NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -1- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

THE EXCELLENT, THE EASIEST NOTES ON

BOARDS’S AND IMPORTANT IDIOMS AND PHRASES
SR IDIOMS & PHRASES SENTENCES
.
01 An apple of discord = A bone of Poverty is a bone of contention
between them.
contention
02 Apple of one’s eyes = Nearest to My son is the apple of my eyes.
one’s heart
03 At a snail’s pace The train moved at a snail’s pace.
04 All in all = By and large =On the He is all in all in this office.
whole =On the lump =In light of
05 At large = At liberty = Go in and The thief is at large.
out
06 To abide by Always abide by the law.
07 Above board = All the same time His honesty is above board.
= Out of question
08 At the eleventh hour = On the He called off=put
tick = In the nick of time = Up on off=stand/hang over his plan at
the glad the eleventh hour.
09 At somebody’s beck and call Do not expect to have me at your
beck and call.
10 At sixes and sevens = By/In fits His books are at sixes and sevens.
and starts = Upside down = Out
of course = Off the hinges = Off
the rail
11 At a stretch I worked for ten hours at a stretch.
12 At home in = A host in himself = A past She is at home in cooking.
master = A master mind = On one’s finger
tips =Expert at =(To be) an authority on
13 After one’s own heart The house was after my heart.
14 To be at a loss I am at a loss in this matter.
15 Agree to They agreed to our program.
16 Account for Can you account for your failure?
17 Attend on He attends on his mother.
18 Add fuel to fire His speech added fuel to fire.

19 As cool as cucumber It is best to be as cool as cucumber in

hard times.
20 All and sundry I invited all and sundry= rank and file =the
man in the streets = before the master to
my party.
21 Apple-pie order The room was in apple-pie order.
22 Alpha and omega Truth is alpha and omega of
education.
23 An uphill task = No joke = A hard nut to Removing corruption is an uphill
crack = Another cup of tea =Naughty
problem =Herculean task
task.
24 At loggers head Bad people are often at loggers
heads.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -2- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

25 At cross purposes I think we are talking at cross

purposes.
26 An eye wash =A hot air His love is just an eye wash.
27 At a stone’s throw My house is at a stone’s throw from
here.
28 At any rate = By no manner of I will complete this at any rate.
means = Vice versa = In any
shape or form =After all
29 At length = In the long run = At She slept at length.
last
30 At a pinch =In a pinch You can ring me up at a pinch.
31 Break out Fire broke out in the room.
32 Break down =Run down My health broke down.
33 Break through Do not break through the barriers.
34 Break in = Nip in =Meddle with Never break in when the elders are
talking.
35 Break up The plane broke up in the air.
36 To be in one’s good books He is in the good books of the
manager.
37 To be in one’s bad books He is in the bad books of his
manager.
38 To be at one’s wits end He is at his wits end.
39 To be at home Please be at home.
40 To be at hand Help is at hand.
41 To bell the cat =Play with fire Who will bell the cat to report his
corruption?
42 Be at daggers drawn =A sworn He is at daggers drawn with his
enemy wife.
43 Bring to book =Call to account I have brought the cashier to book.
44 Bring forth = Lay before Evil brings forth evil.
45 Bring up She brought up this child.
46 Bring down =Let down Do not bring down your friends.
47 Break the news He broke the news of his friend’s
death to me.
48 A bolt from the blue His failure was a bolt from the blue.
49 By hook or by crook He will hit the mark by hook or by
crook.
50 A bed of roses Life is not a bed of roses.
51 A bed of thorns/ nails Life is a bed of thorns/nails.
52 A burning question Kashmir is a burning question now.
53 By /In leaps and bounds Pakistan is progressing by leaps and
bounds.
54 Black sheep =Bad/Rotten egg A disobedient is a bad egg.
55 Back out = Go back on one’s words/promise Never back out of your deal.
= To retract one’s promise = Break one’s
word
56 Bosom friend I trust him fully as he is my bosom
friend.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -3- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

57 A bird’s eye view =A brief This book gives a bird’s eye view of
account the war.
58 A bird of passage A bird of passage never succeeds.
59 To bring down the house By standing first in the examination
he brought down the house.
60 To burn one’s fingers = Get If you do this, you will burn your
one’s fingers burnt fingers.
61 Bring something to light = Bring something Iqbal’s genius has brought to light.
home to somebody = Bring home = Bring
out =Lay open = Lay bare To give
utterance = Come to light = Give vent to
62 Beat about/round the bush Do not beat about the bush and
come (keep) to the point.
63 Break the ice He started talking to break the ice.
64 A broken reed A broken reed always causes
problems.
65 Bag and baggage He left Lahore bag and baggage.
66 Burn the midnight oil He burnt the midnight oil to pass
the examination.
67 Bury the hatchet Pakistan and India should bury the
hatchet.
68 Blow out He blew out the candle.
69 Blow over The storm will soon blow over.
70 Blow hot and cold He blows hot and cold about going
abroad.
71 Blow one’s own trumpet = Pull/Draw the Great men do not blow their own
long bow = Talk big = Boast of = give
oneself airs = put on airs
trumpet.
72 Bear out Your story bears out my truth.
73 Bear/take the brunt of something The border will bear the brunt of the
war.
74 Bad blood Let’s end bad blood now.
75 Bad dept Sooner or later you have to write
off a bad dept.
76 Be up in arms =At boiling point Indians are always up in arms.
77 Bread and butter Teaching is my bread and butter.
78 Build castles in the air Fools always build castles in the air.
79 A blind alley He turned back when he reached the
blind alley.
80 In black and white =In letter and I submitted my demand in black and
spirit =In written form white.
81 A blessing in disguise His arrival is a blessing in disguise.
82 A bitter/hard pill to swallow His failure was a bitter pill to
swallow.
83 Beneath/below one’s dignity It is below his dignity to take in.
84 Beat the air It is a bad habit to beat the air.
85 Break new/fresh ground Only a genius breaks new ground.
86 By heart =Learn by rote =To Learn this poem by heart on and
commit to memory on.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -4- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

87 Better half = kickie-wickie = His better half is a blue stocking.

kicksy-wicksy
88 Be in one’s element He was not in his elements in the
court.
89 By dint of =On account of = In view of = On He succeeded by dint of an
the score of = In right of = By virtue of = In
pursuance of =By means of =Owing to
Aladdin’s lamp.
90 By inches = Inch by inch = Die The car missed us by inches.
away = By degree
91 Be all ears Speak now; I am all ears to you.
92 Beat somebody black and blue The police beat the criminal black
and blue.
93 A busy bee He is a busy bee as he works day
and night/day in and day out.
94 Blue blood We respect their blue blood.
95 Blackout Blackouts are harmful to work.
96 Beside one’s self =To fly into a He was beside himself with joy.
passion
97 Child’s play = Plain sailing Driving a car is not a child’s play.
98 Cat and dog life Mr. and Mrs. X are living a cat and
dog life.
99 Cast pearls before swine It is useless to cast pearls before
swine.
10 Cock and bull story This report is only a cock and bull
0 story = a fishy story.
10 Cut a sorry/poor figure =Eat He cut a sorry figure in the
1 one’s words interview.
10 Carry/ win the day Our army carried the day in last
2 war.
10 Carry weight His words carry weight with them.
3
10 Carry out He carried out the plan of his life.
4
10 Carry/Pass/Go on = Keep on/at = Carry on your hard work.
5 Go on with =Proceed with
10 Carry off He carried off most of the prizes.
6
10 Carry through His courage will carry him through.
7
10 Cast a spell on/over somebody She cast a spell on the listeners.
8
10 Call a spade a spade =Point blank Call a spade a spade, and tell the
9 truth.
11 Call/Bring to mind =Call up Let us call to mind the olden and
0 golden days.
11 Call on He called on my yesterday.
1
11 Call at The train called at Muridke.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -5- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

2
11 Cut somebody to the quick Your words cut him to the quick.
3
11 Cut off He cut a branch off the tree.
4
11 Cut down/across = Cut Cut down your expenses.
5 short/Back/Out = cut back on
=Cut down on
11 Cut up The news of a friend’s death has cut
6 him up.
11 Cast a slur upon She had dared to cast a slur upon
7 his character.
11 Crocodile tears She shed crocodile tears on his loss.
8
11 Come to She fainted but she came to again.
9
12 Come off =Come away This label will soon come off.
0
12 Consist of This class consists of forty boys.
1
12 Catch/Clutch/Grasp/ At a A drowning man catches at a straw.
2 straw/Straws
12 To call somebody names = To call Calling names is a sin.
somebody bad names = Hard words = call
3 down = To throw dirt at = Give it to one
12 Call somebody to/in/into question His honesty is called in question.
4 = Find quarrel in a straw
12 Come of age By and by/Before long, he came
5 of age.
12 Cheek by jowl The lovers walk cheek by jowl.
6
12 Capital punishment/ Sentence The killer got capital sentence.
7
12 Curry favor with somebody He is always trying to curry favor
8 with his officer.
12 Come to blows From hot words, they came to
9 blows.
13 Come to grief =Go to the wall His plan came to grief in the end.
0
13 Cry over split milk It is no use crying over split milk.
1
13 Cold comfort The whole party was a cold comfort.
2
13 Casting vote My vote proved a casting vote.
3
13 Cross somebody’s fingers I am crossing my fingers so that my
4 proposal will be accepted.
13 A close fisted man =Penny A close fisted man/ A man of straw
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -6- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

5 pinching is never respected.

13 Come to terms = make terms At last they had to come to terms.
6 =Hold with
13 Cry/Ask /Wish for the moon Fools always cry for the moon.
7
13 A cat’s paw Your work for him as a cat’s paw.
8
13 Cats and dogs = Pouring wet It is raining cats and dogs.
9
14 Cry in the wilderness The cry of peace is a cry in the
0 wilderness.
14 Clear up He cleared up the mess.
1
14
2
Dark horse Our new boss is a dark horse.

14 Die in harness Quaid-e-Azam died in harness.

3
14 Die out The vultures are dying out.
4
14 A drawn match A drawn match pleases none.
5
14 A dead letter That rule is just a dead letter.
6
14 Do somebody a good turn Good friends will do you a good
7 turn.
14 Do away with =Make away with Let us do away with dowry.
8
14 Do for/into =Fit/Suitable for =To This coat will do for me.
9 be cut out for
15 Draw up They will draw up a new pan.
0
15 Draw back He drew back from attacking the
1 snake.
15 Drop off He dropped off in class.
2
15 Drop in/into/on/round/by/over He dropped in at midnight.
3
15 Deal in He deals in salt.
4
15 A dog’s life Death is better than a dog’s life.
5
15 A dog in the manager He adopted the dog in the manager
6 policy.
15 Double faced = Wolf in sheep’s Double- faced policy often ends in
7 clothing smoke.
15
8
End up in smoke = Go up in Their plan may end in smoke.
smoke
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -7- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

15 Every inch = Out and out = Through and He was down and out neck and
through = To the backbone = Neck and crop
9 = Up to elbow = Down to the ground = To
crop.
the full = To the nines / spine / skin = Root
and branch = To the finger/ nails = Up to
the hilt = Lock , stock and barrel = Right
down = Dead as a herring =Head over heels
16 Eagle eyed = Sit up = On one’s An eagle-eyed tourist found the
0 guard = On the alert = Long suspicious package.
headed = All there
16 Egg on He egged on the workers to strike.
1
16 Eat humble pie He will eat humble pie if you do not
2 act upon my plan.
16 Eye-opening =Eye opener These are eye opening scenes to us.
3
16
4
From head to toe He is a professional cricketer from
head to toe.
16 Flesh and blood No flesh and blood can bear the
5 health torture.
16 Fall foul of The students are falling foul of the
6 authorities everywhere.
16 Fall back on / upon = Fall edge He has some savings to fall back on.
7
16 Fall out with =To kick up a row She has fallen out with her husband.
8
16 Fall off The attendance in classes may fall
9 off.
17 Fall to =Enter upon/into =To go The author fell to write a book.
0 about
17 Fall in with =Go with =Come I fell in with an old teacher.
1 across
17 Fall through =Draw a blank Her plans will fall through.
2
17 Fall away Glory always falls away.
3
17 Fall flat upon My advice fall flat upon him.
4
17 Fall prey to/be = Become prey to He fell prey to smoking.
5
17 Fall/Run/Come short of = Go Soap fell short in the shop.
6 without =Deficient in
17 A fool’s paradise You live in a fool’s paradise to think
7 that you will stand first.
17 Find fault with It is bad to find fault with others.
8
17 Face the music You should face the music after your
9 mistake.
18 Few and far between = Now and then = He visits us few and far between.
From time to time = At intervals = At times
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -8- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

0 = Once in a blue moon = Once and again =

Once in a while= Off and on =Ever and
anon = Now and again =On occasion
18 A fish out of water In India I felt like a fish out of water.
1
18 Fair weather friend = Good time Fair weather friends leave in the
2 friends lurch.
18 For good = For good and all =For ever He left India for good.
=Once for all
3
18 Fade away =Run out =Break up Evils do not fade away.
4
18 Fly in the ointment I do not want to be a fly in the
5 ointment.
18 First and foremost The first and foremost task of
6 teacher is to teach.
18 Fight shy of =Refrain/escape He fought shy of an open quarrel.
7 from =Keep away
18 To flog / beat dead horse Doing this work is flogging a dead
8 horse.
18 Fair play I like fair play.
9
19 Fair sex = Piece of goods = We should respect the fair sex.
0 Daughter of the eve
19 For the sake of She sings for the sake of joy.
1
19 For want of something He could not marry for the want of
2 money.
19 Feather one’s nest He is in the habit of feathering his
3 nest.
19 A feather one’s cap His success is a feather in our cap.
4
19 Follow suit If I go home you follow suit.
5
19 Fish in troubled waters To fish in troubled waters is the
6 order of the day.
19 Be fed up with =Tired of I am fed up with these things.
7
19 Fill up His cup filled up with tea.
8
19
9
Go to the dogs His business has gone to the dogs.

20 Get / have the wind of I got wind of plot in the long run.
0
20 Get rid of = Choke off = Clear off = Sell out I want to get rid of rats.
= To lose head =Cast aside/off =Dispose of
1 =Work off
20 Get through She phoned me and got through.
2
20 Get up Please get up.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -9- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS ENGLISH

3
20 Get round/about I got round in my car easily.
4
20 Get away with The thief got away with a lot of
5 money.
20 Go through Please go through the book.
6
20 Go about Despite war, people went about
7 their business.
20 Go to the law They went to law over the issue of
8 house.
20 Go to pieces After his wife died he just went to
9 pieces.
21 To go grey The prisoner went grey on seeing
0 the jailor.
21 Gird up one’s lions Gird up your lions and crush the
1 enemy.
21 Give up = Lay down = To fall out =To cast He gave up smoking.
away =To wash one’s head of
2
21 A green hand/horn A green hand teaches in this school.
3
21
4
Have an axe to grind I have no political axe to grind.

21 Hold one’s tongue / peace = Hush Hold your tongue and do not abuse
5 up him like that.
21 Hold water His theory holds water.
6
21 Heart and soul I love you heart and soul.
7
21 Give/Hand/Make over = Give I handed over my business to my
8 control of children.
21 Hand in glove with They are hand in glove in
9 smuggling.
22 Hunt for/about/after = Look for She was looking for her lost child.
0 =Look up/about =Find out
22 Hit below the belt Only a coward will hit below the
1 belt.
22 Hue and cry I heard a hue and cry in the market.
2
22 Hard and fast These are the hard and fast rules of
3 the games.

22 Have a finger in every pie/ many He likes to has a finger in every pie
4 pies of the town.
22 Have an iron/strong will = have a Our leader is a man of iron will.
5 will of iron
22 Hobson’s choice =Lack of choice It was Hobson’s choice for me to get
6 this job.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -10- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
22 Head and shoulders above the He is involved in dept head and
7 rest / others shoulders
22 Hope against hope = Ray of hope To think that he can win the war is
8 to hope against hope.
22 In a fix = Beat one’s brain = To sit on the He is in a fix to go abroad.
9 thorns = To be in or get into hot water =
Between the devil and the deep sea =In
deep water =At sea = Put about
23 In the air Your secret is in the air.
0
23 In cold blood He killed the child in cold blood.
1
23 In the teeth of He raced in the teeth of wind.
2
23 In camera =Hush hush The trial was held in camera.
3
23 In a nutshell = In brief = In short I have put my story in a nutshell.
4 = In fine =In a word
23 In full swing The meeting is in full swing.
5
23
6
Jail bird A jail bird escaped last night.

23 A jack of all trades = All rounder A jack of all trades is master of

7 none.
23
8
To keep body and soul together It is not easy to keep body and soul
together.
23 Kith and kin We should love our kith and kin.
9
24 To keep in view You must keep in view your object.
0
24 Keep at arm’s length Keep him at an arm’s length because
1 he is a gambler.
24 Keep up with Please walk fast to keep up with me.
2
24 Keep out He was kept out in the storm.
3
24 Keep back His anger will keep him back.
4
24 Keep abreast of He keeps abreast of the city news.
5
24 Keep up appearances He keeps up appearances even in
6 small income.
24 Keep an eye on the Please keep an eye on the child.
7
24 To knock at She knocked at my door repeatedly.
8
24 Kick the bucket = Lick the dust = Bite the The patient kicked the bucket.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -11- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
9 dust = Pass away = To peg out = Breath
one’s last = Go off = To give/go up the
ghost
25 Keep the wolf from the door It is not easy to keep the wolf from
0 the door.
25
1
To Look down upon Do not look down upon =make
fun of/Poke fun at/Jeer at the
poor.
25 Look forward to We look forward to your visit.
2
25 Look after =Care for She looks after this boy.
3
25 Look sharp = Throw up = Hurry Hurry up! We are getting late.
4 up
25 Look/Enquire into Look into the matter.
6
25 To live from hand to mouth Workers live from hand to mouth.
7
25 Lose heart He lost heart on his failure.
8
25 Lion’s share =Main/Best/Better Ali took the lion’s share of the
9 part property.
26 Lead someone by the nose Hitler led Germany by the nose.
0
26 Live /Subsist on =To do with Beggars live on charity.
1
26 Let the cat out of the bag =Spill Woman generally let the cat out of
2 the beans the bag.
26 Long and short of it =Briefly The long and short of it is that he
3 speaking was killed.
26
4
A Man of letters/word/parts Quaid-e-Azam was a man of letters.

26 Maiden speech He delivered the maiden speech off

5 hand.
26 Make headway Our branch is making headway.
6
26 Make both ends meet The poor finds it hard to make both
7 ends meet.
26 To make a clean abreast of He made a clean abreast of his
8 something misbehavior.
26 Make up Make up your deficiency.
9
27 Make off with The thief made off with the car.
0
27 Make out I cannot make out your talk.
1
27 Make good =Compensate for Make good =Make amends for
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -12- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
2 his loss.
27 Might and main He fought with him might and main.
3
27
4
Nip in the bud Nip every evil in the bud.

27 Narrow escape = Hairbreadth escape = He had a narrow escape from the

Close have = Close call = To a hair = By the
5 skin of one’s teeth = Escape with the skin
car accident.
of one’s teeth =A near miss
27 Null and void This contract is null and void.
6
27 A necessary evil War is a necessary evil.
7
27
8
On the tenter hooks He was on the tenter hooks until her
son called her.
27 On the verge of The patient is on the verge of death.
9
28 On the horns of a dilemma I am on the horns of a dilemma to
0 leave the country or not.
28 On the spur of the monument = He ran to his help on the spur of the
1 At once = All of a sudden monument.
28 An open secret Our engagement is an open secret.
2
28 On the eve of He worked hard on the eve of
3 examination.
28 Over and above =In addition to I have a book over and above a pen.
4 =Into the bargain
28 Over head and ears He is over head and ears in dept.
5
28 To Poison’s one’s ears/mind He poisoned her ears against me.
6
against someone
28 Play the game Play the game in your business.
7
28 Part and parcel Water is the part and parcel of our
8 life.
28 To pocket an insult/affront = To The poor has to pocket an insult.
9 ear dirt
29 Play the second fiddle The president of Pakistan plays the
0 second fiddle.
29 To play fast and loose Do not play fast and loose with your
1 parents.
29 Pay through the nose I had to pay through the nose for
2 this job.
29 Pros and cons I discussed the pros and cons of the
3 internet.
29 Pass on Walk and pass on to greatness and
4 glory.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -13- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
29 Pass over I passed over his advice.
5
29 Put out =Turn out I put out the lamp.
6
29 Put up with =Pass through I put up with my uncle.
7
29 Put down Put down your name and address.
8
29 Put on Atif is putting on flesh day by day.
9
30 Pick up They picked the child up.
0
30 Pay/give lip service to They only pay lip service to religion.
1
30 Play truant School boys often plays truant.
2
30 Pass off The rain has passed off.
3
30
4
Read between the lines Please read the letter between the
lines.
30 Rainy day Put by something for a rainy day.
5
30 To red rag to the bull If you criticize him, it is like a red rag to
6 the bull.
30 A round peg in a square hole A graduate policeman is a round
7 peg in a square hole.
30 A red-letter day = Gala day Eid is a gala day for us.
8
30 Red handed I caught the thief red-handed.
9
31 To rest on one’s oars He rested on his oars after working
0 on the project.
31 Rest / sit on one’s laurels Old people usually rest on their
1 laurels.
31 A rolling stone A rolling stone gathers no moss.
2
31 Run away with She ran away with a sailor.
3
31 Run short of We have run short of money.
4
31 Run after We ran after the ball.
5
31 Run over I ran over India.
6
31 Run down Do not run down your friends.
7
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -14- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
31 A royal road There is no royal road to success.
8
31 A rope of sand His promise is always a rope of
9 sand.
32 A right hand man He is the right hand man of his wife.
0
32
1
Settle the account He settled the account with the
shopkeeper.
32 To show a clean pair of heels The thief showed a clean pair of
2 heels.
32 See how the cat jumps = Which Let us see how the cat jumps in this
3 way the cat jumps matter.
32 See off He saw me off at the airport.
4
32 See eye to eye We see eye to eye in this matter.
5
32 To set a good example He set a good example to his
6 younger brother.
32 To show the white feathers The cowards show the white
7 feathers in the battle field.
32 Spick and span He always remains spick and span.
8
32 Stick to one’s guns The principal is bent upon sticking
9 to his guns.
33 Snake in the grass Disease is a snake in the grass.
0
33 Set off/out =Flare up They set out for Lahore.
1
33 Set up He set up a shop.
2
33 Smell a rat I smell a rat in his new plan.
3
33 To swallow the bait Men of straw easily swallow the bait.
4
33 Split hairs = Stretch a point You are splitting hair for nothing.
5
33 Send for =Call in Send for the doctor.
6
33 Stand by I will stand by you through thick and
7 thin.
33 Stands for A tree stands for nature.
8
33 Small talk = Clish clash = Parrot coal = I like to indulge in small talk.
Lead on a dance = Talk tall/round
9
34 Scot free = Escape scot free = The judge let the prisoner go scot
0 Go/get off = Get away free.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -15- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
34 Storm in a tea cup They raised storm in the tea cup.
1
34 Square meal We had a square meal in the
2 afternoon.
34 The sum and substance What is the sum and substance of
3 this poem?
34 Safe and sound I reached home safe and sound.
4
34
5
Take into account = On the tapis Take into account his honesty while
employing him.
= On question
34 Take to task Mother took the boy to task.
6
34 Take to heart = To wash one’s He took his failure to heart.
7 head off
34 Take a French leave He always enjoys the French leave.
8
34 Take down Please take down the report.
9
35 Take in =Do out =To play one’s It is a bad habit to take in.
0 false
35 Take to =Go in for =Soft corner I took to Timmy.
1 =Approve of
35 To be taken back I was taken aback to find him in the
2 party.
35 Take a fancy to He took fancy to his new colleague.
3
35 Take after He takes after his father.
4
35 Take it ill = Do you mind He took these words ill.
5
35 Talk shop At party, we should not talk shop.
6
35 Time and again = again and again I read this book time and again.
7 = over and over again =
35 Tooth and nail The Muslims fought tooth and nail.
8
35 Turn in I turned in early last night.
9
36 Turn a deaf ear =Deaf to He turned a deaf ear to me.
0
36 Turn up He turned up on time.
1
36 Turn over Please turn over the page.
2
36 Turn turtle His plan turned turtle.
3
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -16- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH
36 Turn over a new leaf He turned over a new leaf.
4
36 Turn down = To Keck out = Throw His request was turned down.
5 away
36 Throw cold water Do not throw cold water on youthful
6 ambitions.
36
7
Under a cloud He left his job under a cloud.

36 Ups and downs Life is full of/infested with ups

8 and downs.
36 Up-to-date His accounts are never up-to-date.
9
37 Up to the mark = Rank with His work is not up to the mark.
0
37
1
Yellow press There is yellow press everywhere.

37
2
White elephant = More kick than My old car proved a white elephant.
half pence
37 With open arms They received us with open arms.
3
37 Well off His income is high and he is well off.
4
37 Wild goose chase Life today is a wild goose chase.
5
37 Wind up I wound up my work in the shop.
6
37 Work up He worked up about the match.
7
37 Work out =Guess at Works out the total cost of trip.
8
37 A wet blanket A selfish man is a wet blanket.
9
38 Perform /Work wonders/miracles This medicine works wonders.
0
38 With a view to = For the purpose We went there with a view to seeing
1 of her.
38 Ways and means Find out ways and means to do this.
2
38 With an iron hand Akbar ruled over India with an iron
3 hand.
NOTES ON IDIOMS & PHRASES -17- BY: IFTIKHAR AHMED SS
ENGLISH