Phrases and Idioms

1) Rack ones’s brain ( to use brain)-I racked my brain to remember the date of birth, but in vain.
2) Ten to one ( very likely)-Ten to one , the girl will pass in the final exam.
3) Sleep tight ( sleep well)-I gave a sleep tight last night.
4) At bay ( hard-pressed)-The once strong family is now at bay.
5) Hush money( bribe money)-He offered a hush money to suppress the matter.
6) Julia made a clean breast of it and admitted that she had stolen the money.(to confess or to tell
the truth about something.)
7) A green horn( an inexperienced man)
8) To pull strings ( ( to exert hidden influence)
9) To chew the end( To think deeply)
10) Someone kicked up a row on my statement( raised a controversy)
11) I cannot believe him as he makes much.( tell a lie)
12) ‘Greasing the right palms”-( paying the bribes to relevant persons)
13) His attitudes is the main road block in his success.( obstacle)
14) This costs an arm and a leg( this is very costly)
15) Down in the dumps (depressed)- why are you looking so down in the dumps?
16) Hit the hay ( go to bed)- When do you usually hit the hay?
17) Pull the plug on (discontinue suddenly)-He pulled the plug on his research.
18) On the hop ( unprepared) – His sudden visit caught us on the hop
19) Pull the rug from under (suddenly stop helping)-If you Pull the rug from under me, I’ll be in great
trouble.
20) Swing the lead (avoid doing one’s duty)-Our new teacher does not take his class regularly, he
often, swing the lead.
21) Dead on time (on time)- The function started dead on time.
22) Turn turtle ( reverse) The boat turned turtle in the midst of the violent storm.
23) Have kittens ( be nervous)-She had kittens before her exam.
24) On a knife edge (anxious)- He was on a knife edge about his exam results.
25) Ring hollow (sound untrue)- All he said against his opponent rang hollow.
26) Be given to (to be in the habit of) He is given to getting up late from bed.
27) Goods and chattels ( personal possession) He has sold out all his goods and chattels.

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 Phrases and Idioms
28) My wife is a dab hand at making pudding ( expert at)
29) Gorge oneself or (with to fill oneself/completed with)-The hungry beggar gorge himself with
rice.
30) Hang in the balance (be in an uncertain position) The question of his marriage is how hanging in
the balance.
31) Have the edge on (be better than others)- The boy has the edge on the other students in the
class
32) Flog to death (spoil by repeating)-Don’t tell that anymore, you have already flogged it to death.
33) Fag end – Some guests appeared at the meeting at the fog end.
34) Off the ground (successfully started)- The plan could not get off the ground due to lack of
money.
35) Take hard knocks (have painful experiences)-I have taken a few hard knocks in my life.
36) Get hitched (get married)-They got hitched without their parents consent.
37) Regardless of (without taking account of)-They are throwing a big party regardless of cost.
38) Skinned alive (to punish severely)-The thief was skinned alive.
39) Without stint (without limit)-He is spending the money without stint.
40) In a stew (in a difficult situation)-I got in a stew by giving up a job.
41) Pull strings (to use secret influence)- He had pulled a few strings to get his promotion.
42) Fall by the way side (no longer try)-After flunking in the exam twice, he fell by the way side.
43) Put of kilter (no working properly)-My old television is out of kilter.
44) Near the knuckle (Offensive)-His joke was a bit near the knuckle.
45) Loud to the skies –My thesis was laud to the skies.
46) In tatters ( destroyed) –All his reputation is now in tatters.
47) On one’s tod (alone)-Will he be able to do the work on his tod?
48) Hard and nails (good physical structure) He is as hard as nails, as he takes regular exercise.
49) Grain ground (to make progress as gain or advantages or importance in a situation)-The concept
of shopping from home gainted ground rapidly after 1971.
50) In a huff (Angry because someone has offended you)-I asked him if he wanted to eat with us,
but he walked out in a huff.
51) On the lam (trying to escape)-The man I am looking for is on the lam from the FBI, and has
contacts with the Chicago drug scene.

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 Phrases and Idioms
52) Ham it up (to behave or perform in a silly or funny way or with lot of false emotions in order to
get people’s attention or attraction)- Bobby loves to ham it up every time we get the video
camera out.
53) Off the cuff (If you speak answer, or perform of he cuff you do it without preparing for what you
are going to say)-It is difficult to give the answer off the cuff, I’d have to look at the statistics. His
off the cuff remarks on the stage are legendary.
54) Be piggy in the middle (to be in a situation where two people or groups that you are involved
with arguing and they both want your support)- Silvia hoped that she would not have to be
piggy in the middle between his fiery brother and sister.
55) A white lie (a lie that is not very important)
56) Go over the edge ( to have or get an advantage over someone who are competing with)-Many
new businesses are now getting over the edge.
57) Chew the cud (think deeply before making decisions)-Before you give up the jobs you ought to
chew the cud.
58) Bee in one’s bonnet (obsession)-Buying a car has become a bee in my bonnet.
59) Go berserk (go violent) –you have already made me angry, I have gone berserk.
60) In the cart (in an awkward position) I am in the cart and need your help.
61) In a dither (in a state of inability to make decision)-My parents were in a dither about my
marriage.
62) In the doldrums (in an unhappy state of my mind)- you can’t write anything in the doldrums.
63) Beyond one’s expectation (Beyond one’s wildest dreams)-That I would not pass the exam is
beyond my wildest dreams.
64) In the offering (coming soon)-I believe your promotion is in the offering.
65) Far from (not at all)-He is far from pleased to see me there.
66) Squeaky clean (very clean)-He is a man of squeaky clean moral character.
67) Make a muck of (spoil)-The rain makes muck of our picnic.
68) Go Dutch (share the cost of a meal)-We two went dutch when we were at Rangpur.
69) In a low ebb (in a bad state)-Relations between the two families are at a low ebb.
70) On edge (nervous)-When I called him, he was a bit on edge.
71) In the arms of Morpheus (in a state sleep)- The baby is in the arms of Morpheus.
72) Do one’s nut (become suddenly very angry)-Why did you do your nut?

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 Phrases and Idioms
73) Poles apart (completely different)- The two brothers are their poles apart at their political
attitudes.
74) Not budge an inch (not to change opinions)-I requested him to change his opinions, but he did
not budge an inch.
75) Get in on (to take part in any kind of discussion)-Can I get in on your discussion?
76) To all intents- (almost) He has, to all intents finished his work.
77) Up a gum tree (in a difficult situation, with no means of escape)-He found himself up a gum tree
when his friends left him.
78) One’s nose to the grindstone (in a state of continuous hard work)-he has to keep his nose to the
grindstone to maintain his large family.
79) In embryo (incomplete)-His plan to go abroad is still in embryo.
80) Billet doux ( love letter)- Have you received any billet doux?
81) Bite someone’s head off (answer someone rudely)-He asked you a simple question about your
mother why did you bite his head off?
82) Bill and coo ( of lovers kiss and speak softly to each other)-Look at the couple over there, they
are billing and cooing
83) Keep abreast of (know the recent facts about)- You ought to read newspapers regularly if you
want to keep abreast of the times.
84) Achilles heel (a small but important weakness in one’s character)-You ought to know his Achilles
heel before you attack him.
85) Airs and graces (unnatural matters)- Everybody laughed at him for his airs and graces.
86) Alpha and omega (the beginning and the end)-Discipline is the alpha and omega of this
institution.
87) All told (counting everyone) there are sixty guests here all told.
88) As it is (in reality)-We wanted to finish the work by tomorrow but as it is we can’t probably finish
it until tomorrow.
89) Explore every avenue ( try every method)-We explored every method but could not find any
situation to solve this problem
90) In the club (pregnant)-My wife is in the club now.
91) Get the axe (to be dismissed from one’s job)-He got the axe for his misconduct.

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 Phrases and Idioms
92) Over a barrel (in a position of serious disadvantage)- I found myself over a barrel after my
father’s death.
93) In a clutter (untidy)- His room is in a clutter now.
94) Cock a snook at ( Show open disrespect for)- The students cocked a snook at their teachers
95) Just round the corner (very near)- The two friends lived just round the corner.
96) At cot death (an unexpected death of a healthy baby)-WE were terribly shocked at his child’s cot
death.
97) Run counter to( be opposed to )- Your action is now runs counter to you promise.
98) Make hay (make good use of chances)-Although the situation was favorable, he could not make
hay.
99) Head over heels (completely)-They are head over heels in love with each other.

100) Have one’s head screwed on (be practical)- He always has his head screwed on.

101) Make mincemeat of (to defeat or destroy completely)-I was able to make mincemeat of my
opponents arguments.

102) Manna from heavens (unexpected help)- The money we got from them is manna from heaven.

103) Haul someone over the coals (reprimand)-I hauled his over the coals for telling the lie.

104) In troth (truly)-The girl is beautiful in troth.

105) Twiddle one’s thumbs (waste time)- You ought not to twiddle your thumbs before the exam.

106) Well upholstered (very fatty)- I have not seen such a well upholstered woman like her.

107) Draw a veil over it (avoid speaking about)- I asked him about his divorce, but he drew a veil
over it.

108) On the trot (one after another)-He killed the four birds on the trot.

109) Stand to reason (to be clear to all sensible people )- It stands to reasons that the situation has
to come to an end.

110) Be rushed off one’s feet (to be busy that one has no time to take rest)-The politicians are
rushed off their feet before election.

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 Phrases and Idioms
111) Hit the sack ( go to bed ) He never hits the sack before midnight.

112) The scum of the earth (the worst people in the earth)-You ought to talk to them carefully , they
are the scum of the earth.

113) In the vicinity of (almost) My annual income is in the vicinity of five lakh taka.

114) All by yourself (Alone)- Did you go there all by yourself?

115) Warts and all (not failing to mention the bad parts)- This is a complete account of his life, warts
and all.

116) Be pipped at the post ( to be beaten by a very small amount in a race, competition)-The
defending champion was pipped at the post by the strong competitors at the fag end of the match.

117)Be up to snuff (to be satisfactory or good as usual(negative))-The film was clumsily adapted
from the original movie and the dialogue was not quite up to the snuff.

118)Make a splash ( to do something that makes lots of people notice you )-Henman made his first
big splash in Qatar, winning the Doha open.

119) Go beetroot (spoken to become red in the face because you are embarrassed) He was nice and
could not control the class. He would shout and his face would go beetroot.

120) Hedge your bets (to reduce your chances of failure by being sure that you have several choices
or possibilities to you)-We’re trying to hedge our bets and make sure that we have other people
who would be free to do the work if we can’t start the project this month.

121) Be a lame duck (used about an elected official government etc who does not have much power
because their time in office will soon end)-The lame duck council members will approve the
controversial project.

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