Most asked Idioms and Phrases

What are Idioms?

Idioms are a collection of words or phrases which have a figurative meaning that is generally well established and known. Idioms are generally used in speeches to add life and color to the prose. Idioms are also used in writings to allows the authors to play with words and make it an interesting read, rather than straightforward boring paragraphs. Following is a list of some really creative examples of idioms and their subsequent meanings.

Top 300+ Important Idioms & Phrases for Exams

S.No. 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 bone Or To 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