Idioms and phrases form an integral part ofthe English language. As a result questions fromthis area are always a hot favourite for anycompetitive examination. The etymology of all idiomsis not known clearly but that of some are obvious.At arm’s length (To keep at a distance)

He is a thorough crook, so keep him at arm’slength.

At daggers drawn (To be sworn enemies)Ram and Sham are at daggers drawn over asmall piece of land.

All and sundry (Everything without exception)All and sundry were full of praise for him.

At one’s wits end (Confused; not knowing what todo)He was at his wits end when he heard of theincome-tax raid on his firm.

(Have) an axe to grind (Have a selfish purpose)I am helping her out of kindness and I have noparticular axe to grind.

At sixes and sevens (In a disordered manner)In a writer’s room, the books always remain atsixes and sevens.

At loggerheads (To be enemies; to be at war)Three times India and Pakistan were atloggerheads over the of Kashmir issue.

At a loss (To be puzzled)At the time of accident, I was at a loss tounderstand what to do.

Alpha and omega (The beginning and the end)The alpha and omega of Gandhi’s life wastruth and non-violence.

At sea (Confused or lost)Since the interview was in Hindi, thecandidates from Kerala were completely at sea.

In the nick of time (Just at the last moment)He thought he wouldn’t be able to sit for theexam, but his hall ticket arrived in the nick oftime.

At large (Free; not confined )The escaped terrorist is still at large (used forwrongdoers in this sense).

(An) Acid test (A decisive or critical test)The acid test of a truly educated person iswhether he maintains his temper in hispredicament; Adversity is the acid test of aman’s courage.

Alive and kicking (Active and healthy)Ramlal is alive and kicking even at the age ofeighty.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire (From a badsituation to a worse one)By selling his failed business and investing ina collapsing bank, he was going out of thefrying pan into the fire.

Add fuel to the fire (To increase anger)The two communities were already in the gripof communal tension. The artic le in thenewspaper added fuel to the fire, resulting inbloody clashes between the members of thosecommunities.

Too many irons in the fire (Engage in too manyenterprises at the same time)My friend has too many irons in the fire; he isalways busy.

To beat a hasty retreat (To go away quickly)As soon as the thief saw the police, he beat ahasty retreat.

To miss the boat (To miss an opportunity)He really missed the boat when he turned downan offer of job in the Gulf.

To burn one’s boats (To take a decision whichcannot be changed)I must stick to my new appointment because Ihave burnt my boats by resigning the previousone.

To burn the candle at both ends (To work extremelyhard; to use up too much energy; work veryearly and very late. )You will ruin your health as you are burning thecandle at both ends.

To burn one’s fingers (To lose on account of foolishbehaviour)You will burn your fingers if you refuse to obeythe orders of your boss.

IDI OMS AND PHRASESGeneral English

Hoping against hope (To continue hoping, especiallywhen all grounds for hope is lost)Even though she did badly in the exam, she ishoping against hope that she will pass.

Behind one’s back (In the absence of)Modern friends praise you to your face andcondemn you behind your back.

To hit below the belt. (Unfair act)Spreading a false rumour about someone ishitting below the belt.

To build castles in the air (To make imaginaryschemes)Those who simply build castles in the air hardlyachieve anything worth-while in life.

A bolt from the blue (Something unexpected)The news of his father’s death came to us likea bolt from the blue.

To be in someone’s good books (To be favoured bysomeone)He is in the boss’s good books ever since hefinalised an important deal.

To break the ice (To break the silence)There was perfect silence in the hall; but whenthe Chief Guest came, Mr Swamy broke theice by welcoming him.

By hook or by crook (By all means — fair or foul)The aim of the majority of the students is topass an examination by hook or by crook.

To blow one’s own trumpet (To praise one’s ownabilities and achievements)People who blow their own trumpets aredisliked by others.

Blow hot and cold (Keep changing one’s opinion)Pakistan has been blowing hot and cold abouta peaceful solution of the Kashmir problemsince 1971.

A bird’s eye view (A general view or study)This pamphlet gives a bird’s eye view of theethnic problem in Sri Lanka.

A bee in one’s bonnet (To be obsessed bysomething)He always has a bee in his bonnet and istherefore regarded as a crank.

To take the bull by the horns (To tackle a problemboldly)When the firm was making a loss he decidedto take the bull by the horns and fired somestaff, hired others, computerised the accountsand streamlined the whole business.

Red rag to a bull (Something which always makesone angry)To my uncle, income tax is a red rag to a bull.

A bull in a china shop (A misfit)He was basically a teacher. When he wasasked to work as an administrator, he provedto be a bull in a china shop.

To bring to book (To call to account)The clerk was brought to book by the officerfor his neglect of duty.

To call a spade a spade (To be frank and truthful)I believe in calling a spade a spade even if theheavens fall.

To put the cat among the pigeons (Introducesomeone who is likely to cause trouble)The new officer is an efficiency expert; that willput the cat among the pigeons.

To let the cat out of the bag (To accidentally reveala secret)She let the cat out of the bag when she revealedthat they were planning a surprise party for him.

To bell the cat (To face the risk)Every teacher is against the principal but noone is prepared to bell the cat and complainabout him to the Chairman.

To rain cats and dogs (To rain very heavily)He couldn’t go out, even though he had hisumbrella, because it was raining cats anddogs.

A cat and dog life (To lead a life full of quarrels)The old man and his young wife have beenleading a cat and dog life ever since theirmarriage.

(Like) a cat on hot bricks (To be very nervous)Many employees feel like a cat on hot bricksbefore their boss.

To curry favour (To seek or to win favour)Clever people know how to curry favour withtheir officers.

To carry weight (To be significant/important)He is only a clerk; his suggestion will not carryany weight with the chairman.

A cold fish (A person devoid of emotions)It is no use making a sentimental appeal tothat man. He is a cold fish.

To cut no ice (Have little or no effect)His arguments cut no ice before themagistrate.

To cross the Rubicon (To take a decisive step)I have submitted my resignation. I have crossedthe Rubicon. There is no going back.

As cool as a cucumber (Very calm and controlled)He kept as cool as a cucumber even when hisson was murdered.

To come off with flying colours (To succeed withcredit)I honestly hope that my son will come off withflying colours in the IAS examination.

To be led by the nose (to be easily influenced)The new manager can be easily led by thenose; you only have to flatter him.

A dark horse (A person of hidden qualities)Our new Principal is a dark horse. No onethought that he was so capable.

To flog a dead horse (To waste energy on somealready rejected activity)He was flogging a dead horse when he tried torevive the failed business deal.

A dog’s life (A life of hard work)An educated man who does menial work leadsa dog’s life.

To be like a dog with two tails (To be very happyand proud)The father was like a dog with two tails whenhis son won the first prize.

A dog in the manger attitude (A selfish attitude)Mohan behaves with a dog in the mangerattitude. That is why he has not endearedhimself to his colleagues.

A dog in the manger (Person who does not allowothers to enjoy things which are not useful tohim)He was like a dog in the manger at the party,and spoiled it for us all.

Dog days (Hottest period of the year)June and July are dog days in India.

A deadlock (A position when no progress can bemade)The manager agreed to grant someconcession to the striking staff because hewanted to break the deadlock.

To draw a blank (Get no result)He drew a blank when he tried to find the errorin the accounts.

Sword of Damocles (An impending danger)The possibility of a third world war is hangingover our heads like a sword of Damocles.

To dance attendance upon (To wait on somebodyalways)The poor boy dances attendance upon themanager of the hotel in the vain hope of gettinga job.

Double-dealing (Deceiving)Fraud and double-dealing have come to stayas an essential feature of the modern man.

To dig one’s own grave (To do something whichresults in one’s own downfall)By developing enmity with the minister, he hasdug his own grave.

To die hard (Change with great difficulty)Old habits die hard.

To be a diehard ( Stubborn)Diehards in Bangladesh want Taslima to sufferthe death penalty.

To eat humble pie (To apologise in a humblemanner)If I place the facts before you, you shall have toeat humble pie.

Easy money (Money earned through dishonestmeans)Easy money does not stay with a man for long.

Enough is enough (A limit beyond which thereshould be no saying or doing)We will not tolerate Pakistan’s interference inour affairs any more. After all, enough isenough.

To fight a losing battle (Struggle without hope ofsuccess) Punjab militants are fighting a losingbattle against India.

A feather in one’s cap (A credit or achievement)Winning the Jnanpith Award was yet anotherfeather in his cap.

To feather one’s nest (To make money unfairly)When he was elected treasurer of the club, itwas an opportunity for him to feather his nest.

To fish in troubled waters (To take advantage ofothers’ troubles)Politicians are callous. They always fish introubled waters.

A fish out of water (Feeling uncomfortable inunfamiliar surroundings)A poor man if made to sit in the company of therich will feel like a fish out of water.

A daredevil (A person who does not care for anyconsequences)That daredevil is going to jump into the waterfrom a great height.

A far cry (A long way)India’s 120 for five wickets is a far cry from thegood score they wanted.

To go scot-free (To escape unharmed)In our system, innocent people are punishedwhereas the culprits often go scot-free evenafter committing the most heinous crimes.

Gift of the gab (Fluency of speech)A person without the gift of the gab cannot be asuccessful teacher.

Greenhorn (A novice, an inexperienced person)You cannot expect perfect work from agreenhorn.

A hard nut to crack (A problem difficult to solve)The Kashmir issue is really a hard nut to crackfor the U.N.O.

An iota of (Little of truth, doubt etc.)Your statement does not have even an iota oftruth.

To iron out (To smooth out differences)Let us iron out our differences and be friendlyagain.

An iron will (Strong determination)Trust in God and an iron will are essential forsuccess.

To keep the wolf from the door (To keep awayhunger and starvation)The poor fellow has five children. He worksovertime to keep the wolf from the door.

To keep abreast of (To be in touch with)Read the newspapers if you want to keepabreast of the times.

Kith and kin (Friends and relations)All my kith and kin left me in the lurch in mypredicament.

To leave no stone unturned (To do one’s best, takeall possible effort)I will leave no stone unturned to prove myselfworthy of your expectations.

Within a stone’s throw (Very close)Arjun is very lucky; his school is within a stone’sthrow of his house.

Lock, stock and barrel (Completely)The British left India lock, stock and barrel in1947.

The long and the short (The main point)The long and the short of the report is that theclerk is at fault.

To die in harness (To work till the last day of one’slife)Sardar Patel died in harness. He attended tohis work till the last moment grabbed him.

A laughing stock (An object of ridicule)Ramesh makes foolish remarks and hasbecome the laughing stock of the office.

Once in a blue moon (Very rarely)Anita comes to see us once in a blue moon.

On tenterhooks (In a state of anxious suspense oruncertainty)We did not want to be on tenterhooks on theissue of the winner of the match. So, werequested the judges to announce theirdecision without any further loss of time.

To pocket an insult (To bear an insult quietly)No self-respecting person can pocket aninsult. He must retaliate.

On the cards (Probable)Mr Kittu’s promotion is on the cards. His bossis very pleased with him.

In the pipeline (Certain to happen)Mr Mohan’s promotion is in the pipeline. It onlyhas to be approved by the Chairman.

To plough a lonely furrow (To work without help orsupport)He has not made progress because heploughs a lonely furrow.

At a premium (Difficult to get or obtain)Residential accommodation is at a premiumin Delhi.

From pillar to post (From one person to another)He moved from pillar to post for his son’sadmission to the public school but in vain.

To have a card up one’s sleeve (To have a secretplan in reserve)When the taxi failed to arrive, he was notworried, he had a card up his sleeve: he couldask his brother to drive him.

To play the game (To act honestly)I will support you only if you promise to play thegame.

Rank and file (Ordinary members of an organisation)The rank and file of the BJP expect a change infavour of their party.

By the skin of one’s teeth (A narrow margin)He managed to slip through the exam by theskin of his teeth.

To rub salt in the wounds (To make a painfulsituation more painful)It is the way of the world that no one works forhealing your wounds – they rather rub salt intothem.

Not worth one’s salt (Quite worthless)It was a mistake hiring Girish: as an employee,he is not worth his salt.

Not letting the grass grow under one’s feet (To actswiftly and decisively)He does not let the grass grow under his feet;within two years of his appointment, the firm’sprofits have doubled.

A square meal (A full meal)A square meal is a dream for millions of poorIndians.

To stick to one’s guns (To stand firm)If a person has the spirit to stick to his guns, nopower on earth can make him yield.

To stand in good stead (To be useful)My father’s advice stood me in good steadwhen I started a business.

To steal a march (To gain advantage over)I stole a march on him and frustrated his evildesigns against me.

A stumbling block (An obstacle)If a person is determined to do something, hecan uproot any stumbling block on his way.

A square peg in a round hole (Misfit)Roshan is only a matriculate. If you promotehim as an administrator, he will prove to be asquare peg in a round hole.

To make eyes at someone (To admire someone)Even at a very early age, young Mohan spentmost of his schooldays making eyes at theteachers.

To be up to the eyes (To be very busy)Until the audit next month, I shall be up to theeyes getting the accounts in order.

To throw dust in one’s eyes (To deceive)You cannot throw dust in my eyes. I know allabout the matter.

To take the wind out of one’s sails (Deprive one’sargument of all force)The Prime Minister took the wind out of theopposition’s sails when he exposed theirattempt to bring down the government.

Spread like wildfire (Spread quickly)Rumours of Ashok’s promotion spread likewildfire through the office.

A big gun (An important person)Arjun Singh is a big gun in politics. It will bedifficult for the Prime Minister to dethrone him.

Bring to light (Disclose)Ashok was dismissed when hismisdemeanours were brought to light.

Bury the hatchet (Make peace after a quarrel)After a compromise, they decided to bury thehatchet and become friends again.

To get to the bottom of something (To understandfully)It was only when the culprit confessed that wegot to the bottom of the affair.

The bottom line (The final criteria)The teacher was good enough; but the bottomline was whether he could get the boy throughthe exam.

All along the line (At all times, consistently)While everybody opposed the new manager,Arun supported him all along the line.

To read between the lines (To discover a hiddenmeaning)One cannot understand the themes in thepoetry of Keats unless one reads between thelines.

A cock and bull story (An improbable excuse)When asked why he was late, the boy madeup a cock and bull story which nobody believed.

To eat one’s words (To apologise in a humiliatingmanner)He had to eat his words when he discoveredthat his employee, whom he had accused oftheft, was quite innocent.

To call someone names (To abuse someone)Ajith was dismissed after he called themanager names.

To let loose (To set free)The curses of heaven were let loose on him.

Well-heeled (Smart, well dressed, prosperous)You can tell Sunil will succeed in life: he isalways so well-heeled.

Down at heel (Out of luck, shabbily dressed)Since Ashok lost his job, he is always down atheel.

To kick one’s heels (To wait with nothing to do)Until the exam results are published, he cando nothing but kick his heels.

To turn the tables (To reverse the situation)Mohan was beaten in the first two games, butin the third one he turned the tables on hisopponent.

To sow one’s wild oats (To indulge in youthful follies)Those who sow their wild oats during theircollege days usually make good husbands.

To pour oil on troubled waters (Solve a disputewith tact)After the boy was rude to the teacher his fatherpoured oil on troubled waters by apologising.

Take a leaf out of one’s book (To imitate someone)When she left school, she took a leaf out ofher sister’s book and joined a computer class.

Break down (fail to work (machine)I would have arrived earlier, but my car brokedown miles from a garage.

To cut the cackle (To stop delaying and take action)It was a difficult job, but once we had decidedto cut the cackle and get going, it was done.

A bone of contention (A source of quarrel)Kashmir is a bone of contention between Indiaand Pakistan.

A curtain lecture (A rebuke by a wife to her husband inprivate)A henpecked husband has to listen to a curtainlecture from his wife almost every night.

Duck in a thunderstorm (Distressed)When Harish failed the interview he returnedhome like a duck in a thunderstorm.

To fan the flames (To make more intense)The abuse hurled by Ram fanned the flamesresulting in a fierce fight between the twoparties.

To play second fiddle (To be a yes-man/flatterer)This clerk plays second fiddle to his officer.

Above board (Open and honest)All his business deals are above board.

To throw cold water over something (Todiscourage something)He threw cold water over our suggestion for anouting.

To make both ends meet (To live within one’sincome, often used in the negative)Even with a good wage, nowadays it is difficultto make both ends meet.

To pull a long face (To look sad)Ever since he failed the exam, he has beenpulling a long face.

To go off the rails (To become wild)When his father died, the boy went off the railsand dropped out of college.

To get the sack (To be dismissed from a job,usually for a fault)He got the sack after he was absent for threedays running.

In cold blood (Deliberately, without feeling)The robber shot the shopkeeper in cold bloodas though he were a dog.

One’s own flesh and blood (One’s relatives)The new Chief Minister has given all the keyposts to his own flesh and blood.

To take to one’s heels, to show a clean pair ofheels (To run away)The thieves took to their heels (showed a cleanpair of heels) when the police arrived.

To turn a deaf ear (To ignore)The boss turned a deaf ear to the secretary’spleading and dismissed her.

To throw in the towel (To abandon a practice oractivity)After being hit by a lawsuit, he threw in the toweland sold his business.

To split hairs (To make useless or petty distinctionsin argument)To say Hari was a youth and not a boy wassplitting hairs.

Tooth and nail (With all one’s power)When he was attacked he defended himselftooth and nail.

To smell a rat (To be suspicious)Though the business was sound, he smelt arat when he examined the figures.

To fall short of one’s expectations (To bedisappointed)The new film was not very good; it fell short ofmy expectations.

To turn over a new leaf (To reform oneself)After Rajesh was sacked for drinking, he turnedover a new leaf and became a teetotaller.

To give someone a piece of one’s mind (To scold,esp. frankly)When he admitted that he had spent all thehousekeeping money, his wife gave him apiece of her mind.

In the long run (Eventually)Although the house is expensive, in the longrun it will be cheaper than renting.

At one’s beck and call (At one’s service)I will be at your beck and call through thick andthin.

Through thick and thin (Through good times andbad)Good friends stick by you through thick andthin.

Sitting on the fence (Being indecisive, hesitatingbetween two decisions)He couldn’t decide who was better so he saton the fence and promoted neither.

To hit the nail on the head (Say exactly the rightthing at exactly the right time)He hit the nail on the head when he said thatthe reason for the fall in sales was the newsalesman.

To be in the bad books of (In disfavour with)After failing the exam, he was in his teacher’sbad books.

To kill two birds with one stone (To achieve tworesults with one effort)He killed two birds with one stone when hegave up smoking; he saved money and hishealth improved.

Storm in a teacup (Something that seemed excitingat the time but was in fact unimportant)The new scam proved to be a storm in a teacup;everyone forgot it soon.

An old head on young shoulders (To expect a youngperson to be wiser than his years)The trouble with my father is that he expectsme to have an old head on young shoulders.

Cock of the walk (Very proud)On hearing the news of his selection, Arun wascock of the walk for weeks.

Chew the cud (To discuss matters in a ponderousmanner, especially reminiscing)He always chews the cud when he meets hisold school friends.

By fits and starts (Shorty, irregular bursts of activity)The company is growing by fits and starts.

By leaps and bounds (Rapid growth)The company is growing by leaps and bounds.

To be under someone’s thumb (To be dominatedby someone)He is very much under his wife’s thumb; shemakes all the decisions.

To move heaven and earth (To make a supremeeffort)He moved heaven and earth to get a transferto his home town.

To bark up the wrong tree (To be mistaken inargument)When he accused his brother of taking his pen, hewas barking up the wrong tree; his sister had taken it.

At stake (In danger)I resigned my post because my honour was atstake.

Chip off the old block (As good as one’s father)The director’s son is a chip off the old blockand runs the company just as well as hisfather. (Note : This idiom can only be used in apositive sense)

To make a clean breast of it (To confess a wrongdoing)The boy made a clean breast of it and told hisfather that he had smashed the window.

A close shave (A narrow escape)My cousin had a close shave when the carnearly crashed.

To cut a sorry figure (To make a poor show)Abraham Lincoln cut a sorry figure when hemade his maiden speech.

To put the cart before the horse (To do somethingin the wrong order)Planning how to spend money before earningit, is like putting the cart before the horse.

To cross the bridge when one gets to it (To plansomething too far in advance)I will reinvest the profits of this project into thenext, but since this project is not certain, I willcross that bridge when I get to it.

A wolf in sheep’s clothing (A bad person appearingto be a good person)The kind professor is a wolf in sheep’s clothingas many young female students havediscovered to their cost.

To be in a tight corner (To be in a difficult situation)He is in a tight corner now his rivals have startedoperating.

To be on the wrong side of sixty (To be getting old)Although he is very active, my father is on thewrong side of sixty

To bury one’s head in the sand (To refuse to facefacts)Joseph buried his head in the sand when toldof his son’s debts.

Not to bat an eyelid (To show no sign of concern)When he lied about his score, George did notbat an eyelid.

To put all one’s eggs in one basket (To rely entirelyon one plan or scheme)By investing all his capital in the project, hewas putting all his eggs in one basket.

To play fast and loose (To behave in an immoralmanner)My brother plays fast and loose with every girlhe meets.

At a snail’s pace (Very slowly)The Indian economy is moving at a snail’s pacetowards self-dependence.

Between the devil and the deep blue sea (Betweentwo dangers)Having to choose between climbing the treeand risking his neck and allowing the mangoes togo rotten, he was between the devil and the deepblue sea.

To give someone apple pie (To make obsequiousflattery)“Don’t give me apple pie . I may be ashandsome as a prince, but you are still late!”

A blessing in disguise (Something which appearsunfortunate at the time but proves ultimately tobe fortunate)The transfer to the city turned out to be ablessing in disguise because at his new posthe met the girl who was to become his wife.

To carry coals to Newcastle (Do somethingunnecessary)By taking a bucket of water to the well, he wascarrying coals to Newcastle. (Note : Newcastleis a town in northern England and its mainindustry is coal mining.)

The pros and cons (The arguments for and againsta proposition)They argued the pros and cons beforeaccepting the assignment.

To turn the corner (To pass the crisis)The company was doing badly until theyobtained the government contract, but then theyturned the corner and prospered.

The law of the jungle (Exploiting others)It is the law of the jungle that in business onlythe ruthless survive.

The die is cast (A decision which cannot bechanged)He has advertised to rent out his house. Sothe die is cast; he’ll have to move.

Down-to-earth (Practical, sensible)His down-to-earth approach to the issue helps usa lot.

To give lip service (Make insincere compliments orpromises)He gives lip service to the boss; he alwayssays what he thinks the boss expects to hear.

To be born with a silver spoon in the mouth (To beborn in a wealthy family)He doesn’t have to earn his living; he was bornwith a silver spoon in his mouth.

Harp on the same string (Dwell on the same subjectrepetitively)He is a bore, he is always harping on the samestring.

A snake in the grass (A hidden enemy)I had taken him for a trusted friend but heturned out to be a snake in the grass.

To leave one in the lurch (To desert one indifficulties)As soon as the income tax inspector called,my partner left me in the lurch.

To rub shoulders (To come into close contact)He being a journalist, he rubs shoulders withVIPs on a daily basis.

To turn a cold shoulder (To ignore or snubsomeone)He turned a cold shoulder on me after I refusedhis loan.

A wild goose chase (A useless and foolish search)Your efforts to find a solution to your son’sproblems are nothing short of a wild goosechase.

To shoot off one’s mouth (To speak thoughtlessly,esp. aggressively)When he talked about setting up a business,he was only shooting off his mouth.

To get the better of someone (To take advantage ofsomeone)He tried to cheat me, but I got the better of himand he won’t try to cheat me again.

To have a chip on one’s shoulder (To have aconstant resentment)He has had a chip on his shoulder ever sincehe got the sack; he thinks he was dismissedbecause he is dark-skinned

To make a mountain out of a molehill (To make abig issue out of a small matter)He made a mountain out of a molehill whenhe could not get a ticket for the new movie.

By word of mouth (By spoken message)The news of the accident spread throughoutthe locality by word of mouth.

Hard and fast rules (Rigid rules)There are hard and fast rules about punctualityin my firm; I dare not be late.

To be a wet blanket (To discourage or depressothers)While everyone was celebrating at the party Iwas a wet blanket because I had a toothache.

No love lost between them (They dislike each other)There was no love lost between the brotherssince the one crashed the other’s motorbike.

To ride the high horse (To assume an air ofsuperiority)Although she is neither beautiful nor rich, shealways rides the high horse.

To keep one’s fingers crossed (To hope fervently)Although I was doubtful, I kept my fingerscrossed in the hope that I would pass the exam.

To burn the midnight oil (Work until late at night)My son is burning the midnight oil becausehis final examination is at hand.

To pull one’s leg (to joke; tease someone)He told me he had won the lottery, but he waspulling my leg.

To bring matters to a head (To force a confrontation)The managing director brought matters to ahead by firing the union activist.

Donkey’s years (A very long time)Nowadays one has to wait donkey’s years to getjustice.

To make a pig of oneself (To over-eat)He made a pig of himself at the office party andwas sick.

To go window shopping (To look at goods on salewithout a serious intention of buying)My sister goes window shopping everySaturday; if she were to buy what she buys inher imagination, we would all be bankrupt.

To make a go of something (To make somethingsucceed)

He bought a small shop and was determinedto make a go of it.

To sail under false colours (To pretend to be whatone is not)Though he appears to be very tolerant, he is infact sailing under false colours. He is anabsolute bigot.

To make one’s mouth water (To stimulate one’sappetite)The smell from the kitchen makes my mouthwater.

To make up one’s mind (To decide)Offered a job in the Gulf, it didn’t take him longto make up his mind to leave home and goabroad.

To talk through one’s hat (To talk ignorantly)He was talking through his hat when he saidall boys were bad.

To call in question (To disprove or doubt)No one can call in question his integrity.

To put one’s enemies to flight (To defeat one’senemies)With the proof of his innocence, he put hisenemies to flight.

To rub someone the wrong way (To annoysomeone)No matter how hard he tries, he always rubsthe manager the wrong way.

Let bygones be bygones (To forget the past,especially after a quarrel)The two enemies agreed to let bygones bebygones and become friends.

To blow someone up (To scold someone severely)When he crashed his motorbike, his father blewhim up for speeding.

Under the weather (Unwell)My cold has passed but I still feel a bit underthe weather.

Under the counter (Secretly and illegally)Certain magazines are banned by the censor,but you can usually get them under the counter.

To cry for the moon (Ask for the impossible)Calling for the eradication of poverty is cryingfor the moon.

The order of the day (The prevailing state of things)Inflation is the order of the day.

A thorn in one’s side (A constant source ofannoyance)His neighbour’s barking dog is a thorn in hisside.

A man of straw (A man of no substance; a symbolicrepresentative of power or office)The new managing director is so much underthe chairman’s thumb that he is a man of straw.

To play ducks and drakes (To behave inconsistentlyespecially when it is done intentionally to delaysomething)“Don’t play ducks and drakes with me. Tell mewhat you intend to do”.

Hide one’s light under a bushel (To be genuinelymodest)He’s very shy; he always hides his light under abushel.

To cross one’s Ts and dot one’s Is (To be very careful,to be precise)“Mind you cross your Ts and dot your Is when youwrite the exam”. (Note: This idiom is usuallyused when giving advice to others; “Mind”,commonly used with this idiom, means“remember”.)

Wearing one’s heart on one’s sleeve (Being openlyemotional)It is easy to see when Anish is in love; he wearshis heart on his sleeve.

To rack one’s brains (To think very hard)No matter how hard I racked my brains, I couldnot remember his name.

Make head or tail of something (To understandsomething)Sunil’s report was so complicated that I couldnot make head or tail of it.

To paint the town red (indulge in noisy merrymaking)The law students went out to paint the town redwhen they had passed their exams.

Throw down the gauntlet (To issue a challenge)By defying the manager, Satheesh effectivelythrew down the gauntlet.

To end in smoke (To end in failure)For all his expensive promotion, his businessventure ended in smoke.

To be in the blues (To be depressed)Shushila was in the blues for a week after herfriend quarrelled with her.

To have one’s hands full (To be very busy)With a full-time job, and two small children, Anithahad her hands full.

Out of hand (Out of control)There is no discipline in this school; the boysare quite out of hand.

To take in hand (To take charge of)The unruly boys will have to be taken in hand bya strict teacher.

An old hand (An experienced person)Call Varma. He is an old hand at controlling naughtyboys.

To have in hand (To have in immediate possession)I have in hand enough money to buy a motorcyclewithout taking a loan.

To change hands (To become the property ofanother)I bought a used car. It has changed hands fivetimes.

To lend a hand (To help)Lend me a hand to rearrange these books.

At hand (close by)I have your letter at hand.

Hand in hand (Closely linked together)Diligence and prosperity go hand in hand.

Off hand (Casually, without checking)It is amazing that he gave the entire speech offhand.

To wash one’s hands of something (To give upresponsibility for something)If you insist on agreeing to his terms now, I willwash my hands of the whole affair.

Heavy handed (harsh, tactless)The new manager ran the office in a heavyhanded manner, which left the staff resentful.

A handful (A troublesome person or job)Manoj is a handful; he is really a mischievouslittle boy.

With a high hand (Oppressively)His father rules him with a high hand; he doesnot even let him go out with his friends.

To catch red handed (To catch someone in the actof committing a crime)The thief was caught red handed when thehouseholder returned home unexpectedly.