Idioms and Phrases Flashcards
1
Q
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown
A
With power and authority comes worries and responsibilities
2
Q
Sweet are the uses of adversity
A
Sufferings are to be welcomed
3
Q
To run with the hare, to hunt with the hound
A
To be insincere to someone
4
Q
Apparel proclaims the man
A
You judge a man’s worth by his clothes
5
Q
A rolling stone gathers no moss
A
An aimless person cannot succeed
6
Q
One swallow does not make a summer
A
One person cannot do everything
7
Q
Every cock fights best on his own dunghill
A
One is very brave and confident in one’s own place.
8
Q
Near the church, farther from heaven
A
The more opportunities you have, the less you benefit from them.
9
Q
Never look for a gift horse in the mouth
A
There can be no choice about things given in charity
10
Q
Look before you leap
A
Don’t be reckless and impulsive
11
Q
Render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s
A
To be wise
12
Q
Distance lends enchantment to the old
A
Things look nice and beautiful when they are not within reach.
13
Q
The last straw breaks the camel’s back
A
The smallest addition to an already heavy task makes it intolerable
14
Q
Out of the frying pan into the fire
A
From one trouble to another
15
Q
One man’s meat is another man’s poison
A
What is good for one may be harmful for another
16
Q
A bird in hand is worth two in bush
A
Right use of present opportunity
17
Q
You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ears
A
Saying something impossible
18
Q
He who pays the Piper calls the tune
A
One has to act according to the wishes of one’s master
19
Q
Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread
A
Said for a reckless person
20
Q
Hope spring eternals in the human breast
A
One never loses hope
21
Q
Not fit to hold a candle
A
Being inferior
Example: for all his pious platitudes and political stunts, Mr. Nixon is not fit to hold a candle to lincoln or Roosevelt.
22
Q
Game is not worth the candle
A
The advantage or enjoyment to be gained is not worth the time spent in gaining it.
23
Q
To take the wind out of one’s sails
A
Frustrating someone by anticipating someone’s arguments or take away their advantage suddenly
24
Q
To sail under false colours
A
To pretend to be what someone is not or trying to deceive
Example:
In our blessed country, a smuggler sailing under the false colours of a socialist will never be exposed.
25
To be in the same boat
To be equally exposed with a person to risk or misfortune
26
Sail close to the wind
To break a law or principles
27
To weather the storm
To come out of crisis successfully
28
To pay one's way
Not get into debt
29
To bring under the hammer
To sell it by auction
Example:
If a person goes insolvent his creditors will bring everything that he owns under the hammer to recover their money.
30
Chip of the old block
A son who is very like his father
31
To be on the last legs
About to collapse
Example:
With science dominating life more and more, religion seems to be on its last legs.
32
To be on the carpet
To be summoned to one's employers room for reprimand
33
To be on wane
To be on decline
Example:
After the second world war, the British Empire was on wane.
34
To be in one's element
To be in agreeable company or work
35
To be at one's wits end
Perplexed
36
To be at sea
Confused or uncertain of mind
37
To be at daggers drawn
In bitter enmity
38
To be at the beck and call
Always ready to serve
39
To be within an ace of
To be very nearly
Example:
He was within an ace of being shot.
40
To be Greek or double Dutch to one
Unintelligible
Example:
He spoke so fast that all he said was double Dutch to the audience.
41
To be worth its weight in gold
Extremely valuable
Example:
In the desert , a bottle of water is often worth its weight in gold.
42
To be posted up
Week acquainted with
I want to be posted up in Indian history.
43
Taking something with a pinch of salt
Feel some doubt whether it is altogether true
44
Not worth his salt
Good for nothing
Example:
A soldier who shivers at the boom of guns is not worth his salt.
45
A fly in the ointment
A trifling circumstance with more enjoyment
Example:
It was a wonderful picnic, the only fly in the ointment being the absence of shady trees at the picnic spot.
46
A storm in a tea cup
A great fuss about a trifle
47
Part and parcel
Integral part of the society and community
48
Out at elbows
Destitute (poor)
49
Cheek by jowl
In the same position
50
Wide of the Mark or beside the Mark
Irrelevant
51
In a body
Together
The striking workers went in a body to the Manager to present their demands.
52
Between two fires
Assailed or or shot at from two sides
53
All moonshine
Foolish, idle, untrue statement
Example:
The talk about the welfare of the poor is all moonshine
54
A stone's throw
Very near
The Taj hotel is at a stone's throw from gateway of India.
55
A snake in the grass
A secret enemy
Example:
China has certainly been a snake in the grass for India.
56
The skin of their teeth
When one escapes losing everything but life.
The storm broke up the ship but the sailors escaped by the skin of their teeth
57
Penelope's web
A work which seems to be going on but never comes to an end.
58
Milk of human kindness
Kindly feelings
59
A mare's nest
A discovery that turns out to be false or worrhless
60
Lion's share
an unfairly large share
The big nations continue to have the lion's share of world trade.
61
Gift of the gab
Fluency of the speech
62
A fish out of water
A person in an uncomfortable situation
63
An apple of discord
A subject of envy and strife
Example:
Kashmir continues to be apple of discord between India and Pakistan.
64
A wild goose chase
Foolish, wild, unprofitable adventure
65
A white elephant
An unprofitable possession
66
Tall talk
Boastful language
67
A sheet anchor
The chief safety, the last refuge for safety
One's faith in God is one's sheet anchor in times of stress.
68
Scot free
Exempt from payment, unhurt, safe
Example:
Because he had influential connections, the culprit went about free.
69
A red letter day
An auspicious, important or fortunate day
70
An open questions
A matter of discussion and not yet decided.
71
A nine day's wonder
A fascinating but temporary phenomenon
72
A maiden speech
The first speech of a new member in parliament
73
The lynch law
The practice of punishing people where the punishment is inflicted by unauthorised persons and without judicial trial
74
A herculean task
A job requiring great efforts
Example:
Education of the poor is a herculean task requiring the collective efforts of the entire country.
75
The green eyed monster
Jealousy
Example:
The green eyed monster strikes the person the moment he or she sees someone else having more success than him or her.
76
A good some samaritan
One who be friends a stranger or a friendless person
77
Good offices
Recommendation
Example:
One can get a good job only through the good offices of someone in power.
78
A fair weather friend
One who deserts you in difficulties
79
Elbow room
Opportunity for freedom of action
Example:
Only give him elbow room and he will succeed.
80
A dog in the manger policy
Said for a person who cannot himself use what another wants and yet will not let that others have it
81
Cold comfort
Something calculated to cause pain or irritation.
82
A close shave
A narrow escape from a collision or accident.
83
A bull in a China shop
Someone who destroys everything at the same time he happens to be in
84
A bosom friend
A very intimate and trusted friend
85
A bone of contention
Subject of dispute
Example:
Kashmir happens to be a bone of contention between India and Pakistan since 1947.
86
Bad blood
Active enmity
Example:
There has been bad blood between India and Pakistan since 1947.
87
Backstairs influence
Influence exerted secretly and in a fashion not legitimate
88
To clean Aegean stables
To correct a great abuse
89
Argus eyed
Jealously watchful
90
To worship the rising Sun
To be respect to the man who is rising in power of the influence
91
To bear away palm
To succeed in a contest
92
To poor oil on troubled waters
To say or do anything with suits and comes anger
93
To fish in troubled waters
To make personal profit out of a disturbance
94
To tread on the heels off
Follow close behind
Example:
Famine treads on the heels of drought.
95
To talk shop
To use phrases peculiar to once circumstances
96
To swallow the bait
To catch others by offering last promises
Example:
The people swallowed the bait and elected the person who offered everything to them.
97
To strain every nerve
To use one's utmost efforts
A person has to strain every nerve to get over the poverty line
98
Stick at nothing
Ready to stoop to baseness or deception to reach one's end
Example:
An ambitious politician will stick at nothing if you can only serve himself.
99
To Steer clear off
To avoid
100
To steal a march
To gain an advantage over another stealthily.
101
To split hairs
To make subtle and useless distinctions
102
To sow broadcast
To scatter widely
103
To show the white feather
To show signs of cowardice
104
To see a thing through colored glasses
To regard something favorably because of one's prejudice
105
To see how the wind blows
To observe what influence is likely to affect the existing state of things
106
To be on the right scent
To be on the right track
107
To scatter to the winds
To waste, to scatter abroad
Example:
We have scattered to the winds what we had gained our independence.
108
To run in the same groove
To move forward on the same path or to advance in harmony
109
To rule the roast or roost
To lord it over others in a party or group
110
The harp on the same string
To keep repeating the same sentiment over and again
Example:
This gentleman keeps harping on the same string: he is from Oxford and deserves this and deserves that etc
111
To rest on one's oars
To suspend efforts after something has been attained
112
To rest on one's laurels
To rest satisfied with honours already won and to make no attempt to gain further distinction
113
To poison the ears or mind
To prejudice another person
Example:
A judge must not allow anyone to poison his mind against either the plaintiff or the defendant.
114
To plough a lonely furrow
To work without help or support
115
To pay one back in one's own coin
Tit for tat or retaliation
116
To muster in force
To assemble in large numbers
117
To mind one's P's and Q's
To pay great attention or detailed to correct behaviour
118
To let lose the dogs of war
To set in motion the destructive forces of war
119
To let the grass grow under your feet
To be inert and passive to things around.
120
To haul over the coals
To scold someone
121
To force one's hands
To compel someone to do something unwillingly
122
To run the gauntlet
To undergo severe criticism or ill treatment
123
To throw down the gauntlet
To give or offer a challenge
124
To take up the gauntlet
To accept a challenge
125
To eat one's words
To retract one's assertions under compulsion
126
To eat a humble pie
To have to humiliate oneself
127
To eat one's heart out
To brood over one's sorrow or disappointments
128
To feather one's nest
To provide for oneself through disconnect means
129
To flog a dead horse
Waste one's energy
130
To err on the safe side
To choose a course which may in fact be inacurate but which will keep you from risk or harm
131
To cross or pass Rubicon
To take a decisive step forward
132
To buy a pig in a poke
To purchase a thing without previously examining it
133
To burn the candle at both ends
To use too much energy
134
To blunt the edge of
To make something less effective
Example:
Time blunts the edge of grief.
135
To build castles in the air
To indulge in reveries or visionary schemes
136
To bid fair to
To give a fair prospect of
His health is so good that he bids fair to live till he is 60.
137
To beard the lion in his den
To oppose someone in his strong hold
138
To bear the brunt of
To endure the main force or shock of
139
To cook or doctor an account
To tamper with or falsify the account
140
To turn tail
To retreat ignominiously
141
To turn over a new leaf
To change one's course of action completely
142
To throw up the sponge
To give up a contest
143
To throw cold water upon
To discourage something
144
To take a leap in the dark
To do a hazardous thing without any idea of what it may result in
145
To take the bull by the horns
To grapple with a problem courageously instead of avoiding it
146
To take into one's head
To occur to someone
Example:
The manager took into his head that BT shutting off the electricity for a few hours daily he could save refrigeration costs.
147
To set one's house in order
To arrange one's affairs
148
To set them thames on fire
To do something extraordinary
Example:
He is a steady worker but never likely to set thames on fire.
149
To set store by
To value highly
150
To put one's shoulder to the wheel
To make great efforts ourselves
151
To put the cart before the horse
To begin at the wrong end to do a thing
152
To play second fiddle
To take a subordinate part
153
To play into hands of someone
To act as to be advantage to another
154
To make a cat's paw or a tool of someone
To use someone as a means of attaining your object
155
To make much ado about nothing
Make a great first about a trifle
156
To make a virtue of necessity
To do a very disagreeable thing as though from duty but really because you must do it
157
To make common cause with
To unite, to co-operate with
158
To make amends for
To compensate for damage
159
To make short work of
To bring to sudden end
160
To keep the wolf from the door
To keep extreme poverty and hungar away
161
To have an axe to grind
Have personal interests to serve
162
To have two strings to one's bow
To have an alternative means of achieving one's purpose
163
To have the tree or right ring
To be genuine
164
To have too many irons in the fire
To have so much work in hand at some part of it is left undone or is done very badly
165
To have the whip hand of
To have mastery over
166
To have a bone to pick with one
To have a difference with the person which has not yet been fully expressed
167
To have one's hands full
To be very busy
168
To go to the rack and ruin or to go to the dogs
To be ruined
If a big war comes our economy will go to the dogs.
169
To go to the wall
To get the worst in a competition
170
To go on a fool's errand
To go and an expedition which leads to a foolish end
171
To give someone the slip
To dodge someone who is looking for you
172
To get into hot water
To get into difficulty
The businessman got into hot water with the income tax authorities for concealing his income from ancestral property
173
To fall to one's lot
To become one's fate
It fell to the lot of Ram and his colleagues to reconstruct the chartered economy of the nation.
174
To cut the gordian knot
To remove a difficulty by bold or unusual measures
175
To come off second best
To be defeated in every contest
Be it an election or tambola he has always come of the second best
176
To catch a tartar
To encounter a strong adversary
177
Cast a slur upon
By word or act to cast a slight reproach on someone
Many men cast a slur on their own good name with some mean act.
178
To pull one through
To recover, to help one recover
179
Play off
To set one party against another for one's own advantage
180
To laugh in one's sleeves
To be secretly amused
181
Gloss over
Explain away
Example:
Even if you are an important person your faults cannot be glossed over.
182
Egg on
To urge on
Who egged you on to fight a professional boxer and get your nose knocked off.
183
To cut off with a shilling
To give someone mere trifle in the wall
Example:
The father was so angry with the son over his marriage that he cut him off with the shilling.
184
Cry down
To deprecate
Some of the western powers did their best to cry down India's success in the war.
185
Cast aside
To reject, to throw aside
Example:
Men will cast aside truth and honesty for immediate gains
186
Boil down to
To amount to
Example:
His entire argument boiled down to this that he would not join the movement unless he saw some monetary gain in it.
187
Beat back
To compel to retire
The firemen were beaten back by angry flames and the building was reduced to ashes.
188
To smell a rat
Suspect foul dealings
189
To be above board
To be honest in any deal
190
To fall flat
Fail to produce expected result
191
Make a wry face
Show disappointment
192
See eye to eye
Agree
193
In the blues
Melancholy and low spirited
194
Right hand man
Most efficient assistant
195
Stick to one's guns
Maintain one's stand under attack
196
To cut the crackle
To stop talking and start
197
Blue blood
Aristrocrat
198
Black sheep
An unworthy person in a family or group
199
Black sheep
An unworthy person in a family or group
200
Oily tongue
Flattery
201
To turn over a new leaf
To change one's behaviour for the better
202
At one's wits ends
To be completely confused
203
A snake in the grass
An unrecognisable enemy or danger
204
To bury the hatchet
To make up a quarrel
205
To clear the air
To remove the tension
206
To chew the cud
To think deeply
207
To steal a march
To outshine
208
Pillar to post
Driven from one place to another
209
To have cold feet
To lose confidence
210
Duck in a thunderstorm
Distressed
211
Not worth his salt
Quite worthless
212
Heap coals of fire on his head
Put him to shame
213
Ride the high horse
Appear arrogant
214
Heads will roll
Dismissals will occur
