List of Idiomatic Expressions
Meaning everyone
1 All and sundry
2 Alpha and omega
3 Apple of discord
4 Apple of one’s eye
5 As a matter of fact
6 At sixes and sevens
7 At one’s fingertips
8 Bone of contention
9 Be a party to
The attitude of all and sundry is
to make the journey less painful
Example
for the patient (and the family) in
body and mind.
Meaning the beginning and the end
Money is the alpha and omega of
Example
his existence.
Meaning a subject of contention and envy
The ancestral property became an
Example apple of discord among the three
brothers.
the person who someone loves
Meaning
most and is very proud of
His youngest daughter was the
Example
apple of his eye.
an issue concerning the factual
circumstances of a cause of action
that is to be tried or proved; an
Meaning
allegation forming the basis of a
claim or defense, as opposed to a
matter of law
As a matter of fact his remarks
Example
overrode your motion.
Meaning confused or disorganized
Everything in the office is at sixes
Example
and sevens.
readily available within one’s
Meaning
mental grasp
He seemed to have all sports
knowledge at his fingertips: we
Example
could scarcely finish a question
before he had answered it.
a subject, cause, or focal point of a
Meaning
dispute
The terms of the old man's will
Example were a bone of contention to his
survivors.
a common reference by lawyers to
Meaning
people or entities involved in
 lawsuits, transactions, contracts or
accidents
He was not a party to the criminal
Example
conspiracy.
to have and maintain a feeling of
anger, bitterness, or resentment
toward someone for something
Meaning
they did, especially a wrong that
10 Bear a grudge against
you think they committed against
you
She bears a grudge against the
Example
judge who sentenced her.
discuss a matter without coming to
Meaning
the point
Your worries have nothing to do
11 Beat about the bush
with the new proposal. Stop
Example
beating around the bush, and cast
your vote!
alternate inconsistently between
Meaning two moods, attitudes, or courses of
12 Blow hot and cold action
She's been blowing hot and cold
Example
about the trip to Brazil.
talk boastfully about one's
Meaning
achievements
13 Blow one’s own trumpet He had a very successful year and
Example has every right to blow his own
trumpet.
officially punish someone or call
Meaning them to account for their
behaviour
14 Bring someone to book
Those who fanned racial tensions
Example should be brought to book, she
said.
Meaning completely; absolutely
15 Bring to the ground It took a bulldozer 15 seconds to
Example
bring it to the ground.
Meaning to cause a person or thing to stop
The speeding police car, with its
16 Bring to a standstill
Example flashing lights and siren, brought
all the other drivers to a
 standstill.
to harm oneself; to suffer
Meaning
consequences of one's actions
17 Burn one’s fingers He burned his fingers in the stock
Example market and has been timid about
investing ever since.
Meaning read or work late into the night
Chris is asleep after burning the
18 Burn the midnight oil
Example midnight oil trying to finish his
article.
plans that have very little chance
Meaning
of happening
19 Build castles in the air
Your scheme is merely a castle in
Example
the air.
Meaning with startlingly rapid progress
20 By leaps and bounds Her health is improving by leaps
Example
and bounds.
to use words thought to be magic,
Meaning especially in order to have an
21 Cast a spell effect on someone
The wizard cast a spell on her that
Example
turned her to stone.
to discover someone while they are
Meaning
doing something bad or illegal
22 Caught red handed
He was caught red-handed taking
Example
money from the till.
Meaning sometimes, but not regularly
23 Every now and then We still get together for lunch
Example
every now and then.
Meaning with absolute accuracy
24 Fair and square She got you fair and square in her
Example
gunsight.
Meaning everywhere
25 Far and near People came from far and near to
Example
the party.
Meaning over a large area
26 Far and wide Expanding industry sucked in
Example
labour from far and wide.
Meaning fight very fiercely
27 Fight tooth and nail Families will fight tooth and nail
Example
to preserve their heritage.
 to not get the punishment that is
Meaning
deserved
28 Get off scot-free
It's not fair. I was punished and
Example
they got off scot-free.
to do something so as to no longer
have or be affected or bothered by
Meaning
(something or someone that is
29 Get rid of
unwanted)
It's time to get rid of this old
Example
sweater.
Meaning to promise something
Before departing, we gave our
30 Give one’s word
Example word that we would return in a
year's time.
it gets lost while it is being taken
Meaning
or sent somewhere
31 Go astray
The gang members led him astray,
Example
and he ended up in court.
two people or things are very
Meaning
closely connected or related
32 Hand in hand
The new couple sat hand in hand
Example
at the restaurant.
working together, often to do
Meaning
something dishonest
33 Hand in glove It was rumoured at the time that
Example some of the gangs were working
hand in glove with the police.
nobody knows if it will continue
Meaning to exist in the future or what will
34 Hang in the balance happen to it
After a bad year, Judd's career
Example
hung in the balance.
without reservations: completely,
Meaning
wholly
35 Heart and soul
Count on me to help heart and
Example
soul.
Meaning in a very brief statement
36 In a nutshell In a nutshell, the problem is that
Example
we had to move out of that office.
subject or situation is one in
37 In black and white Meaning
which it is easy to understand
 what is right and wrong
We have a strict, clear rule in
Example black and white, that sexual
harassment will lead to expulsion.
Meaning at the highest level of activity
38 In full swing Work on the project is in full
Example
swing.
Meaning in the course of; during
39 In the midst of We are in the midst of a terrible
Example
war.
Meaning happens very quickly
40 In the twinkling of an eye But everything was changed almost
Example
in the twinkling of an eye.
Meaning not interested or involved
41 Keep aloof from He must hold himself wholly aloof
Example
from our party struggles.
in a state of ignorance,
Meaning
uninformed
42 Keep in the dark
They kept me in the dark about
Example
their plans.
to do what one said one would
Meaning
definitely do
43 Keep one’s promise Tom always keeps his promises, so
Example I'm sure he'll do what he said he'd
do.
to do everything possible to find
Meaning
something
44 Leave no stone unturned I will leave no stone unturned in
Example my bid to find something that will
give us a vital little edge.
exaggerate the importance of
Meaning
something trivial
A barrister must make mountains
45 Make a mountain out of a molehill
out of molehills, to find a point of
Example
law where none had previously
been known to exist.
to pay for the things that you need
Meaning
to live when you have little money
46 Make both ends meet
I had to work extra hours just to
Example
make ends meet.
47 Move heaven and earth Meaning to do everything you can to
 achieve something
He'll move heaven and earth to
Example
get it done on time.
suppress or destroy something at
Meaning
an early stage
48 Nip in the bud Many serious illnesses can be
Example nipped in the bud if they are
detected early enough.
Meaning from time to time
49 Now and then Now and then he would pay us a
Example
brief visit.
Meaning having no legal force
50 Null and void The order was therefore held null
Example
and void.
somewhere, anywhere, nowhere,
Meaning
or everywhere
51 Nook and corner Anurag, with the help of the
Example police, searches every nook and
corner of the city.
used to indicate that someone
does something because he or she
Meaning wants to, not because someone has
52 Of one’s own accord asked the person or forced him or
her to do it
She came of her own accord. No
Example
one asked her to come.
at the point when (something) is
Meaning about to happen or is very likely to
53 On the verge of happen
The company was on the verge of
Example
going bankrupt.
Meaning often; repeatedly
54 Over and over again I told him over and over again to
Example
be careful.
it is a necessary part of that
Meaning
55 Part and parcel experience and cannot be avoided
Example Stress is part and parcel of the job.
Meaning to write something down
56 Put on paper You have a great idea for a novel.
Example
Now put it on paper.
57 Raining cats and dogs Meaning to rain very heavily
 Don't forget to take your umbrella
Example - it's raining cats and dogs out
there.
to try to stop or prevent something
Meaning
or someone
58 Stand in one’s way You know I won't stand in your
Example way if you want to apply for a job
abroad.
act in accordance with the
Meaning
prevailing opinion or tendency
A politician soon learns to swim
59 Swim with the tide
with the tide and offer the voters
Example
things that they want, so as to gain
their votes.
something bad seems very likely to
Meaning
happen to one
Sword of Damocles hanging over
60 The threat of a cut in funding is
one’s head
Example hanging over the Opera House
like a sword of Damocles.
the ability to look at something
Meaning from a very high place so that you
see a large area below you
61 Take a bird’s eye view
The introduction of the report
Example gives an excellent bird's eye view
of the new project.
to pick up weapons and become
Meaning
ready to fight
62 Take up arms They threatened to take up arms
Example against the government if their
demands were not met.
Meaning you do it as well as you can
63 To the best of one’s ability I tried to the best of my ability to
Example
secure a seat at the event.
you do exactly what you have been
Meaning told to do, giving great attention
64 To the letter to every detail
I followed the instructions to the
Example
letter and it still went wrong.
expressing something very
65 To the point Meaning important or suitable for the
subject being discussed
 Her comments on my work were
Example
very apt and to the point.
to ignore someone when they
Meaning
complain or ask for something
66 To turn a deaf ear
In the past they've tended to turn
Example
a deaf ear to such requests.
to change your behavior in a
Meaning
positive way
67 Turn a new leaf
She turned over a new leaf and
Example
began getting to work on time.
giving the specified reason as one's
Meaning
justification
68 Under the pretext of Under the pretext of checking her
Example identity, the man had copied
down her credit card details.
Meaning securely locked up
69 Under lock and key The rifle was stored under lock
Example
and key.
very good, hard, and valuable work
Meaning that someone does especially to
support a cause
70 Yeoman’s service
They've done yeoman's work in
Example raising money for the
organization.