Idioms and Phrases Flashcards
A gentleman at large
A person without any serious occupation/ unreliable person
A man of straw
A weak person
A bull in a China shop
one who causes damage
A damp Squib
Complete failure
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
a dangerous person pretending to be harmless
a mare’s nest
a false invention
ABC
a very common knowledge
Above board
fair and honest
All and sundry
without making any distinction
All in all
whole sole, most important
Alpha and gama
beginning and end
An eye wash
a pretense
an iron hand
by force
At sixes and seven
persons who have different opinions
At the drop of a hat
willing to do something immediately
An axe to grind
To have a dispute with someone/ personal agenda
beck and call
at the service
Bag and baggage
with all goods
back to square one
having to start all over again
Bated breath
in anxiety, expectancy
Bank on
depend on, count on
barking up the wrong tree
a mistake made in something you are trying to achieve
beat a dead horse
to force an issue that has already ended
Beating around the bush
Avoiding the main topic
Between the cup and the lips
on the point of achievement
Black and white
in writing
Bird’s eye view
an overview
Blow hot and cold
having no stand, shows favour at one time and unfavour at another
Body and soul
entirely
Blank cheque
complete authority or unrestricted freedom of action or a free hand
Blue moon
a rare event or occurence
By fits and starts
irregularly
Bite off more than you can chew
To take on a task that is way too big
By hook or by crook
by any means
By leaps and bound
speedily
Call a spade a spade
straight talks
Raining cats and dogs
heavy rain
Cast iron stomach
someone who has no problems, complications or ill effects with eating anything or drinking anything
Cast aspersions (aspersions means to sprinkle)
to criticise somebody or somebody’s character
chip off the old block
describes the people who look like their parents
Call the shots
to be in charge of what is happening and what should happen
Close call
a narrow escape from disaster
cock and bull story
untrue story
cry over spilt milk
when u complain about a loss from the past
confusion worse confounded
be in further worse position
Cross paths
encounter or meet someone by chance
cry wolf
intentionally raise a false alarm
Curiosity killed the cat
being inquisitive can lead you into a dangerous situation
Cut and dried
readymade form
curtain lecture
a reproof by wife to her husband
Dark horse
one who was previously unknown and is now prominent
Don’t count your chickens before they hatch
don’t rely on it until you are sure of it
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket
Do not pull all your resources in one possibility
Dog’s life
a miserable and unpleasant life
Dig one’s own grave
To cause one’s own downfall or destruction
drive someone up the wall
to irritate and/or annoy very much
every man Jack
everyone without exceptions
Elephant in the room
A significant issue or problem that is obvious, but not being addressed or discussed
Eye candy
attractive visually but uninteresting in other ways
Every cloud has a silver lining
Be optimistic, even difficult times will lead to better days
Fair and Square
Honest
Fair field and no favour
equal opportunities to all
far and wide
everywhere
fan and flames
make a bad situation even worse
Fabian policy
policy of delaying decisions
few and far between
very rare
Fire and Brimstone
Fearful penalties
Fire and fury
intense anger and outrage
food for thought
an idea or subject to think about
First and foremost
highest priority
Fiddle while Rome burns
to perform an inconsequential task or act irresponsible in the midst of a disastrous event
Feather one’s own nest
accumulating wealth for own service
Feel blue
to feel sad or depressed
Fight tooth and nail
to fight very fiercely
Fair- weather friend
a friend not reliable in difficult times
Fall from grace
to lose status, respect or prestige
Feel the pinch
experience financial hardship
Forbidden fruit is always the sweetest
to desire something that is not within a feasible reach
Familiarity breeds contempt
to start disliking something when one gets to know too much about it
Fishy
Doubtful
Foot the bill
Bear expenses
Free and easy
natural and simple
Flesh and blood
human nature
Gall and wormwood
source of irritation
Get up on the wrong side of the bed
Someone who is having a horrible day
Give him the slip
To get away from, to escape
Go down like a lead balloon
To be received badly by an audience
Get a life
to stop wasting a lot of time in useless or boring or trivial works
Get the wrong end of the stick
to understand something in the wrong way
Go for broke
To gamble everything you have
Good samaritan
Someone who helps others when they are in need, with no discussion of compensation, and no thought of a reward
Gird up the loin
to be ready
Grit your teeth
determined to do something in spite of the difficulties involved, you grit your teeth
give in
surrender
Gut feeling
A personal intuition you get, especially when you feel something may not be right
Hand and gloves
very intimate friends
Hard and fast
certain
Haughty and naughty
arrogant and naughty
Heart and soul
with full devotion
Head and shoulder
superior
helter skelter
here and there
herculean task
hit below the belt
hither and thither
here and there
hornet’s nest
raise controversy
hue and cry
great noise
hush money
a bribe
Ins and out
full detail
Intents and purposes
practically
Ivory tower
Imaginary world
In the heat of the moment
Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment
In the pink
in good health and spirits
In hot water
in trouble or state of shame
In the loop
to be aware of the information
In the nick of time
Almost too late
In a nutshell
to be brief and straight to the point
In stitches
to laugh so hard that you are not able to control yourself
In the bad books
out of favour
Kith and Kin
Blood relatives
Keep your chin up
To remain joyful in a tough situation
Keep body and soul together
To earn a sufficient amount of money in order to keep yourself alive
Latin and Greek
Unable to understand
Law and equity
legal and moral justice
Leave no stone unturned
make all possible efforts
length and breadth
all over
Life and soul
main support
Let the cat out of the bag
To share a secret that wasn’t supposed to be shared
Let sleeping dogs lie
To avoid restarting a conflict
Like a chicken with its head cut off
to act in a frenzied manner
Like a fish out of water
in every difficult and unsuitable manner
Live-wire
energetic
Loaves and fish
material interests
Lock and key
in safe place
Loose cannon
someone who is unpredictable and can cause damage if not kept in check
Makes no bones about
to state a fact so there are no doubts or objections
Might and main
with all enthusiasm
milk and water
weak
need of the hour
necessity of time
never bite the hand that feeds you
don’t hurt anyone that helps you
no room to swing a cat
an unusually small or confined space
nook and corner
everywhere
not born yesterday
worldly wise
now and then
occasionally
null and void
of no use, without force of application
odds and ends
remaining goods
off on the wrong foot
getting a bad start on a relationship or task
off the record
something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn’t want attributed to him/her
Once and again
repeatedly
on the fence
undecided
out of the blue
something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs
One’s Achilles’ heel
a weak point
over my dead body
when you absolutely will not allow something to happen
over the top
very excessive
open and above board
very clear, transparent
order of the day
in fashion
out of gear
in disorder
out and out
completely
over and above
besides
over head and ears
excessively
oily tongue
flattering words
pass the buck
avoid responsibility by giving it to someone else
prick up your ears
to listen very carefully
part and parcel
being an important part of
pell mell
putting one upon the other, in confusion
pick and choose
to choose selectively as per wish
pins and needles
small items
pull the plug
to stop something, to bring something to an end
pulling your leg
tricking someone as a joke
Pros and cons
merits and demerits
Rain or shine
favourable or unfavourable circumstances
rank and ruin
complete destructions
Rome was not built in one day
if u want to build something properly, then it’s going to take time
Rhyme or reason
rational cause
right and left
in all ways
rule of thumb
a rough estimate
Safe and sound
quite well
seamy side of life
immoral side of society
scapegoat
someone else who takes the blame
scot-free
to escape and not have to pay
sum and substance
the actual theme
smell a rat
to detect someone in the group in betraying the others
smell something fishy
detecting that something isn’t right and there might be a reason for it
spitting image
the exact likeness or kind
take bull by horns
to meet the danger boldly
the best of both worlds
there are two choices and you have both
the die is cast
decided finally
the last straw
last small burden that one can take
to steal someone’s thunder
to take the credit for something someone else did.
Thick and thin
in all circumstances
through fire and water
in all sort of difficulties
time and tide
course of time
to and fro
going and coming, back and forth
Toil and moil
hard labour
tom dick and harry
everyone
to lead up the garden path
to cheat
tooth and nail
with all force
tongue and cheek
humor, not to be taken serious
turn a blind eye
refuse to acknowledge something you know is real or legit
ups and downs
prosperity and adversity
under the weather
feeling ill or sick
uphill taks
difficult task
up a blind alley
going down a course of action that leads to a bad outcome
under a cloud
under suspicion
under siege
to be under attack
under fire
being shot at
under the radar
going unnoticed, avoiding unnecessary attention
wear you heart on you sleeve
to openly and freely express your emotions
when pigs fly
something that will never ever happen
warp and woof
essential parts of a thing
weal and woe
prosperity and adversity
yellow press
newspapers publishing sensational news
you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink
we can offer good things to people but we can’t force them to accept that
you can’t teach an old dog new tricks
you cannot make others change their habits
zone out
to fall asleep
zip it
to ask someone to shut up
