Every language has its own idioms and expressions and the English language has plenty of phrases that is useful to learn. Idioms are words or phrases that aren’t meant to be taken literally and usually have a cultural meaning behind them.
Most of the English idioms you hear are offering advice’s but also contain some underlying principles and values.
You have probably heard some of them, especially in some TV-shows and movies, and wondered why you can’t understand these idioms even though you fully understand the words.
Also Read:
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- An Idiomatic Approach to Workplace Language – Solve the Exercise
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To learn English idioms and phrases it can take some time but there are some of them that are more popular than others that will come handy if you know them.
When you learn English idioms and phrases you will sound more confident especially when you speak with native English speakers. If you can’t understand idioms you will not be able to understand the context. That is why we have gathered some of the most common English idioms and phrases so you will understand the true meaning of them.
- Sweeping Statement – Thoughtless statement
- All at sea – Puzzled
- Enough rope – Enough freedom for action
- By fits and start – Irregularly
- Fell foul of – Got into trouble with
- Token strike – Short strike held as warning
- Face the music – Get reprimanded
- Look down upon – Hate intensely
- Flogging a dead horse – Wasting time in useless effort
- Under a cloud – Under suspicion
- Green thumb – To have a natural interest
- Played havoc – Caused destruction
- No love lost between – Not on good terms
- Fair and square – Honest
- A white elephant – Costly or troublesome possession
- Out and out – Totally
- On the cuff – On credit
- Does not hold water – Cannot be believed
- A wild goose chase – Futile search
- In a tight corner – In a difficult situation
- Going places – Talented and successful
- In cold blood – A murder done with intention
- Off and on – Occasionally
- Hard and fast – Strict
- Took to heels – Run away in fear
- To keep up – To keep in touch
- Make a clean breast – Confess without reserve
- Heads will roll – Transfers will take place
- Make no bones about – Do not have any hesitation in anything
- Take after – Resembles
- To stave off – Postpone
- To give a piece of mind – To reprimand
- Rest on laurels – To be complacent
- Pay through nose – Pay an extremely high price
- Draw on fancy – Use imagination
- Turn an honest living – Make an legitimate living
- Give the game away – Give out the secret
- Cheek by jowl – Very near
- Give in – Yield
- Run riot – Act without restraint
- Go through fire and water – Undergo any risk
- Talking through hat – Talking nonsense
- Put up with – Tolerate
- By fits and starts – Irregularly
- Reading between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
- Get the sack – Dismissed from
- Pros and cons – Considering all the facts
- By leaps and bounds – Very Quickly
- In the good books – In favour with boss
- In the long run – Ultimately
- To be always one’s beck and call – At one’s disposal (ready to serve one’s master)
- Turn a deaf ear – Disregard / Ignore / Refuse
- At one’s wit’s end – Puzzled / Confused / Perplexed
- To fight tooth and nail – To fight in a determined way for what you want
- The green-eyed monster – Used as a way of talking about jealousy
- Set the record straight – Give a correct account
- Good Samaritan – Helpful person
- Bad blood – Angry feeling
- To go to the whole hog – To do it completely
- Lay out – Spend
- Laying off – Dismissal from jobs
- By Leaps and bounds – At rapid pace
- Spilling the beans – Revealing the information indiscreetly
- Carry out – Execute
- Went to the winds – Dissipated/ To be utterly lost
- Ins and outs – Full details
- A white elephant – A costly but useless possession
- Fed up – Annoyed
- In the good books – In favour with
- Sharp practices – Dishonest means
- In high spirits – Full of hope and enthusiasm
- Shake in shoes – Tremble with fear
- Fits and starts – Not regularly
- Close shave – Narrow escape
- Take with a grain of salt – To listen to something with considerable doubt
- Hobson’s choice – No real choice at all
- To eat a humble pie – To apologize
- To give the devil his due – To give encouragement even to the enemy
- Reading between the lines – Looking for meanings that are not actually expressed
- An open book – One that hold no secrets
- An axe to grind – A private interest to serve
- To blow one’s own trumpet – Praise one’s own abilities and achievements
- Stand-offish – Indifferent
- Sowing wild oats – Irresponsible pleasure seeking in young age
- A bolt from the blue – Something unexpected and unpleasant
- By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
- Of no avail – Useless
- On the verge of – On the brink of
- A sore point – Something which hurts
- Rise like a phoenix from the ashes – With a new life/rebirth/reincarnation
- To keep under wraps – Secret
- Die in harness – To die at one’s work
- Fair- weather friend – A friend that deserts in difficulties
- Emerge out of thin air – Appear Suddenly
- Cut no ice – Have no influence
- Bring to light – Introduce for discussion
- Cannot hold a candle to – Cannot be compared to
- Burn one’s boat – Leave no means of return
- Make one’s flesh creep – Horrify
- Pros and cons – For and against / Analysis of all the given facts
- To take into account – To consider
- Blow over – Pass off
- Run into – Incurred / To experience difficulties
- Blue-eyed boys – Favorites
- Dropping names – Hinting at high connections/ To mention famous people you know or have met in order to impress others
- A Red letter day – An important day
- Bone to pick – Cause of quarrel/ Bone of contention
- At stone’s throw – Very near
- Struck a chill to the heart – Arouse fear/to make somebody afraid
- End in a fiasco – A total or utter failure
- Fall back – To turn or move back
- Turn up one’s nose at – To reject / Despises
- Turn one’s head – To feel proud in a way that other people find it annoying
- High and dry – Neglected / To leave someone helpless
- Take for granted – To accept readily / To pre-suppose as certainly true
- Mince matters – To confuse issues/ to mix facts
- Currying favour with – Ingratiating / Trying too hard to get please somebody
- Set one’s face against – Oppose strongly
- Strom in a tea cup – Commotion (angry/worry) over a trivial matter
- Putting one’s foot down – Asserting one’s authority / Take a firm stand
- The man in the street – An ordinary man (common man)
- To catch up with – To compete with
- Fight to the bitter end – To fight a losing battle
- Throw down a glove – To accept defeat
- Read between the lines – Understanding the hidden meaning
- Let the cat out of the bag – To utter a secret carelessly or by mistake
- To have Too many iron in the fire – To get engage in too many enterprises at the same time
- Fall through – To fail
- Cut one off, without a shilling – Disinheriting / To expel from fraternal property
- To smell a rat – To suspect a trick
- Turn a deaf ear – Disobey
- Have the last laugh – To be victorious at the end of an argument / To succeed when others thought you would not
- Red letter day – Happy and significant day (Gala day)
- To blaze a trail – To lead the way as a pioneer
- To beat a retreat – To run away in fear from a dangerous or unpleasant situation
- To steer clear of – Avoid
- To get one’s own back – To get one’s revenge
- To run across – To meet by chance
- A dark horse – An unforeseen competitor
- Put up with – Endure
- Got the sack – Dismissed from
- Herculean task – A work requiring very great effort
- By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
- Helter-Skelter – In disorderly haste
- Go to the winds – Disappear
- Make ducks and drakes of – Squander
- On the level – Honest and sincere
- Done for – Ruined
- Make a clean breast – Confess
- To end in smoke – To come to nothing, no outcome
- To have something up one’s sleeve – Having a secret plan or solution
- To take to one’s heel – To run away
- To turn a deaf ear – To be indifferent
- At snail’s pace – To do things very slowly
- To run one down – To disparage someone
- To blow one’s own trumpet – To praise oneself
- To face the music – To bear the consequences
- To take someone to task – To scold someone
- At one’s wit – Puzzled/Confused/Perplexed
- At stake – In danger/ that can be lost or won depending on the success of a particular action
- To play to the gallery – To behave in an exaggerated way to attract people’s attention
- Read between the lines – Understand the hidden meaning
- Sitting on the fence – Hesitating which side to take
- No love lost between – Not on good terms
- To have not a leg to stand on – Unable to prove or explain why something is reasonable
- A man in the street – An ordinary person / Common man
- Blood running cold – Become very frightened
- Playing to the gallery – Befooling the common man
- Come out of one’s shell – To appear suddenly
- Lay down arms – To surrender
- Making hay while the sun shines – Taking advantage of a favorable opportunity
- Blow one’s own trumpet – To praise oneself
- Bear with – Support / To be patient with some body or something (especially through difficulties)
- Give vent to – To emphasize or to express
- Turn a deaf ear – Pay no attention
- Bone of contention – Matter of dispute
- Stand on own feet – To be independent
- By fits and starts – Irregularly
- Over head and ears – Completely
- To call it a day – To conclude proceedings
- To put up with – To tolerate
- To face the music – To bear the consequences
- Yeoman’s service – Social work
- To take to hearts – To grieve over
- To smell a rat – To be suspicious
- To move heaven and earth – To try everything possible
- To take someone for a ride – To deceive (cheat) someone
- In cold blood – Intentional / Excitedly
- A damp squib – A disappointing result
- To bite the dust – To be defeated
- To take to one’s heel – To run away
- To be all at sea – Lost and confused
- Cold Comfort – Slight satisfaction
- A bolt from the blue – An unexpected and unpleasant event
- To feather one’s nest – To make oneself rich (in position or in monetary terms)
- To die in harness – To die while in service
- To show a clean pair of heels – To escape / Run away
- To flog a dead horse – To waste one’s efforts
- To strain every nerve – To make utmost efforts
- A bolt form the blue – Unexpected problem
- Sailing in the same boat – Being in the same difficult situation
- Gift of the gab – Ability to speak well
- To keep the wolf from the door – Escape starvation
- Soft option – Easy and agreeable option
- A little gush of gratitude – Feeling grateful
- To lose ground – To become less popular
- To fall back on – To use or do something else after other things have failed
- To make one’s blood boil – To make somebody furious
- Wear and tear – Damage
- To add fuel to the fire – To cause additional anger
- Hand in glove – In close relationship
- To make a mountain of a molehill – To give great importance to little things
- To speak one’s mind – To be frank and honest
- Maiden speech – First speech
- At the eleventh hour – At the very last moment
- Cope with – To face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, especially successfully or in a calm or adequate manner
- Go a long way towards doing something – To be helpful
- Gift of the gab – Talent of speaking
- Standstill – Complete halt
- Cross swords – Disagree
- Pore over – Go through
- Make both ends meet – To live a lavish life
- Run down – Criticise
- Grease anybody’s palm – To give bribe
- Leave in the lurch – Abandon in the midway/difficult situation
- Caught red handed – At the time of committing crime
- On the brink of – On the point of
- Face the music – Face the unpleasant consequences
- Gift of the gab – Ability to speak impressively
- Go down the drain – Lose forever
- A close shave – Narrow escape from danger
- Cool as a cucumber – Not nervous or emotional
- In high spirits – Cheerful
- Scapegoats – A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings with arrogant reactions
- A red letter day – A day memorable for joyful event
- Wears heart on sleeves – Express feelings openly
- To pay off old scores – To refund old dues
- Man of letters – Proficient in literary arts
- Turn down – Refuse
- On good terms – Agree with someone
- Stole the show – Win everyone’s praise
- Measure up – Reach the level
- Doctor the accounts – To manipulate the accounts
- Dark horse – An unexpected winner
- Face the music – To bear the criticism
- In the red – Losing money/ To owe money
- In lieu of – Despite of
- Beat about the bush – Speak in a round-about manner
- Bring about – Cause
- Pull up – Reprimand
- At sixes and seven – In disorder or confusion
- Lose head – Panic
- Take to task – To criticize severely/ To punish
- Sit in judgement – To pass judgement(or comment on someone ) especially when you have no authority
- Leave in the lurch – To desert someone
- Cry over spilt milk – Cry over irreparable loss
- Bad blood – Active enmity
- Close shave – A narrow escape
- Grease palms – To bribe someone
- Carrot and stick – Reward and punishment policy
- To cut teeth – To gain experience of something for the first time
- Cut no ice – Have no influence
- Close the book – Stop working on something
- In fits and starts – Irregularly
- Bird’s eye view – An overview
- Run in the same groove – Advance in harmony
- Keep your head – Remain calm
- Pull strings – Use personal influence
- Pot luck dinner – Dinner where somebody brings something to eat
- To hit below the belt – To attack unfairly
- All at sea – Puzzled
- Sought after – Wanted by many people because it’s of good quality or difficult to find / Pursued by many
- Build castles in the air – Daydreaming
- On the spur of the moment – To act suddenly, without planning
- To have something up one’s sleeve – To have a secret plan
- A red letter day – An important or joyful occasion in one’s life
- To explore every avenue – To try every opportunity
- At one’s beck and call – Ready to follow orders/ To be dominated by someone
- By fair or foul means – In honest or dishonest way
- Status quo – As it is / Unchanged position
- To burn candle at both ends – To be extravagant / Spend without any worry
- To hit the jackpot – To make money quickly
- To bring to light – To reveal
- At the eleventh hour – At the last possible moment
- Go scot-free – To escape without punishment
- To shed crocodile tears – To pretend grief
- To look down one’s nose – To regard with contempt
- To miss the bus – To miss an opportunity
- A white elephant – Costly and troublesome possession, without much use to its owner
- To call spade a spade – To be frank
- To fight tooth and nail – To fight heroically, in very determined way
- Birds of same feather – Persons of same character
- Take exception – To object over something
- High handed – Using authority in an unreasonable way, overbearing
- Too fond of one’s own voice – To like talking without wanting to listen to other people/ Very selfish
- By leaps and bounds – Rapidly
- An open book – Straight forward and honest dealings
- Fall short – Fail to meet expectation/ Have no effect
- Heart to heart talk – Frank talk
- Give the game away – Give out the secret (unintentionally)
- Take cue from – To copy what someone already did in past in order to be successful
- Call for – To ask
- Out of the question – Undesirable/ Not worth discussing
- Run into – To meet someone accidently
- End up in smoke – Come to nothing / Useless
- Spread like fire – Spread rapidly
- Ins and outs – Full details
- Dropping like flies – Collapsing in large numbers
- Rat race – Fierce competition for power
- Hard nut to crack – Difficult task
- See eye to eye – To think in the same way
- Put across – To communicate your ideas, feelings, etc. successfully
- To have second thoughts – To reconsider
- Not my cup of tea – Not what somebody likes or interested in
- To break the ice – To start a conversation
- To eat a humble pie – To say or show sorry for a mistake that one made
- To add fuel to fire – To worsen the matter / To incite
- To burn one’s fingers – To get physically hurt
- At the eleventh hour – At the last moment
- To feel like a fish out of water – Uncomfortable situation
- To foam at one’s mouth – To be very angry
- Send packing – To tell somebody firmly or rudely to go away / Terminate service
- Kick up a row – Make a great fuss / To complain loudly about something
- Wet behind the ears – Young and without experience / Naïve
- To talk someone over – To convince over
- Wear heart on sleeves – Express emotions freely
- Bury the hatchet – To make peace / To stop being unfriendly and become friends again
- Once in a blue moon – Rarely
- Through thick and thin – Under all circumstances
- Come to grief – To suffer
- Eat anyone’s salt – To be anyone’s guest
- Give a hand with – To help with something
- Take to heart – To be very upset by something that somebody says or does
- Had better – Used for telling somebody what you think he ‘should’ do
- Strike a bargain – To negotiate a deal
- Point blank – Very definite and direct
- Scapegoat – A person who is blamed for the wrongdoings, mistakes, or faults of others, especially for reasons of expediency / Fall guy
- Kicking heels – To be relaxed and enjoy / Waste time
- End in smoke – Come to nothing
- Die in harness – Die in service/ Die while working
- On the horns of dilemma – In a situation where you have to make choice between things that are equally unpleasant
- Hold one’s tongue – To be silent
- No hard and fast rules – Easy regulation
- Live from hand to mouth – Miserably
- Turn a deaf ear – Refuse to obey
- Take exception – To object
- To hail from – To come from
- By fits and starts – Irregularly
- Bad blood – Feeling of hatred
- Turn up – To appear
- Die hard – Unwilling to change
- Turn down – Reject
- To pass away – Die
- Carry weight – Be important / Important influence
- Fall flat – Fail to amuse people / Fail to produce intended effect
- Under the thumb of – Under the control of
- To get wind – Come to know about something secret or private
- Part and parcel – An essential part of something
- To give vent to – To express a feeling, especially anger, strongly
- Stand by – To help / Support somebody or be friend, even in difficult times
- In black and white – In writing
- At a loss – Unable / Not knowing about what to do or say
- Lame excuse – Unsatisfactory explanation
- Hand in glove – Working closely with someone / Very intimate
- A hard nut to crack – A difficult problem or situation to solve or deal with
- For better or worse – Always / In every condition
- From the bottom of one’s heart – To speak frankly
- In a nutshell – Brief
- A shot in the dark – An attempt to guess something
- At the eleventh hour – At a last moment
- Water under the bridge – Something that happened in the past and is now forgotten or no longer important
- Stick to guns – Hold on to original decisions
- Out of hand – Out of control, at once, immediately
- The salt of the earth – Very good and honest/ Kind
- Talking through hat – Talking nonsense
- Looking forward to – To expect something or someone
- Slip off – Leave quietly
- Get on well – Have a friendly relationship
- In a pickle – In an embarrassing or awkward situation
- Under a cloud – Being subject to suspicion
- As hard as nail – Emotionless / To show no sympathy, kindness or fear
- Allow a free hand – Complete liberty
- Lays out – To spend money
- Break down – To lose control of your feelings and start crying / Could not proceed
- Cut coat according to one’s cloth – Live within one’s means
- Weal and woe – Ups and downs
- Iron will – Strong determination
- To take to task – Punish
- Rack and ruin – Ransacked
- Rides the high horse – Feel superior
- By fits and starts – Irregularly
- Have a bee in one’s bonnet – To be preoccupied or obsessed with something
- See through – Detect / To realize the truth about someone or somebody
- Take after – To follow / To take care of older members of family
- Break up – Disband itself / The breaking up of relationship or association
- Stand by – Support
- Bull in a China shop – A clumsy person
- Change colours – To turn pale
- Spick and span – Neat and clean / Tidy
- Give in – To agree to do something that you don’t want to do
- Wide off the mark – Irrelevant / Not accurate / Inadequate
- Out of the world – Extraordinary
- Sweep under the carpet – To hide something
- By leaps and bound – Very rapidly
- To toe the line – To follow the lead / To follow boss’s orders
- Stick to guns – Maintain opinion
- Take hat off – Encourage / To admire somebody very much for something he has done
- Null and void – Empty
- Break the ice – Initiate a talk
- Keep the wolf from the door – Avoid starvation
- Fish in troubled water – To make a profit out of troubled situation
- Look into – To investigate
- Smell the rat – Suspect that something is fishy
- Let the grass grow under the feet – Delay in getting things done
- Apple of discord – Cause of animosity
- A fish out of water – In uncomfortable situation
- In the long run – Over a period of time
- Jumping down one’s throat – To react very angrily to somebody
- Out of wits – Greatly confused
- Call spade a spade – To speak in a straightforward manner (frankly)
- Face the music – Accept the punishment
- To play second fiddle – Take a subordinate role
- Casting pearl before swine – Offering good things to undeserving people
- Putting the cart before the horse – Doing things in the wrong way
- Not fit to hold candle – Not so good as somebody or something else
- Egg someone on – To encourage somebody to do something
- For good – Permanently
- Achilles’s heel – Weak spot
- Take a leap in the dark – To take risk
- Cut the guardian knot – Remove difficulty / To solve problem
- Blow one’s own trumpet – Self boasting
- A cakewalk – An easy achievement
- Not to look a gift horse in the mouth – Not to find fault with the gift received
- Man of straw – A man of no substance
- Born with a silver spoon – Born in a rich family
- Let sleeping dogs lie – Not to bring up an old controversial issue
- A month of Sundays – A long time
- A closed book – A mystery
- In apple pie order – In perfect order
- Through thick and thin – In spite of all difficulties
- Wet one’s whistle – To have a drink
- Bury the hatchet – Make peace
- Cool one’s heel – To keep waiting
- Live-wire – A person who is lively or energetic
- Feel blue – In trouble / depressed
- Above board – Legal and honest
- Pour cats and dogs – Rain heavily
- For good – Permanently
- Iron fist – To treat people in severe manner / strictly
- Time and again – Always
- Eat humble pie – To say or show that you are sorry for the mistakes committed by you
- Rule the roost – Exercise authority / To be the most powerful member in the group
- Have something up your sleeve – Have an alternate plan
- Take to task – Punished / Reprimanded
- Feel one’s pulse – To find what one is thinking on some point
- Donkey’s year – A long time
- To make things done – To manage
- Chicken out – Withdraw / To decide not to do something because you are afraid /
- Ice braking – Starting a conversation
- Bad hats – People of bad character
- Give and take – Adjustment / Willingness in relationship to accept what somebody else wants and gives up some of what you want
- Off and on – Irregularly
- Man of straw – A man of no substance
- Break down – Weep bitterly
- Get down to business – To begin work seriously
- Giving a piece of one’s mind – Speak sharply
- Go about – Go around / To continue to do something
- Take exception – To object at something
- Picking up holes in – Finding out faults with something
- To cast a die – To take a decision
- Put up with – Bear patiently / To bear or endure
- The gift of the gab – Ability to speak well
- See through – Detect / To realize the truth
- Cordon off – Isolate / To stop people from getting into an area by surrounding it with police
- Keep an open house – Welcome all members
- Wet behind ears – Young and inexperienced / Naïve
- Pick on – Warn severely
- Fight tooth and nail – Fight with strength and fury
- Teething problems – Difficulties at the start
- A wild goose chase – Fruitless pursuit
- To get into hot water – To get into trouble
- A bolt from the blue – A complete surprise
- Plain sailing – Very easy
- Take to one’s heel – Run off
- To cut one short – To criticize
- Show the white flag – To surrender
- A cut above – Rather superior to
- To throw dust in one’s eye – To deceive
- Read between the lines – Know what the writer thinks / Know hidden meaning
- Give vent to – To express
- Bring about – Cause to happen
- Husband one’s resource –To save / Economical
- Foam at the mouth – Angry
- Keep wolf away from the door – Keep away extreme poverty
- Pin money – Additional money
- The Alpha and Omega – Beginning and end
- Salt of the earth – Good, honest and ideal
- Bring the house down – Make the audience applaud enthusiastically
- Gerrymandering way – In a manipulative and unfair way
- Strain every nerve – Make all efforts / Try all tricks
- Hard and fast – That cannot be altered / fixed
- Turn up one’s nose at – To not accept something because you do not think it is good enough for you / To treat with contempt
- Down in the dumps – Sad and depressed
- Dot one’s I’s and cross one T’s – Be detailed and exact
- All moonshine – Superficial
- Wild goose chase – A foolish and useless enterprise
- Swan song – Last prayer (at funeral or farewell)
- By the skin of teeth – By the narrowest margin
- Bury the hatchet – Make peace / Forget the quarrels
- Keep up with – Go at equal pace
- Flies off at a tangent – Start discussing something irrelevant
- Batten down the hatches – Prepare for a difficult situation
- Nail one’s colours to the mast – Refuse to climb down
- All might and main – With full force
- Red herrings – Clues intended to distract or mislead / An unimportant fact, idea, event, etc. that takes people attention from the important ones
- To cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth – To live within one’s means
- White elephant – A costly but useless possession
- Look sharp – Pay attention
- Big draw – Huge attraction
- Bear down – To move quickly towards something/someone in a determined or threatening way
- To put a spoke in someone’s wheel – Destroy the plan / Cause hindrance / To prevent somebody from putting their plan into action
- At a stretch – Continuously
- Know beans about something – Well informed and intelligent
- To get into hot water – To get into troubles
- Know the ropes – Learn the procedures
- Barking up the wrong tree – Trying to find someone at wrong place
- In the swim – Well informed and up-to-date
- Rub up the wrong way – To irk or irritate someone
- Add fuel to the fire – Worsen the situation
- In the loop – Informed regularly
- Hold one’s horses – To keep waiting
- Black out – Lost consciousness
- Cut and dry method – Specific
- Back to the drawing board – Plan it all over again
- In the air – Certain / Able to be firmly relied on to happen or be the case / Specific but not explicitly named or stated
- On the same page – Thinks in a similar way
- Pull no punch – Speaks frankly
- Going places – Talented and successful
- Stand / Hold your ground – Refuse to yield / To continue with your opinions or intentions when someone is opposing you
- Put your feet down – Take a firm stand / To be very strict in opposing what somebody wishes to do
- Read between the line – To understand the inner meaning
- To the letter – Paying attention to every detail / Doing or following exactly what somebody something says
- To carve out a niche – To work harder in order to have successful career / Develop a special position for oneself
- Wild goose chase – Useless search / Unprofitable adventure
- In Dutch – In trouble
- See eye to eye – To have the same opinion
- Come to light – Been revealed / To become known to people
- Around the clock – Day and night
- Balloon goes up – The situation turns unpleasant or serious
- Watching grass grow – Very boring
- Nine day’s wonder – A dazzling short-lived spectacle of no real value
- Beyond the pale – Outside commonly accepted standards
- Took after – Similar to / to look or behave like an older member of your family
- Throw dust into one’s eye – To deceive
- Cool about working – Not tense about working / Reading to work
- All ears – Attentive
- Maiden speech – First speech
- Hold water – With logical backing / To stand up to critical examination
- Other fish to fry – Some important work to attend to
- A close shave – A narrow escape from danger
- To tell in a nut shell – In a brief manner / Summarize
- Within a stone’s throw – At a short distance
- To feather one’s nest – To enrich oneself when opportunity occurs
- A close-fisted person – A miser
- To gather roses only – To seek all enjoyments of life
- A black sheep – A person with bad reputation
- To grease the palm – To bribe
- For good – Permanently
- An about turn – Complete change of opinion or situation
- Make a mockery – To make something seem ridiculous or useless / No serious outcome
- Eat like a horse – Eat a lot
- Go to the dogs – To be ruined
- Pay on the nail – Pay promptly / Payment without delay
- Penelope’s web – An endless job
- At draggers drawn – Enmity
- Bury the hatchet – Make peace
- Null and void – Not binding / Having no legal force
- Break in – Force entry to a building
- Stir up a Hornet’s nest – To create a lot of trouble
- Second thoughts – Reconsidering the original idea
- Average out – Balance
- Go to the dogs – Ruin / to go to in very bad situation
- Floored – To surprise or confuse
- Give way – Collapse
- Tall tales – Boasting
- Backseat driver – A person who gives unwanted advice
- At random – Without any aim or target
- Break off – Suddenly stop
- Go haywire – Become out of control
- Above board – Honest / Without any secret
- Feather in one’s cap – An achievement
- Follow one’s nose – To go straight ahead
- To latch onto – To promote
- Fight shy of – To avoid someone/ something
- Add fuel to the fire – Worsen the matter
- Cock and bull story – Absurd an unbelievable story
- Hold water – Seem logical
- To be down to earth – To be realistic
- In the nick of time – Just in time
- To shun evil company – To avoid or give up bad company
- Seamy side – Unpleasant and immoral
- A sacred cow – A person never to be criticized
- A dog’s breakfast – A total mess / A thing that has been done badly
- Sail in the same boat – To be in same situation
- Take the bull by the horns – To face a difficulty courageously
- Shed crocodile tears – To pretend to be sympathetic
- To be in a quandary – In a confusing situation
- Take French leave – Absenting oneself without permission
- To put in a nutshell – To state something very concisely
- The genomes of Zurich – A slang term for Swiss bankers
- To make up one’s mind – To decide what to do
- To call it a day – Decide to finish working of the day
- In two minds – To be undecided
- Put something by – To save money for a particular purpose
- On cloud nine – Extremely happy
- The jury is out – No decision has been reached
- Have a finger in every pie – To be meddlesome / To involved in a lot of different activities and having influence over them
- To take after – To resemble an older member of family
- Flying visit – Very short visit
- Telling upon – Showing effectively / Having strong effect
- Kith and kin – Relatives
- Part and parcel – Important part
- Beat about the bush – Circumlocution / Does not talk specifically
- Carry out – Complete something
- Take fancy – To attract or please somebody
- Snake in the grass – A hidden enemy
- Make a mountain of a mole hill – Exaggerate a minor problem
- Spill the beans – Reveal the secret information
- Make amends for – Compensate the loss
- Leave high and dry – In a difficult situation without help or money / Leave alone to work / A boat in a position out of water
- Make believe – To pretend that something is true
- Go for the jugular – Attack all out / To attack somebody’s weaker point during a discussion
- Keep a level head – To remain calm and sensible in a difficult situation
- Under the weather – Sick
- At loggerheads – In strong disagreement
- Go Dutch – Divide the cost
- Alma mater – Institution where one got education
- A closefisted man – A miser
- As daft as a brush – Very silly
- Rise with the lark – Get up early / To get out of bed very early in the morning
- At one’s wit’s end – To be so worried by a problem that you don’t know what to do next
- Make a beeline – Rush / To go straight towards something as quick as you can
- Wild goose chase – Useless search
- A man of letters – A literary person
- Horse sense – Basic common sense
- Shot in the arm – Something that gives encouragement
- Catch time by the forelock – Seize opportunity
- Get on nerves – Annoying
- Clean hands – Innocent
- A golden mean – Middle course between two extremes
- Vexed question – Controversial issue
- Keep the wolf away from the door – To keep off starvation
- Out of sorts – Ill or sick / Upset
- Gut feeling – Strong instinct (based on feelings and emotions rather than thought and reason)
- Finish with something – Be through / To have something at the end / To stop doing something
- Red-letter day – An important day
- A close fisted man – Miser
- To set the Thames on fire – Do a heroic deed / To do such a work that needs a strenuous effort
- Eat humble pie – To say sorry for mistakes / Suffer humiliation
- Play ducks and drakes – Spend lavishly / To waste or squander
- Be taken aback – Shocked or surprised
- Lay it on thick – An exaggeration / To talk about somebody or something in a way than they really are
- Bird’s eye view – A overview / A general view from above
- To win laurels – To earn great prestige
- In the soup – To be in trouble
- Draw the line – To set a limit
- A bee hive – A busy place
- To cut the Gordian knot – To perform a difficult task
- Take a French leave – Being absent without permission
- Arm-chair critic – A person who give advice based on theory not on practice
- A chip of the old block – An experienced old man
- Feather your nest – To make yourself richer, especially by spending money on yourself that should be spent on something else
- Throw up cards – To give in / To blow away the plan
- Vote with your feet – Showing your disapproval
- Dog in a manger – A selfish person
- Chapter and verse – Providing minutes details
- Bring down the house – Amuse the audience greatly / To make everyone cheer
- Give a wide berth to – To stay away from or avoid someone
- A hard nut to crack – A difficult problem to solve
- In black and white – In writing
- Beside the mark – Irrelevant / Not to be accurate
- To give a piece of mind – Scolding / To tell someone that you are angry with them or you disapprove of their behavior
- Give away – To distribute something
- Fight tooth and nail – Fight with all strengths
- Show a clean a pair of heels – To run away fast / To flee swiftly
- All moonshine – Concocted
- Up to the mark – According to the required standard
- A red letter day – An important day
- Sit on the fence – To avoid becoming involved in deciding or influencing something
- Shake off – Forget / To get away from somebody who is chasing or following you
- Cock and bull story – A concocted or absurd story
- Pull a long face – Look dejected / An unhappy or disappointed expression
- Under a cloud – Under suspicion
- Cat-nap – Short sleep
- To pull a long face – Look sad
- Fit like a glove – Perfectly
- Caught red-handed – Discovered in the act of doing
- Gate crasher – Uninvited guest
- To angle – To fish
- For all intents and purposes – Practically
- Go out of one’s way – Do everything possible
- In the running – Has good prospects in competition
- Beat about the bush – To say everything except the main topic
- Make room – Make space
- Mend your way’s – Improve one’s behavior
- Beggar description – Cannot be described
- Drag one’s feet – Be reluctant to act
- Hope against hope – Nurture an impossible hope
- For keeps – Forever
- Paled into insignificance – Seemed less important
- With one voice – Unanimously
- Make it light – Treat lightly
- Every inch a gentleman – Entirely
- Catch a tartar – A rough, violent, troublesome person
- To add fuel to the fire – Make thing worse
- To take to heart – To be greatly affected
- To bring to light – To reveal
- All moon shine – Far from reality
- At a snail’s pace – Slowly
- Call on – Pay a visit
- Pros and cons – Advantages and disadvantage
- Once in a blue moon – Very rarely
- Fish out of water – An uncomfortable position
- Be down with – Suffering from
- Fair-weather friend – Supports only when easy and convenient
- Pull together – Work harmoniously
- To bury the hatchet – To make peace
- Selling like hot cakes – To have a very good sale
- Scot free – Unpunished
- To give oneself airs – Behave arrogantly
- At a stone’s throw – At short distance
- Bone of contention – Matter of dispute
- To eat humble pie – To yield under humiliating circumstances
- To end in smoke – To fail / To end without any practical results
- To spill the beans – To reveal a secret
- Drive home – Emphasise
- A left hand compliment – An ambiguous compliment
- Cut a sorry figure – Make a poor impression
- To take to task – Reprimand
- Bad blood – Enmity
- Maiden speech – First speech
- To get cold feet – Fear
- Beside the mark – Not to the point
- On tenterhooks – In suspense and anxiety
- A cuckoo in the nest – An unwelcomed intruder
- A house of cards – An insecure scheme
- To smell a rat – To suspect foul dealings
- Old head on young shoulder – To be wise beyond one’s age
- A wild-goose chase – Pointless search
- Hard of hearing – To be deaf
- Burn your boats – Do something that makes it impossible to return to the previous situation
- Dressing-down – To give scolding
- Null and void – Invalid
- A dark horse – Unexpected winner
- Throw cold water – Discourage
- Butt in – Interrupt
- Couch potato – A person who prefers to watch television
- Carry the ball – Be in charge
- Turn down – Reject
- Catch a tartar – To deal with a person who is more than one’s match
- Cap in hand – In a respectful manner
- In the blues – Cheerless and depressed
- Cheek by jowl – Very close together
- Beyond the pale – Unreasonable or unacceptable
- Blow one’s own trumpet – Praise oneself
- Stick to one’s guns – Maintain own opinion
- At sea – Confused
- Straw in the wind – An indication of what might happen
- Face the music – Be punished
- Curry favours – Seek favourable attention
- Weal and woe – Good times and bad times
- Call in question – Challenge
- Make both ends meet – Live within means
- Put up the shutters – Go out of business
- A drop in a bucket – A very insignificant amount
- Draw a blank – Find no favour
- To keep in abeyance – In a state of suspension
- To be in a fix – In a difficult situation
- To break the ice – Make people comfortable and relaxed / Start conversation
- As daft as a brush – Extremely silly
- In a nutshell – Briefly and concisely
- Strain every nerve – Work very hard
- Evening of life – Old age
- Button one’s lips – Stop talking
- Cock and bull stories – Absurd and unlikely stories
- A live wire – Lively and active
- Capital punishment – Death sentence
- Leaps and bounds – Rapidly
- Wet behind the ears – Young and without much experience
- Under a cloud – Under suspicion
- Get the sack – Be dismissed
- Feather in one’s cap – A new and additional distinction
- Donkey’s year – A long time
- Leave no stone unturned – To try every possible way
- A man of letters – Scholar
- Bear in mind – Remember
- To nip in the bud – To stop something in the starting
- To put a spoke in one’s wheel – To hinder
- To clip one’s wings – To deprive one of power
- Hold up – Delay
- To play fast and loose – To act in an unreliable way
- Feather one’s own nest – Make money in an improper way
- Pull a fast one – Play a trick
- Turn-turtle – Complete over-turn of a situation
- Take the bull by the horns – Grapple the situation courageously
- A gentleman at large – A man without a job
- Lose face – Become embarrassed
- Build castle in the air – Day dreaming
- Fall back on – Resort to something
- Go to rack and ruin – Get into a bad condition
- Bite the dust – Suffer a defeat
- Have a chip on one’s shoulder – Nurse a grudge
- The seamy side – Unpleasant aspect
- Too many chiefs and not enough Indians – An inefficient situation (too many managers and not enough people to do the work)
- Make one’s mark – Distinguish oneself
- Throw in the towel – Acknowledge defeat
- Mare’s nest – Worthless thing
- A storm in a teacup – Big fuss over a small matter
- Blue-blooded – Of noble birth
- Do a roaring trade – Highly successful
- Keep body and soul together – To have just enough to sustain
- Will-o-the-wisp – Unreal Imagining
- Cloak-and-dagger – An activity that involves mystery and secrecy
- Palm off – To dispose off with the intent to deceive
- From stem to stern – All the way from the front of a ship to the back
- Over-egg the pudding – Add unnecessary details to make something seem better or worse
- Turn over a new leaf – Change ones behavior for the better
- Take up the hatchet – Prepare for or go to war
- At loose ends – In an uncertain situation
- With might and main – With full force
- Ruffle somebody’s feather – Annoy somebody
- Cut short – Interrupt
- Bad blood – Ill feeling
- A laughing stock – An object of laughter
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