38189part-01 Idioms and Phrases (1) Crwill

EXAM VOCABULARY (IDIOMS AND PHRASES CLASSROOM TOOL KIT )
PART- 01 BY JAIDEEP SIR

1. All and sundry : All without exception.
He gave sweet to All and sundry.
2. At a low ebb : Decreasing
His popularity is at a low ebb.
3. To be at one : Agree
He was at one with me on all points.
4. To be at the end of : At the end of resources.
One’s tether : He was at the end of his tether by spending foolishly.
5. Read between the line : Find out the secret meaning.
Read the letter between the lines to know his real intention.
6. Look black at somebody : Look angrily.
He looked black at me when I disobeyed him.
7. Black tidings : Sad news, causing despair.
He was informed of black tidings when he woke up.
8. Down in the mouth : Out of spirits.
He is looking down in the mouth today.
9. In abeyance : In a state of suspension.
The other has been kept in abeyance.
10. Ins and outs : Full details.
I know the inns and outs of the matter.
11. In black and white : In writing
Put it down in black and white.
12. In round numbers : Roughly
The cost will be Rs. 500 in round unumbers.
13. On the cards : Likely.
A change of the ministry is on the cards.
14. On the dot : In time
He is never marked late in his office, he reaches office on the dot.
15. Out of spirits : Out of zest.
You seem out of the wood yet.
16. Out of the wood : Free from difficulties.
I am not out of the wood yet.
17. Sum and substance : The purpose.
The Sum and substance of the story is this
18. All the crow flies : Straight.
My house is 5 Km. from the station as the crow flies.
19. A better pill to swallow : Something unpleasant to accept.
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The new posting to him was a better pill to swallow but he had no choice.
20. Cog in the machine : An unimportant person of a big enterprise.
He is just a cog in the machine.

21. Herculean task : A difficult task.
Solving this problem is a herculean task.
22. Hush money : Bribe for silence.
He offered me hush-money not to give out the secret but I refused it.
23. Itching palm : Habits of taking bribe.
I abhore him for he has an itching palm.
24. On the carpet: Under consideration
He wanted to know what on the carpet in the meeting.
25. Point blank : directly.
I told him point blank that I cannot support him.
26. Salt of the earth : Ideal man.
Men like Gandhiji are salt of the earth.
27. Straight from the : Information direct from a reliable person.
horse’s mouth : I got the news straight from the horse’s mouth.
28. Storm in a tea-cup : Great excitement over a small matter.
You have raised a storm in a tea -cup.
29. Wolf’s in sheep’s : Enemy posing as a friend.
clothing : You must not trust him, he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
30. Bury the hatchet : End quarrel
Let us burry the hatch and make friendship again.
31. Cross one’s mind : Flash across the mind.
The idea did not cross my mind.
32. Join issue with : Differ with
I join issue with you on the point.
33. Keep the world from : Keep away from poverty
the door : I have to work hard to keep the world from the door.
34. Suppress querry : Hide facts.
None can suppress querry.
35. Under the sun : Anywhere.
Even a beggar has some place under the sun.
36. Nigger in a wood pile : Which means something.
Her bad temper is a nigger in a wood pile in her personality.
37. An old flame : Lover,
Paromita is my old flame.
38. Tax one’s patience : Very hard test of patience.

Gandhiji was severely taxed patience because he believed in non-violence.
39. Save one’s skin : Save oneself.
Students use unfair means to save their skin in examination.
40. Keep a good table : Give luxurious meal.
She keeps a good table for the guest whoever visits her.
41. In many pin : Jokingly.
She said this in merry pin that you were a joker.
42. At enmity with : Hostility, hatred.
To be at enmity with any body is a sin.
43. At stake : In danger.
Behave humanely, otherwise your own prestige will be at stake.
44. At ease: free.
After the work was over, I was really at ease
45. At a standstill : Not moving at all.
I saw that Dr. khan was in his clinic. To see me he stood at a standstill for while
but soon he recognized me.
46. Aghast at : Filled with fear.
Mrs. Praveen , my wife, stood aghast at the sight.
47. Ask after somebody: Ask for information about.
She was asking me after you. perhaps , she still feels your absence after the
divorce.
48. Catch at a straw: A small help.
A drowning man will catch at a straw.
49. Do’s and don’ts : Customs
Some persons have too many do’s and don’ts.
50. Diddle somebody : Cheat.
None can diddle me.
51. Die in harness : Die at work.
She died in harness.
52. Don’t mind someone : Don’t bother about someone
I have the ability to manage my own affairs, don’t mind me.
53. Drive somebody in : Neglecting.
A corner : He drove me in a corner while she was talking and arguing with him.
54. To be drawn: To be attracted.
She was the cause of to be drawn in the whole party.
55. The early bird gets : One who stands early is more successful
The warm : Be the early bird and get the warm.
56. Keep early hours : Rise and go to bed early.
To keep early hour is a good habit.

57. To show white feather : To show fear.
He has to show white feather in the performance of the circus.
58. A Feather in the cap: A very good achievement.
His scholarship for USA is a feather in a cap.
59. A good Samaritan : A really kind man.
60. To raise a dust : To crcate confusion.
Present govt, has raised a dust due to its policies.
61. To bring home the bacon : To be successful.
Ram has brought home the bacon.
62. To slick to one’s gun : To maintain one’s point against all opposition.
Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpai was sticked to his gun always.

63. Man of letters : Scholar.
The Mahatma Gandhi ji was the man of letters.
64. At a low key : At reducing.
The popularity of congress party is at a low key.
65. To die a dog’s death : Unheroic death.
Some people in India die a dog’s death.
66. To fire on all : To exert with all force.
All political parties make fire on all against parties during the election.
67. To Break the duck : To begin.
Hari has broken the duck pertaining to garmentes.
68. A big shot : Important person.
Mr. Narander Modi is a big shot in BJP
69. Rise from ashes : To rise high from low.
Many successful business men in india have rised from ashes
70. Cut the Gordian knot : To perform a difficult task.
Mr Anna Hajare has cut the Gordian knot by lok pal bill.
71. To talk shop : To talk nonsense.
My friend talk shop of only with me.
72. To have finger in the pie : To do something in an affair.
I have finger in the pie recently.
73. To have one’s heart in the right place : To be kind.
He has his heart in the right place.
74. My hands are full : I am busy.
He told me that his hands are full.
75. To give someone a place of mind : To scold.
Ram’s father gave his a place of mind to him.
76. To bury the hatchet : To make peace.

America wants to bury the hatchet with other countries
77. To be at the end of one’s tether : To have no resources no.
78. Out of the woods : Out of difficulties
At last India came out of the woods and got independence.
79. A hot line : Direct telephone line between heads of states.
There is a hot line between India and America.
80. To black-ball : Prevent from doing something.
He has made me a black-ball in the general life.
81. To make no bones about something : To do or say a thing openly if it is
unpleasant.
He makes no bones about anything.
82. To have several irons in the fire : To have many tasks or many pieces of work.
Mr. Mukesh Ambani has several irons in the fire

83. A red letter day : An important day. Independence day of India
is a red letter day.
84. To work like a dog : To work very hard.
Director of my company works like a dog.
85. To foot the bill : To make payment (payment )
He has foot the bill after taking the meal in the restaurant.
86. Cut no ice : To make no effect.
His speech has cut no ice on the people.
87. Hand in glove : Close friendship.
Ram and Shyam have hand in glove.
88. Far and wide : All around.
There was water at far and wide in Kedarnath during the flood.
89. Face value : Superficially.
The president of America having a great face value.
90. Brown study : In reverie.
He is always in a state of brown study.
91. Moot point : Controversial point.
Kashmir is a moot point between India and Pakistan.
92. Rank and file : Common man.
Mr. Arvind Kejriwal is a rank and file of the
93. Talk through one’s hat : Talk nonsense.
Some media channel talk through one’s hat.
94. To explore every avenue : To try every method.
Scientist has explored every avenue during this experiment.
95. At the drop of a hat : For no reason at all.

Recent intrusion by Chinese army in the Indian borders is the drop of a hat.
96. To kick one’s heels : Waste time.
Some students kick their heals unnecessary.
97. To get away with :To escape.
Present govt, tried to get away with the controversy of Coalgate.
98. Adam’s ale : Ordinary water.
Some water containers have Adam’s ale in delhi.
99. In a further : [In a state of nervous excitement.
He was in a futher regarding to his interview.
100. A bull in the china shop : An awkward, tactless or clumsy person.
Mr. Sinha is a bull in the china shop as he does not have any work.
101. Out of tune: Not having the same pitch as other instruments or voices.
Harmonium is out of tune with the modem music instruments.
102. To put one’s foot down : To reject with determination.
When everybody else had agreed to the proposed agreement, the CMD put his foot
down.
103. At sixes and sevens : In disorder I entered his drawing room, everything there
was lying at sixes and sevens
104. Through thick and thin: Under all circumstances the old soldier stood by his
master through thick and thin.
105. To put something up : To present Please put up the case file immediately.
106. Turn down : To reject
The boss turned down my request for promotion.
107. Get over : Surmount
He soon got over all his difficulties.
108. Take off : Growing
The project is at the take off stage at present.
109. Put out : Extinguish
He puts out the fire before retiring for the night.
110. Stand up to : Meet face to face
He was able to stand up all the criticism from his adversaries.
111. Come about : To arise
With the rejection of Government proposal by the President a new situation has
come about in Indian polity.
112. Hang up : Informal emotional or psychological problems
While introducing liberalisation, the Government has no ideological hang-ups from
the past policy.
113. Hang on : To continue clinging to somebody
Ticket seekers are hanging on to the political bosses to curry favour with them.
114. Look up to : Expecting help
Whenever we are in difficulty we look up to our parents.
115. Look down upon : Treat contemptuously
People of certain castes in India are of other castes.
116. To fall flat : To have no effect
My advice fell flat on him.
117. In the teeth of : In the face of
She won the elections in the teeth of stiff opposition from the sitting member.
118. A fish out of water : In an uncomfortable position
When his children are away, he is like a fish out of water.
119. To bury the hatchet : To forget a quarrel
The old enemies have since buried the hatchet and become friends.
120. In full swing : In great progress
The election compaign is in full swing these days.
121. Hue and cry : A great stir
When the thieves entered her house, she raised a hue and cry.
122. By and large : Generally
By and large India is now an industrialised country.
123. Below the mark : Sub-standard
The quality of three guns is much below the mark.
124. A black sheep : A disgraceful person
Beware of him, being a foreign agent, he is nothing short of a black sheep.
125. At hand : Very near
The final examination is at hand.
126. To have a flying start : To meet success from the very beginning
Indira Gandhi had a flying start in her political career.
127. To turn the table on : To frustrate the plans of one’s adversary
The rival candidate had made thorough preparation, but our nominee turned the
tables on him.
128. A queer fish : A strange fellow
He is a queer fish, nobody can anticipate his reaction to this issue.
129. To lock horns with : To give a tough fight
The wrestler locked horns with his rival and won the bout.
130. To read between the lines (to read carefully): to understand the hidden
meaning
The spy had written the message very carefully to avoid detection, but our
intelligence people were able to read between the lines. If you read the statement
between the lines you will understand its meaning.
131. Give rise to : Create
Her letter to the young man has given rise to wild rumours.
132. Hang fire : Linger on
Delhi Rent Control Act has been hanging fire for many years now.
133. Pass away : To die
The old king passed away peacefully last night.
134. Put up with : To tolerate

I cannot put up with your insulting remarks any more.
135. Tone down : To reduce in harshness
The reporting officer had recorded certain adverse remarks about him but the
reviewing officer toned these down considerably.
136. Give way : To break
The bridge gave way under the weight of heavy traffic.
137. All being well : If everything remains in order
All being well, we shall go to Mussoorie next month.
138. Get cold feet : To hesitate
In the beginning he was enthusiastic about reaching the summit, but when he
reached the base he got cold feet.
139. As of now : Presently
As of now, there is no information about the where about of my friend.
140. Face the music : To face trouble
The robber, who robbed me, is now facing the music in jail.
141. Against one’s grain : Against one’s nature
He will never apologise, as it is against his grain.
142. Drop names : Show acquaintance with big people
When the policeman insisted on taking him to the police station, he started
drop-ping names.
143. After all : Nevertheless
After all, he is my first cousin and he will surely help me.
144. Work wonders : To have a magical effect
His election speech worked wonders and won the hearts of the electorate.
144. Flare up : To erupt
The minor altercation between the two youngsters flared up into a big communal
riot.
145. Carry conviction : to have the force to convince
He is not a trustworthy person and his words do not carry conviction with the
electorate.
146. Draw a blank : Cut a sorry figure
He had done very well at the written test, but drew a blank before the interview
board.
147. Set at naught : Made meaningless
Our counter-attacks set at naught the initial gains of the army.
148. Put up with : Tolerate
He resigned his job on the ground that he could not put up with the humiliation any
more.
149. Look into : Examine in detail
The boss has kindly agreed to look into our grievances.
150. See through : To understand the real intention
He tried to hoodwink me, but I was able to see through his game and did not fall
into his trap.
151. Get over : Surmount or master something
He was disappointed at not getting the job, but he will get over it.
152. Make a mess : Create a confusion
He was appointed General Manager of the company to streamline the working, but
he has made a mess of the whole thing.
153. Break out : To appear all of a sudden
In September 1994, plague broke out in Surat.
154. Call off : To withdraw
Municipal Corporation employees have called off their strike.
154. Come by : To get
He will never tell you how he came by such huge wealth.
155. Fall out : Repercussion
The scandal is bound to create a serious fall out for the politicians.
156. Go in for : To bury
If I get good money for this car, I shall go in for a Maruti Van.
157. Give away : To distribute
Prizes were given away by the President.
158. Let off : Let go without punishment
The kind-hearted judge let him off with a simple warning.
159. Make out : Understand
I could not make out anything from his talk.
160. Make off with : Take away
The thieves made off with the booty.
161. Run down : To enfeeble
The battery of my car has run down; it needs recharging.
162. Send for : To call
Send for the doctor at once.
163. Set up : To start a business; to establish
He has set up a printing press in Delhi.
164. Take to : To become addicted to
He took to opium-eating in his old age.
165. Turnout : To expel
He was turned out of the house unceremoniously.
166. Turn up : To reappear
He has turned up in the class after a very long time.
167. Wear out : To depreciate by wear and tear
The machinery of the factory is completely worn out. It has to be replaced.
168. Wind up : To close
He wounded up his business and left Delhi for good.
169. Work out : To prepair details etc.
Let us work out the scheme.
170. Write off : To delete

It is a bad debt. Let us write it off.
171. Write out : To reduce to writing
We should write out the claims and counter-claims of the two parties.
172. To live in an ivory tower : To be unaware of the realities
He lives in an ivory tower unmindful of the harsh realities of the world.
173. A white -collar job : Clerical work
There is a widespread unemployment among our educated youth today because
young persons are only after white collar jobs.
174. To lose heart : To give up courage
Napolean was not the man to lose heart after facing the defeat.
175. To break out : To spread as an epidemic
Gastroenteritis has broken out in the old city.
176. To differ with : Not to agree
I beg to differ with you on this issue.
177. To bring in : To yield
My books bring in a good profit.
178. To take after : Resemble
The young child takes after his grandfather.
179. To draw up : To prepare a draft of a document
He has drawn up a very good draft of friendship treaty with China.
180. To make for : To move towards
He is making for the Parliament.
181. Out of question : Impossible
My father told me that giving me permission to marry the girl of my choice is out of
question.
182. Bad blood : Enmity
The division of property after the rich man’s death created bad blood between the
two brothers.
183. Cat’s paw : To make somebody a tool
The foreigners were held as cat’s paw in the Middle East conflict.
184. To bring up : To care for and train a child
To bring up a child properly is a very difficult job.
185. To run down : To become weak in health
The death of his father has given him such a rude shock that he is very much run
down.
186. To break into : To enter a house etc. illegally
Some thieves broke into his house last night.
187. To run about : To move busily from place to place
Yesterday, It was a very busy day for me. I had to do a lot of running about.
188. To go in for : To enter as a competitor or contestant
I have decided to go in for the IAS Examination.
189. Blow up : To explode or cause to explode

After the bomb blast, the building blew up.
190. To come round : To accept one’s opinion.
After some persuasion he came round to my views.
191. Sit down : To assume sitting position
The farmers sat down for dinner at the Boat Club.
192. To speak out : To state one’s beliefs, objections etc.
After some initial hesitation, he stood up and spoke out his mind.
193. In deep water : Faced with problems
In spite of his best efforts to overcome his difficulties, he is still in deep water.
194. By fair means or foul : By all means
He will certainly get his work done by fair means or foul.
195. Get away with : To escape
After having done this you cannot get away without punishment.
196. Split hair : To go into minute details
Pleaders and philosophers are in the habit of splitting hair.
197. By all means :Certainly
You can take my pen by all means.
198. In cold blood : Cruelly
Yesterday, a money lender was murdered in cold blood.
199. Let the cat out of the bag : To leak out the secrets
The three friends hatched a conspiracy to kill Hemu. But one of them let the cat out
of the bag.
200. To make both ends meet : To live within one’s income
Today, the cost of living is so high that people find it difficult to make both ends
meet.
201. To cry over the spilt milk : to waste time in vain; regret
It is no use crying over the spilt milk.
202. Put out : To extinguish
Please, put out your light.
203. Put up : To stay
We put up at clark’s hotel in Shimla.
204. Set out : To start on a travel
When do you intend to set out on your journey abroad.
205. Set in : To begin
The winter season has set in.
206 Done with : Discurded
Now-a-days many old customs have been done away with.
207. Done for : Served the purpose
This box has done for a table.
208. Hold up : Delay
We should reach home in half an hour, barring hold ups.
209. Hold on : To continue; to proceed in

The trade held on for many years after the Bishops became Protestants.
210. Run out : To come to an end
The present year has run out.
211. Run down : To speak ill of
He is always running down his elder brother.
212. To bury the hatchet : To give up hostilities
Let us bury the hatchet and be friends again.
213. The lion’s share : More than one’s legitimate share
Garry, being the eldest son of the family always claims the lion’s share of everything.
214. A good Samaritan : a considerate person, who does something to help others.
215. As fit as a fiddle : In best of health and spirits
The patient has now recovered and he is as fit as a fiddle.
216. To hold out the Olive branch : To make an offer of peace
At last Hitler’s army was forced to hold out the olive branch.
217. Pyrrhic victory : A victory won at a very heavy cost to the victor
The Kalinga war was a Pyrrhic victory for Emperor Ashoka.
218. To win the rubber : To win a cricket test series
India won the rubber at Melbourne.
219. Out of the woods : Out of the difficulties
Thank God! My ordeal is over and I am out of the woods now.
220. To rest on one’s to depend on reputation already built
laurels:I do not want to rest on my laurels.
221. Null and void : Cancel
If you do not pay me an advance, the bargain will be treated as null and void.
222. Off and on : Now and then
I do not go to him daily, but off and on.
223. The power that be : The ruling authority
We have to fear the power that be, otherwise we shall face difficulty.
224. Ad hoc : Made for the purpose
He has got only ad hoc appointment as lecturer in English in this college.
225. On the horns of dilemma : In a state of indecision
I had two great offers for my marriage. I was on the horns of dilemma and could not
decide for a pretty long time which offer to accept.
226. Account for : Explain
You will have to account for your negligence.
227. back out : To break one’s commitment
A gentleman never backs out of his promise
228. Bring round : Restore to consciousness
She finally succeeded in bringing him round to her own way of thinking.
229. Call off : To abandon
The Delhi University teachers have called off their strike.
230. Fall back : Retreat or have recourse to

In the absence of sugar, we had to fall back on jaggery.
231. Hang about : To roam about aimlessly
Some idlers keep hanging about the VIP houses throughout the day.
232. Pass over : Omit; to make no remark over
His name is not included in the select list. He has been passed over.
233. Cheek by jowl : Hand in hand
They toiled hard cheek by jowl and always succeeded in a big way.
233. See through : To find out the reality hidden behind the tricks
Soon I was able to seed through the whole conspiracy.
234. Set off : Started; moved out
The expedition set off for Antarctica in November last.
235. Take after : Resemble
The son takes after his father.
236. A red letter day : Auspicious day of rejoicing
The day when India became free was a red letter day in our history.
237. To play second fiddle: To be in a subordinate position
A modern girl refuses to play a second fiddle to the husband.
238. To show the white feather: To show signs of cowardice
I thought you were a brave man I never expected you to show the white feather.
239. To burn candle at both ends : To waste one’s energy, time and money uselessly
After the death of his rich father, Tony began to burn candle at both ends and soon
he was ruined.
240. An apple of discord : A cause of quarrel
Their father’s property became an apple of discord between the two brothers.
241. White elephant : An expensive but burdensome and useless thing
A European wife is a white elephant for an Indian of average means.
242. To lick the dust : To be defeated
The Pakistan army had to lick the dust at the hands of the brave Indian army.
243. Sword of Damocles : An impending danger
The Third World War hangs like the sword of Damocles over our heads.
244. Make a virtue of necessity : To pretend to do willingly which cannot be avoided
He knew that he would be dismissed, but making a virtue of necessity he tendered
his resignation.
245. Eye for eye : Tit for tat
I do not believe in eye for eye, as it leads to bitterness.
246. At a discount : below par
I had to sell my car at a discount, even though I had purchased it for much higher
price.
247. Bee in one’s bonnet : to be crazy about something
Without a bee in one’s bonnet, no man in public life can attract any notice.
248. Blow hot and cold : To be irresolute

You will expose yourself to the carge of vacillator if you blow hot and cold in the
same breadth.
249. Creature comforts : Luxuries
Being the son of a rich man, he can afford creature comforts of life.
250. Dark horse : A competitor of unknown capabilities.
The prize went to a dark horse.


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EXAM VOCABULARY (IDIOMS AND PHRASES CLASSROOM TOOL KIT )

PART- 01 BY JAIDEEP SIR

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 1

He is just a cog in the machine.

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 2

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 3

Mr. Atal Bihari Bajpai was sticked to his gun always.

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 4

Mr. Mukesh Ambani has several irons in the fire

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 5

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 7

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 9

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 10

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 11

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 12

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 13

( CAREERWILL APP ) My students are God’s gift to me. Page | 14

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