LegalEdge Classroom Handout

Part of the Most Awesome and Consistently Successful Study Material and Test Series Module,
spanning across both Physical and Online Programs in the entire Country. While most of the world
fumbled and faltered, 2020 has been another inspiring Success story both for us and those who chose to
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different, a total of 30 LEtians found their way into NLUD in 2020. Read on!

ENGLISH LANGUAGE

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Weather Idioms
(Q.1-Q.13):
A storm in a teacup
Weather the storm
It never rains but it pours
Take a rain check.
Be/feel under the weather.
Have your head in the clouds.
Dog days of the summer
On cloud nine
In the dark
Heavens open
Come rain or shine
Save for a rainy day
Rainbow chase

1. A storm in a teacup/ tempest in a teapot

a lot of unnecessary anger and worry about a matter that is not important
All this furore about same-sex marriages seems a storm in a teacup to me.

2. weather the storm

If someone or something weathers the storm, they successfully deal with a very difficult problem
In the next few days we shall see if the ambassador can weather the political storm caused by his ill-advised
remarks.

3. It never rains but it pours. / When it rains, it pours.

said when one bad thing happens, followed by a lot of other bad things, which make a bad situation worse
Retrospect to the ‘Farm Bill’, farmers need little convincing at present of the truth of the saying that it never rains but
it pours
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4. take a rain check (on sth )
used to tell someone that you cannot accept their invitation now, but would like to do so at a later time
Mind if I take a rain check on today’s dinner? I've got to work late tonight.

5. be/feel under the weather

to be or feel ill
I'm feeling a bit under the weather - I think I've caught a cold.

6. have your head in the clouds

to not know the facts of a situation
She’s just a stupid insignificant girl with her head in the clouds.

7. dog days
1. the hottest days of the summer/ The hottest period of the year
In Australia, the dog days of summer are around new year.
2. A period of inactivity or decline.
These are the dog days of film industry

8. On cloud nine
to be extremely happy and excited
"Was Helen pleased about getting that job?" "Pleased? She was on cloud nine!"

9. be in the dark
to not know about something that other people know about
Keeping them in the dark, even as a way of protecting them, only fuels their fears

10. The heavens open

If the heavens open, it suddenly starts to rain a lot
Just as we got to the park, the heavens opened.

11. Come rain or shine

Whether it rains or not; whatever the weather.
Come rain or shine, I'll see you on Thursday.

12. save/keep money for a rainy day

to save money for a time when it might be needed unexpectedly
Luckily she had saved some money for a rainy day.

13. Rainbow chase

A quest which is pointless because its object is illusory.
Not studying enough, but wishing to go to a top law college: isn’t it a rainbow chase?

1. the sturdy boat has come safely through a storm

(a) A storm in a teacup (b) Weather the storm
(c) It never rains but it pours (d) Take a rain check.

2. The club started off blazing hot, winning its first 13 games before going down during the hottest days of
summer, losing 19 of 21 in late July and early August.
(a) Be/feel under the weather. (b) Have your head in the clouds.
(c) Dog days of the summer (d) On cloud nine

3. My mother tried to impose savings in order to pay for my older brother's university tuition.
(a) Heavens open (b) Come rain or shine
(c) Save for a rainy day (d) Rainbow chase

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 Country Idioms
(Q.14-Q.21):
Take French leave
To go Dutch
Dutch courage
It’s all Greek to me
Chinese whispers
A Mexican Standoff
When in Rome (do as Romans do)
Pardon my French
A young Turk

14. Take French leave

Absence from work or duty without permission.
I'm beginning to think that Steve is planning to go on a French leave

15. To go Dutch
to agree to share the cost of something, especially a meal
if you ever date one, go Dutch, or you'll be spending the rest of your life working off the debt.

16. Dutch courage/ Liquid courage

Strength or confidence gained from drinking alcohol.
They must need a lot of Dutch courage to fight an eight-foot gorilla because it must be a scary battle.

17. It’s all Greek to me

a way of saying that you do not understand something that is said or written
If I don't revise, sooner or later, these idioms will be all Greek to me.

18. Chinese whispers/ Telephone game

A game in which a message is distorted by being passed around in a whisper.
The Chinese whispers of religious texts that are passed from one generation to another.

19. Mexican Standoff

A deadlock, stalemate, impasse; a roughly equal (and frequently unsatisfactory) outcome to a conflict in which there
is no clear winner or loser
After years of a Mexican standoff, the Israel – Palestine conflict seems to now shift decidedly in favour of Israel.

20. Excuse/Pardon my French

said when you are pretending to be sorry for saying a swear word
That sod Wilkins, excuse my French, has taken my bloody parking space.

21. A young Turk

A young person eager for radical change to the established order.
Do you know, the young Turk Bhagat Singh was an atheist?

1. Allison made a hasty retreat to the local alehouse in an attempt ____________ prior to breaking the news to
Sabrina.
(a) To take French leave (b) To go Dutch
(c) To gain Dutch courage (d) to get Chinese whispers

2. The fact that the bill is bloody nonsense should have no impact at all; we should just forget about it
(a) A Mexican Standoff (c) When in Rome (do as Romans do)
(c) Pardon my French (d) A young Turk

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 Number Idioms

(Q.22-Q.33):
All in one piece
Back to square one
At sixes and sevens
Two left feet
On all fours
Catch-22
A dime a dozen
Forty winks
Two peas in a pod
Six feet under
Kill two birds with one stone

22. All in one piece

not damaged
Her face was streaked with water and dust, and she was trembling visibly, but she seemed to be in one piece.

23. Back to square one

If you are back to square one, you have to start working on a plan from the beginning because your previous
attempt failed completely
If this doesn't work we're back to square one.

24. At sixes and sevens

in a confused, badly organized or difficult situation
We've been at sixes and sevens in the office this week.

25. Two left feet

Be clumsy or awkward; to move in a very awkward way when dancing
I have two left feet when it comes to doing dance moves. When we danced together, I discovered he had two left
feet.

26. On all fours

with your hands and knees on the ground
You'll have to get down on all fours to clean behind the toilet.

27. Catch-22
an impossible situation where you are prevented from doing one thing until you have done another thing, but you
cannot do the other thing until you have done the first thing
we are in a catch 22 when in comes to leading a green lifestyle

28. be a dime a dozen / be two/ten a penny )

to be common and/or of very little value
Books like this are a dime a dozen.

29. Forty winks

a short sleep during the day
He usually has forty winks going home on the train.

30. not sleep a wink / not get a wink of sleep

to not sleep at all
I didn't sleep a wink last night with all that noise.

31. Two peas in a pod

very similar, especially in appearance
The twins are like two peas in a pod.

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32. Six feet under
to be dead and buried
There's no point worrying about it - we'll both be six feet under by then.

33. Kill two birds with one stone

to succeed in achieving two things in a single action
I killed two birds with one stone and picked the kids up on the way to the station.

1. Engineers managed to get trains running on time again by the early hours today, but further problems near
Sehore put them back to where they started, with no progress having been made.
(a) All in one piece (b) Back to square one
(c) At sixes and sevens (d) Two left feet

2. Without any big stars, the game is always going to have a low profile. But as long as it is low profile, it will
struggle to produce big stars.
(a) Two left feet (b) On all fours
(c) Catch-22 (d) D. A dime a dozen

3. If looks could kill, that poor guy would have been dead and buried before he even knew about it.
(a) Forty winks (b) Two peas in a pod
(c) Six feet under (d) Kill two birds with one stone

Human Body Idioms

(Q.34-Q.43):
Head start
Sight for sore eyes
Week at the knees
Achilles heel
Find your feet
Cost an arm and a leg
A finger in every pie
Foot in mouth
Look down your nose
Play it by ear

34. Head start

an advantage that someone has over other people in something such as a competition or race
You've got a head start over/on others trying to get to a top law college because you've joined LE.

35. Sight for sore eyes

a way of saying that you are very pleased to see someone or that you think someone is very attractive
You're a sight for sore eyes!

36. Weak at the knees

Overcome by a strong feeling, typically desire.
Almost every foodie I have ever met goes weak at the knees at the mere mention of double cheese pizza.

37. Achilles heel

a small fault or weakness in a person or system that can result in its failure
A misbehaving minister is regarded as a government's Achilles heel and is expected to resign.

38. Find your feet

to become familiar with and confident in a new situation
Did it take you long to find your feet when you started your new job?

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39. cost an arm and a leg/a small fortune / cost a bomb/the Earth
to be extremely expensive
I'd love to buy a Harley Davidson, but they cost an arm and a leg.

40. have a finger in every pie

to be involved in and have influence over many different activities
This may have been true in the days of the licence-permit raj, when the government had a finger in every pie.

41. put your foot in it / put your foot in your mouth

to say something by accident which embarrasses or upsets someone
I really put my foot in it with Alison. I had no idea she was divorced.

42. look down your nose at sb/ look down on sb

to think that someone is less important than you
She thinks they look down their nose at her because she didn't go to university.

43. play something by ear

to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting according to plans made earlier
I don't know how long I'll continue touring with the band. We've always said we'll just play it by ear.

1. Head start a. to be extremely expensive

2. Sight for sore eyes
3. Week at the knees
4. Achilles heel
5. Find your feet
6. Cost an arm and a leg
7. A finger in every pie
8. Foot in mouth
9. Look down your nose
10. Play it by ear
b. to say something by accident which embarrasses or upsets someone
c. an advantage that someone has over other people in something such as a
competition or race
d. a small fault or weakness in a person or system that can result in its failure
e. to be involved in and have influence over many different activities
f. a way of saying that you are very pleased to see someone or that you think
someone is very attractive
g. to think that someone is less important than you
h. Overcome by a strong feeling, typically desire.
i. to become familiar with and confident in a new situation
j. to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops, rather than acting
according to plans made earlier

Time Idioms

(Q.44-Q.54):
Buy time
Ship has sailed
Call it a day
Do time
A race against time/the clock
A whale of a time
In the nick of time
It’s high time
Third time’s a charm
Beat the clock
At the eleventh hour

44. Buy time

to do something in order to be allowed more time
He tried to buy time by saying he hadn't been well.

45. Ship has sailed

Used in reference to an opportunity that has passed or a situation that can no longer be changed.
His smile still makes her melt, but Sarah knows that ship has sailed.

46. Call it a day

to stop the work you are doing
I'm getting a bit tired now - shall we call it a day?
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47. Do time
to spend a period of weeks, months, years, etc. in prison
It's not always easy to find a job after you've done time.
The prison experience should not be a happy one; it should be a lot harder to do time than at present.

48. A race against time/the clock

A situation in which something must be done before a particular point in time.
For the students it is almost always a race against time.

49. A whale of a time

to enjoy yourself very much
We had a whale of a time on holiday.
a whale of a ______
describes a very great amount of something or a very good thing
Another thousand dollars would make a whale of a difference.
That's a whale of a story.

50. In the nick of time

at the last possible moment
We got there just in the nick of time.

51. about time / high time

If it is about time/high time that someone did something, it should have been done sooner or a long time ago
It's about time (that) the school improved its meals service.
It is high time for Europe to take responsibility for its own defence.

52. third time is a/the charm

Used to express the hope that, after twice failing to accomplish something, one may succeed in the third attempt.
They have been there twice before but hope this season third time is a charm.

53. Beat the clock

Perform a task quickly or within a fixed time limit.
‘frozen mixed vegetables help you beat the clock with this soup’

54. the eleventh hour

the last moment or almost too late
We only received the signatures at the eleventh hour.
an eleventh-hour decision by the union to call off the strike

Fruit Idioms

(Q.55-Q.64):
The apple of your eye
Go bananas
Apples and oranges
Lemon
A plum job
The apple never falls far from the tree
Bad apple
Upset the apple cart
Cherry pick
Through the grapevine

55. The apple of your eye

A person of whom one is extremely fond and proud.
‘a daughter who had ceased to be the apple of her father's eye’

56. Go bananas
to become extremely angry or excited

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 She'll go bananas when you tell her the news.

57. Apples and oranges / apples to oranges

Used with reference to two things that are fundamentally different and therefore not suited to comparison.
‘I mean, we are really talking apples and oranges when we compare these religions.’

58. Lemon
A person or thing, especially an automobile, regarded as unsatisfactory, disappointing, or feeble.
I felt such a lemon when I discovered I'd missed my appointment.
One of his inventions turned out to be a lemon.

59. A plum job

very good and worth having
How did you manage to get such a plum job ?

60. The apple never falls far from the tree

Family characteristics are usually inherited.
‘he's a fool, Mary, as his father was—the apple never falls far from the tree’

61. a bad apple/ a rotten apple

A bad or corrupt person in a group, typically one whose behavior is likely to have a detrimental influence on their
associates.
‘looks like we hired ourselves a bad apple

62. Upset the apple cart

to cause trouble, especially by spoiling someone's plans
It is so lucrative for investment bankers, fund managers and brokers that none have any interest in upsetting the
apple cart.’

63. Cherry pick

Choose and take only (the most beneficial or profitable items, opportunities, etc.) from what is available.
‘the company should buy the whole airline and not just cherry-pick its best assets’

64. hear (sth) on/through the grapevine

to hear news from someone who heard the news from someone else. Used to refer to the circulation of rumors and
unofficial information.
I heard on the grapevine that he was leaving - is it true?

People Idioms

(Q.65-Q.73):
Culture vulture
Eager beaver
Family man
Company man
Go-getter
Jack-of-all-trades
Man of his word / woman of her word
Man of straw
An armchair critic

65. Culture vulture

someone who is very interested in music, art, theatre, etc.
He's a bit of a culture vulture - always out at galleries and theatres.
Culture vulture - A person or an organization making profit using unhonorable practices from a culture they do not
care for.
A political culture vulture

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66. Eager beaver
A keen and enthusiastic person who works very hard.
The students were buzzing and there was a long queue of eager beavers waiting for their turn.

67. Family man

a man who has a wife and children, or who enjoys spending a lot of time with them
He was a family man and he leaves behind a wife, a daughter and a son.

68. Company man

a man who values the company that he works for more than anything else in his life and is willing to do whatever
the company needs
Poor Ryan, his girlfriend of 6 years dumped him because he seldom spent time with her. He was always at work.
What a sad company man!

69. Go-getter
someone who is very energetic, determined to be successful and able to deal with new or difficult situations easily
We only recruit go-getters who will be actively involved in the company's development.

70. Jack-of-all-trades
someone who can do many different jobs
I've been a bit of jack of all trades, just trying to help where I can.

71. man/woman of his/her word

someone who keeps their promises
You can trust him - he's a man of his word.

72. Man of straw

A person regarded as having no substance or integrity.
‘a leader who was once derided as a man of straw’

73. armchair critic

A person who offers comment or criticism on a subject of which he or she has little or no practical knowledge or
experience.
Tom acts like he's an expert on movies but in reality he's just an armchair critic.

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