idioms and phrases

 

                                              Important Idioms 

 

Above all   - Most important.

Apple of discort  - Cause of quarrel.

At arm’s  length  - At a safe distance.

Add fuel to the fire – To do something more difficult.

Apple of one’s eyes – very dear (person)

Axe to grind -  Selfish motive.

At sixes and sevens -  In disorder.

At draggers drawn  - open hostility

Bed of roses – A situation of comfort

Beggar  description – Difficult to explain

Born with a silver spoon in ones mouth – born of rich parents

Birds of feather – People with same types

Bolt from the blue – Calamity

A bull in china shop – cause of destructive

 

Blow ones own trumpet – To praise oneself

Bone of contention – the main cause of quarrel

To burry the hatchet – To forget unpleasant events

By fits and starts – Not regurarly

Bread and butter – Livelihood

By leaps and bounds  -  very fast

By and large  – In general

Cast pearls before swine   - Try to explain a subject to a person who has no interest.

Carry the day – Be successful

Call a spade a spade  - Be truthful

Come to light – Being made known

Crocodile tears – False

Cut the Gordian knot – To solve a difficult problem.

Chicken – hearted  - timid

Castles in the air – Baseless

Cut a sorry figure – To create a bad impression

Close fisted man – A greedy person

A dead letter – Out of date

A dog in the manger policy – an attitude in which one does not take benefit of …..

Double dealing – deceipt

Every cloud has a silver lining – Comforting

Egg on – To encourage someone

An eye for an eye – Tit for tat

A feather in one’s cap   - An honour

Fair deal – Honest behaviour

From the bottom of one’s heart – With complete sincerity.

Give ear – To pay attention

Give and take – Mutual concessions

vGive oneself airs – To praise oneself

Hard nut to crack – A very difficult problem

Hard and fast – Strict

A house of cards – An unstable situation

Hobson’ s choice – Nothing at all

Hue and cry – Any loud public outcry 

Hold cheap - devalue

In the same boat - In identical circumstances

In one's good book -  Someone has a good openion about 

Ins and out - to have complete knowlwdge

keep the pot boiling - earn enough money to support oneself 

Keep the ball rolling - To keep the some plan going 

Let the cat out of the bag - To make secret known to others 

Live and let live - Let everybody enjoy equal opportunity 

Make a clean breast of - To confess completely  

Make head or tail of it -  To understand something 

Make both ends meet - To manage somehow

make virtue of necessity - To accept the change under duress.

Out of frying pan into fire - To escape from one situation but face another dangerous situation.

The order of the day -Current statae of affairrs.

Off hand - Without any preparation 

 

Palmy days  - Prosperous time

 

Pour oil on troubled waters  - Try to end a quarrel 

 

Play truant - Remain absent without permission.

 

Pull strings  - To have complete control 

 

Put the cart before the horse - To put last things first 

 

Put one's cart on the table  - To keep no secret  

 

A red - letter day  - A golden day 

 

Rainy days - A time of difficulty

Rain cats and dogs - Very heavy rain 

 

Show the white feather - To accept defeat

 

Storm in a tea - cup - Quarrel about trifle matter that comes to end without any loss of time

 

Show one's teeth - To get angry about some criticism

 

Strike while the iron is hot - Take advantage of an opportunity at the right time.

 

A  snake in the grass  - A hidden enemy

 

Take the bull by the horns  - Face dangerous situation boldly 

 

Throw dust in the eyes of - To act in a manner to deceive

 

Tooth and nail - With determination and preparedness

Ups and downs  - Bad days and good days by turn.

Wash one's dirty linen in public - To discuss unpleasant private matters with strangers.