol last month.
198 Bring in §"aUb Our new boss has brought in new rules in the company.
199 Bring out c¿ I hear you have brought out a new edition of your book.
We brought up the puppies carefully and sold them for a good pr
200 Bring up T" *
ofit.
201 Bring about de Floods bring about destruction on large scale.
202 Bear out fg Her theories were not borne out by the research I did.
Give
203 Give away ¶ h He gave away all his money before his death.
204 Give up , If you give up smoking, you will live longer.
205 Give in i2"° This government will not give in to terrorism.
Put
206 Put off j Don’t put off what you can do today till tomorrow
When he put on the wig and false moustache I could not
207 Put on k
recognize him.
208 Put out l It took two hours to put out the fire.
209 Put in Y T" I am writing to boss to put in for a transfer.
210 Put down 5 R They frequently put down their sister for walking slowly.
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Carry
211 Carry out m n You must carry out my orders.
212 Carry on ù" "= Let's carry on this discussion at some other time.
213 Carry off oÄ "w I think someone carried off the lawn chairs last night.
Come
214 Come of ù"p He comes of a noble family.
The fire is so great that the whole building will have to come
215 Come down ò
down.
216 Come by q¯° Cheap organic food is still difficult to come by.
217 Come across óô Suddenly I came across my old friends on the road.