#Phrasal expressions (Idiomatic expressions)
A close shaves (a narrow escape)
Adam’s ale (common drinking
water)
A close fisted person (a
miser)
A bull in a china shop (a
clumsy person)
At the eleventh hour (at
the last time)
An apple of discord (an
area of dispute/quarrel)
Black sheep (unworthy
person)
Back door/to grease one’s palm
(to bribe)
Birthday suit: - (bare body)
By hook or cook (any how)
Blue blood (to be born into
royalty)
Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth (to be born to rich parents)
Bolt from the blue (to be taken by surprised)
Bird’s eye view (a general view from above)
Bell the cat (to do a dangerous job)
Beat around the bush (to speak in a roundabout way)
Chip of the old block (to resemble one’s parents)
Cut short (to end)
Cry over spilt milk (to forget the past)
Cozy job (an easy job)
Cup of tea (something that you like doing)
Dashed one’s hopes (to be disappointed)
Drug in the market (worthless)
Face the music (to face the consequences)
Frame the person (to make the person feel guilty)
French leave (leave without permission)
Gone to the dogs (to be
ruined)
Get in the way of others (to
interfere)
Give somebody the cold shoulder
(to neglect)
Hanky panky (nonsense talk)
Herculean task (a difficult
job)
Kick the bucket (to die)
Keep at bay (to avoid)
Kith and kin (to be related)
Keep one’s head (to keep
calm)
Loose one’s head (to get
angry)
By Leaps and bounds (rapidly)
Make the most of (use time
resourcefully)
Make a mess of (to confuse)
Make both ends meet (to
earn money to survive)
Miss the boat (to miss an
opportunity)
No child’s play (not an
essay job)
Neck to neck (tough
competition)
Null and void (invalid)
Once in a blue moon (occasionally)
Out of the question (impossible)
Oily tongue (to flatter)
Pay off an old score (to
repay an old loan)
Play with fire (to invite trouble)
Paint the town red (to have
an enjoyable time)
Rolling in money (wasting
money uselessly)
Red letter day (an
important day)
Scapegoat (a person who
takes the blame of order)
Soft spot (fondness for)
The apple of one’s eye (someone
whom you like very much)
To turn over a new leaf (to
change for a better)
To pay through the nose (to
pay the bill)
To keep one’s fingers crossed (to
wait eagerly)
To rule the roost (to be in charge)
To burn the candle at both sides to
(work very hard)
To pull a long face (to
look disappointed)
To be taken for a ride (to
be cheated)
At daggers drawn (To be sworn enemies) Ram and Shyam are at daggers drawn over a
small piece of land.
At a loss (To be puzzled) At
the time of accident, I was at a loss to understand what to do.
Alpha and omega (The
beginning and the end) The alpha and omega of Gandhi’s life was truth and
non-violence.
In the nick of time (Just
at the last moment) He thought he wouldn’t be able to sit for the exam, his
hall ticket arrived at the nick of time.
(An) Acid test (A decisive
or critical test) the acid test of a truly educated person is whether he maintains
his temper in his predicament; Adversity is the acid test of a man’s courage.
Alive and kicking (Active
and healthy) Ramlal is alive and kicking even at the age of eighty.
Add fuel to the fire (To increase anger) the two communities were
already in the grip of communal tension. The article in the newspaper added
fuel to the fire, resulting in bloody clashes between the members of those
communities.
To burn one’s boat (To take
decision which cannot be changed) I must stick to my new appointment because I
have burnt my boats by resigning the previous one.
To burn the candle at both ends (To work extremely hard; to use up too much
energy; work very early and very late.)You will ruin your health as you are burning
the candle at both ends.
To burn one’s fingers (To
lose ur job on account of foolish behavior) You will burn your fingers if you
refuse to obey the orders of your boss.
Behind one’s back (In the absence
of) Modern friends praise you to your face and condemn you behind your back.
To hit below the belt (Unfair act) spreading a false rumor about
someone is hitting the belt.
To build castles in the air (To make imaginary schemes) Those who simply
build castles in the air hardly achieve anything worth-while in life.
A bolt from the blue (Something
unexpected) The news of his father’s death came to us like a bolt from the
blue.
To break the ice (To break
the silence) There was perfect silence in the hall; but when the Chief Guest
came, Mr. Swami broke the ice by welcoming him.
Blow hot and cold (Keep changing one’s opinion) Pakistan has
been blowing hot and cold about a peaceful solution of the Kashmir problem
since 1971.
A bee in one’s bonnet (To
be obsessed by something) He always has a bee in his bonnet and is therefore
regarded as a crank.
To let the cat out of the bag (To accidentally reveal a secret) She
let the cat out of the bag when she revealed that they were planning a surprise
party for him.
To rain cats and dogs (To
rain very heavily) He couldn’t go out, even though he had his umbrella, because
it was raining cats and dogs.
A cat and dog life (To lead
a life full of quarrels) The old man and his young wife have been leading a cat
and dog life ever since their marriage.
A cold fish (A person
devoid of emotions) It is no use making a sentimental appeal to that man. He is
a cold fish.
As cool as a cucumber (Very calm and controlled) He kept as cool as
a cucumber even when his son was murdered.
To flog a dead horse (To waste energy on some already rejected
activity) He was flogging a dead horse when he tried to revive the failed
business deal.
A dog’s life (A life of
hard work) an educated man who does menial work leads a dog’s life.
Dog days (Hottest period of the year) June and July are
dog days in India.
A deadlock (A position
when no progress can be made) The manager agreed to grant some concession to
the striking staff because he wanted to break the deadlock.
To draw a blank (get no
result) He drew a blank when he
tried to find the error in the accounts….
Easy money (money earned
through dishonest means) Easy money
does not stay with a man for long
To fish in troubled waters (to
take advantages of others trouble) they
always fish in troubled waters
A fish out of water (feeling
uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings)
a poor man if made to shift in the company of the rich will feel like a
fish out of water.
A hard nut to crack (a
problem difficult to solve) the
Kashmir issue is really a hard nut to crack
An iron wills (strong
determination) trust in god and an
iron will are essential for success
To keep abreast of (to be in touch with) read the newspaper if you want to keep abreast of the
times
To leave no stone unturned (to
do one’s best, take all possible effort)
I will leave no stone unturned to prove myself worthy of your expectations
Within a stone’s throw (very
close) Argon is very lucky; his
school is within a stone’s throw of
his house
To throw dust in one’s eyes (to
deceive) you cannot throw dust in my
eyes. I know all about the matter
Spread like wildfire (spread
quickly) Rumors of Ashok’s promotion
spread like wildfire through the office
A big gun (An important
person) Arjun Singh is a big gun in
polities.
To read between the lines (To
discover a hidden meaning) one
cannot understand the themes in the poetry of Keats unless one read’s between
the lines
To call someone names (To abuse someone) Sabnit was dismissed after he calls the manager’s names
To kick one’s heels (to
wait with nothing to do) until the
exam results are published, he can do nothing but kick his heels
Take a leaf out of one’s book (to
imitate someone) when she left
school, he took a leaf out of his sister’s book and joined the computer class
A bone of contention (a
source of quarrel) Kashmir is a bone
of contention between India and Pakistan
To pull a long face (to
look sad) ever since he failed the
exam, he has been pulling a long face
To turn a deaf ear (to
ignore) the boss turned a deaf ear
to the secretary’s pleading and dismissed her
To smell a rat (to be
suspicious) though the business was
sound, he smelt a rat when he examined the figures
In the long run (eventually) although the house is expensive, in a
long run it will be cheaper than renting
To hit the nail on the head (say
exactly the right thing at exactly the right time) he hit the nail on the head when he said that the reason for the
fall in sales was the new salesman
To kill two birds with one stone
(to achieve two results with one effort) he killed two birds with one stone when he gave up smoking; he
saved money and his health improved
By leaps and bounds (rapid
growth) the company is growing by
leaps and bounds
Chip off the old block (as
good as one’s father) the Director’s
son is a chip off the block and runs the company just as well as his father
At a snail’s pace (very
slowly) the Indian economic is
moving at a snail’s pace towards self-dependent
The pros and cons (the
arguments for and against a proposition)
they argued the pros and cons before accepting the assignment.
Let bygones be bygones (to forget the past, especially after a quarrel)
the two enemies agreed to let bygones be bygones and become friends.
Make head/tail of
something (to understand something) Sunil’s report was so complicated that I could not make head/tail
of it.
Out of hand (out of control) there is no
discipline in this school; the boys are quite out of hands
An old hand (an experienced person) Call
Varma. He is an old hand at controlling naughty experienced
Hand in hand (Closely
linked together) diligence and prosperity
go hand in hand
To catch red handed (to catch someone in the act of committing a crime) the thief was caught red handed when the householder returned
home unexpectedly.
Acid test (a severe conclusive taste)
The new job was an acid taste for my elder brother.
At the heels of (at a close distance) The
police station was at the heels of the incident site.
Apple of one’s eye (a great pet or a real loved one)
Baby pinky is the apple of her father’s eye.
To burn the candle at both
end’s (to work hard) The prime minister is burning the candle at both end’s
To blow one’s own trumpet (praising oneself) After
passing the entrance test this student is blowing his own trumpet.
Bag and baggage (with all one’s belongings) He
went back home bag and baggage.
To break the ice (to break the silence in a group)
He broke the ice by commenting on the weather.
To beat about the bush (to say something indirectly)
The teacher beat about the bush and the student got bored.
Between the devil and the deep
sea (to be in a totally helpless condition) I found myself between the devil and the deep sea when I had to
make a decision about going for higher studies.
Birds of the same feather (people with similar character) When
this group met the members found themselves to be birds of the same feather.
A bolt from the blue (a sudden and unexpected shock) The
news of his father’s death was A bolt from the blue for him.
To make one’s blood boil (to make someone angry) My
brother’s behavior has made my blood boil.
To build a castle in the
air (to dream a big things in the future)
Don’t build castles in the air before you have taken the examination.
Chicken hearted (fearful) a chicken hearted
person cannot join the army.
Dead letter (a rule/practice no more in force)
the practice of satee now-a-days is a dead letter.
Dog tired (exhausted) When I reached
home after the long trek, I was dog tired.
To make both ends meet (to make livelihood) Everybody
works hard to make his both ends meet.
Good for nothing (useless) He is a good for
nothing fellow.
To kill the goose that lays
golden eggs (to destroy the source that gives great gains) when he quitted the job he killed the
goose that lays golden eggs
To make head or tail (to understand) We couldn’t make head or tail of what the chief guest was talking
about.
Hue and cry (a loud protest or noise) we made a hue and cry when our point
was not accepted by the H.O.D.
Seventh heaven (a feeling of extreme joy) I
was in seventh heaven when the result of election was announced
In a nice of time (just at
the last moment) we reached the
airport in the nice of time.
To strike when the iron is
hot (to strike when situation is favorable) In the battle field you must strike when the iron is hot.
He read between the lines (to understand the hidden meaning carefully) When Sanjay makes any proposal we must read between the lines
without saying Yes immediately.
A little bird told me (reliable
information picked up from the reliable source) a little bird told me that you have
been engaged.
To make a mountain out of a
mole hill (to exaggerate to a very high degree) It was such a small scratch on the
little boy’s knee and he made a mountain out of a mole hill.
To play with fire (to engage oneself in dangerous activities) Those involved in gold-smuggling are playing with fire.
To cast pearls before
swine (to describe a great information to a
worthless person) to explain to this
man about god is to cast pearls before a swine.
At a stone’s throw (at a short distance) My
house is only a stone’s throw away from my school.
To leave no stone unturned (to use all possible methods) the
police left no stone unturned in locating the culprit.
Workout 1
1.
I am fed up with his behavior at school…
a) Noticeable b)
Underestimate
c) Neglectful d)
Bored with
2.
He works hard to keep the pot boiling….
a) To survive b)
To boil the pot
c) To lead an easy life d) To
light the fire
3.
The expression ‘to smell a
rat’ means
a) A bad smell b)
To suspect
c) To misunderstanding d)
To hide
4.
‘To burn the candle at both
ends’ means
a) To waste money b) To waste a
candle
c) To labour d)
To act foolishly
5.
We must live up our parent’s expectations
a) Exaggerate b) Maintain
c) Annoy d)
Disobey
6.
He is close fisted.
a) Generous b) Stingy
c) Gifted d)
Kind
7.
The student is a hard nut to crack.
a) Obstinate b) Annoyed
c) Easy going d) Fruit like walnut
8.
He framed the person into
robbing the bank.
a) Asked him to stay idle b) Tried to cheat him
c) Made him feel guilty d) Flattered him
9.
He put his heart and soul into his work.
a) Dishonestly b) Lazily
c) Casually d) Sincerely
10.
I was taken for the ride
at the exhibition yesterday
a) Cheated b) Drive
c) Roamed d) Discussion
11.
To fish in trouble waters:
means………………
a) To indulge in evil
conspiracies b) To
aggravate the situation
c) To catch fish in water d)
To benefit from other people’s troubles
12.
I am fed up with his bad behavior in school.
a) Noticeable b)
Underestimate
c) Neglectful d)
Bored with
13.
He checked out the problem of that car.
a) Investigate b)
Repaired
c) Left d)
found out
Answers:
1.d
2.a 3.b 4.c 5.b
6.b 7.a 8.d 9.d 10.a 11.d
12.d 13.d
Workout 2
1.
Rita is not willing to take the hot chair. It means:
a.
Buy the chair
b. Take the expensive chair
c.
Sit on the chair
d. Take the responsibility
2.
She is a hot dancer. ‘hot’ means:
a.
Having more heat
b. Tasty
c.
Simple
d. Sensual
3.
Please do not twist the lion’s tail. It means:
a.
Do not go near the lion
b. Do not touch the lion’s tail
c.
Do not insult powerful person
d. Twist other animal’s tail
4.
He said that his better days are coming. Better days means:
a.
Happy time
b. Good days
c.
Holidays
d. Prosperous days
5.
Rome was not built in a day. This sentence means:
a.
Rome was made in more than one day
b. Other cities except Rome was
made in a day
c.
It takes time to do something worthwhile
d. None of the above
6.
The old dictator kissed the dust. The sentence means:
a.
He was killed
b. He started eating dust
c.
He likes dust
d. He was hungry
7.
Please do not sit on the fence:
a.
You may fall
b. Fence will break
c.
Sit under the fence
d. Give your opinion
8.
He breathed his last. It means:
a.
He passed away
b. He breathed slowly
c.
He is still breathing
d. None of the above
9.
I never imagined that he was such a close fisted person. ‘Close fisted’
means:
a.
Greedy
b. Interesting
c.
Generous
d. Helpful
10.
He is a Lilliputian. ‘Lilliputian’ means:
a.
Short
b. Tall
c.
Energetic
d. Handsome
11.
These days I am in hot waters. It means:
a.
I am enjoying
b. I am in a big trouble
c.
I am in love
d. I am suffering from common
cold and drinking boiled water
12.
It is very difficult to bridge the gap between the educated and
uneducated people in our country. ’Bridge’ in the above sentence denotes to:
a.
A means of crossing river
b. Fill up
c.
Satisfy
d. halt
13.
My grandmother is in her twilight stage of her life. It means:
a.
She is sick
b. She is very old
c.
She is still energetic
14.
This school has a petticoat government. It means:
a.
The school principal come wearing petticoat
b. School uniform is petticoat
c.
A derogatory remark to the female principal
d. None of the above
15.
Democracy in Nepal has become like “casting pearls before swine”. It
means:
a.
All the leaders are swine
b. Valuable thing
c.
Valueless thing
d. A valuable thing for such
fools who do not know its value
16.
There is no point in shading crocodile tears. ‘Crocodile tears’ means
a.
Pretentious sympathy
b. Tears in pains
c.
Being serious
d. Expressing happiness openly
17.
Do not underestimate her. She is a blue stocking. ‘Blue stocking’
means:
a.
Learned woman
b. Strong woman
c.
Clever woman
d. Rich woman
18.
Please do not become a wet blanket. ‘Wet blanket’ means:
a.
A blanket which is cold
b. Proud
c.
A discouraging person
d. foolish
19.
Yellow press is a kind of corruption. ‘Yellow press’ means:
a.
A press which is yellow
b. A yellow book
c.
Cheap book
d. Media which publish
sensational and baseless news
20.
Hey! What’s going there? I smell a rat. ‘Smell a rat’ means:
a.
To find out how the rat is smelling
b. Be angry
c.
be happy
d. be suspicious
Answers:
1.d, 2.d, 3.c, 4.d, 5.c, 6.a,
7.b, 8.a, 9.a, 10.a, 11.b, 12.b,
13.b, 14.c, 15.d, 16.a, 17.a, 18.c,
19.d, 20.d