BA English Idioms
Here is a list of Famous BA English Idioms
IDIOMATIC PHRASES
1. Above board
2. A bluestocking
3. Add insult to injury
4.All ears
5.Apple of discord
6. Apple –pie- order
At a snail s, pace
7. At the first blush
8. At sixes and sevens
9. At the eleventh hour
10. Bad blood
11. Bark up the wrong tree
12. Beat about the bush
13. Better half
14.Bigwig
15.Black sheep
16. Blow one’s’ own trumpet
17. Blue eyed boy
18. Bolt from the blue
19. Bone of contention
20. Break the ice
21. Bridge over
22. Broken reed
23. Build castles in the airs
24. Burn the candle at the both ends
25. Burt the hatchet
26. By leaps and bounds
Call a spade a spade
27. Call names
28. Carry the day
29. Cast pearls before swine
30. Catch at a straw
31. Cope with
32. Crocodile tears
33. Cut a sorry figure
34. Cut a fine figure
35. Cut in
36. Dark horse
37. Damocles’ s’ sword
him.
38. Die in harness Our great leader Quaid- Azam, worked hard and died in harness.
39. Egg on
Ali is an honest trader, he is above board in his business.
As a player, he will not marry a bluestocking.
You do not return my money, and then talk against me, you clearly add insult to injury.
While listening to the lecture, the students were all ears.
This property is an apple of discord between these two brothers.
Everything in the room was lying in apple – pie- order.
The child was going to school but at a snail s’ pace.
He fell in love with her at the first bush.
He is all at sixes and sevens as he has to arrange his marriage in poverty.
The aid reached to the calamity stricken people but at the eleventh hour.
There is not any bad blood between these two fronds.
Be careful in talking as it is you habit to bark up the wrong tree.
Do not beat about the bush and come to the point at once.
His better half is always seen with him in parties.
Three are many bigwigs in our country
The police department should try to reform all the black sheep in the department.
where ever he sits, he blows his own s’ trumpet.
he is a blue eyed boy in this office.
The news of his loss in the business came as a bolt from the blue for him.
Kashmir problem is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.
Everyone in the room was sitting silently, he entered and broke the ice.
With a lot of courage, you can bridge over your all problems.
No one trusts on him as he is a broken reed.
He is in the habit of building castles in the airs.
Usually students burn the candle at the both ends near their examinations.
Let us bury the hatchet and be a good friends.
Pakistan is making progress by leaps and bounds.
He is an honest man , he always calls a spade a spade.
To call other names, is a very bad habit.
Baber carried the day in the battle of Panipat.
Giving books to an illiterate person is just to cast pearls before a swine.
The drowning man catches at a straw.
With a strong determination, you can cope with your all difficulties.
The step mother is only shedding crocodile tears on her step son s’ death.
He cut a sorry figure at his office and lost his job.
He cut a fine figure at the work place and became favorite with his boss.
you should not cut in my personal affairs.
By getting first position, he proved himself a dark horse.
He can be dismissed from his office any time, this dismissal is like a Damocles’ s’ sword for
The politician egged the people on to protest against the government policies.
40. Every inch
41. Eye wash
42. Face the music
43. Fair weather friend
44. Feather in one s’ cap
45. Few and far between
46. Fishy deal
47. Flash in the pan
48. For rainy days Save something for your rainy days.
49. For good
50. Freudian slip
51. From hand to mouth
52. From pillar to post
53. Get wind of
54. Gift of the gab
55. Go back on
56. Hard and fast
57. Harp on the same string
58. Head and shoulder above
59. Hold water
60. House of cards
61. In a fix
62. In black and white
63. Ins and outs of something
64. In line with
65. Keep up appearance
66. Kick the bucket
67. Lame duck
68. Laughing stock
69. Leap in the dark
70. A fish out of water
71. Maiden speech.
72. Make amends
73. Make both ends meet In a small income, the poor hardly make both ends meet.
74. Make off with
75. Man in the street
76. Man of letters
77. Move heaven and earth
78. Neck or nothing
79. Nip in the bud The government should nip the corruption in the bud.
80. Pandora s’ box
81. Pocket an insult
82. Read between the lines
83. Red rag to a bull
He is a good Muslim every inch.
The lover said that he would marry her but it was an eye wash.
Due to its wrong policies the government has to face the music.
No one likes the fair weather friend.
To this is degree is like a feather in his cap.
He visits his close friend few and far between.
It is a fishy deal , don’t be party to it.
His temporary success only proved a flash in the pan.
She left the country for good and went abroad.
She spoke by chance that she liked to marry Mr. X which was a Freudian slip.
The poor are living from hand to moat in their low income.
After his fall, the Shah of Iran moved from pillar to post.
How did he get wind of your secret plans?
He is a very successful lawyer, as he has the gift of the gab.
Honest people never go back on their promise.
There are no hard and fast rules in this office.
He always harps on the same string and bores others.
Iqbal is head and shoulders above several Eastern poets.
She makes reports to me which cannot hold water.
His plans proved only a house of cards as thety are not applicable.
she is in a fix what subjects she should take up in M.A.
She tendered the resignation in black and white.
He knows quite well the ins and outs of this business.
Their plans are in lines with ours.
it is better to be simple than to keep up appearance.
His neighbor kicked the bucket last night.
The government cannot give loan to a lame duck.
He has become a laughing stock in the class due to his foolishness.
This businessman took a leap in the dark and his business collapsed.
At his new job, he is like a fish out of water.
He was somewhat nervous at his maiden speech.
You have insulted him in public , now you will have to make amends.
The thief made off with the ornaments.
If the man in the street is happy, the country is in good condition.
Allama Iqbal was a man of letters.
He will move heaven and earth to marry the girl of his choice.
He will fight against his enemy neck or nothing.
If you discuss their broken marriage, you will open a Pandora s’ box.
She abused me before all, I cannot pocket this insult easily.
I can read between the lines, and say that he is not sincere to me.
These bitter remarks against the politician proved a red rag to a bull
 84. Rule out
85. Sit on the fence
86. Smell a rat
87. Split hair
88. Stir up
89. At a stone s’ throw
90. Strom in the tea cup
91. French leave
92. Take the bull by the horns
93. Take the time by the forelock
94. Take to heart
95. Talk shop
96. Through thick and thin
97. Thumbnail sketch
98. Tower of strength
99. Turn a deaf ear to
100.Turn the tables on
101.Turn turtle
102.Pour oil on troubled water
103.A jail bird
104.At home in
105.A red letter day
106.As busy as bee
107.A bosom friend
108.A hard nut to crack
109.At arms’ length
110.A hen pecked husband
111.All and sundry
112.An oily tongue
113.A cock and bull story
114.Bag and baggage
115.By dint of
116.Cry for the moon
117.A close fisted man
118.Day in and day out
119.Double faced
120.A far cry
121.Go through fire and water. I am ready to go through fire and water to achieve my goal.
122.Hand in glove
123.Hue and cry
124.In no time
125.Nip in the bud
126.In lieu of
127.In full bloom
The U.N ruled the settle of this dispute by force.
In this matter , he sits on the fence
The police man smelt a rat and stopped the biker.
You should not split hair of his failures in the exams.
Some politicians try to stir up trouble in the country but fail.
Our college is located at a stone s’ throw.
This hot discussion only proved a storm in the tea cup.
He is in the habit of enjoying French leave.
Let us take the bull by the harms, ask them directly to return our land.
Being newly employed uin this office, you should tak the time by the fore lock.
He took his failure to his hart.
It is not good t talk shop at parties.
I would help you through thick and thin.
Here is a thumbnail sketch of our future plans.
Our great leader, the Quaid-e- Azam was a tower of strength.
You should not turn a deaf ear to your teacher s’ advice.
Today the enemy is defeating the, tomorrow they may turn the tables on them.
The bus turned turtle on the way but all the passengers remained safe.
When his friend began fighting. He tried to pour oil on the troubled water.
Being a jail bird, he often remains in the jail.
She is at home in cooking.
14th August is a red letter day in the history of Pakistan.
At his new job, he is as busy as bee.
He is my bosom friend.
To pass the B.A examination is not a hard nut to crack.
keep the selfish friend at a arm s’ length.
He is a hen pecked husband.
All and sundry came to the meeting.
A person with an oily tongue often makes his way through life.
It is foolish to believe in a cock and bull story.
He left the room bag and baggage.
He got success by dint of hard work.
The child is crying for the moon.
He is a close fisted man.
To achieve success in life , he worked day in and day out.
Ghandi was a double faced politician.
Science is a far cry from Arts.
Both the friends are hand in glove with each other.
The students were raising hue and cry in the absence of teacher.
You should leave this place in no time.
The government should nip the corruption in the bud.
We would get a holiday in lieu of Sunday.
When I reached the party was in full bloom.
 128.In a nut shell In a nut shell the poet has expressed his views about youth and old age.
129.The lion s’ share He got a lion s’ share in the property of his father.
130.Leave in lurch Usually the selfish friends leave in lurch.
131.Learn by heart He learnt the poem by heart.
132.Over head and ears He is good man over head and ears.
133.Off and on He comes to see me off and on.
134.Poke nose into It is not good to poke nose into other matters.
135.Pros and cons I know quite well the pros and cons of this business.
136.Root and branch Our brave army has destroyed the enemy root and branch.
137.Taken aback I was taken aback to see the juggler s’ tricks.
138. Tooth and nail He fought his enemy tooth and nail.
139. Come true All his dreams came true.
140. A utopian scheme This, being a utopian scheme, is impracticable.
141. A wolf in the sheep s’ clothing Do not trust on him as he is a wolf in the sheep s’ clothing.
142. A yew man s’ service We should perform a yew man s’ service to the suffering mankind.
143. Off hand She failed in the exams as she appeared in the examination off hand.
144. All moonshine His love for her is all moonshine.
145. Chips of the same block Both the friends are the Chips of the same block.
146. On cloud nine( to be very happy) When he heard the news of his success in the examination,he
was on cloud nine.