| Idioms & Phrases | Meaning |
| Rank and File | Ordinary People |
| By fits and starts | In short periods, not regularly |
| A wee bit | A little |
| Out of the wood | Free from difficulties and dangers |
| Under his thumb | Under his control |
| At one’s wits end | In a state where one does not know what to do |
| Between the devil and the deep sea | Between two dangers |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work or study hard |
| Call a spade a spade | Speak frankly and directly |
| Come off with flying colors | Be highly successful |
| Hoping against hope | Without hope |
| Hit the nail on the head | Do or say the exact thing |
| An axe to grind | A personal interest in the matter |
| To get rid of | Dispose of |
| At daggers drawn | Bitterly hostile |
| To play ducks and drakes | To act foolishly or inconsistently |
| To take the bull by the horns | To tackle a problem in a bold and direct fashion |
| Rain cats and dogs | Rain heavily |
| To move heaven and earth | To make a supreme effort |
| No avail | Without any result |
| Bark up the wrong tree | Accuse or denounce the wrong person |
| Keep one at bay | Keep one at a distance |
| Make a clean breast of it | Confess – especially when a person has done a wrong thing |
| Have a card up one’s sleeve | Have a secret plan in reserve |
| Like a cat on hot bricks | Very nervous |
| Cat and dog life | Life full of quarrels |
| Cock and bull story | Made up story that one should not believe |
| Cry for the moon | Ask for the impossible |
| The pros and cons | The various aspects of a matter in detail |
| Be in a tight corner | In a very difficult situation |
| Cross one’s t’s and dot | Be precise, careful and one’s i’s exact |
| At arm’s length | To keep at a distance |
| Out of the question | Impossible |
| Out of the way | Strange |
| Show a clean pair of heals | Run away |
| Keep one’s fingers crossed | The anxiety in which you hope that nothing will upset your plans |
| In the nick of time | Just at the last moment |
| Sitting on the fence | Hesitate between two decisions |
| Spread like wild fire | Spread quickly |
| The gift of the gab | Talent for speaking |
| By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| Feather one’s own nest | Make money unfairly |
| Throw out of gear | Disturb the work |
| Take to one’s heels | Run away |
| Tooth and nail | With all one’s power |
| Die in harness | Die while in service |
| Take a leaf out of one’s book | Imitate one |
| Leave no stone unturned | Use all available means |
| A man of straw | A man of no substance |
| Read between the lines | Understand the hidden meaning |
| In cold blood | Deliberately and without emotion |
| A thorn in the flesh | A constant source of annoyance |
| Smell a rat | Suspect something foul |
| Harp on the same string | Dwell on the same subject |
| Bury the hatchet | End the quarrel and make peace |
| Leave one in the lurch | Desert one in difficulties; leave one in a helpless condition |
| Like a fish out of water | In a strange situation |
| At one’s beck and call | Under his control |
| To make both ends meet | To live within one’s income |
| In hot water | In trouble |
| Nip in the bud | Destroy in the early stage |
| Stick to one’s guns | Remain faithful to the cause |
| To eat humble pie | To apologize humbly and to yield under humiliating circumstances |
| In high spirits | Very happy |
| Put the cart before the horse | Put or do things in the wrong order |
| To all names | To abuse |
| On tenterhooks | In a state of suspense and anxiety |
| Wash one’s dirty linen | Discuss unpleasant in public-private matters before strangers |
| To bell the cat | To face the risk |
| A hard nut to crack | A difficult problem |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| A big gun | An important person |
| Kill two birds with one stone | To achieve two results with one effort |
| Take one to task | Rebuke |
| Gain ground | Become Popular |
| To blow one’s own | To praise one’s own trumpet achievement |
| A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| A brown study | Dreaming |
| Turn a deaf ear | Disregard / ignore what one says |
| A close shave | Narrow escape |
| Turn over a new leaf | Change for the better |
| Make up one’s mind | Decide |
| In the long run | Eventually; ultimately |
| Bring to light | Disclose |
| Pay off old scores | Take revenge |
| Hard and fast rules | Strict rules |
| At the eleventh hour | At the last moment |
| A close shave | Narrow escape |
| To cut a sorry figure | To make a poor show |
| With a high hand | Oppressively |
| Burn one’s fingers | Get into trouble by interfering in other’s affairs |
| Laugh one’s head off | Laugh heartily |
| Chew the cud | Ponder over something |
| Play second fiddle | Take an unimportant part |
| Above board | Honest and open |
| Through thick and thin | Under all conditions |
| Put a spoke in one’s wheel | To upset one’s plans |
| At sixes and sevens | In a disordered/disorganized manner, chaotic |
| At home | Comfortable |
| Alpha and omega | The beginning and the end |
| At sea | Confused and lost |
| A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| At one’s beck and call | At one’s service |
| By leaps and bounds | Rapidly |
| To burn one’s boats | Go back on a decision |
| To beat about the bush | Talk irrelevantly |
| To burn candle at both ends | To waste lavishly |
| Take one to task | Rebuke |
| A bone of contention | A source of quarrel |
| Add fuel to the fire | To aggravate the situation |
| An acid test | A critical test |
| At a snail’s pace | Very slowly |
| A bolt from the blue | Something unexpected |
| To build castles in the air | Make imaginary schemes |
| Once in a blue moon | Something that happens very rarely |
| Beating around the bush | Avoiding the main topic |
| Cry over spilled milk | Complaining about a loss or failure from the past |
| Chip on your shoulder | When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago |
| Piece of cake | Something that is easy to understand or do |
| Golden handshake | A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires |
| Spill the beans | To disclose a secret |
| Blessing in disguise | Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way |
| Mean business | Being Serious or Dedicated |
| Come hell or high water | Possible obstacles in your path |
| Apple of one’s eye | Being cherished |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Not able to complete a task due to lack of ability |
| The best of both worlds | The benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time |
| Feeling a bit under the weather | Feeling slightly ill |
| Icing on the cake | Something that turns good into great |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Be very expensive |
| Jump the bandwagon | To join a popular activity or trend |
| Ball is in your court | When it is up to you to make the next decision or step |
| To be in the doldrums | To be in low spirits |
| To sit on the fence | To remain neutral |
| Break the ice | To initiate a social conversation or interaction |
| Hear it on grapevine | To hear rumors about something or someone |
| Can’t judge a book by its cover | Cannot judge something primarily on appearance |
| It takes two to tango | Actions or communications need more than one person |
| Let the cat out of the bag | To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake |
| Black and blue | Full of Bruises |
| Be on cloud nine | Be very happy |
| Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| A bird’s eye view | A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area |
| A litmus Test | A method that helps to know if something is correct |
| At the drop of a hat | Willingness to do something instantly |
| Afraid of one’s own shadow | To become easily frightened |
| A house of cards | A poor plan |
| Fool’s paradise | False sense of happiness |
| Get a raw deal | To not be treated as well as other people |
| Give cold shoulder | To ignore |
| Hand to mouth | Live on only basic necessities |
| Make a face | To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions |
| It’s Greek to me | Something that is not understandable |
| To pour oil on troubled waters | To make peace |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | Do not put all your resources in one basket (in one place or thing) |
| To put in a nutshell | To say in a few words or to make something concise |
| Back out | To withdraw from a promise or contract |
| Blow up | To explode |
| Back Up | To support and sustain |
| Back Upon | To be relevant |
| Break Down | Failure in something |
| Break off | To end or discontinue |
| Break Up | To disperse / dissolve |
| Bring up | To rear |
| Call forth | To provoke |
| Call out | To shout |
| Call upon | To order |
| Carry on | To continue |
| Cast away | To throw aside |
| Catch up with | To overtake |
| Come off | To take place |
| Cry Down | To make little of |
| Catch up with | To overtake |
| Cry out against | To complain loudly against |
| Cut out | Designed for |
| Drop in | To Visit Casually |
| Drop out | To fall |
| Fall back | To Recede; To Retreat |
| Fall down | From a higher position to a lower one |
| Fall off | To Withdraw; To Drop Off |
| Fall under | To come under |
| Get along | To Prosper; To Progress; To Proceed |
| Get on with | To Live Pleasantly Together; To Progress |
| Get into | To be involved in |
| Give in | To Surrender; To Yield |
| Give over | Not to do any longer |
| Go after | To Follow; To Pursue |
| Go Down | To be accepted |
| Go without | To remain without |
| Go by | To follow |
| Hang about | To Loiter near a place |
| Hang upon | To depend upon |
| Hold out | To Endure; To Refuse to yield; To continue; To offer |
| Hold to | Abide By |
| Keep off | To ward off |
| Keep up with | To keep pace with |
| Knock out | To win by hitting another one |
| It takes two to tango | Both people involved in a bad situation are responsible for it |
| Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| Keep something at bay | Keep something away |
| Kill two birds with one stone | To solve two problems at a time with just one action |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Leave something alone if it might cause trouble |
| Open the floodgates | Release something that was previously under control |
| Out of the blue | Happen unexpectedly |
| Out on a limb | Do something risky |
| Over the Top | Totally excessive and not suitable for the occasion |
| Pen is mightier than the sword | Words and communication have a greater effect than war |
| Push one’s luck | Trying to obtain more than what one has |
| Reap the harvest | Benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions |
| Roll up sleeves | To get yourself prepared |
| See eye to eye | To be in agreement with |
| Shot in the dark | A complete guess |
| Sink your teeth into | Do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm |
| Take with a grain/pinch of salt | To doubt theaccuracy of information |
| Skating on thin ice | Do or say something risky |
| Tight spot | A difficult situation |
| Strike while the iron is hot | To act at the right time |
| Take the plunge | Venture into something of one’s interest despite the risks involved |
| Take a nosedive | Rapid drop or decrease in value |
| Think the world of | Admire someone very much |
| Stand in a good stead | To be useful or be of good service to someone |
| Take a back seat | Choose to be less important in a role |
| Wave a dead chicken | Do something useless |
| Whale of a time | Enjoy a lot |
| Wrap one’s brain around | Concentrate on something to understand |
| Zero in on something | Focus all attention on one thing |
| Above all | Chiefly, Mainly |
| On Account of | Due to |
| On no account | Not for Any Reason |
| A Fidus Achates | A faithful friend or a devoted follower |
| The Heel of Achilles | A Weak Point |
| An Adonis | A very handsome man |
| To assume airs | To affect superiority |
| To stand aloof | To keep to oneself and not mix with others |
| To lead to the altar | To marry |
| An Ananias | A Liar |
| An Apollo | A Man with Perfect Physique |
| To Upset the Apple Cart | To disturb the peace |
| Apple Pie Order | In perfect order |
| Arcadian Life | A blissful, happy, rural and simple life |
| To take up arms | To fight or go to the war |
| To Grind | To have some selfish objective in view |
| To break the back of anything | To perform the most difficult part |
| To backbite a person | To speak disguise about someone |
| He has no backbone | He has no will of his own |
| To cause bad blood | To Cause Enmity |
| Bag and Baggage | With all one’s belongings |
| To keep the ball rolling | To keep things going |
| Barmecide feast | Imaginary Benefits |
| Bee-line | The shortest distance between two places |
| Behind one’s back | Without one’s Knowledge |
| Behind the scenes | In Private |
| To hit below the belt | To act unfairly in a contest |
| To bite the dust | To be Defeated in Battle |
| A Wet Blanket | A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm |
| In Cold Blood | Deliberately |
| A blue Stocking | A learned/educated or intellectual woman |
| At First Blush | At first sight |
| A Bolt from the Blue | Something completely unexpected that surprises you |
| One’s bread and butter | One’s means of livelihood |
| To breadth one’s last | To Die |
| To make bricks without straw | To attempt to do something without proper materials |
| To kick the bucket | To die |
| Good wine needs no bush | There is no need to advertise something good |
| To burn the candle at both ends | To expend energy in two directions at the same time |
| If the cap fits, wear it | If you think the remarks refer to you, then accept the criticism |
| Care killed the cat | Don’t fret and worry yourself to death |
| To Catch one’s eye | To attract attention |
| To take the chair | To preside a meeting |
| She is no chicken | She is older than she says |
| To pick and choose | To make a careful selection |
| To square the circle | To attempt something impossible |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | Adverse conditions do not last forever |
| Close fisted | Mean |
| Cut your cloth according to your cloth | Live within your income |
| A cock and bull story | A foolishly incredible story |
| To be cock sure | To be perfectly sure or certain |
| To throw cold water upon anything | To discourage efforts |
| Off color | Not in the usual form |
| To commit to memory | To learn by heart |
| Too many cooks spoil the broth | Where there are more workers than necessary |
| Crocodile tears | Hypocritical Tears |
| By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| Cut and dried | Readymade |
| Up to date | Recent |
| Evil days | A period of misfortune |
| Halcyon Days | A time when there are peace and happiness in the land |
| To step into dead man’s shoes | To come into an inheritance |
| Go to the devil | Be off |
| Devil’s bones | Dice |
| Devil’s Playthings | Playing Cards |
| Give a dog a bad name and hang him | Once a person loses his reputation |
| Every dog has his day | Sooner or later, everyone has his share of good fortune |
| To throw dust in one’s eyes | To try to deceive someone or mislead someone |
| A white elephant | A useless possession which is extremely expensive to keep |
| To set the Thames on fire | To do something sensational or remarkable |
| A burnt child dreads the fire | One who has had a previous unpleasant experience is always scared of situations where such experiences are likely to be repeated |
| A fish out of water | Anyone in an awkward |
| Foul play | Cheating |
| To jump from a frying pan into fire | To come out of one trouble and get into a worse |
| All that glitters are not gold | Things are not always as attractive as they appear |
| To die in harness | To continue at one’s occupation until death |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of all opportunities |
| Lock, stock and barrel | The whole of everything |
| A miss is as good as a mile | Comes nowhere near it. If someone narrowly misses the target it still is treated as a missed one or failure. |
| To move heaven and earth | To exert all efforts |
| One swallow does not make a summer | It is unreliable to base one’s conclusions on only a single test or incident |
| If wishes were horses, beggars might ride | If wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted |
| A nine days’ wonder | An event which relates a sensation for a time but is soon forgotten |
| Yellow press | Newspapers which publish sensational and unscrupulous stories and exaggerates the news to attract readers. |
| A ball park figure | A general financial figure |
| To balance the books | To make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received. |
| A cash cow | A product or service that makes a lot of money for a company |
| Devil’s Advocate | To present a counter argument |
| Don’t give up the day job | You are not very good at something. You could not do it professionally. |
| To cook the books | To modify financial statements |
| To get the sack | To be dismissed from your job |
| To be snowed under | To be very busy |
| To work your fingers to the boneOrTo sweat blood | To work really hard |
| Hear it on the grapevine | To hear rumors |
| In the heat of the moment | Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment |
| Not a spark of decency | No Manners |
| Speak of the devil! | This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives |
| Whole nine yards | Everything. All of it |
| Your guess is as good as mine | To have no idea about anything |
