Challenging Idioms

s.n
Idiom Meaning Sentence
o
1. The odds are stacked
against civilians getting a
A situation in which someone fair trail
The odds stacked does not have a good or fair 2. Despite having all odds
1
against chance of winning, succeeding stacked against us, we still
etc have to give our very best
in this competition

The criminal saw the

Used to say that it is clear that
The writing on the writing on the wall and left
2 something bad will probably
wall the country just before the
happen
police arrived to arrest him
We have to succeed in this
People will be dismissed or project , otherwise our
3 Heads will roll
forced to resign heads will roll, warned our
supervisor.
To show by your actions and Don’t just say this will work
Put your money not just your words that you out . you need to put your
4
where your mouth is support or believe in money where your mouth
something is and fulfill your promise
He succeeded in becoming
An expression used of people
A chip of the old a bureaucrat like his father.
5 who closely resemble their
block He seems to be a chip of
parents in someway
the old block
A person who does not Don’t consider his words
6 A snake in the grass appear harmful but actually he may be a snake in the
he is grass
It was much suffocating in
No room to swing the Used to denote a very
7 the car as there was no
cat confined space
room to swing the cat
Please don’t speak on the
Haven’t the foggiest Not having enough knowledge
8 agenda you don’t have the
idea about something
foggiest idea of the matter
Having the talent to become He has the makings of
9 The makings of
successful qualifying pcs examination
He tried his best to resolve
To decrease something
10 Made a dent in the issue but failed to even
slightly
make a dent in the matter
11 In the doldrums Unsuccessful or showing no His career seems in the
activity or development doldrums
 During global financial
crisis, the economies of
many countries were in the
doldrums
Having or showing very strict My father is a strait laced
12 Strait laced
moral attitudes person
Don’t expect him to repair
13 Is Greek to Difficult to understand your car as even changing
a tyre is greek to him
Initially I was much
disturbed after getting
Getting into swing of To start to understand, enjoy admission in university but
14
things and be active in something with passage of time I
started to get into swing of
things
We don’t have to walk far,
15 A stone’s throw away Very close the shopping centre is just
stone’s throw away
1. Since loosing his job,
ali’s financial situation
is on the slippery slope
A course of action likely to 2. By admitting to the
16 On a slippery slope lead to something bad or demands of the
disastrous insurgents the
government seems to
be on a slippery slope

This topic is not a rocket

Something very difficult to science. You can grasp it if
17 Rocket science
understand u read it with
concentration
Paying through the In order to attain quality
Pay much more than a fair
18 nose/pay through the education for his children,
price
nose he paid through the nose
It is puzzling why he has so
much money all of a
19 Be on the take Take bribes
sudden. He may be on the
take.
Reducing poverty rate
under such miserable
Be a pipe dream/pipe An unattainable or fanciful
20 economy seems to be a
dreams hope or scheme
pipe dream for the
government.
 You must eat an humble
To admit your errors and
21 To eat humble pie pie in order to make a dent
apologize
in the animosity.
The mail ordered bicycle
An item you purchase without
that my nephew bought
22 A pig in a poke having seen; a
turned out to be a pig in a
disappointment
poke
He promised me to stick by
Promising at the start but me, but once his motives
23 A flash in the pan
then disappointing were fulfilled he turned
out to be a flash in the pan
Ali poured oil on troubled
To pour oil on To make peace, to calm
24 waters by pacifying the
troubled waters someone down
belligerents
He was recruited after he
was put through his paces
by the commission
Put a person through
25 Test his abilities You should at least put him
his paces
through his paces before
hiring him as a personal
security guard.
Calculating the salaries of
entire staff in one day
seems to be a tall order for
me
26 A tall order A task difficult to perform It would be a tall order to
visit all districts of the
province to inquire about
the progress of Polio
vaccination campaign.
You should pull the strings
of the department to get
posted on privileged
designation.
Finally, he compelled me
27 Pull strings Exert hidden influence
to pull strings of the
district administration in
order to teach him a
lesson for his miscreant
activities.
28 Take somebody for To deceive and humiliate him Ali took Inam on a ride by
ride selling him a ncp car on
huge price
 You cannot take me on a
ride by selling me a pig in a
poke.
Noor queered my pitch by
proposing non serious
suggestions regarding
Queer somebody’s picnic spots
29 Upset his plan
pitch By imposing international
sanctions, USA queered
Iran’s pitch of attaining
Nuclear technology.
Ukraine seems to be
pushed to the wall on part
of Kremlin. The fact will be
Push somebody to
30 To defeat him evident once the Russian
the wall
invasion is culminated in
victory

You should mend your

fences with her rather
To improve or repair a
searching another girl to
relationship that has been
31 Mend your fence get married.
damaged by an argument or
It is not too late to mend
disagreement
your fences with Jean. We
can seek rapprochement.
Being jobless is much tuff,
but I ve been tring to roll
with the punches until I get
To be able to deal with the
32 Roll with the punches on my feet.
series of difficult situations
You cannot spend a happy
life unless you learn how
to roll with the punches.
I need a free rein in order
to realize the reality of life.
Freedom of action and
33 A free rein Give me a free reign and
expression
you will be surprised what I
can come up with
Please listen his arguments
Give way immediately to an with patience you don’t
34 Go off the deep end emotional outburst, especially have to go off the deep
of anger end even though, how
provocative he may be.
35 Dead on your feet Extremely tired We will travel towards
 Karachi tomorrow; today I
am really dead on my feet.
After committing the crime
36 A sword off Damocles An imminent danger the sword of Damocles is
hanging over his head
Being a politician you must
React without careful learn to respond to media
37 Shooting from the hip consideration of one’s words criticism in patient way
or actions rather shooting from the
hip
I was left with Hobson’s
choice for qualifying
competitive examination.
Balochistan is left with the
Hobson’s choice to remain
A choice of taking what is a province of Pakistan
38 Hobson’s choice available or nothing at all. No otherwise Superpowers
choice at all may intervene in domestic
affairs
Qualifying pcs examination
is the
Hobson’s choice available
for me regarding my career
The new policy formulated
by government proved to
To start to become less be frayed at the edges
39 Frayed at the edges
effective or successful After numerous setbacks,
his confidence is now
frayed at the edges
Don’t get your feathers
Get feathers ruffled Cause to become very angry, ruffled up regarding
40
up nervous or upset joblessness, you will get all
what you want
Words could never do
justice to her beauty.
To treat or show something or The movie does not do
41 Do justice someone in a way that is good justice to the book
as it should be Brief summary could not
do justice to the
complexity of the issue
USA withdrew from
42 Pyrrhic victory A too costly victory Afghanistan after a self-
claimed pyrrhic victory .
 To understand the general or You need to get the drift of
43 Got the drift basic meaning of what the paragraph in order to
someone is saying solve the comprehension
to have an angry or unpleasant
  He has had a chip on his
A chip on her attitude or way of behaving
44 shoulder ever since he didn't get the
shoulder caused by a belief that one has
promotion he was expecting.
been treated unfairly in the past
I don't think we can take a
Dangerously uncontrollable
45 A loose canon person or thing
risk on a loose cannon like him
running our country.
To eat a lot of food in greedy Don’t stuff your face please. You
46 Stuff face way may get digestion problem
A narrow escape from serious We didn’t get injured in the
47 A close shave danger or trouble accident but it was a close shave
The summary is full of holes you
48 Full of holes Having many errors
must re consider what you write
When something surprising or
shocking happens, if someone
doesn't bat an eyelid in
British English, or doesn't bat
an eye in American English, After witnessing his friend dying,
49 Bat an eyelid they remain calm and do not the soldier didn’t even bat en
show any reaction. Generally eyelid
used in the negative to denote
that the person in question did
not display even a hint of an
emotional response.
o say or show that one is The company threw down the
Thrown down the ready to fight, argue, or gauntlet and told the union that
50
gauntlet compete with someone : to this offer for a contract was final .
challenge someone
Ali’s economic condition was
much precarious in Pakistan
To live in great comfort with a
51 Lives high on the hog however, after migrating to
lot of money.
Europe, he is living high on the
hog
1. in a precarious or risky By agreeing to the demands of
situation.
52 Skating on thin ice insurgents, the government is
"you're skating on thin ice"
skating on thin ice
Ali seems to be ill at ease since
53 Ill at ease 2. Uncomfortable or embarrassed.
his head rolled
Please cast an eye over the
3. to read or look at (something)
54 Casts an eye over summary before presenting it to
quickly
the secretary
 Everyone wanted the party to go
55 A wet blanket 4. one who spoils the fun on but Ronnie, the wet blanket,
decided to go home
People were trying to drive a
Drive a wedge 5. to cause disagreement or
56 anger between people who wedge between me and Rana
between had been friendly before Sanaullah by different means
We must ensure all hands on
deck in order to drag the country
6. used to indicate that the
out of crisis
57 All hands on deck involvement of all members of
a team is required Bringing economic prosperity
would require a national
consensus and all hands on deck
Imran Khan vowed to clean the
Augean stable by ending
To cleanse the corruption from the Pakistani
58 7. to do a difficult job
Augean stable society and culture but failed to
do so owing to his cabinet which
was always on takes
To clean the Augean stable from
Pakistan would be a herculean
task.
8. herculean task or ability is one To qualify pcs examination
59 Herculean task that requires extremely great requires herculean ability
strength or effort Distribution of relief goods
among flood affectees of entire
province in a week seems to be a
herculean task
9. What has been done cannot You should stop to shoot from
Put the genie back in be undone. Attempt to revert the hip before analyzing the
60
the bottle a situation to how it formerly situation. Now it is difficult to put
existed
the genie back in the bottle.
10. Free of restrictions. If you say
that there are no holds barred
when people are fighting or
Both the drivers were striving to
61 No holds barred competing for something, you
mean that they are no longer win the race with no holds barred
following any rules in their
efforts to win
11. Becoming weaker or less Due to leaked scandal, her
62 On the wane extensive. reputation was on the wane
 Qualifying pcs was nothing other
63 No mean feat 12. To be a great achievement
than no mean feat for me
We cannot increase taxes at the
13. In a way that harms
64 At the expense of expense of common people
something or someone
earning
14. Say or do something to UN urged to both India and
65 To rock the boat disturb an existing situation Pakistan not to rock the boat on
and upset people Kashmir dispute
15. Used to tell someone to stop I wish someone would tell him to
66 put a sock in it talking put a sock in it
He earned his money by sweat of
his brow
By the sweat of one’s By one’s own hard work,
67 The hard work man earned what
brow typically manual labor
ever he has now by sweat of his
brow
Have a very successful With ample funds, our company
68 Got off a flying start beginning got off a flying start
Owing to failure of economic
If you are back to square one, policies, the government seemed
you have to start working on a
to be back at square one
69 Back at square one plan from the beginning
because your previous You need to back at square one
attempt failed completely in order to qualify PCS
examination
He meant to say “ I m glad you
are here”. But what came out
was a Freudian slip : “ I m mad
you are here”
An un intentional error
It was revealed by her that she
70 A Freudian slip regarded as revealing sub
conscious feelings cares about me while a Freudian
slip in discussion
After a couple of drinks, ali gives
a Freudian slip that he loves
Alisha
Pm got the matter licked by
Got the problem To becoming successful in
71 passing 18th amendment
licked solving a problem
regarding provincial autonomy
72 Line one’s own To make a large amount of He does not care about making
pocket money for oneself in a way
that is considered greedy or
some digital utopia – he is just
 dishonest ( Apni jaibain
bharna) trying to line his own pockets
Indulge in series of sexual
73 Play the field relationships without Don’t try to play the fields
committing oneself to any one
To strongly affect someone
Blow your or
74 with surprise, wonder, delight The music really blew my mind
someone’s mind etc
The new fashion has taken
Quickly become successful or
London by storm
75 Taken , by storm popular in a particular place or
among a particular group The way you drive has taken all
by storm
A person attracting special
attention because of unusual
The missing file is larger than life
76 Larger than life appearance
Something very much for the prevailing case’ resolution
important
Don’t drive your father round the
Drive somebody
77 Make somebody angry bend by repeatedly failing the
round the bend
competitive examinations
Kanjoos aadmi . a person who The close fisted man lost his all
78 A close fisted man is not willing to spent savings in a robbery
The government just passed the
Blame somebody else/ refuse
79 Pass the buck buck of poverty to natural
to accept responsibility
calamity
Thinking deeply and not A driver is likely to cause disaster
noticing what is happening
80 A brown study if he indulges in brown study
around one . a dreamy
condition while driving
Please sell you land cruiser and
buy a Mehran . you are not in
position to hold such a white
A costly possession worthless elephant
81 A white elephant to its owner The car we bought last year is a
white elephant as it uses much
petrol and frequently breaks
down
No doubt most blue blooded
82 Blue blood Royal blood
people are fond of intoxication
The inherited property became
83 Apple of discord Cause of quarrel the apple of discord between two
brothers
 Don’t worry , your head will not
84 In good books In somebody’s favour roll as you seem to be in the good
book of CS
He ran amok soon after the
journalist asked a provocative
To behave without control in a
85 Ran amok question
wild or dangerous manner
He ran amok after hearing about
killing of his brother
Sehat card project was nothing
86 A wild goose chase A foolish project
other than a wild goose chase.
You both should iron out your
Resolve something by disputes lest your heads will roll.
87 Iron out
discussion India and Pakistan must Iron out
the matter of Kashmir
After all, I was left in the lurch as
she took away all my belongings
A sincere person never leaves his
friend in a lurch
88 Leave in the lurch Betray someone
Us suspended the foreign aid
soon after its withdrawal from
Afghanistan and left Pakistan in
the Lurch.
The servant left the job leaving
everything at sixes and sevens in
the kitchen
89 At sixes and sevens In muddle or disorder
The flood destroyed entire
custom house and everything
was at the sixes and sevens
The army seems at the beck and
call of the general.
The most perfect dictator in the
world was Saddam Hussain who
90 At the beck and call Under perfect control
ruled Iraq under the beck and
call.
Don’t worry about Riaz, he is
completely at my beck and call.
91 Adam’s ale Pure water I shall quench my thirst with
Adam’s ale
Environmental pollution has

Time of adversity, need or
trouble. This idiom is often
used in the context of save for
92 Against a rainy day a rainy day, which means to
put something aside for a
future time of need
93 Smash hit A great success
An observation that if it is
94 Murphy’s law possible for something to go
wrong, it will go wrong.
A very good, successful or
95 Place in the Sun desirable position after years
of working hard and struggling
Presented to those who rank
96 Wooden spoon
the lowest in the competition
97 Go bananas Become very excited or angry
To decide not to do something
98 Chicken out
being afraid
At a point when a choice must
99 At the Cross Roads be made ; at a point of change
. crossroads
A very good and honest
100 The salt of the earth person or group of people.
caused the shortage of Adam’s
ale
We shall save some money
against a rainy day.
Please stop shooting from the
hip, lest, you will lose all your
friends. There must be someone
with you side against a rainy day
Neelum Jhelum not proved to be
a smash hit project in economic
perspective
The song was a real smash hit
launching a singing career for the
performer
The bus is always late but today
when I was late it came on time –
that’s Murphy’s Law
After years of working hard, he
has now finally found his place in
the sun
work hard lest you will have the
wooden spoon from your school.
Pakistani athlete got wooden
spoon in Olympics due to poor
performance
The crowd went bananas when
the concert begin
He was going to ask her on a
date, but he chickened out at the
last minute
He chickened out when he heard
how much work was involved
After toppling the govt the new
leadership seems at the
These traditional Baloch are the
salt of the earth
 The whole nation was all agog to
101 To be all agog To be eager have the last glimpse of Quaid e
Azam
In a democratic government, a
leader cannot afford to become a
102 A captain absolute A self-willed person
captain absolute; he has also to
look to other’s point of view
Individually and collectively
103 All and sundry The law applies to all and sundry
Everyone without distinction
104 God’s ape A born fool He is a god’s ape
After his initial success, he is now
105 By leaps and bounds Very rapidly
progressing by leaps and bounds
To come to terms, to make Let us bury the hatchet and make
106 Bury the hatchet peace friends again
Deliberately. In a purposely The general was murdered in a
107 In cold blood ruthless and unfeeling manner cold blood
We should be bold enough to
Take the bull by the To fight against difficulties in a
108 take the bull by the horns if we
horns bold manner
have the guts
Don’t trust his words. He seems
to be a broken reed.
109 Broken reed Unreliable person In my dealings with him I
discovered that he was a broken
reed
You will never realize the fact
about the life unless you burn
110 Burn one’s fingers Learn a lesson by experience your fingers
I have burnt my fingers once. I
would not repeat the mistake
Shabir has been working hand in
glove with opposition
In extremely close relationship
111 Hand in glove They were working hand in glove
or agreement
with our enemies

112 Ins and outs The details about how Don’t ever try to fly a jet unless
something works or is done
you learn the ins and outs of
flying
I am still learning all the ins and
outs of tribal system of
 Balochistan
Don’t try to complete entire
journey at a stretch, you may
need some rest while driving
113 At a stretch At one time She hoped to finish the herculean
task of surveying the land at a
stretch but she failed to do so

Rainy days have been few and far

between this year
114 Few and far between Not appearing very frequently Few and far between incidents of
robbery were reported in last
year
To do something intermittently I have been preparing for pcs by
115 By fits and starts or sporadically and not fits and starts. I have to be
consistently constant in preparation
116