Idioms (Winning English Grammar & Composition)

Wining English Grammar & Composition by Mureed Hussain Jasra 03165701593
Wining English Grammar & Composition

for CSS, PMS & Other Competitive Exam
Writer: Mureed Hussain Jasra, CSP

03165701593
CSPs Academy for CSS, PMS & Other Competitive Exam 03165701593
IDIOMS AND PHRASAL WORDS

A
• A1: (excellent): My cell phone is in A1 condition.
• Achilles’ heel: (ones weak spot in ones’ circumstances or character): Unstable situation in
Afghanistan is Pakistan’s Achilles’ heel.
• Abc: (the rudiments of any subject): As he does not know the Abc of Chemistry, he
must not be appointed as a lecturer in this technical subject.
• Abound in: (have in great numbers or quantity): Middle Eastern region abounds in oil.
• Abound with: (have in great numbers or quantity): Pakistan’s governance system
abounds with many issues including corruption and red-tapism.
• Above all: (most importantly): Above all, she will be remembered for her
extraordinary abilities and honesty.
• All along: (all the time): The internet service was available there all along.
• All at once: (suddenly): No one can become good all at once.
• All in all: (overall): All in all, we enjoyed a lot on the trip.
• All and sundry: (everyone): She told all and sundry that she has toppled the board
examination.
• All the same: (nevertheless): it is all the same for me whether she wins or not.
• As ill luck would have it: (something happened purely by chance): We got an accident,
and our car broke down, but as ill luck would have it, there was no garage.
• As a matter of fact: (actually): As a matter of fact, my father has more Facebook
followers than I have.
• As ever: (used for saying something is the same): He was busy in gossips as ever.
• Above board: (honest): He is dignified and above board.
• After one’s heart: (used to say that someone has likes and dislikes like one's own): Ayesha
really looks like a girl after my own heart.
• Alpha and omega: (most important features): Freedom is alpha and omega of all
human rights.
• An eye wash: (deceptive statements): He pretended to be occupied, but it’s all
eyewash.
• Apple of one’s eyes: (cherished one): She was the apple of her father’s eyes because
she was extraordinarily brilliant.
• Aladdin’s lamp: (a magical lamp from which Aladdin summoned a genie): I do not have
any Aladdin’s lamp to do it in two days.
• At a stone's throw: (a short distance): My house was just at a stone’s throw from the
main market.
• At an arm's length: (avoid): I no longer trust you and I keep you at my arm’s length.
• Cleanse the Augean stable: (clear away corruption): The government is putting all its
efforts into establishing anti-corruption laws to cleanse the Augean stables.
• At first hand: (directly): I have first-hand experience of running a business.
• Abortive effort: (unsuccessful): We had to forgo on our abortive efforts.
• Hang about: (loiter in): You two need to stop hanging about and start assisting me
with cleaning up this mess.
• To bring about: (accomplish): Work on time will bring about better results.
• Above one’s station: (of higher social status than suitable for one’s rank): Ali had ideas
above his station.
• Above ones understanding: (beyond one’s abilities): I tried to solve the question, but it
was above my understanding.
• A captain absolute: (very powerful): It is tough to anticipate him to reverse his
decision because he is a captain absolute.
• To abstract a thing from: (to take something without permission): the junior clerk tried
to abstract the thing from the official papers, and he was caught.
• Abundance of the heart: (overwhelming abundance of emotions): Abdul Sattar Edhi has
an abundance of heart when it comes to helping the refugees and the downtrodden.
• To square up an account: (to settle one’s debt): Both the brothers squared up their
accounts and settled their debt.
• Not known from Adam: (never met with someone): Mr. Jill is not known for Adam; I
have never met him before.
• Addle-headed: (silly): The office boy is not only lazy but also addle-headed.
• Addle-egg: (confused): This addle-egg approach is not good for writing answers.
• To take a person at an advantage: (to use an opportunity): I dislike the people who
take other persons at advantage every time and do not even recognize them when
their interests are not involved.
• To be an all agog: (full of excitement): He is all agog to receive the prize.
• To give a person the air: (snub someone): Jack was quite upset when his boss gave
him the air.
• An air absurdity: (an appearance of foolishness): The artist looked an air absurdity in
that clumsy attire.
• To take amiss: (to be annoyed by something): Do not take amiss her misbehavior.
• Ever and anon: (now and then): He visits us ever and anon.
• Gods ape: (a born fool): Their youngest son is god’s ape.
• Art and part: (be deeply involved in): I am art and part of this project.
• Behind the scenes: (working out secretly): We do not know the real story of what
happened behind the scenes.
• Make a beeline for: (to go quickly and directly): all the customers made a beeline for
the store when the sugar prices dropped.
• Have one’s name bandied about: (to discuss): I never like my name bandied about in
front of others.
• To be all and end all: (the most important part of something): My mother is the be all
and end all in my home.
• Bill of fare: (menu): Bring the bill of fare, please.
• A beast of prey: (an animal): Lion is a beast of prey.
• Get down to brass-tacks: (to discuss the most important details): The managers got
down to brass-tacks to discuss the main points of the meeting.
• Birds of a feather: (of same kind): Birds of a feather flock together.
• Birds of passage: (a transient, one who is here today and gone tomorrow): Man is a bird
of passage in this world.
• A brazen faced person: (impudent): The old man has become a brazen faced person.
• To bay at the moon: (you waste your time and energy trying to do something which is
impossible or trying): Start something useful; stop baying at the moon.
• To beggar description: (be too extraordinary): The carpets made in this place beggar
description.
• Between cup and the lip: (emphasize that many bad things might happen before
something is finished): There are many slips between the cup and the lip.
• To give a bit of one's mind: (to express one's opinion strongly): I will give a bit of my
mind to this project.
• To have an oar in another’s boat: (stick your oar in something): Mind your own
business by not having an oar in another’s boat.
• To make boot of: (to emphasize that you have added something else to something that you
have just said): Say straight, do not make a boot of simple details.
• Dead of night: (middle of night): My brother called me in the dead of night.
• Dead tired: (very tired): I am dead tired.
• Dead colored: (a color which has no gloss upon it): I do not like this dead colored shoe.
• Dead alive: (someone is being sought for punishment): Find the dead alive and treat him
the way he deserves.
• Dead and gone: (completely gone or defunct): The Mongols are dead and gone.
• Dead against: (completely opposed to): I am dead against investing in this firm.
• Dead letter: (ineffective treaty or law): This treaty is a dead letter now.
• Dead shot: (a good marksman): She is a dead shot with a rifle.
• To dispense with: (to get rid of): I shall dispense with these menial things.
• A dog-eared book: (having a lot of pages with corners turned over): Who has read this
dog-eared book?
• Dizzy height: (a very high level): The mountaineer reached the dizzy height of the
mountain.
• Dead stock: (unsellable): It is a dead stock; no one will buy it.
• D-day: (a day when something important will happen): It is a D-day for the foreign
nationals.
• To have the defects of one’s qualities: (a virtue carried to excess): I think he is a
sycophant because he has the defects of his qualities.
• Third degree methods: (asking serious questions): The investigation officer was using
the third-degree method to interrogate the suspect.
• A blessing in disguise: (an apparent misfortune that eventually has good result): Having
a clever friend is a blessing in disguise.
• En route: (on the way): I am en route Islamabad.
• Engaging manners: (tending to please): The little boy has engaging manners.
• End in smoke: (To ruin oneself): All his treacherous plans will end in smoke.
• Fast man: (to behave in an insincere manner): Do not try to be a fast man; I know
everything.
• Fancy price: (very high cost): I bought this coat at a fancy price.
• Fire up: (inflame with enthusiasm): The excitement of the crowd was fired up.
• No fool like an old fool: (a foolish old person is especially foolish): He should not say
such things at this old age as no fool is like an old fool.
• Gloss over: (to hide): Do not try to gloss over the facts.
• Green eyed monster: (jealous): Her aunt is a green-eyed monster.
• Gentleman at large: (a person without any serious occupation): Many young men are
gentlemen at large these days.
• Half-mast: (at a position halfway up a flagpole): Her tie was at half-mast.
• Helter-skelter: (confusion): He is a helter-skelter young boy.
• Cannot make a head or tail: (unable to understand thing): I cannot make a head and
tail of your fabricated story.
• Jail bird: (to have in prison): The political leader is a jail bird these days.
• Look green: (to look pale): She is ill these days that is why she looks green.
• To mind one’s p's and q's: (to be careful about): He is not very spontaneous; he
always minds his p’s and q’s.
• On last legs: (extremely tired): After the night shift at the hospital, the doctor is on his
last legs.
• Maid of honor: (title): He is the maid of honor for the royal family.
• Mob law: (lynch-law): He defies all the mob laws.
• Moot point: (a debatable question): AUKUS is the moot point after the non-
proliferation treaty.
• Mother wit: (common sense): You lack mother wit, Mr. James.
• Owe to: (be indebted): I owe much to my teachers.
• Screw loose: (mentally unstable): She eats nothing but junk foods: she must have a
screw loose.
• Scylla and Charybdis: (to be caught between two unpleasant alternatives): Because his
employer had betrayed him, he was caught between Scylla and Charybdis.
• Virgin soil: (undeveloped thing): It was foolish to pluck this lovely bloom from the
protected English garden and move it to virgin soil swept by gusting winds.
• Sheet anchor: (very dependable person): When things weren't going well, she acted as
the team's sheet anchor.
• Sow wild oats: (have many sexual relationships): Before getting married, he sowed
every wild oat.
• Sworn foes: (enemies): No one would have known from watching them converse
happily that they had just lately sworn foes.
• Swallow an affront: (to accept something without question): Even yet, he was prepared
to swallow an affront since he believed it might have been delivered in error.
• Tell upon: (inform): The excessive heat began to tell upon the masses.
• Thorn in one’s side: (something or someone that repeatedly annoys): She published a
series of studies exposing the misuse of public funds, and as a result, she has become
a thorn in the side of the government.
• The utopian scheme: (impractical scheme): The government has suggested a utopian
scheme to provide pensions to all the elderly in the nation.
• Keep abreast of: (to advance at an equal pace with): A CSS aspirant needs to keep
abreast of changing global scenario in order to score well.
• Within an ace of: (escaping by hair’s breadth): Pakistan was within an ace of losing the
final but Babar Azam’s brilliant performance turned the tables.
• Have a nodding acquaintance with: (to know someone slightly or have a slight
knowledge of a subject): He has only a nodding acquaintance with the Chief Minister
of his province.
• Adamant: (like a hard substance that cannot be cut or broken): Prime minister was
adamant that he would not resign in the face of opposition’s violent protests.
• Address oneself to: (apply oneself to; be busy with): Pakistan Cricket Board should
address itself to the poor state of women Cricket.
• Take advantage of something: (use something profitably for one’s own benefit): He is
consolidating his power by taking the advantage of divided opposition.
• In the air: (if something is in the air, you feel that it is happening or about to happen): With
these elections, change is in the air for Pakistani politics.
• On the air: (being broadcast on radio or television): My interview will be on the air at
12:00 a.m.
• Give oneself airs; put on airs: (to behave as if one is better or more important than
others): Mr. Saleem gives himself such airs that everyone dislikes him.
• Establish an alibi: (to prove that one was at another place at the time of an alleged act,
especially a crime): His lawyer could not establish an alibi, so he was eventually
convicted for his criminal act.
• All in all: (of supreme or exclusive importance): Tribal leaders are all in all in their
regions in KPK and Balochistan.
• All the same to: (used for saying that it makes no difference to someone whether one thing
happens or another thing happens): This police officer can stay or go, it’s all the same to
the people of Hayder Abad district.
• Allow for: (to consider something when you are planning something): Remember to
allow for extra time if you are travelling at rush hour.
• Let or leave somebody or something alone: (abstain from touching or interfering with):
Leave these beautiful flowers alone, you’re going to spoil them.
• Let alone: (without referring to or considering): He was incapable of leading a cricket
team, let alone a nation.
• Take something amiss: (to be offended by a thing): Do not take this amiss, It was an
honest criticism by a sincere person.
• Tied to one’s apron-strings: (too long or too much under the control of somebody): At 32,
he is still tied to his mother’s apron-strings.
• Keep somebody at arm’s length: (to avoid too much familiarity): I do not know why he
keeps his college fellows at arm’s length.
• With open arms: (with enthusiasm): European countries do not welcome Muslim
refugees with open arms.
• To make an ass of oneself: (to do something that exposes one to ridicule): He often
makes an ass of himself by boasting about his intellectual abilities.
• An apple of discord: (a subject of envy and strife): The boundary line between
Afghanistan and Pakistan is an apple of discord between the two countries.
• Add fuel to fire: (to say or do something which contributes to increase the rage of a person
already enraged): Rising inflation is adding fuel to the fire for the poor of Pakistan.
• Add insult to injury: (to affront or insult a person in addition to the injuries inflicted upon
him): First, they lost the match, and then, to add insult to injury, one of the players
was suspended for cheating.
• The apple of one’s eye: (a much prized treasure): Being the apple of his teacher’s eye,
he has to be extra careful about his performance in the class.
• Apple-Pie order: (in perfect order): He often remains unhappy because he wants
everything in an apple-pie order which is not possible.
• To have an axe to grind: (to have a personal interest in the matter): You should not
interfere in this matter as you do not have any axe to grind.
• At a pinch: (in an emergency): We can utilize the library as our meeting place at a
pinch.
• Above –board: (honest and straightforward): Everyone likes him as he always acts in a
completely open and aboveboard way.
• The schoolmaster is abroad: (education is becoming popular): It is quite encouraging to
note that the schoolmaster is abroad in remote areas of Pakistan.
• Aladdin’s lamp: (a lamp which gave its owner or rather the person who rubbed it,
everything he wished): The execution of this plan will take time. I have no Addaldin’s
lamp to do it overnight.
• All and sundry: (everyone without distinction): He does not like to be criticised by all
and sundry.
• Alpha and omega: (the essence or most important feature): Timely decisions and
dialogue are the alpha and omega of politics.
• Animal spirits: (the liveliness that comes from health and physical exhilaration): She had
high animal spirits.
• Keep up appearances: (to pretend to be happier, less poor, etc. than you really are, because
you do not want people to know how bad your situation is): This unhappy couple is
keeping up appearances for the sake of their children.
• To cleanse the Augean stables: (to perform a great work of purification): The
government is mired in corruption, someone has to cleanse the Augean stables.
• To entertain an angel unawares: (to be hospital to a guest whose good qualities are
unknown): Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained
angels unawares. Barbara Kingsolver, Flight Behavior
• Against a rainy day: (a time or period of unforeseen difficulty, trouble, or need): We must
save some money against a rainy day.
• The almighty dollar: (that money is like God): It is the almighty dollar that is
dominating every aspect of our lives.
• As ill-luck would have it: (unfortunately or used to say that something happened because
of good or bad luck): He arrived a little late and, as luck would have it, the last bus to
his hometown had just left the station.
• As old as the hills: (very ancient, very old): Agriculture methods being used in
Pakistan are as old as hills.
• As plentiful as blackberries: (numerous): Jobless younth are as plentiful as
blackberries in developing countries.
• As the crow flies: (directly): From here to AabPara market, it's only ten miles as the
crow flies, but twenty miles by the winding mountain road.
• At a discount: (held in low regard; not sought after or valued): Respectful behaviour
towards teachers is at a sad discount in our schools and colleges.
• At a premium: (to be not common and therefore valuable): Free time is at a premium for
a hard working CSS aspirant.
• At a white heat: (in a state of intense passion or activity): She wrote this text message in
a white heat of anger.
• To be at daggers drawn: (of two people, nations be bitterly hostile towards each other):
Pakistan and India have always been at daggers drawn over various issues,
especially Kashmir.
• To be at home with a person: (to be one friendly and familiar terms with a person):
Salman is very much at home with my parents.
• At large: (free\ unconfined\ without restraint or confinement\As a whole): The culprits
are still at large.
• At loggerheads: (in violent dispute or disagreement): Traders are at loggerheads with
government over the issue of new taxes.
• To be at the beck and call: (always ready to do whatever someone asks): Mr. Munir
expects his servants to be at his beck and call day and night.
• To be at sixes and sevens: (in a confused, badly organized, or difficult situation): I have
been at sixes and sevens in my CSS journey because I did not have any mentor.
• Adam’s ale or Adam’s wine: (pure water, the phrase is used in a joking fashion to refer to
a glass of water): We will drink Adam’s ale.
• The Augustan age: (the period of highest purity and refinement in any national literature
so called from Emperor August, under whose rule argil and Horace wrote their immortal
works): The reign of Queen Anne is often called the Augustan age of England.
• All is grist that comes to his mill: (everything can be made useful, or be a source of
profit): You no longer have to be a member of the club to eat in the restaurant; all is
grist that comes to our mill.
• According to: (someone or something): According to our records you owe us Rs.3000/
• After all: (despite earlier problem or doubt): The rain has stopped, so the game will
go ahead after all.
• As if: (said to show that you do not believe something is possible): He wants to get
another car - as if we don’t have enough cars in the driveway already!
• As if were: (so to speak): He was, as it were, an eyesore to most members of the
family.
• At sea: (at a loss to understand): The students were all at sea and could not do full
justice to their paper in chemistry.
• An Augean Stable: (a great wrong or a serious nuisance): The metropolitan
Corporation Lahore cleaned the Augean stable by removing the cattle from the city.
• At home in: (well up): He is quite at home in English.
• At the beck and call: (under perfect control): The servant is at the beck and call of his
master.
• To hang about: (to stick around like a slave): Many a men hang about the
superintendent in Government offices
• To hold to no account: (to hold responsible): People in India brought government to
account for the occupation of Kashmir
• Advantage ground: (superiority in place or position): Once a man gets popular, he is an

advantage ground to go ahead with his schemes at quick pace.
• To act as antidote: (to neutralize): Truth acts as an antidote to falsehood.
• On the apex: (culminating point): During his last years of life Liaquat Ali Khan stood
on the apex.
• Apostle of: (advocate of): He is an apostle of truth.
B
• Back out (of): (withdraw from a promise or undertaking): You have given me your
words, now, do not back out.
• Backbone: (figuratively): Babar Azam is the backbone of Pakistan cricket team.
• To the backbone: (thoroughly, in every way): He is professional to the backbone.
• Back-date: verb (date back to a time in the past): The wage increases are to the back-
dated to January.
• Go bad: (to no longer be fresh enough to eat or drink): to become spoiled) Is the meat
still good or has it gone bad?
• Make a bee-line for: (go by the shortest way): He made a beeline for the hospital to
visit his ailing mother.
• To have a bee in one’s bonnet: (to be obsessed by an idea): He always has a bee in his
bonnet about physical fitness.
• Have one’s name bandied about: (to discuss or mention (something) in a casual or
informal way): His name is being bandied about for the post of President of the
country.
• A bar to: (figuratively barrier or obstacle): Language should not be a bar to one’s
success.
• To be-all and end–all the: (something considered to be of the utmost importance;
something essential): You should not make becoming a CSS officer the be-all and end-
all of your life.
• Bear upon: (to have an effect on): Bad health is bearing upon his academic
performance.
• To beard the lion in his den: (to attack a dangerous for much-feared person boldly in his
own quarters): Pakistan beard the lion in his den by defeating Australia in Sydney
Test.
• In all its bearings: (in all its relations and aspects): We must consider the question in
all its bearings.
• To beat about the bush: (to avoid a direct statement of what must be said): He started
beating about the bush when I asked him about his salary.
• As you make your bed, you must lie on it: (you must accept the consequences of your
deliberate actions): You have allowed protesters to enter this building. You must lie in
the bed you have made.
• Beg the question: (if a statement or situation begs the question, it causes you to ask a
particular question): The silence of Prime Minister over the corruption of his party-
men begs the question.
• To beggar description: (make words seem poor and inadequate): The beautiful valley of
Kaghan beggars description.
• To hit below the belt: (to say something that is often too personal, usually irrelevant, and
always unfair): Politicians often hit one another below the belt.
• Besetting sin: (a main or constant problem or fault): Inconsistency is a besetting sin of
the most of CSS aspirants.
• Beside the mark: (irrelevant): Beauty is beside the mark when you have relevant
skill.
• Get the better of: (overcome, defeat): Do not let shyness get better of your ability to
pass this interview.
• Beside the question: (unimportant, irrelevant): Beauty is beside the mark when you
have relevant skill.
• Beside the point: (unimportant, irrelevant all): Beauty is beside the mark when you
have relevant skill.
• See better days: (to be old and in bad condition): This shirt of yours has seen better
days. You should get a new one.
• Know better: (be wise or experienced enough to do something): You ought to know better
than to go out without an overcoat on such a cold day.
• Had better: (would find it more suitable): You had better tell him truth to be in his
good books.
• Bid fair to: (seem likely to): Mr. Umer’s organized preparation of CSS bids fair to
succeed.
• Beneath contempt: (not worthy of contempt): That sort of behavior is simply beneath
contempt.
• Once be bitten twice shy: (a person who has been cheated once is likely to be cautious
afterwards): She certainly won't marry again once bitten, twice shy.
• Blow over: (Pass by\ (of trouble) fade away without serious consequences): Do not worry.
This matter will soon blow over.
• Keep body and Soul together: (to stay alive, especially in difficult circumstances): Rehan
is keeping body and soul together by working two jobs.
• Boil down: (to reduce ultimately): His speech boils down to a plea for more money.
• Out of bounds: (outside the prescribed or conventional boundaries or limits): The ball
went out-of-bounds.
• Bound up with: (closely connected with or related to): The fate of democracy in a
country is bound up with the levels of education.
• Backstairs influence: (is influence exerted secretly and in a fashion not legitimate): The
rich use backstairs influence to get good jobs for their children.
• Bad blood: (angry and vindictive feeling): Now, there is no bad blood between Saleem
and Aslam as they have settled their issues.
• Bag and baggage: (with all one's belongings, completely): Mr. Sami left, bag and
baggage, without leaving anything behind.
• Balance of power: (a just proportion of power among the States that does not allow one
nation to preponderate so as endanger the safety or independence of another): If Russia or
Britain had been allowed to conquer Turkey, it would have disturbed the balance of
power in Europe.
• Bask in the sunshine of: (enjoy the genial influence shed by): Aslam is suceeding
because he is basking in the sunshine of his boss’ favours.
• Be carried away by: (to be so excited about something that you do not control what you say
or do): He was carried away by the excitement of his success. Hence, he did not
know what he was saying.
• Be Greek to one: (to be impossible for someone to understand): Many concepts of
International Relations are Greek to me.
• Be in a person’s good books: (be in the good graces of a person): It is really hard to be
in someone’s good books for a long-time.
• Be in bad odour: (to incur unpopularity by giving offence. III spoken of. to be the target of
another's anger or unhappiness): I am in bad odour with Arsalan because of his
insolent behavior.
• Be master of the situation: (have the situation under control): The moral victory is with
the people but the government is the master of the situation.
• To be oneself again: (to be in one’s normal state of health after illness): I am so happy to
see my mother to be herself again after three weeks.
• Be the order of the day: (something that is very common or important): On Pakistani
television channels, politics has become the order of the day.
• To bear or have a charmed life: (to escape death in almost a miraculous manner): Dr.
Omer has been attending COVID patients for two years, but he never caught the
virus. He has a charmed life.
• Bear the brunt of: (endure the main force or shock of): The poor people of Pakistan are
bearing the brunt of rising food prices.
• Bed of roses: (a place or situation that is pleasant or easy usually used in negative
statements): Farming is no bed of roses in arid regions.
• To bell the cat: (at great personal risk to render a common foe harmless for evil): Someone
has to bell the cat and tell the Chief Minister that his own administration started the
violence.
• To be beside oneself: (to be completely out of one’s wits or senses): Salman was beside
himself with sorrow over the death of his father.
• Between the devil and the deep sea: (between two menacing dangers): Since he does
not have enough money to send his children to school, he is between the devil and
deep sea about what to do.
• Black sheep: (a person who has done something bad that brings embarrassment or shame to
his or her family): Ayan Ali is the black sheep of the family because she was once
involved in money laundering.
• Blink the fact: (shut one’s eye to the fact): We should not blink the fact that foreign
loans are detrimental to Pakistan’s sovereignty.
• There is no blinking the fact: (we cannot ignore the fact): There is no blinking the fact
that the blisters on our feet are due to tight shoes.
• Blood is thicker than water: (kinship will cause a man to befriend his relatives): His
father would never disown him even though all his friends had; blood is thicker
than water.
• A bolt from the blue: (a sudden unexpected misfortune): The news of an attack on Sri
Lankan Cricket team came to us like a bolt from the blue.
• Bolt upright: (quite upright): Salma sat bolt upright as if something had frightened
her.
• A bone of contention: (something which causes a quarrel): Kashmir is the bone of
contention between India and Pakistan.
• Be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth: (be born in affluent circumstances):
Arham has never worked hard for anything because he was born with a silver spoon
in his mouth. .
• To break the ice: (to commence a conversation where there has been an awkward silence):
May joke broke the ice in the meeting.
• Bridge over: (make a passage when the way is obstructed): I think we can bridge over
this little river in a few days if we work hard..
• To bring grist to the mill: (something that can be used for a particular purpose): Now
that Ms. Gandhi is a politician, she regards his brilliant communication ability as
grist to the mill.
• A bull in a china shop: (if someone is like a bull in a china shop, they are very careless in
the way that they move or behave): As a politician, he was a bull in a china shop and
often had to apologize for his misogynistic remarks.
• A burning question: (a subject causing widespread interest): Nowadays, constitutional
reforms are a burning question in Pakistan.
• Bring a person to his knees: (force a person or an entity to submit): Frequent foreign
trips by the incumbent Prime Minister has brought the economy to its knees.
• To burn the candle at both ends: (to work or do other things from early in the morning
until late at night and so get very little rest): Ali is burning the candle at both ends to
clear CSS examination in his first attempt.
• To bury the hatchets: (to make peace): After fighting for years over a property issue,
Aslam and Ali have recently buried the hatchet.
• By fits and starts: (intermittently): Global economy is recovering in fits and starts
after the COVID pandemic.
• By leaps and bounds: (very quickly): Pakistan was progressing by leaps and bounds
in 1960’s.
• To escape by the skin, one’s teeth: (to escape very narrowly): Farhan escaped from the
secret police by the skin of his teeth.
• Once in a blue moon: (not very often, extremely seldom): My father lives in Karachi, so
I only see him once in a blue moon.
• A blue stocking: (a woman who affects literary taste): No one consider her to be a
scholar, she is merely a blue stocking.
• To burn one’s boats: (to leave no means of retreat): I think you really burned your
bridges when you announced you were quitting and proceeded to insult your boss
in front of the whole staff.
• To get at the bottom of: (to find out the truth about a thing): I want to get to the bottom
of what went wrong in our politics.
• One’s bottom dollar: (one’s last coin): I have invested my bottom dollar, so I cannot
afford any loss.
• To be at the bottom of anything: (to be the chief instigator in any affair): The desire for
money is at the bottom of much of the world's violence.
• A bear with a sore head: (a very ill tempered person): Please ignore him. He is a bear
with a sore head.
• The early bird catches worm: (the person who rises early is rewarded for his effort): You
should exploit the potential of crypto-currencies on the basis that the early bird
catches worm.
• In cold blood: (without feeling or mercy; ruthlessly): Martin Luther King was
murdered in cold blood.
• To know on which side one’s beard is buttered: (to be well aware of one’s own
interests): Do not think I am a fool I know on which side my bread is buttered.
• To look as if butter would not melt in one’s mouth: (to look unconcerned, harmless
and innocent): Mr. Sadiq may look as though butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, but I
wouldn't trust him.
• His bark is worse than his bite: (that they seem much more unpleasant or hostile than
they really are): Don't worry, Haroon's bark is worse than his bite. He's really a
friendly man when you get to know him.
• Beauty is but skin deep: (beauty is but skin deep): My mother always used to say that
beauty is only skin-deep. What is really important is the sort of person you are.
• Beauty and the beast: (a lovely woman with an ugly male companion): Rubina's
husband is ugly. They are often called a perfect manifestation of beauty and the
beasty.
• Beggars should not be choosers: (those who ask for favors should submit to the terms
imposed upon them): The countries which rely on foreign aid often make compromises
on their sovereignty because beggars should not be choosers.
• To make the best of both worlds: (a situation where one can enjoy the benefit of two
different opportunities): He wanted to become an entrepreneur but could not leave the
comforts of his job. He wanted the best of both worlds.
• Between two fires: (subject to a double attack, a position of peculiar danger in warfare):
When my father joined my mother in criticizing me, I felt like I was caught between
two fires.
• To have kissed the Blarney stone: (to have the ability to speak in a persuasive or
convincing manner): Akram so full of compliments today that he must have kissed
Blamey stone.
• Blindman’s buff: (a group game in which a blindfolded player tries to catch and identify
another player): Salman feels confused while looking for the right address. He felt he
is playing blind man's buff because everyone gave him different information.
• Blood and iron: (the use of military power rather than normal diplomatic means): America
has always been prone to using blood and iron to resole global issues.
• To make a clean breast of: (to make a full and free confession of something that has been
kept a secret): Aslam finally made a clean breast of it and admitted that he had stolen
the watch.
• To hold a brief for another: (to promote the interests or cause of): Majeed Nizami is a
credible journalist as he does not hold a brief for any political party.
• To take the bull by the horns: (to attack a formidable person in a bold and direct fashion):
Ali took the bull by horns by telling his boss that, in fact, he was to blame.
• Every bullet has its billet: (in a life threatening situation, destiny decides who will die and
who will survive): The tragic end of Benazir Bhutto proves the truth of saying: “Every
bullet has its billet“.
• Good wine needs no bush: (a good thing needs no advertisement): The latest model of
apple phone is so excellent that it needs no ad campaign, just as good wine needs no
bush.
• Behind the back: (something happening when someone is not present): I can't believe
you were gossiping about me behind my back!
• Behind the screen: (out of sight of the public at a theatre or organization): Behind the
scenes at London Zoo
• Beside oneself with: (overcome with worry, grief, or anger; distraught): She was beside
herself with rage.
• Between you and me: (in confidence): Just between you and me, he's a bit boring.
• Back out of: (withdraw from a commitment): If he backs out of the deal they'll sue him.
• Take bull by the horns: (to deal with a difficult situation in a very direct or confident
way): She decided to take the bull by the horns and try to solve the problem without
any further delay
• Burn one’s fingers: (to suffer unpleasant results of an action, especially loss of money, so
you do not want to do the same thing again): She'd invested extensively in stocks and
got her fingers burned when the market collapsed.
• Beat the air: (continue to make futile attempts, fight to no purpose): The candidates for
office were so much alike that we thought our vote amounted to beating the air.
• Blow one’s own trumpet: (talk boastfully about one's achievements): He refused to
blow his own trumpet and blushingly declined to speak.
• A beast of burden: (an animal such as a donkey or ox or elephant used for transporting
loads or doing other heavy work): A wolf killed and ate his beast of burden
• Get down to brass-tacks: (to start to discuss or consider the most important details or
facts about something): We finally got down to brass-tacks and decided to work out a
schedule for the project.
• Birds of a feather: (people of the same sort or with the same tastes and interests will be
found together): These health professionals sure were birds of a feather.
• Blackmail: (money demanded by a person or group engaged in blackmail): We do not pay
blackmail.
• Backstairs influence: (using some secret and improper influence): He did not deserve
the job, however, he got it by backstairs influence.
• Bark worse than bite: (although someone says things that sound frightening, the
person's actions will not be as severe as the things that were said): The boss seems
mean, but his bark is worse than his bite.
• To turn a man’s battery against himself:
• To have two strings in one’s bow: (more than one means of reaching an objective):
Louise hasn't heard yet, but she's got two strings to her bow—she can always appeal
to the chairman
• To kick the bucket: (die): When the old girl finally kicked the bucket there was no
mention of yours truly in the will.
• To burn one’s fingers: (to suffer unpleasant results of an action, especially loss of money,
so you do not want to do the same thing again): She'd invested extensively in stocks and
got her fingers burned when the market collapsed
• A wild goose chase: (a search expediting that can have no success): His dream of being a
movie star without good looks is akin to A wild goose chase.
• Say something with one’s tongue in one’s cheek: (to say something mockingly or
insincerely): Asif said that he was a huge fan of Hitler, although I suspect it was
tongue in cheek.
• To take a child to ban bury cross: (to swing a child up and down on one’s feet): Ride a
cock-horse to ban bury cross to see an old woman ride on a white horse with rings
her fingers and bells on her toes she shall have music wherever she goes.
• Under a cloud: (to not be trusted or popular because people think you have done something
bad): The railway minister left office under a cloud after a fraud scandal.
• To carry coals to new castles: (to take goods to a place where they are already plentiful):
To send oil to Middle Eastern countries would be like carrying coals to new castle.
• Command of: (possession and mastery): His command of Arabic language is excellent.
• Confirmed bachelor: (individuals who decided to never marry): My friend is a
confirmed bachelor; therefore, he feels shy to talk with women.
• Command over: (knowledge of a particular subject, especially the ability to speak a foreign
language): His command over Arabic language is excellent.
• At one’s command: (available for someone's use or needs): The authorities are using
every resource at their command to come out of this crisis situation.
• Clips ones wings: (to deprive ones from power): The court has clipped the powers of
chief minister.
• Compromise oneself: (bring oneself under suspicion by unwise behavior): The new
leader will compromise himself if he spends much time with the corrupt politicians.
• Consist of: (be made up of): Babar Azam's diet consists largely of eggs and vegetables.
• Consist in: (have as the chief element): The happiness of a country consists in the
prosperity of its citizens.
• To be in a tight corner: (be in an awkward or difficult situation): Currently, Pakistan is
in a tight corner financially.
• Turn the corner: (pass the critical point and start to improve): After three months of
poor sales our company has finally turned the corner.
• That cock won’t fight: (impractical policy/ scheme):
• Not cricket: (something unfair): It's just not cricket to deceive a friend.
• To call a spade a spade: (to be straightforward in the terms one uses): Rashid is not
popular in his social circle because he always calls spade a spade.
• Call in question: (to cause doubts about something): Babar Azam's cricketing talent
cannot be called in question.
• Carry all or everything before one: (to be completely successful or popular): This young
batsman has the talent to carry all before him in this T20 World Cup.
• To carry the day: (to win a victory): I hope boxer Amir Khan would carry the day in
his last fight.
• Cast in one’s teeth: (to reprimand harshly): It has often been cast in our teeth that we
Bengalis are wanting in velour and fighting capacity.
• Cast to the winds: (to discard thoroughly): The theory was cast to the winds when it
came into conflict with facts.
• Catch a tartar: (to attack or oppose someone too strong for one): While fighting with
Pakistani army the enemy realized that they had caught a tartar.
• Caviar to the general: (a good thing unappreciated by the ignorant): My novel was
caviar to the general but was much popular among those interested in science
fiction.
• A chip of the old block: (a son having the characteristics of his father): It would be
unfair to describe him as a chip off the old block because he is a far better batsman
than his father.
• A cock and bull story: (an absurd explanation or excuse): Sajid was late again. When I
asked why, she gave me some cock and bull story about protesters blocking the
door.
• Cold comfort: (something offered as comfort which not only does not soothe the sufferer but
increases the pain or produces irritation): It is cold comfort to be told that you have to
live with that disease.
• Confusion worse confounded: (complete confusion): While the coronavirus pandemic
is complicated, some people have posted fake news about it. Confusion worse
confounded.
• To cool one’s heels: (to be kept waiting): Hassan has been cooling his heels in the
doctor's waiting room for at least an hour.
• Count for nothing: (add nothing to strength or influence): Empty promises count for
nothing.
• Have the courage of one’s convictions: (to be fearless in the expressing one’s beliefs):
The leaders who have the courage of their convictions can truly lead a nation
towards a better future.
• Dutch courage: (strength or confidence gained from drinking alcohol): Robert wanted to
have some Dutch courage before facing his wife.
• Creature comforts: (material needs such as food and drink): The creature comforts of
which he is most fond are a good cigar and a cup of tea.
• Crocodile tears: (insincere or false tears): Tahir was weeping crocodile tears for the
poor because he does not care for anyone.
• Cross swords: (to have an argument or dispute): I often cross swords with Ahmar over
political matters.
• To cross the Rubicon: (to take a decisive and irrevocable step): You are crossing the
Rubicon by resigning yourself from this post.
• Keep one’s fingers crossed: (to hope strongly that something will happen): I can't do
anything until CSS result is announced but keep my fingers crossed.
• Cry in the wilderness: (a cry which no one listens to): He sought justice but it was like
a cry in the wilderness.
• The curtain drops or falls: (the end (of something) comes): The curtain finally fell on
Virat Kohli's dominance in Cricket.
• A curtain lecture: (private lecture by a wife to her husband): My boss seemed to have a
curtain lecture at home.
• To cut short: (to end (something) earlier than expected): I have to cut my speech short
for the lack of time.
• Cut short: (to end (something) earlier than expected): I have to cut my speech short for
the lack of time.
• To cut the gordian knot: (to solve a difficult problem in a quick and decisive manner): The
new government hopes that its bold new anti-inflation plan will cut the Gordian
knot.
• Cast pearls before swine: (offer valuable things to people who do not appreciate them):
I'm afraid Akram's father is casting pearls before swine with his good advice - he
won't listen.
• To be not fit to hold a candle to: (is not to be fit to be compared): Atif's latest song is
good, but it can't hold a candle to his earlier work.
• The cat is out of the bag: (the secret is known): I was trying to keep our meeting a
secret, but Salman let the cat out of the bag by sharing it on social media.
• A cat and dog life: (this term refers to a life in which partners are constantly or frequently
quarrelling): Mr. Adnan and his wife lead a cat-and-dog life. Hence their children are
suffering.
• Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion: (if one is involved with a famous or
prominent figure, one must avoid attracting negative attention or scrutiny): Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court is supposed to be like Caesar's wife, completely above
suspicion.
• Have your cake and eat it: (to have or do two good things at the same time that are
impossible to have or do at the same time): My kids want to get great grades without
studying so I have to explain that they can't have their cake and eat it too.
• To throw up one’s cards: (to cease to struggle): He perceived at once that his former
employer was right and that it only remained for him to throw up his cards.
• To put the cart before the horse: (to do things in the wrong order): The incumbent
government put the cart before the horse by investing heavily before making major
reforms.
• Care killed a cat: (too much worry leads to burden): Hassan doesn't worry too much; he
knows that "care killed a cat.
• To make a cat’s paw of: (to use a person to do dangerous, distasteful, or unlawful work):
Poor people easily become a cat's paw in the hands of the politicians.
• A cat has nine lives: (a proverb expressing the prevailing belief that it is very difficult to
kill a cat): He struggled hard, and had as they say, as many lives as a cat.
• To grin like a Cheshire cat: (to be always smiling, displaying the gums and teeth):
What’s going on with Ahsan? He’s been walking around grinning like a Chesire cat
all day.”
• To fight like Kilkenny cats: (if people fight like Kilkenny cats, they fight or disagree very
violently): When Salman called the police, those two were fighting like Kilkenny cats.
• Count not your chickens till they are hatched: (be sure that a thing is actually in your
possession before you speak of it as your or act as if it were yours): Ms. Resham wanted to
buy a dress in case someone asked her to the dance, but I told her not to count her
chickens before they hatched.
• Crow’s feet: (the wrinkles which age or trouble causes to form about the eyes): My father is
getting older as crow's feet are being formed around his eyes.
• To cry wolf: (to raise a false alarm): Don't pay attention to Mr. Kamran; he's only
crying wolf.
• To take up the cudgels on behalf of another: (to defend, show strong support for, or
argue on behalf of someone or something): Ms. Farzana Bari has taken up the cudgels for
women's rights.
• To cudgel one’s brains: (to try very hard to comprehend, solve, think of, or remember
something): I cudgeled my brains to remember his address.
• Cupboard love: (love or affection that is feigned in order to obtain something): I believe
it’s just cupboard love that holds these two people together.
• Catch napping: (find someone off guard and unprepared to respond): The goalkeeper was
caught napping by a shot from Carpenter.
• Called to the bar: (to receive admission as a lawyer (American English) or as a barrister or
solicitor): I studied law in Dublin, but I was called to the bar in London and have my
practice set up there now.
• Catch at a straw: (to be willing to try anything to improve a difficult or unsatisfactory
situation, even if it has little chance of success): She offered to take a pay cut to keep her
job, but she was just clutching at straws.
• Carry coal to New Castle: (to do something that is obviously superfluous; Newcastle is a
city in northeast England where coal is mined): “Karen wanted to give Dad a magazine
subscription for his birthday, but I said that would be like carrying coals to
Newcastle, since he already has fifteen or twenty subscriptions.
• Cold manner: (a way of behaving or speaking that does not show kindness, love, or emotion
and is not friendly): It was the coldness of her manner that struck me. Despite his
emotional coldness and vanity, he is a very interesting character
• Cross examination: (aggressive or detailed questioning of someone): She is capable of
facing tougher cross-examination in the political debates.
• Courage of conviction: (act on one's beliefs despite danger or disapproval): Lead your
own life and have the courage of your convictions.
• Curry favour: (ingratiate oneself with someone through obsequious behavior): A wimpish
attempt to curry favour with the new bosses.
• Cut off in prime: (to cause the sudden end of something, such as one's life, when one is at
the peak of their skill or physical ability, or in their most successful or productive period): It's
so tragic that cancer cut that renowned tennis player off in his prime
• Care a fig: (to not care anything at all) He doesn't care a fig about what others think.
• Chicken-hearted: (cowardly or fearful): I'm not surprised that Tom didn't come to the
rally—he's too chicken-hearted to defend his beliefs in public.
• Clip one’s wings: (prevent (someone) from acting freely; check the aspirations of): He
finally clipped the wings of his high-flying chief of staff.
• Collect oneself: (try to control your emotions and become calm): I am fine — I just need
a minute to collect myself.
• Creep up one’s sleeves:
• Creep in: (of a negative characteristic or fact) occur or develop gradually and almost
imperceptibly): Doubt has to be creeping in.
• Crow over: (exult loudly about, especially over someone’s defeat): In most sports it’s
considered bad manners to crow over your opponent.
• Cut in: (of a motor or other mechanical device): Begin operating, especially when
triggered automatically by an electrical signal): "seconds later the emergency
generators cut in.
• Cut up: (a person who is fond of making jokes or playing the fool): She insists she was
‘never a class cut-up’, but her sister was always pretty funny.
• Cut to the quick: (cause someone deep distress by a hurtful remark or action): She was cut
to the quick by his accusation.
• Cut a sorry figure: (to be ashamed): She cut a sorry figure in his maiden speech.
• The cat is out of bag: (accidentally revealing information that you weren't supposed to
reveal): Tim let the cat out of the bag about my surprise birthday party
• You can’t both have the cake and eat it:
• Casting vote: (the deciding vote cast by the presiding officer to resolve a tie): The
chairman gave his casting vote in favour.
• Close fisted man: (a miserly person): Ram is a close-fisted person as he never
participates in any occasion.
• Capital error:
• To speak by the cards: (to speak with accuracy and exactness): I always trust a man
who speaks by the card—it inspires great confidence.
• To speak with accuracy and exactness
• To cave in: (to fall down and towards the centre): The ceiling suddenly caved in on top
of them
• Clay-brained: (Doltish; stupid): Otherwise, keep your mouths shut, thou
villainous clay-brained malt-worms.
• To have cold feet: (to feel too frightened to do something that you had planned to do): I
was going to try bungee jumping, but I got cold feet.
• To tread on one’s corns: (to cause one to feel sadness or unhappiness; to offend one. Lou is
very sensitive): If you say the slightest critical word to him, he feels like you're
treading on his corns.
• To turn the corner: (to get past the most difficult area or period in something and begin to
improve): The company claims it has turned the corner and will be profitable soon
• To drive one into the corner: (to force or be forced into a difficult or unpleasant situation
that one cannot easily resolve or escape. A noun or pronoun can be used between "drive" and
"into): My boss really drove me into a corner when he asked me to fire the CEO's
daughter
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• Turn a deaf ear to: (unwilling to listen): The factory owners turned a deaf ear to the
demands of the workers.
• Distinguished for: (he is distinguished for his knowledge of economies): CSS aspirants
expects Dawn newspaper to be distinguished for its excellent written expression.
• The sword of Damocles: (something bad seems very likely to happen to you): The fear of
yet another military intervention has been hanging like the sword of Damocles over
Pakistani politics.
• Damn with faint praise: (to give praise without enthusiasm in a way that shows one really
dislikes someone or): Sir Riaz did not say that he disliked my essay, but he damned it
with faint praise.
• Dark horse: (a person who keeps their interests and ideas secret, especially someone who has
a surprising ability or skill): Pakistan Cricket team was a dark horse in 1992 World
Cup, and surprised everyone with their brilliant performances.
• The day of reckoning: (a time when the consequences of a course of mistakes or misdeeds
are felt): To sensible men, every day is a day of reckoning.
• Diametrically opposed: (entirely opposed to): The principles of democracy and
dictatorship are diametrically opposed.
• Diamond cut diamond: (a situation in which two equally cunning or devious people
interact): It was diamond cut diamond when the two Mr. Putin and Mr. Biden met
because they were so sure their own ideas were right.
• A rough diamond: (a person who is kinder and more pleasant than they seem to be from
their appearance and manner): Our new Cricket captain is skillful and intelligent but
lacks sophistication. He is a rough diamond.
• Diamond of the first water: (a man of the highest excellence): Hazrat Khawaja
Moinuddin was a diamond of the first water.
• Die-hard: (strongly devoted): I am a die-hard fan of Babar Azam.
• Die in harness: (die while engaged in one’s regular work not after retiring): My
grandfather was very hard working and brave and he died in harness.
• Din into one’s ears: (to say again and again): Our boss dined into the ears of the his
subordinates that hard work alone is the royal road to success.
• Divide and rule: (you can easily rule a people by creating a split among them): The
politics of divide and rule can be destructive for a society.
• Do up: (to fasten): Do you know how to do up your seat belt?
• Do yeoman’s service: (do good and faithful service): He performs yeoman’s service for
this institution, so he must be appreciated.
• A dog-in-the-manager policy: (one who prevents others from enjoying something despite
having no use for it): Don't be a dog in the manger; lend your car to him since you will
not go out this afternoon.
• Draw a veil: (to conceal): The new president wants to draw a veil over his extra-
marital activities.
• A drop in the ocean: (a contribution scarcely worth mentioning): Punjab government is
sending a thousand tons of food, but that is just a drop in the ocean compared to
what is needed.
• Drop in: (make a casual or informal visit to a person or place): I would be at home, drop
in anytime.
• The under-dog: (a competitor thought to have little chance of winning a fight or contest):
Afghanistan Cricket Team goes into the World Cup as the under-dogs.
• To help a lame dog over a stile: (to assist a poor fellow in a difficulty): If you advance
me some money, it would be really in like helping a lame dog over a stile.
• Let sleeping dogs lie: (not to disturb persons who may cause trouble): Mr. Sabir decided
to let sleeping dogs lie and not take his opponent to court.
• To look or speak daggers: (to speak harshly so as to hurt the listener\to gaze upon a
person with animosity): He will speak daggers to his enemy when he sees him at the
debate.
• At daggers dawn: (bitterly hostile): Pakistan and India have always been at the
daggers drawn over the issue of Kashmir.
• To have had one’s day: (is no longer useful or popular or successful): This car seems to
have had its day. You should sell it immediately.
• To get to the dogs: (to change to a much worse condition\ to go to ruin): Pakistan’s
economy is going to the dogs.
• To pay the debt of nature: (to die): He was not ready to pay his debt to nature as he
was too busy in amassing more wealth.
• To throw dust in man’s eyes: (seek to mislead or deceive someone by misrepresentation or
distraction): One day, I will get to know the reality, so do not try to throw dust in my
eyes
• To do full justice to: (to do a thing thoroughly): Words could never do justice to the
bravery of Hazrat Ali (R.A).
• Give the devil his due: (this proverb is used when you admit that someone you do not like
or admire does have some good qualities): I do not like Salman, but he is a hard worker—
I have to give the devil his due.
• Deus ex machina: (power or event that comes in the especially in a novel or play): Where,
in this case, were we to look for the deus ex machina who should play the father’s
role and sever the daughter’s chains by one happy stroke.
• To dog-ear a book: (to turn down the corners of the pages of a book so that they resemble a
dog’s ears): I really like his habit of always dog-earing the important pages of books.
• To drop off: (to fall asleep): Everyone makes fun of him, because, once, he dropped
off during an important meeting.
• Dance attendance on: (Wait on attentively and obsequiously): There's room, too, for
glossy titles dancing attendance on celebrities.
• Dead silence: (silent as the dead): At the end there was dead silence
• Dead sleep: (in a deep, immovable sleep): “You sure knew how to wake me up from
a dead sleep this morning!"
• Deadlock: (standstill): Severe economic problems worsened the political deadlock.
• Dead halt: (to make one stop or come to a complete halt immediately or very suddenly):
Normal life in the tri-state area came to a dead halt.
• Dead house: (morgue, mortuary): At ten minute intervals, live and dead house dust
mites were counted
• To go to the dogs: (to become ruined): If a country or organization is going to
the dogs, it is becoming very much less successful than it was in the past.
• Deal in: (to buy and sell (something) as a business): He deals in rare books.
• Despair of: (to lose all hope for something or someone): The shipwrecked sailors
despaired of being rescued. I have seen so much unfairness that I despair of a just
world. Advertisement.
• To be done brown: (thoroughly deceived, cheated, or fooled): He was too clever for me
and I was done brown
• Dispose of: (deal with or settle): Let's dispose of this matter once and for all.
• A dog eared book: (to fold over the corner of a page of a book to mark one's place): One
woman who had been there for 47 years had two very dog-eared birthday cards.
• A leap in the dark: (something you do without being certain what will happen as a result):
I had very little information about the company, so writing to them was a leap in the
dark.
• To dash one’s hopes: (destroy someone's plans, disappoint or disillusion): That fall
dashed her hopes of a gold medal. This term uses dash in the sense of “destroy,” a
usage surviving only in this idiom
• At dead of night: (the middle of the night, when it is very dark): I lay in my tent in the
dead of night, listening to the noises in the woods
• To descend upon: (to visit somebody/something in large numbers, sometimes
unexpectedly): Hundreds of football fans descended on the city.
• To be devoid of reason: (not having (something usual or expected): He is devoid of
(any) ambition.
• To split the difference: (take the average of two proposed amount): If you split the
difference with someone, you agree on an amount or price which is halfway
between two suggested amounts or prices.
• Between the horns of a dilemma: (to be unable to decide which of two things to do
because either could have bad results): The bird is caught on the horns of a dilemma.
• By dint of: (by means of): If you achieve a result by dint of something, you achieve it
by means of that thing.
• Note of dissent: (to differ in opinion): Three of the justices dissented from the
majority opinion.
• To keep one at a distance: (stay far away): Keep your distance from birds feeding
their young
• Unity in diversity:
• To do as Romans do:
• Donkey’s years: (a very long time): We've been close friends for donkey's years.
• Till doomsday: (forever): We'll be here till doomsday if you go blathering on.
• To play ducks and drakes: (trifle with; treat frivolously): Who is this man, to play
ducks and drakes with a scientific expedition?
E
• Eat one’s words: (take a statement back): I will make you eat your words with my
brilliant performance in the next match.
• Eat one’s heart out or eat out one’s heart: (suffer in silence\ excessive longing for
someone or something unattainable): Mr. Akmal has been eating her heart out ever
since he found out he did not succeed in CSS exam.
• Eat into: (to use or take away a large part of something valuable, such as money or time):
Responsibilities at home and work eat into his time.
• How goes the enemy? (what is the time): Time has been called enemy because it
passage shortens the span of human life.
• Explain something away: (to get rid of a blame by offering a plausible explanation): Mr.
Adnan is making up stories to explain away the missing money.
• Eat humble pie: (make a humble apology and accept humiliation): Do not boast about
your mathematic skills because you had to eat humble pie in the previous
competition.
• Elixir of life: (a hypothetical substance believed to maintain life indefinitely): This plant is
revered as an elixir of life.
• Enter the lists: (to engage in a contest, combat, or competition): Boxer Amir Khan is
entering the lists against an Australian boxer.
• The eternal city: (Rome): Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan performed in the Eternal City in
1996.
• Extenuating circumstances: (conditions that make something bad less serious): If a
taxpayer is genuinely unable to pay due to extenuating circumstances, the FBR may
decide to delay collection for a period of time.
• Eye-wash: (nonsense or something that is not true): Mr. Adnan pretends to be busy, but
it's all eyewash.
• Eye for eye: (the idea that a person who causes another person to suffer should suffer in an
equal amount): Most of the educated people don’t believe in that kind of eye for an
eye justice.
• At the eleventh hour: (at the latest possible time): Do not trust him. He has cancelled
the plan at the eleventh hour.
• See eye to eye with: (to agree with someone): Our leaders have never seen eye to eye.
• To make both ends meet: (to have enough money to buy what you need to live): It's not
easy to make ends meet viewing the rising inflation rate.
• To be at one’s wit’s end: (to be so worried, confused, or annoyed that you do not know
what to do next): I'm at my wits' end. I don't know what to do next.
• Take exception to: (to object to): You must have taken exception to his bad manners.
• To be at the end one’s tether: (a state in which one is not able to deal with a problem,
difficult situation): I’m at the end of my tether with my disobedient students.
• A bad egg: (a person who is bad, dishonest, or unreliable): You must be aware of Mr.
Adnan. He is a bad egg.
• Ex officio: (by virtue or because of an office\ as a result of one's status or position): In the
U.S., the Vice President serves ex officio as president of the Senate.
• To set by the ears: (to cause to quarrel): It was him who set the two other children by
the ears.
• Ill at ease: (to be worried and not relaxed): I often feel ill at ease watching horror
movies.
• To take effect: (to become operative\ begin to produce results): This medicine has failed
to take effect.
• To have all one’s eggs in one basket: (to risk all one’s goods in the same venture):
Pakistan should not put all its eggs in Chinese basket and should attract investment
from other countries.
• The evil eye: (a gaze or look superstitiously believed to cause harm): The old lady looked
at me with an evil eye.
• The eye of Greece: (the term refers to negative energy caused by another's jealousy): You
have to bear the consequences of the eyes of Greece.
• The thin end of the wedge: (a small change or demand likely to lead to big changes or
demands \ the beginning of a harmful development): Banning plastic bags in Islamabad
could be the thin end of the wedge - soon other cities of Pakistan would follow this
good step.
• Egg on: (to urge someone to do something that is usually negative): To egg someone on
can mean to encourage a person to do something silly
• Eke out: (to use something slowly or carefully because you only have a small amount of it):
There wasn't much food left, but we just managed to eke it out
• Elbow room: (adequate space to move or work in): A restaurant with more elbow room.
• Err on the safe side: (take a comparatively safe course of action when presented with a
choice): It is better for a doctor to err on the side of caution and follow the most
restrictive view of the law.
• Equal to the occasion: (to show that you can deal with a difficult situation successfully):
In the exam she rose to the occasion and wrote a brilliant essay.
• Within earshot: (close enough to clearly hear what someone says or does): They didn't
realize I was within earshot when they were discussing my performance in school.
• On the eve of: (immediately prior to something; just before something): He felt sick on the
eve of the race.
• To give one’s ear: (to listen carefully or pay attention to): Sorry I'm late, I had to give
my ear to Jane
• Having itching ear
• Over head and ears: (completely; wholly; hopelessly; head over heels): They were over
head and ears in debt.
• Walls have ears: (be careful what you say as people may be eavesdropping): Try to speak
quietly—the walls have ears around here.
• The early bird get the worm: (the person who takes the earliest opportunity to do
something will gain the advantage over others): She always kept her coworkers at a
distance.
• Economy of truth: (lie or deliberately withhold information): The government
spokesman was often economical with the truth.
• To make an errand: (to go out to buy or do something): After school he runs errands for
his father. Helping and co-operating.
• The evening star: (a planet (usually Venus) seen at sunset in the western sky): Light in
my heart the evening star of rest and then let the night whisper to me of love.
• The last extremity:
• To set one’s eye on: (to look at or see someone or something): Honestly, I loved my wife
the minute I set eyes on her.
• To open a person’s eye: (to make someone realize something surprising or shocking that
they had not known about or understood before): She really opened my eyes to how
stupid I'd been.6 days ago.
• To pipe one’s finger in the eye:
F
• Save one’s face: (to avoid appearing stupid or wrong): America has lost the war in
Afghanistan but it is to save face by blaming Pakistan.
• Fair play: (justice): Our leader wants to see fair play for all.
• Fair-weather friends: (a person whose friendship cannot be relied on in times of difficulty):
Mr. Adnan did not help me when I needed him. He has proven to be a fair-weather
friend.
• Fake up: (a story in order to deceive): Do not fake up false execuses, be honest with me.
• Take a fancy to: (become fond of): Mr. Jacob has taken fancy to Ms. Sonia.
• Go far towards: (help or contribute greatly to): His guidance has gone far towards
improving my CSS preparation.
• Hard and fast rules: (rules that must not be broken): There are no hard and fast rules
rather some traditional guidelines to attend a funeral.
• Play fast and loose with: (to behave in a clever and dishonest way): News channels
often play fast and loose with facts.
• Find one’s feet: (to become familiar with and confident in a new situation): He quickly
finds his feet new businesses.
• Finish off: (destroy \ to complete the last part of something that you are doing): Ali wants
to finish off his lunch before he goes to bed.
• Fish in troubled waters: (to interfere in some quarrel with the object of securing a personal
gain): The extremists were fishing in troubled waters during the political uncertainty
in the country.
• A fly in the ointment: (a minor irritation that spoils the success or enjoyment of
something): The lecture went well – the only fly in the ointment was irrelevant
questions by a group of students.
• Small fry: (people or things that are not considered to be important): In other words, the
soldiers were small fry who were obeying orders..
• Face the music: (to accept responsibility for something you have done): You were
involved in corrupt practices. Now, face the music.
• Fair and square: (honestly and according to the rules): Our political party has won the
election fair and square.
• Fair field and on favour: (equal opportunity to all): We all want fair field and no
favour in the matter of hiring new recruits.
• To fall between two stool: (to adopt two plans of action and to fail): She was likely to
fall between two stools having two lovers neither of whom was dependable.
• Fall flat: (to fail completely in attracting attention or causing interest): His lame jokes are
falling flat.
• Fall to the ground: ((of a plan, theory, etc) to be rendered invalid, esp because of lack of
necessary information): His plan to keep food prices low has fallen to the ground.
• Fan the flame: (to make a dangerous or unpleasant mood or situation worse): Donald
Trump is fanning the flames of racial hatred.
• Far and away: (by a very great amount): Babar is far and away the best batsman I have
ever seen.
• The feast of reason and the flow of soul: (an intellectual or scholarly discussion): I am
a great admirer of those gatherings where people tend to engage in the feast of
reason and the flow of soul.
• A feather in one’s cap: (an honour): The latest title is yet another feather in the cap of
the boxer Amir Khan.
• A fish out of water: (a person in very uncomfortable and uncongenial surroundings): As a
man he is most estimable, but as prime minister he is a fish out of water.
• A fourth estate: (the press): The members of the fourth estate are real protectors of
civil liberties in a country.
• French leave: (be away from job without permission): He often takes French leave
whever a meeting is called late at night.
• Few and far between: (rare, scarce): Rainy days have been few and far between this
year.
• Fight shy of: (to try to avoid something): You should not fight shy of admitting your
mistakes.
• Fight to the bitter end: (to carry on a contest until the end, perfectly heedless of the
consequences): Do not challenge him. He is the person who fights to the bitter end for
his rights.
• Flow with milk and honey: (about with the good things of life): He came to bring us
out of that land unto a land flowing with milk and honey.
• Fly in the face of: (go against, rebel against, refuse to obey): One should fly in the face of
those cultural norms that are discriminatory against women.
• To fly off or go off at a tangent: (to suddenly start talking or thinking about a completely
new subject): Please, come to the point. Do not fly off at a tangent.
• Follow suit: (to behave in the same manner): Mark Taylor invested in oil; I am also
following suit.
• Fool’s errand: (a needless or profitless effort or endeavor): It is a fool’s errand to convince
him because he has a stubborn personality.
• A fool’s paradise: (to be happy because you do not know or will not accept how bad a
situation really is): Mr. Naeem is indeed living in a fool's paradise as he always
dreams about being a billionaire in no time.
• For ever and a day: (a tediously long time): If you send this man to the market he will
be gone for every and a day.
• For love or money: (for any consideration, in any situation, no matter what happens): You
cannot buy his loyalty for love or money.
• For the life of me: (despite one's best efforts; to any degree whatsoever): I cannot for the
life of me memorize this long list of food items.
• A foregone conclusion: (a result that is obvious before it happens): Considering his poor
efforts to pass this tough exam, his failure was a forgone conclusion.
• From pillar to post: (from one position of difficulty to another): Despite running from
pillar to post, I have not been able to get my health card.
• To have one foot in the grave: (to be approaching death): Although this old man has
one foot in the grave, yet he is not ready to give up his drinking habit.
• To have a thing at one’s finger tips or finger’s ends: (to know a thing thoroughly): I
have all the information at my finger tips, so do not worry about it.
• To flog a dead horse: (waste energy on a lost cause or a situation that cannot be changed):
Spreading awareness about breast cancer in rural areas seems like flogging a dead
horse.
• To have too many irons in the fire: (to be engaged in too many activities): Your health
gradually deteriorates if you have too many irons in the fire.
• To fall upon one’s feet: (lucky and get into good situation): Mr. Arsalan has fallen on
his feet with a new job with better salary after being terminated from his previous
job.
• To play the second fiddle: (to take subordinate position \ be treated as less important
than someone or something): He is a dominating person who does not like to play
second fiddle to anyone.
• To fish for compliments: (to try to get people to say good things about you): Do not fish
for compliments. Be someone who is a perfect example of success
• To hang out the white flag: (a flag that is waved to show that you accept defeat or do not
intend to attack): Terrorist refused to hand out the white flag of surrender..
• To hang out the red flag: (to intimate danger): White is all right red is all wrong
greedn goes gently bowling along.
• To take the floor: (speak in a debate or assembly): When Arham took the floor, he
started speaking in favour of the motion.
• To show the cloven foot: (to show or display the cloven foot is to betray an evil purpose): I
cannot trust him because he once showed cloven foot to me when I needed him the
most.
• To take time or occasion by the forelock: (act quickly and decisively; not let slip an
opportunity): Don't waste a moment. Take time by the forelock and do it now.
• Ferret out: (discover information by thorough searching): I am determined to ferret out
reasons behind economic downfall of this country.
• Fight out: (fight or argue until something is decided): Political parties have been fighting
it out over the issue of election reforms.
• Frost-bitten: (destroyed): My friendship with that talkative salesman is permanently
frost-bitten.
• Fan the flame: (cause an emotion such as anger or hatred to become stronger): Instead of
being a calming force you fanned the flames of hostility.
• Feather their nest: (make money for oneself in an opportunistic or selfish way): He may
have decided to feather his nest by blackmail.
• Fight tooth and nail: (to try very hard to get something you want): We fought tooth and
nail to get the route of the new road changed
• Fly at: (attack someone verbally or physically):"Robbie flew at him, fists clenched"
• Fly off at a tangent: (to start talking about something that is only slightly or indirectly
related to the original subject): She went off on a tangent about what happened to her
last summer
• At finger tips: (especially of information) readily available; accessible): Until we have
more facts at our fingertips, there is no use in speculating.
• To pull a long face: (to assume a facial expression denoting sadness, disappointment, or
dissatisfaction): Jill pulled a long face when she got her exam results back.
• Fall back upon: (to depend on someone or something that one has kept in reserve): With all
of these medical bills, I just don't have any more money to fall back on.
• Fabian policy:
• Falling sickness: (to feel absolutely awful): Throughout her pregnancy, she felt like
death warmed up
• Fast living: (a lifestyle characterized by excitement, extravagance, and risk-taking): She has
a reputation for fast living.
• Fastman:
• Fatal blow: (a hit or impact that causes immediate death): The warrior swiftly dealt a
death blow to his adversary on the battlefield.
• Flowery style: (covered with flowers or having a floral design): A flowery meadow.
• A fly leaf:
• Forty naps: (a short sleep during the day): He usually has forty winks going home on
the train
• A freelance:
• Free port: (a port open to all traders): There is not even a single free port in Pakistan
• To pull a long face: (to look sad, glum, disapproving): She pulls a long face when her
mother scolds him
• To put on a good face: (to act as though a particular situation is not as undesirable or
grim as it really is): Although my mother tried to put a good face on her medical
situation, I knew that her health was rapidly deteriorating.
• To face the music: (to accept responsibility for something you have done): If she lied to
me, then she'll just have to face the music.
• To put a new face on: Hold on, let me put my face on before you take a photo!
• To apply makeup to one's face:
• To fall a prey: (be vulnerable to or overcome by): He would often fall prey to
melancholy
• To fall short: (fail to meet an expectation or standard): The total vote fell short of the
required two-thirds majority"
• Far cry: (very different from (something or someone): The movie is a far cry from the
book.
• Hard and fast: (of a rule or a distinction made) fixed and definitive): There are no hard
and fast rules about that.
• Show white feather: (behave in a cowardly fashion): He showed the white feather and
ordered a general retreat.
• Birds of same feather flock together: (people of the same sort or with the same tastes and
interests will be found together): These health professionals sure were birds of a
feather"
• To feather one’s own nest: (make money for oneself in an opportunistic or selfish way):
He may have decided to feather his nest by blackmail"
• To feel the pulse: (to use one's intuition to identify the current mood or feeling of a
person, group, or setting): Try to feel the pulse of the crowd.
• To look through one’s fingers: (of something important or worthwhile) be lost, especially
as a result of carelessness or lack of effort): The police let him slip through their fingers.
• To have a finger in the pie: (be involved in a matter, especially in an annoyingly
interfering way): He very much likes to have a finger in every pie.
• Food for thought: (something that warrants serious consideration): His study certainly
provides food for thought.
• Four corners of the earth: (the far ends of the world; all parts of the world): Athletes
came from the four corners of the earth to compete in the Olympics
• Fresh lease of life: (a chance to continue living or to become successful or popular
again): This medicine gives patients a new lease on life.
• In the fullness of time: after a due length of time has elapsed; eventually. "he'll tell
us in the fullness of time"
• The gift of the gab: (the ability to speak easily and confidently in a way that makes people
want to listen to you and believe you): You have got the gift of gab, you should work in
media industry.
• Gain ground: (become more popular or accepted): His idea of adopting a new
constitution could not hold ground.
• Gall and wormwood: (bitterness and resentment): He has been feeling gall and
wormwood over the thought of being mistreated.
• Game: (dodge or trick): So, that is your little game (said when one person uses a
scheme to win an advantage for himself)
• The game is up: (to tell someone that you know what their secret activities or plans are and
that these cannot continue): When the newspaper published corruption scandels of the
city mayor, the game was up for that corrupt administrator.
• The game is not worth the candle: (that something is not worth the trouble or effort
needed to achieve or obtain it): This cell phone is so old that getting it repaired is not
worth the candle.
• A good samaritan: (someone who helps people in trouble): A good samaritan offered us
some water and dates in the middle of the desert.
• Get into a scrape: (to become involved in a difficulty): I have gotton myself into a scrap
by contradicting my Boss over an unimportant issue.
• Get scent of: (start feeling that a new situation will happen): I have got the scent of an
economic turmoil three weeks ago.
• Get the upper hand: (get an advantage or superiority): I have an upper hand over
other competitors in this competition.
• Give and take: (Mutual accommodation and forbearance): One should learn to give and
take for a healthy relationship.
• Give a wide berth to: (to avoid or stay away from (someone or something)): You should
give Hania a wide birth since she is not a loyal women.
• Give oneself away: (to damage one’s cause by a slip of the tongue): The victory gives
himself away when he attempts to cross swords with such eminent civilians as sir
henry cotton and sir charles stevens.
• Give one a bit of your mind: (to speak to someone in an angry way): Traffic warden
gave him a bit of his mind when he violated the traffic rules.
• Give one the benefit of the doubt: (to take a favourable view of one’s conduct in case of
doubt): The father gave his son the benefit of doubt when he was accused of rash
driving.
• Give up the ghost: (to expire or to die): My old cell phone has finally given up the
ghost.
• Go a begging: (to be unwanted or unused): Do not let any chance go begging.

• Go all lengths: (to make a great or extreme effort to do something): I will go to all lengths
to get this job.
• Go a long way: (to be very helpful): Soft loans will go a long way in eradicating
poverty.
• Go hand in hand: (go together): Peace and Democracy go hand in hand.
• Go on all fours: (to agree or be exactly similar in all points): It is not easy to make a
simile go on all fours.
• Go to the dogs: (to change to a much worse condition): The economy of Pakistan is
going to the dogs.
• Go the whole hog: (to go to the fullest extent): I decided to go whole hog and bought
the whole apartment instead of a single room.
• Go to the wall: (fail or to be destroyed): Their plan is going to the wall because it
contains massive loopholes.
• Go to rack and ruin: (to be utterly ruined or destroyed): Your property has gone to rack
and ruin because of your neglect.
• Go without saying: (to be plainly self-evident): It goes without saying that illiteracy is
one of the primary factors behind increasing poverty.
• The Greek calends: (a time that will never come since the Greeks had no calends): If you
postpone this meeting this time round, it will happen on the Greek calends.
• A great gun: (an important, successful, or influential person): He's a great gun in the
police department; he solve every case he gets.
• For good: (forever; definitively): You would not see him again; he has left this city for
good.
• For good and all: (is similar in meaning to for good, but in a shade more forcible as
expressing greater finality): I have got rid of him for good and all.
• As good as one’s word: (reliable; truthful): You can trust him because he is as good as
his words.
• Make good: (succeed; to be successful): Humayun Saeed has made good in drama
industry.
• All his geese are swans: (to flatter, exaggerate and overstate praise, excuses, or blame):
All his geese are swans if he thinks he is going to pass the exams without having the
required qualification.
• Get about: (to be socially active; to move from place to place): Since he broke his leg, he
can't get about.
• Get round a person: (to circumvent him by deception or flatter): Many people are
getting around the boss to be in his good books.
• To give one the sack: (to dismiss a person): Mr. Adnan has just been given the sack
because of his unprofessional attitude.
• With a grain of salt: (to understand that something is likely to be untrue or incorrect): He
is a great liear you should take his story with a grain of salt.
• Take a statement etc. with a grain of salt: (to believe only a party of): He is a great liar
you should take his story with a grain of salt.
• To throw down the gauntlet or glove: (to challenge): The company threw down the
gauntlet to al the martime powers of the world.
• To take up the gauntlet or glove: (to accept a challenge): He is always ready to take
up the gauntlet against eny calamity.
• To run the gauntlet: (to have to deal with a lot of people who are criticizing or attacking
you): The Prime Minister of Pakistan has to run the gauntlet of journalists on his way
to his office.
• Those wo live in glass houses should not throw stones: (this means that you should
not criticize others people for bad qualities in their character that you have yourself): There
is an old proverb about the inexpediency of those who live in glasshouses throwing
stones.
• To worship the golden calf: (to bow down before something unworthy, typically wealth):
In this materialistic age, almost everyone tend to worship the golden calf.
• The goose the lays the golden eggs: (the source of one’s wealth or most cherished
possession): This affectionate anxiety was partly due to a certain apprehension the old
gentleman experienced when the goose that laid the golden eggs for him was out of
sight.
• To kill the goose that laid the golden eggs: (to destroy the source of one’s income or
profit): No one should kill the goose that lays golden eggs else they might be stuck in
poverty.
• Gala day: (a day of happiness): Republic Day is a gala day for whole of the Pakistan.
• Game not worth the candle: (the returns from an activity or enterprise do not warrant
the time, money or effort required): The office he is running for is so unimportant that
the game's not worth the candle.
• Garbled quotation: (confused and unclear, or giving a false idea): He left a garbled
message on my answering machine.
• To get into bad odour:
• Glance at: (immediately upon looking): She saw at a glance what had happened.
• Glance over: (to examine someone or something very quickly): I only glanced over the
papers.
• Go down: (be recorded or remembered in a particular way): His name will go down in
history"
• Go through fire and water: (to face many challenges in the process of doing or
accomplishing something): I feel like we had to go through fire and water to get here,
since all of our flights were either delayed or canceled.
• Hold good: (remain true or valid): His views still hold true today.
• Go on a fool’s errand: (trying to achieve, accomplish, or obtain something when one has
little to no chance of being successful): You're on a fool's errand if you think you can
convince the boss to give you more time off.
• Going concern: (a business that is operating and making a profit); Trying to sell the
business as a going concern.
• God’s acre: (unpunctuated): Gods acre a churchyard.
• A got up affair:
• Grapple with: (to try to deal with or understand a difficult problem or subject): Today,
many Americans are still grappling with the issue of race.
• Ready to the last gaiter button:
• To play to the gallery: (to behave in a way intended to make people admire or support
you): Politicians these days are more interested in playing to the gallery than
exercising real influence on world events.
• To play a double game:
• Between you and me and the gatepost: (used to show that what you are going to
say next is a secret): Well, between you, me and the gatepost, I heard that she's
pregnant.
• A rolling stone gathers to moss: (a person who is always travelling and changing jobs
has the advantage of having no responsibilities, but also has disadvantages such as having no
permanent place to live): He was a bit of a rolling stone before he married and settled
down.
• To get into good graces: (to come to be in one's favor; to gain or earn one's approval or
regard): I must admit, she's gotten into my good graces after everything she's done
for our family.
• To fall from grace: (a situation in which you do something that makes people in authority
stop liking you or admiring you): The finance minister's fall from grace gave his
enemies great satisfaction
• To grease one’s palm: (Give someone money in exchange for a favor; also, bribe someone):
If you want you luggage to make the plane, be sure to grease the porter's palm.
H
• Hail-fellow-well-met: (familiar, friendly): He is a hail-fellow-well-met politician who
is very popular in his area.
• Halcyon days: (days of peace and happiness): He often recalls the halcyon days of his
youth.
• Hand and glove or hand in glove: (on very intimate terms, working together): Various
gangs are working hand in glove with the police.
• The handwriting on the wall: (the sign of an approaching calamity): The chairman
should read the handwriting on the wall by resigning himself immediately.
• Harp on the same string: (to dwell on the same subject tediously): I am tired of hearing
him harp on the same string about how little money he makes.
• To have a fling at: (to try something without being very serious about it): He is having a
brief sling at teaching nowadays.
• Have a thing for the asking: (easily available): His father is rich. So he has almost
everything for the asking.
• He that runs may read: (easily understood): What we have been struck with in
Pakistan is not so much the general poverty of the country evidences of which he
that runs may read as the misuse of their wealth by our wealthy people.
• Head and shoulders: (that something is much better than others): Australian Cricket
team is head and shoulders above the rest of the teams in this world cup.
• Heat and burden of the day: (excessive toil): These employees must be rewarded as
they have been bearing the heat and burden of the day.
• Hewers of wood and drawers of water: (drudges): A nation must accord due rights
to its hewers of wood and drawers of water.
• Hide one’s light under a bushel: (keep quiet about one's talents or accomplishments):
Mr. Nadeem tends to hide his light under the bushel and seldom tells anybody that
he is an excellent writer.
• High water mark: (the most successful point of something): Shahid Afridi reached the
high water mark of his career in 2009 T20 World Cup.
• History repeats itself: (events of a similar nature are constantly): History is going to
repeat itself as another prime minister is going to resign before the completion of his
tenure.
• Hit the nail on the head: (to do or say the right thing): Listen to him carefully as he
often hit the nail on the head.
• Hobson’s choice: (no choice at all): Poor parents are faced with Hobson's choice when
it comes to the higher studies of their children.
• Hoist with one’s own petard: (destroyed by one’s own machinations framed for the
destruction of others): You should stop spreading stories about your opponents or,
sooner or later, you will be hoist with your own petard.
• To hold water: (to be valid or sound): Your argument does not hold water.
• Hold with the hare and run with the hounds: (to pay a double and deceitful game): The
US often holds with the hare and run with the hound regarding the territorial
dispute between the two nations.
• Hope against hope: (to hope even when the case is hopeless): His parents are hoping
against the hope that their son will get the job.
• Hope deferred make the heart stick: (we feel mortified at heat when the relaisation of our
hopes is put off or delayed): Mr. Adnan waited so long for the a respectable job that he
decided he would not apply anymore. Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
• Hum and haw: (hesitate; be indecisive): Mr. Ahmad hummed and hawed for months
before actually deciding to buy a new car.
• Humanly possible: (by human means): I did everything humanly possible to help
her.
• Idiomatic use of hard: (he is hard of hearing he is rather deaf): Our university is having
a hard time enrolling new students.
• Idiomatic use of high: (high living is living on rich luxurious food and drink): A high
minded man will bear adversity with patience.
• A henpecked husband: (one who is dominated by wife): Nowadays, a henpecked
husband lives a rather peaceful life.
• To husband one’s resources: (to manage one’s means with frugality): You need to
husband your financial resources.
• Hush money: (a bribe paid to secure silence): Donald Trump paid hush money to
female actresses to keep them silent over his past affairs.
• Out-Herod Herod: (to exceed in violence or extravagance): There was communal
violence and the two communities tried out herod-herod in cruelty towards each
other.
• Don’t hallo till you’re out of the wood: (to be glad or brag before you are safe from
danger or trouble): "I'm confident that the treatment will eliminate the cancer very
quickly." B: "Don't halloo till you're out of the woods, Doc. That cancer could still
spread to other parts of the body.
• To hang fire: (to delay the accomplishment): They are hanging fire by waiting for more
information.
• As mad as a march hare: (crazy): My father was as mad as a March hare when I
failed in exam.
• To die in harness: (to refuse to retire from active life): Mr. Shabir wants to retire now,
he does not want to die in harness.
• To make neither head nor tail of anything: (to be unable to understand or find meaning
in a statement or event): The president delivered a speech on Monday but the
audience could make neither head nor tail of his first lecture.
• His heart is in the right place: (used to say that someone has good intentions): Mr.
Zeeshan may look weird but his heart is in the right place
• To have one’s heart in one’s mouth: (to be very excited or nervous about something
anticipated): When the plane was about to take off, his heart was in my mouth.
• His heart sank into his boots: (he lost hope or courage): His heart sank into his boots
when I arrived at the scene of the bomb-blast.
• To be on the horns of a dilemma: (faced with a choice between things that are equally
undersirable): He is on the horns of a dilemma and does not know how to proceed
given his financial constraints and increasing expenses.
• To bring a hornet’s nest about one’s ears: (to cause a host of critiscs or enemies to rise
up against one): His criticisms of the president has brought a hornets nest about his
ears.
• As hungry as a hawk: (very hungry): I need a good meal right now because I am as
hungry as hawk.
• A hard nut to crack: (a problem which cannot be easily solved): Eradicating poverty in
Pakistan is really a hard nut to crack.
• Off-hand: (without preparation or calculation): I cannot give you a practical advice
offhand.
• Hair breadth escape: (a very small distance or amount, very close): He came within a
hair's breadth of winning the race.
• Half mast: (at a position halfway up a flagpole): After our former president died, flags
were at half-mast all across the country.
• Hall mark: (a mark put on an article to indicate origin, purity, or genuineness): The
entertainer's new book features the same kind of wry humor that is the hallmark of
his radio show.
• Hang by a thread: (to be in a very dangerous situation or state): The patient's life was
hanging by a thread.
• Hang in the balance: (in an uncertain or critical state): His survival hung in the
balance for days.
• Haunted house: (a house that is said to be visited by and/or home to ghosts or spirits):
We're going to have a séance at the haunted house down the street, to see if we can
talk to the spirits.
• Have the upper hand: (have the advantage over someone or something): He usually has
the upper hand because he's older.
• Hen-pecked husband: (browbeaten, bullied, or intimidated by one's wife, girlfriend, etc):
A henpecked husband who never dared to contradict his wife.
• Hang like a millstone round one’s neck: (to be a responsibility that is difficult to bear
and causes you trouble): The mortgage on his house had become a millstone around
his neck
• Have for the asking: (used to indicate that something is readily available for someone to
have or take): This job is hers for the asking.
• Herculean task: (requiring the great strength of a Hercules; very hard to perform):
Digging the tunnel was a herculean task
• A high flier: (someone who has a lot of ability and a strong wish to be successful and is
therefore expected to achieve a lot): High-flyers in the industry typically earn 25 percent
more than their colleagues
• High spirits: (very happy and excited): All the children were in high spirits on the last
day of school
• To hit the nail on the head: (to do or say something that is exactly right): You hit the
nail on the head with this color of wallpaper for the living room; it looks better than
I expected!
• A lucky hit:
• High time: (used to say it is time to do something that should have been done a long time
ago): It's high time we made some changes around here.
• High-handedness: (using power or authority without considering the feelings of others): A
fairly high-handed decision"
• By hook or by crook: (by any possible means): The government intends, by hook or by
crook, to hold on to the land.
• To eat a humble pie: (make a humble apology and accept humiliation): He will have to
eat humble pie at training after being sent off for punching.
• Bring home: (to make someone understand something much more clearly than they did
before, especially something unpleasant): When I saw for myself the damage that had
been caused, that really brought home to me the scale of the disaster.
• Over head and ears: (Completely; wholly; hopelessly; head over heels): They were over
head and ears in debt.
• Upto the hilt: (as much as possible; to the utmost degree): The estate was mortgaged to
the hilt.
• Halt between two opinions:
• To run with the hare and hunt with the hound: (try to remain on good terms with both
sides in a conflict or dispute): Come on, you can't run with the hare and hunt with the
hounds—pick ...
• To bury the hatched: (to agree to end the disagreement that has divided two people or
groups): After years of fighting over who should have gotten Dad's money, my
brothers finally buried the hatchet.
• To throw the hatched: (to agree to forget a quarrel and become friends again): One
employee said the two men had finally buried the hatchet after their falling-out
• Haves and have-nots: (the people who are not poor and the people who are poor): The
government's change of policy is intended to reduce the gap between the haves and
have-nots in our society
• To take to one’s heels: (to begin to run away): They took to their heels when they saw
the policeman approaching.
• At the helm of affairs: (In charge; acting as the leader of something): She is the first
woman to be at the helm of this corporation.
I
• In a nutshell: (in a small compass): In a nutshell, Kashmir is the key stumbling block
in Indo-Pak sordid ties.
• In common parlance: (in ordinary phrase): Police-related behavioral issues are known
as 'Thana culture' in Pakistan.
• In embryo: (in an incipient or undeveloped state): Democracy is still in its embryo stage
in Pakistan.
• In leading strings: (under control): The parents who like to keep their children in
leading strings often get disappointed when their children disobey them.
• In round numbers or figures: (not troubling about smaller denominations): How much
will this cell phone cost, in round numbers?
• In sack cloth and ashes: (in grief and repentance): You should wear sackcloth and
ashes and apologize for his lies.
• In season and out of season: (regardless of time or season; at all times): Inflation is
rising in season and out season in Pakistan.
• In so many words: (directly, or in a way that makes it very clear what you mean): I told
her in so many words to leave me alone.
• In the heyday of: (in the zenith of): Ben stokes retires in the heyday of his career.
• In the teeth of: (in defiance of): She succeeded in the teeth of financial constraints.
• In the throes of: (suffering the pain or agony caused in giving birth to or producing): A
large number of people in Pakistan are languishing in the throes of poverty.
• In unmeasured terms: (in immoderately strong language): I told him in unmeasured
terms that his consistent chattering is bothering me.
• The irony of fate: (the curious providence which brings about the most unlikely events):
By a strange irony of fate all members of the Bhutto dynasty faced unnatural death.
• It is an ill wind that blows nobody good: (few events are misfortunes to everyone
concerned): It is an ill wind that blows nobody good.
• It is a thousand pities: (it is very much to be regretted): It is a thousand pities that
teachers are not given due respect in our society.
• It never rains but it pours: (misfortunes or difficult situations tend to follow each other in
rapid succession or to arrive all at the same time): Pakistani Cricket team not only lost
the game but three of its best players were injured in the final. It never rains but it
pours.
• In a jiffy: (without any delay): Please wait for me: I will be ready in a jiffy.
• In a fix: (in a difficult or embarrassing situation, in a dilemma): He always seek my
advice whenever he is in a fix
• To strike when the iron is hot: (to act at the opportune moment): You are a very smart
businessman as you always strike when the iron is hot.
• An itching palm: (an avaricious disposition): Officers of this particular department

have itchy palms.
• To travel incognito: (to travel under an assumed name): Spies often travel incognito.
• An iron will: (a will not easily bent): Quaid-e-Azam had an iron will to change the
fate of Indian Muslims.
• In hot water: (in trouble or disgrace): He landed in hot water for an alleged V-sign to
the fans.
• Infer from: (to reach a conclusion from something; to deduce facts from something, such as
someone's words, a situation, etc): What can we infer from the experience we have just
had?
• Inflict on: (to force someone to experience something very unpleasant): These new bullets
are capable of inflicting massive injuries.
• Ins and outs: (the details about how something works or is done): I'm still learning all the
ins and outs of American politics.
• In hand: (now being dealt with, thought about, discussed, etc): Let's stop talking about
other subjects and get back to the matter in hand.
• In so far as: (to such an extent that; to the degree that): In so far as money is concerned,
our project will be completely funded by private donations.
• Back-door influence: (a secret, furtive, or illicit manner): The business has a backdoor
through which the board of directors can access slush fund money.
J
• A jack of all trades: (commonly a jack of all trades is not expert in any): I am very glad
that my son is a Jack of all trades; it saved us a lot of money when it came to
renovating our house.
• Jedwood justice: (hanging the criminal first and trying him afterwards): Nations are
fated to be ruined if Jedwood Justice is practised there.
• A jobs’s comforter: (a person who aggravates distress under the guise of giving comfort):
“I told you so, I told you so! Is the croak of a true job’s comforter.”
• John Bull: (a representative Englishman): We dare say, impartial, fair-minded, honest
John Bull will not view his action with approbation.
• Join hands with: (be united with): When justice joins hands with good governance,
economic stability is certain.
• Jump to the conclusion: (to rush to a conclusion hurriedly and without due
consideration): You (all) jump to conclusions when anger makes you think unclearly.
• Jack o’lantern or a jack with a lantern: (any delusive ideal that leads one astray): He
was a complete jack o’ lantern—here, and there, and everywhere.
• Jonah’s gourd: (a phrase applied to what grows in a night and withers with equal rapidity):
The party in power, like Jonah's gourd, grew up quickly, and will quickly fall.
• A jaundiced eye: (a negative view or opinion prejudiced by past experiences): I used to
think that Chris was a good kid, but ever since I overheard him bragging about
cheating on an exam, I've seen him with a jaundiced eye.
• Jeer at: (to mock, taunt, or scoff at someone or something): Everyone in school jeered at
me for wearing a pink sweater.
• Jedwood justice: (putting an obnoxious person to death first, and trying him afterwards):
True Jedwood justice was dealt out to him.
• Jog off: (to move away suddenly on foot; run away): The scarecrow frightened the
approaching children and they ran off.
K
• Keep (hold) somebody or something at bay: (at a distance): I keep pessimist people
at bay because they ruin my confidence.
• Keep one’s own counsel: (to preserve a discreet silence): I'd love to know what Mr.
Jamal thinks, but he always keeps his own counsel.
• Keep one’s head above water: (to avoid financial failure while having money problems):
It is really difficult to keep one's head above water in the face of rising inflation.
• Keep the wolf from the door: (have enough money to avert hunger or starvation): I am
making enough money to keep the wolf from the door.
• Kick the beam: (to be deficient in weight or importance): The evil has eclipsed the good,
and the scale. Which before rested solidly on the ground, now kicks the beam.
• To knock on the head: (to destroy): The closing of the airport knocked our holiday
plans on the head.
• Kick the bucket: (die): The old man kicked the bucket, a few hours ago.
• To kick up a row or a shandy: (to cause a disturbance): Students kicked up a row after
their teacher left the class.
• To keep to oneself: (avoid contact with others): Mr. Salman is a shy student who keeps
himself to himself.
• Keep at bay: (prevent (someone or something) from approaching or having an effect):
Drugs were keeping severe pain at bay"
• Knock the bottom out of: (cause (something) to collapse or fail suddenly): A shortfall in
supplies would knock the bottom out of the engineering industry.
• Knock about: (travel without a specific purpose): For a couple of years she and I
knocked around the Mediterranean.
• A knowing look: (having knowledge or information): The doctor gave the officer a
knowing look, and I thought, Hey, no flirting with my cop.
• Keep one’s head: (remain calm): He takes chances but keeps his head.
• To keep body and soul together: (stay alive, especially in difficult circumstances): Do
you think a man can keep body and soul together by selling coconuts?"
L
• The last straw: (that which finally causes a catastrophe): Hajj corruption scandal was
the last straw for the failing government.
• Laughing stock: (an object or ridicule and mockery): Mr. Farhan is a laughing stock of
his class.
• Laugh in one’s sleeve: (laught to oneself): When My father was insulting me, my
friends were laughing in their sleeves.
• Laugh to scorn: (to treat with mockery): My empathy was laughed to scorn.
• A law of the medes and persians: (an unalterable law): Dictators usually do not
prefer law of medes and persians because they mould laws for their own interests.
• To lay one’s finger on: (to harm someone, to touch someone): Police officer promised
not to lay finger on that innocent boy.
• Lay the axe to the root of: (to destroy completely): The government should lay axe to
the root of corruption to ensure good governance.
• To lay a flattering unction to one's soul: (to soothe oneself with a pleasant fancy): Do
not lay a falttering unction to his soul by telling him that he will have a landslide
victory in this election.
• Leading question: (a question so worded as to suggest an answer): The judge told the
counsel not to ask the witness leading questions.
• Leave no stone unturned: (to take every possible means towards gaining an object): He
will leave no stone unturned to please his boss.
• To leave in the lurch: (to abandon): I will never forget Mr. Sharma because he left me
in the lurch.
• To let the cat out of the bag: (to disclose a secret): I was trying to keep our marriage a
secret but my wife let the cat out of the bag.
• Let the grass grow under one’s feet: (to wait before doing something or to do something
slowly): He often lets the gross grow under his feet and misses out on a lot of
opportunities.
• Lick into shape: (to give form or method to a person or thing): You should lick your
work into shape and have ample time for sleep and leisure activities.
• Let a person strew in his own juice: (do nothing to help him when he is in trouble for
which he is himself responsible): Let the dishonest politicians stew in their own juice
because they deserve to face the consequences of their malpractices.
• Light-fingered gentry: (thieves): Some big men have been among the victims of the
light-fingered gentry.
• The Lion’s share: (the larger part): Government officials get the lion’s share of these
honours.
• A little bird whispered it to me or told me: (I have heard something from a source
which I do not want to disclose): A little bird whispered to me that the Governor is
exceedingly annoyed at the apparent apathy of the Police in this matter.
• Live from hand to mouth: (to live without making any provision for the morrow): Our
middle class people live generally from hand to mouth.
• The loaves and fishes: (the actual profits): Thenceforward he was rich and
independent and spared the temptation of playing the political game with any
pressing regard to the loaves and fishes of office.
• Look a gift horse in the mouth: (examine a present too critically): It is universally
admitted that we should not look a gift-horse in the mouth.
• Look askance: (to look at something with suspicion or disdain): He looked askance on
my proposal.
• Lynch law: (): There is nothing so dangerous to human society as the reign of lynch
law.
• To read between the lines: (to see a writer’s concealed meaning): He has not enough
experience to read between the lines of the bible to discern where he ought to rest
his whole weight and where he ought to pass lightly.
• To lend countenance to: (to support): No sensible man lends countenance to his
foolish theory.
• To lose ground: (to grow less popular or acceptable): The belief in the existence of
ghosts is fast losing ground.
• There is no love lost between them: (they are not on good terms): These two neighbors
do not quarrel openly, but certainly there is no love lost between them.
• To lead by the nose: (to dominate a person in such a way as to fully control him): He is a
hen-pecked husband and is led by the nose by his wife.
• To pay lip service to: (to pretend to be faithful): None was sincere to the new king
everyone paid lip-service to him.
• A left handed compliment: (a saying which, though apparently mean to flatter, really
depreciates): He paid me a left-handed compliment with his unpunctuated speech,
fishy eyes and immovable face.
• On its last legs: (about to perish): If Lord Randolph Churchill holds to his
condemnation, the London coal tax must be on its lasts legs.
• Leather and Prunella or Prunello: (what is on the exterior): The rest is all but leather
or prunello.
• To lick the spittle of: (to crouch before): To lick a rascal statesman’s spittle.
• To lock the stable-door after the steed in stolen: (to take precautions too late, when the
mischief is done):
• Live for: (to devote one’s life to): I live for those who love me.
• Look down on or upon: (treat with indifference or contempt): He is so proud of his
promotion that he looks down upon all his former friends.
• A laconic speech: (a short pithy speech): The laconic speech he made on the occasion
fell flat on the audience.
• Let down: (to fail a friend): I thought I could rely on him, but he let me down.
• Look into: (to examine or inspect closely): When we, look into the works of nature, we
find marvelous evidences of skill and design.
• Look to: (resort to in the hope of obtaining something): Look god in all your perplexities.
• Let by gones be by gones: (to let things that are past remain forgotten): It is a pity that
let by gones be by-gones could not be applicable to the fate of poor tess.
• To live fast: (to indulge every appetite): He who lives fast dies soon.
• To be at a loss: (to be unable to decide): He is never at a loss for an appropriate word.
• To be lost or dead to all feelings: (to be so callous as to be past feelings): I once heard of
a youth who was so dead to right feelings that he would not pay for the medicine for
his sick father.
• Labour under: (carry a very heavy load with difficulty): Two servants appeared,
labouring under the weight of a kitchen table.
• Lame duck: (an ineffectual or unsuccessful person or thing): Not that long ago, the bank
was regarded as a lame duck.
• Lock stock and barrel: (including everything; completely): The place is owned lock,
stock, and barrel by an oil company.
• Under lock and key: (securely locked up): The rifle was stored under lock and key"
• Led by the nose: (control someone totally, especially by deceiving them): The government
has been led by the nose by the timber trade so that it suppressed the report.
• Lose sight of: (be no longer able to see): When night fell, the crew lost sight of the
strange monster.
• Long and short of a thing: (used when making a statement that is brief and that tells
someone only the most important parts of something): I could give you a lot of reasons
for my decision, but the long and short of it is that I just don't want to go.
• At logger heads: (in violent dispute or disagreement): Councillors were at loggerheads
with the government over the grant allocation"
• Let someone off: (punish someone lightly or not at all for a misdemeanour or offence): He
was let off with a caution.
• Lose one’s head: (lose self-control; panic). He lost his head and said some things he
regrets.
• To meet someone half way: (make a compromise with someone): I am prepared to meet
him halfway by paying him a further £25,000.
• To look down upon: (to regard oneself as superior to someone or something and thus act
in a haughty or snobbish manner). The well-dressed businessman looked down upon
the kid wearing a T-shirt in the elevator, not knowing that he was the new CEO.
• To let down: (To fail or disappoint someone; to neglect or be unable to do what was wanted,
required, or promised to someone): Dad said he'd be here to watch my baseball game,
but he let me down again.
• Let by-gones by by-gones: (to forgive someone for something done or for a disagreement
and to forget about it): I know we've had our fights over the years, but I think it's time
we let bygones be bygones.
• Lack luster: (lacking in vitality, force, or conviction; uninspired or uninspiring): No
excuses were made for the team's lacklustre performance"
• In letter and spirit: (understanding the real intent and heart/spirit of what has been said or
written): The law runs against Mercosur's letter and spirit, said the government.
• To place one’s head in the lions mouth: (to deliberately place yourself in a dangerous or
difficult situation): Put your head into the lion's mouth and just say `I don't know
what the hell is going on. '
• To grid up one’s lions: to get ready, especially for hard work; to prepare oneself (for
something): Well, I guess I had better gird up my loins and go to work.
M
• To make a mountain out of a mole-hill: (to cause something unimportant to seem
important): People often make a mountain out of a mole-hill and then pay a price.
• Make an appointment: (make an arrangement for a meeting): My responsibility is
writing policy and making appointments.
• Make mince-meat of: (to destroy, ruin, or defeat (someone or something) in a very
thorough and complete way): My lawyer will make mincemeat of them in the Supreme
court.
• Make no secret of: (not to conceal): India makes no secret of its evil designs when it
comes to Pakistan.
• Make one’s hair stand on end: (to cause fright or terror in someone): Watching
wrestling often makes one's hair stand on end.
• Make one’s mark: (to distinguish oneself): Babar Azam has made his mark in the
world cricket.
• Make out a case: (to establish by evidence or argument a cause which is under trial or
discussion): I have made a strong case for him to be expelled owing to hid
unprofessional attitude.
• Make short work of: (consume or destroy quickly): They are making short work of the
available food.
• Make the mouth water: (to arouse in any one a strong desire or a longing for a thing):
The smell of Biryani is making my mouth water.
• Make up leeway: (to make up for lost time): He is far behind in the race so it is difficult
for him to make up the leeway.
• Man in the street: (any person taken at random): Our politicians must know the
problems of the man in the street.
• Man of straw: (someone who has a weak character): A nation's leaders should not be a
man of straw.
• Mark time: (to make no progress): He is just marking time before his final exams.
• The masses: (the great body of common people): A leader should always strive to be
popular among the masses.
• A means to an end: (a means to gain some object): Having a good job should be a
means to an end, not an end in itself.
• Microscopic minority: (extremely small minority): Hindus are a microscopic minority
in Pakistan.
• The milk of human kindness: (softness of heart): He is a cruel dictator. There is no
milk of human kindness in him.
• A moral certainty: (a likelihood so great as to be safely acted upon): It is a moral certainty
that an educated mother will bring up efficient children.
• Moral victory: (a defeat which, on account of it moral influence is equivalent to a victory):
Keeping silent when he was abusing you is a moral victory of yours.
• More honoured in the breach than in the observance: (the expression is used in
condemnation of rule or custom): The custom of giving dowry to the bride is more
honoured in the breach than in the observance.
• More is meant than meets the eye or ear: (more is implied than expressed): There was
more in his speech than meets the ear.
• Move heaven and earth: (to use every possible means): I have moved heaven and earth
to pass CSS exam.
• Munroe doctrine: ( ): It is a great tribute to the diplomatic skill of sir Winston
Churchill that he secured the active support of the United States of American in the
second World war in spite of Munroe’s doctrine.
• Maiden speech: (first speech): He won many hearts in his maidan speech in the
British parliament.
• To make for: (to go directly towards someone or something): Mr. Akram makes for the
main bazar.
• A man of the world: (a man whose interests lie in worldly things): He is a man of the
world with great knowledge of music and poetry.
• Mealy mouthed: (soft spoken): Mealy mouthed employees usually remain in the
good books of their boss.
• The missing link: (something that is necessary to complete a series or solve a problem): We
should find the missing link, otherwise, the whole story is just nonsense.
• A molly-coddle: (a pampered or effeminate person): Molly-coddles usually remain
unsuccessful in their practical lives.
• To make amends: (to compensate for damage, injury or insult): You should make
amends and apologize to him for your insolent behavior.
• On the spur of the moment: (something done without planning): I made my mind on
the spur of the moment and bought that cell phone.
• To make hay while the sun shines: (to make the best use of a favorable opportunity): He
purchases land from those in need of money as he believed in making hay while the
sun shines.
• To take the words out of someone's mouth: (to anticipate a person when he is going to
say something): You took the words out of my mouth__ I think he is a great actor, too.
• To make ducks and drakes of: (to squander): Do not make ducks and drakes of your
salary.
• A mare’s nest: (an unfounded theory, an illusory discovery): Mr. Rashid claims that he
has invented a car that uses water to run but it turns out to be a mare's nest.
• A man of letters: (is a man thoroughly acquainted with literature): He is a man of letters
with no interest in Mathematics.
• To make peace: (to reconcile): You should try to make peace with your disgruntled
father.
• To make free: (to use without setting a limit): I must condemn your habit of making
free with other people's cars.
• All moonshine: (when it is said of a statement that it is all moonshine the meaning is, that
the statement is foolish, idle, untrue, statement): The promises made by our political
leaders are all moonshine.
• Maid of hounour: (an unmarried woman who attends the bride at a wedding): Barbara
Bush, Jenna's twin, is the maid of honor.
• A man of parts: (a man with great ability in many different areas): He was a man of
many parts—a painter, Egyptologist, and biographer.
• A man of spirit:
• Make mountain of a mole hill: (to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem):
You're making a mountain out of a molehill.
• Make virtue of a necessity: (to benefit from something that one is forced to do): When he
lost his driver's license, he made a virtue out of necessity and got in shape by riding
his bike to work.
• Make mince meat of: (to destroy, ruin, or defeat (someone or something) in a very
thorough and complete way): Last year's champions have been making mincemeat of
the competition again this year.
• Make hair stand on end: (to cause fright or terror in someone): Just hearing his voice
makes my hair stand on end.
• Make a mark: (attain recognition or distinction): It took four years of struggle before
we managed to make our mark.
• Mealy mouthed fellow: (Hesitant or unwilling to state something bluntly and directly
when speaking, especially facts or opinions that are considered divisive or controversial):
Everyone keeps having these mealy-mouthed conversations about crime in poor
areas of the city, unwilling to talk about the scumbags who are to blame.
• Meddle with: (to get involved with something that is someone else's business): Don't
meddle in her personal life.
• With might and main: (with all one's strength or power): Everybody rowed with might
and main and soon we got into the safe waters.
• Milky way: The Milky Way is the pale strip of light consisting of many stars that
you can see stretched across the sky at night.
• Time out of mind: (a time in the past that was so long ago that people have no knowledge
or memory of it): From time out of mind, a wooden bridge connected the two peoples.
• Make amends for: (compensate or make up for a wrongdoing): Try to make amends
for the rude way you spoke to Lucy.
• Mote in the eye: (a minor fault in a person observed by someone who ignores a greater fault
in themselves): Before the Minister takes the mote out of Europe's eye, should not he
take the beam out of his own?"
• Make a scapegoat of: (someone is being made to take the blame for something): They
made Jennifer the scapegoat, but it wasn't all her fault.
• Many men, many winds:
• A man of mark:
N
• Nail to the counter: (to expose publicly as false): His lie would be nailed to the counter
very soon.
• Neck and neck: (side by side): They are neck to neck in this presidential elections.
• Neck and naught: (risking everything): It was his last fight so his performance was
neck or naught.
• Neither extenuate nor set down aught in malice: (): He would speak without anger,
but with truth, as far as he knows it, neither extenuating or setting down aught in
malice.
• Neither fish, nor flesh: (something difficult to classify): Recent steps of the
government are neither fish nor flesh in terms of Economics.
• A nest egg: (something laid by as the beginning of a fund or collection): Good primary
education is a nice nest egg for the future of children.
• A nine day’s wonder: (something the charm of which wears out very soon): Popularity of
Tiktok stars usually proves to be a nine days wonder.
• Nip in the bud: (to destroy at the very beginning): Extremism should be nipped in the
bud.
• No-man’s land: (unowned land): Now it is a no man's land where once the Indus
civilization thrived.
• Nothing short of: (nothing less than): It is nothing short of a miracle to see him after
so many years.
• No second opinion: (no difference of opinion): There is no second opinion that political
stability is crucial for economic stability.
• Now or never: (if the present opportunity is missed, another will never occur): I think it is
now or never for our government to improve its ties with India.
• To poke your nose into someone’s business: (to interfere with the affairs of other
people): It is really a bad habit to poke your nose into other people's business.
• Neck or nothing: (to take every risk): It was his last fight so his performance was neck
or nothing.
• To call a person names: (to speak disrespectfully to a person): I will punish you if you
call me names again.
• To take or catch one napping: (to find him unprepared): The government was caught
napping when floods came.
• Ne plus ultra: (the best or most excellent example of something): This song is ne plus
ultra of Atif Aslam's career.
• Neat as a pin: (very neat and tidy): He likes to keep his room as neet as pin.
• To turn up one’s nose to spite one’s face: (to act from anger in such a way as to injure
oneself): If you refuse to study just because she has got the first position, you will be
cutting off your nose to spite your face.
• To cut off one’s nose to spite one’s face: (to act from anger in such a way as to injure
oneself): If you refue to go because you are angry with me, you will be cutting off
your nose to spite your face.
• Under one’s nose: (close to one): Mr. Ahmad is looking for his cell phone all morning
but it is right under his nose the whole time.
• To pay through the nose: (to pay an extravagant price): You should work hard as your
parents are paying through the nose for your studies.
• Null and void: (of no effect): The election should be declared null and void.
• To be a nobody: (is to be a person of no importance): He is a nobody in his business, it
is his wife who handles everything.
• To number one’s days: (to consider one’s ultimate end): The days of this government is
numbered. We should prepare for the next election.
• Naked eye: (unassisted vision, without a telescope, microscope, or other device): Through
his telescope Galileo observed myriads of stars invisible to the naked eye.
• Narrow escape: (a situation in which an accident or other unfortunate incident is only just
avoided): Passengers had a narrow escape when a mid-air collision was averted after
an air force fighter jet came dangerously close.
• No two opinions: (used to convey that there can be no doubt about something): There's no
two ways about it, it's marked us for life.
• Not worth the salt: (good or competent at the job or profession specified): Any astrologer
worth her salt would have predicted this.
• To catch napping: (find someone off guard and unprepared to respond): The goalkeeper
was caught napping by a shot from Carpenter.
• Hornet’s nest: (a very difficult or unpleasant situation, especially in which a lot of people
get very angry and complain): His remarks about the lack of good women tennis
players stirred up a (real) hornet's nest.
O
• The observed of all observers: (one who draws all eyes on him): Shahid Afridi was
observed of all observers in the heyday of his career.
• Of the first water: (of the highest excellence): Savour Foods is renowned for serving
food of the first water.
• Off and on: (at intervals): He works off and on on a petrol station.
• The old Adam: (the evil nature within a man): One should not succumb to the old
Adam.
• Old head on young shoulders: (the wisdom of old age in the possession of a young
person): Mr. Saleem seems like an old head on young shoulders since he is always
giving suggestions to thers
• On its merits: (considering its strong and weak points): You should judge the
contestants on their merits.
• On paper: (in writing but having no value): Indian team looks very strong on paper
but in reality they are an easy opposition.
• On tenterhooks: (in a state of anxious suspense): He was on tenterhooks, waiting for
my phone call.
• On the face of it: (apparently): On the face of it, his suggestion is quite practical.
• On the sly: (in a secret manner): He is meeting with a criminal on the sly.
• On the tiptoe of expectation: (in eager expectation): I am on the tiptoe of expectation
for this result.
• Once for all or once and for all: (finally): You should distance yourself from that
annoying friend of yours once and for all.
• Once in a way: (very rarely): I am not a regular smoker. I smoke once in a while.
• One good turn deserves another: (good acts should be requited): If he does me a
favour, I should do him a favour. One good turn deserves another.
• One man’s difficulty is another man’s opportunity: (one man's loss is another man's
gain): When he needed money the most, his boss approved his loan against his new
car__ one man's difficulty is another man's opportunity.
• One’s flesh and blood: (one’s blood relations): I could not send my son to the war as
he is my own flesh and blood.
• One touch of nature makes the whole world kin: (fellow-feeling, one touch of which
makes us all brothers): Music is one of those touches of nature that make the whole
world kin.
• Open one’s purse-strings: (to make contributions in money): We hope you will open
your purse-str.
• An open question: (a question which is still open to discussion): Which road is better to
travel is still an open question.
• An open secret: (a piece of information not formally declared, yet known to everyone): This
is an open secret that this couple is now officially separated.
• Open sesame: (the door of the robber’s cave opened): A computer degree, nowadays,
has become an open sesame to a job in almost any field.
• An ornamental figurehead: (a gaudy but useless figure): The president of Pakistan is
an ornamental figurehead.
• Out of all proportion: (unequal in amount or degree): The appreciation that he
received was out of all proportions.
• Out of character: (unsuitable): He is a calm fellow. His anger is surely out of
character.
• Out of joint: (in disorder and confusion): He is out of joint nowadays because of bad
work hours.
• Out of the frying pan into the fire: (from a bad position into a worse): The moment I
apologized my teacher started yelling at me. I was like out of the frying pan into the
fire.
• Out of the wood: (escape from a difficulty or danger): Pakistan's economy is not out of
the woods yet.
• To strike oil: (to suddenly become successful in finding or doing something): I have struck
oil in food industry with my new investment.
• To hold out the olive branch: (to make offer of peace): Despite having a smaller
military force, Ukraine is not holding out the olive branch in its war with Russia.
• Once and again: (often): His boss has warned him once and again for his insolent
behavior with customers.
• With open arms: (gladly): Indian Sikhs are usually welcomed open arms when they
visit Pakistan.
• Open as the day: (utterly without deception or hypocrisy): Indian hypocrisy is open as
the day when it comes to treating with religious minorities.
• To gather orange blossoms: (to seek a wife): He has gone gathering orange blossoms
late in his life.
• A sucked orange: (a man whose powers are exhausted): He has become a sucked orange
after working for 18 hours without any interruption.
• Out of the way: (completed, (of a place) remote or seclude): Political stability will return
in our country once the election is out of the way.
• Out of sorts: (indisposed, slightly unwell): He is feeling out of sorts after such a long
lecture.
• Out of the question: (impracticable): His arrival is out of question as he is abroad
now.
• Over and above: (in addition to): Our company need some more investment over and
above what we currently have.
• “Be off”: (to leave, to start going): If you want to meet him, you should be off right
now.
• To be off: (means not working): You should turn off the TV before going to school.
• To be on: (his cap was on and his shoes were off): The concert will be on at 8 o’ clock.
• To be all over: (to go abroad through): The story was all over the town in half an hour.
• To be over: (to come to an end): Be ready for bad days. Good days are over now.
• It is all over with someone: (something is completely defunct, defeated, closed, finished or
dead): The doctor has told my father that it is all over for my mother.
• An oily tongue: (a flattering tongue): An employee who has an oily tongue often wins
the favours of his or her boss.
• An open book: (without any secrecy or attempt at concealment): I have nothing to hide.
I am an open book.
• An open mind: (a mind not yet made up): I am keeping an open mind about him until
the court decides.
• An open verdict: (a legal decision that records a death but does not state its cause): Lack of
evidence forced the court to write an open verdict.
• Over again: (another time): If you do not get an appointment of that doctor you have
to go there over again.
• Order of the Garter:
• On the tip-toe: (Eagerly anticipating something, as in): The children were on tiptoe
before the birthday party.
• Out at elbows: (Wearing clothes that are worn out or torn; poor): When we last saw Phil
he was out at the elbows.
• Out and out: (complete or in every way; used to emphasize an unpleasant quality of a
person or thing): That's an out-and-out lie.
• Over and over again: (again and again): Doing the same thing over and over again.
• Out of sight, out of mind: (you soon forget people or things that are no longer visible or
present): He'll be locked away for the rest of his life—out of sight, out of mind.
• Take one’s time: (not hurry): Take your time if you're planning a big job.
• Olive branch: (an offer of reconciliation): The government is holding out an olive
branch to the demonstrators"
• Out of sorts: (slightly unwell): She's been feeling nauseous and generally out of sorts.
• All over with him: (something is completely defunct, defeated, closed, finished, or dead):
The cancer proved too aggressive; it's all over with for me now.
P
• A packed jury or commission: (a jury or commission filled up with persons of a
particular kind for one’s own purposes): Dictators often prefer a packed jury to get
favorable judgments.
• Pale before: (to wane or face in the presence of or by reason of): Virat Kohli's
performance pales before that of Babar Azam's.
• Cast a pall upon: (to spoil something): The news of Pakistan's defeat casts a pall upon
my birthday celebrations.
• Palm off anything upon one: (to pass anything unde false pretences): He manufactures
fake Rolex watches and then palm them off as genuine.
• Pander to: (to act as an agent in gratifying the lust of others): This newspaper panders to
the narrative of a political party.
• A parthian shaft: (a last shot): Her pupil rushed after her, giving, upon her own
account, a parthian glance of wrath and indignation around the circle.
• Pass current: (to be regarded as real or authentic): Secular views cannot pass current in
traditional societies.
• Pass muster: (be accepted as adequate or satisfactory): Your documents will not pass
muster on the interview day.
• Pass round the hat: (to try to collect money by asking organizations or people): People are
eagerly passing the hat round to help build a cancer hospital.
• A passage of arms: (a dispute, a quarrel): It is the passage of arms that unveils your
personality.
• Past master: (an old hand): He is a past master at making up stories.
• The patience of Job: (very great patience): He has a patience of job when dealing with
customers.
• Pay the piper: (to pay the consequences for one's own actions): When his business
partners refused to pay the piper, he devised a plan to damage their reputation.
• Pay one’s way: (to meet one’s own expenses): He is paying his own way by doing a job
while preparing for CSS.
• Penny dreadful: (a cheap novel or story or book of violent adventure): Nowadays penni
dreadful type of stories are not much admired by the readers.
• Petticoat government: (the rule of women): He is fond of living under a petticoat
government.
• Physician heal thyself: (reform your own conduct according to your teaching before you
pose yourself as a reformer): Mr. Arham says that he can do the job better in spite of
having little experience, he was told Physician, heal thyself by his boss.
• To pick a hole in one’s coat: (to find fault with him): He is unpopular in his social
circle because he is always picking holes in the coats of others.
• A pick me up: (something that makes you feel better often a drink or a tonic): Pakistani
people have tea as a morning pick-me-up.
• Pick one’s way: (to proceed cautiously): Pick your way with extreme caution when
you are crossing a jungle.
• Pick up: (lift, take up, raise): This bus picks the children up from school.
• To pin one’s faith upon: (to believe explicitly in): The ones who pin their faith upon
hard work often succeed in every sphere of life.
• A pious fraud: (a fraud in religion or medicine): Illiteracy among the masses is the key
cause behind the abundance of pious frauds in Pakistan.
• Plain sailing: (easy and simple course): It takes a lot to pass the CSS exam. It, surely, is
not plain sailing..
• To plug the loopholes: (to stop effectively): The Protesters are urging government to
plug loopholes in pro-women legislations.
• Play into a person’s hands: (to act as to be of advantage to another): You are playing
into your enemy's hands by being not reporting to police.
• Poor as a church-mouse: (very poor): We should help him because he is as poor as a
church mouse.
• Possession is nine points or nine tenths of the law: (to actual possession of the
disputed property): Mr. Danial says that the old house rightfully belongs to him, but
possession is nine-tenths of the law.
• A prima facie case: (seems plausible and correct): It is a prima facie case of money
laundering.
• Promethean fire: (the vital principle): Human rights are a promethean fire of the
British democratic system.
• Pull the wires or strings: (to act the leading or principal part but in a secret manner): He
is not acting independently. Someone else is pulling his strings.
• Pure and simple: (unmixed): It was not my mistake, pure and simple.
• Put a spoke in one’s wheel: (to arrest one’s progress): He puts a spoke in my wheel by
misguiding me about the best business to invest.
• Put on one’s mettle: (to rouse one’s best energies): You must each of your employees
on their mettle to see who is more skilled and efficient.
• Providential escape: (escape coming from providence): The passengers of the last flight
to New York have just experienced a providential escape from death.
• To the point: (proper): I adore him for always talking to the point.
• Mind one’s p’s and q’s: (to be extremely careful in what one says or does): His teacher
often reprimands him for not minding his p's and q's.
• To pocket an insult: (to submit to an insult without retaliation or showing displeasure):
He is in the habit of pocketing insults from his father.
• To pay off old scores: (to have revenge upon a person): He is using his opinion pieces
to settle some old scores with the mayor.
• To pay one back in the same coin or in one’s own coin: (to return like for like): You
should pay others back in their own coin, otherwise, people take advantage of your
humility.
• A child’s play: (easy work): Making through the CSS exam is by no means a child's
play.
• To take one down a peg: (to humiliate a person): He is a very arrogant fellow,
someone should take him down a peg.
• To keep pace with: (to keep alongside of): A developing country should keep pace
with the technological changes happening in the world.
• Fine words butter no parsnips: (fair promises do not cloth or feed the persons to whom
they are made): One must understand that fine words butter no parsnips.
• Not to be a patch on another person: (to be in no way comparable to him): The new
mayor of Karachi is not a patch on his predecessor.
• Paul pry: (an inquisitive person): Avoid this paul pry as he asks a lot of questions
about everyone's personal life.
• To pick to pieces: (to criticize someone harshly): The critics have picked his first novel
to the pieces.
• The pick of the basket: (the very best of anything): He was calming that he had made
the pick of the basket by buying the best apples in the market.
• To make a pile: (to realize a fortune): He is making his pile in the food business.
• Platonic love: (love with no mixture of sexual passion): Platonic love is not defined by
bodily attractions.
• To stretch a point: (to make an exception): Husbands have to stretch a point when
dealing either with their wives or with their bosses.
• To carry one’s point: (to attain a goal): If you want to carry your point in your
academic life, you have to burn midnight's oil.
• The pot calling the kettle balck: (something you say that means people should not
criticize someone else for a fault that they have themselves): It is like the pot calling the
kettle black when Mr. Farhan calls me a selfish friend.
• Presence of mind: (power of self-control and intelligent action in a crises): Due to his
brilliant presence of mind, he has just succeeded in convincing the court.
• Procrustean bed: (a scheme or pattern into which someone or something is arbitrarily
forced): Offering prayers five times a day often proves a Procrustean bed for some
youngsters.
• Purse proud: (arrogant because of wealth): Few people respect him because he is an
uneducated and a purse proud old man.
• To put in a word: (to recommend): It will be comparatively easy for me to secure this
job as my boss put in a good word for me.
• To put in an appearance: (to be present): He is not really interested to go to parties so
he is just putting in an appearance.
• To put heads together: (to consult): The government officers must put their heads
together to solve the issue of water pollution.
• Pass away: (to disappear, to die): His brother passed away last month.
• Penelope’s web: (in a job or an activity that never ends): Socio-economic problems of
Pakistan are a penelop's web.
• The pros and cons of a question: (the pros and cons of a question is a phrase used to
denote the arguments urged for and against a thing): One must consider the pros and
cons of a plastic surgery before making a decision in this regard.
• To put forth or throw out a feeler: (to ask questions, to ask for suggestions or opinions of
other people): Facebook is putting forth feelers about its new privacy policy.
• To play with edged tools: (to deal carelessly with dangerous matters): You are playing
with edged tools by not getting any input from the experts before investing a huge
amount of money in this new business.
• To play the game: (to act honorably, to behave fairly): You should play the game by
telling him the truth.
• Palm off: (sell or dispose of something by misrepresentation or fraud): Unscrupulous
businessmen may palm off their property to the buyers without proper papers.
• Palmy days: (glorious, prosperous, or flourishing): The palmy days of yesteryear.
• Part with: (to relinquish, let go of, or give up someone or something): My dad does
everything in his power not to part with his money, so we don't expect to get
anything we don't absolutely need.
• Pass by: (happen without being noticed or fully experienced by someone): Sometimes I feel
that life is passing me by.
• Pass for: (be accepted as or taken for a particular kind of person or thing): He could pass
for a native of Sweden.
• Pass off: (falsely represent a person or thing as being someone or something else): The
drink was packaged in champagne bottles and was being passed off as the real stuff.
• Pay down: (reduce an amount of money owed by paying some of it): She used the
money to pay down her mortgage.
• Pay off: ((of a course of action) yield good results; succeed). All the hard work I had done
over the summer paid off.
• Piece out: (to assemble or complete something with various pieces, parts, or disparate
things): She pieced out a dress using the scraps of all her other projects.
• Pine away: (to become thin and weak because of sadness or loss): Since his wife left him,
he spends his days alone, pining away.
• Pine for: (to long or grieve intensely for someone or something): All summer he sat in the
garden pining for his girlfriend back home.
• Play off: ((of two teams or competitors) play an extra game or match to decide a draw or tie):
The runners-up will play off against each other"
• Play upon ones fears: (to take advantage of somebody’s feelings, etc): Advertisements
often play on people's fears.
• Plead with: (to beg one or appeal in earnest to one's good nature (for something or to do
something): I pleaded with him to reconsider, but he said his mind was made up.
• Pluck out: (to grasp and remove something very quickly and abruptly (out of something
else): The thief plucked the wallet out of her purse as he walked by her.
• Pluck up: (to force yourself to be brave enough to do something, although you are frightened
or worried about it): He finally plucked up courage to ask her to marry him.
• Pounce upon: (to accept something quickly and with enthusiasm): I think if she were
given the opportunity to work here, she'd pounce on it.
• Pry into: (to try to find out private facts about a person): As a reporter, I was paid to pry
into other people's lives.
• Pull down: (demolish a building): The house was pulled down and the site
redeveloped.
• Pull out: (withdraw from an undertaking): He was forced to pull out of the
championship because of an injury.
• Pull through: (get through an illness or other dangerous or difficult situation): The illness
is difficult to overcome, but we hope she'll pull through.
• Pull up: (of a vehicle) come to a halt): He pulled up outside the cottage.
• Put back: (reschedule a planned event to a later time or date): They have put back the
film's release date to September.
• Put by: (save money for future use): Putting some money by every month is a great
habit.
• Put down: (stop holding something and place it on a surface or the ground): Harry put
down his cup.
• Pull together: (cooperate in a task or undertaking): Employees and managers began to
pull together as a team.
• Put away: (store something in an appropriate or usual place): The decorations were
boxed up and put away for next year.
• Put back: (reschedule a planned event to a later time or date): They have put back the
film's release date to September.
• Put down one’s foot:
• Pandora’s box: (a process that once begun generates many complicated problems): These
policies might open a Pandora's box of inflationary wage claims.
• Petticoat government:
• Plain speaking: (talking in a frank, outspoken, or blunt manner): A plain-speaking
Texan whose words are to be taken at face value.
• The pros and cons: (the arguments for and against something; the advantages and
disadvantages (of something): Your idea is interesting, but let's look carefully at its pros
and cons before we take any decisions.
• Of a piece with: (consistent): The art and science of any culture are of a piece"
• Play false: (to deceive one; to cheat or swindle one): I insisted that they offer something
as a collateral before we entered the deal, lest they play us false with their offer.
• Play truant: ((of a pupil) stay away from school without leave or explanation): He often
played truant and he usually wrote his own absence notes.
Q
• The Question of questions: (the most important question): You are talking about a
new business venture, but the real question of questions is where we will get the
capital from.
• A question only of time: (a thing which it would take only time to settle): His
resignation is sure. It is now only a question of time.
• To be quits with a person: (to have paid another all you owe him): My spade shall
never go into the earth again till I am quite with him.
• To quarrel with one’s bread and butter: (bread and butter stands here for one’s means
living): Do not quarrel with your bread and butter. Be punctual on your job.
• A quixotic project: (having or showing ideas that are different and unusual but not
practical or likely to succeed): I have analysed all the aspects of this plan and it is not a
quixotic project.
• A queer fish: (a person whose behavior seems strange or unusual): They have invariably
chosen the queer fish in preference to the more or less recognizable member of the
human race.
R
• The race is not always to the swift: (the man of ability does not always do better in the
world than the inferior man): As they say, the race is not always to the swift, not the
battle to the strong.
• The rank and file: (the undistinguished mass): The rank and file of the military are
unhappy with the conduct of their high command.
• A red-letter day: (a special, happy and important day): When I met him the first time, it
was a red-letter day for me.
• A red rag to a bull: (what especially provokes and irritates): Jihad to the Western society
is lie a red rag to a bull.
• Red tape: (excessive bureaucracy or adherence to official rules and formalities): Corruption
and red tape are key hindrances in the way of good governance in Pakistan.
• Reign of terror: (a condition or period in which persons are frightened into submission by
lawlessness, cruelty or oppression): TTP launched a reign of terror in Sawat in 2009.
• To rest on one’s laurels: (rely on one's past achievements): You better do some work
than sitting idle and resting on your laurels.
• To rise to the occasion: (to be found equal to the task): There is a dire need for someone
to rise to the occasion and get this country out of the present crisis.
• Root and branch: (thoroughly): Police system needs a root-and-branch reforms in
Pakistan.
• The rising sun: (one who is rising into power or importance): Babar Azam is a rising sun
in the world of cricket.
• To rob peter to pay paul: (to take what rightfully belongs to one person to pay another):
When he insulted me to please his younger brother, I knew he is robbing peter to
pay pal.
• Rough and tumble: (said of fighting in any style or by any means): I despise the rough
and tumble of politics.
• To rule the roast or roost: (to manage): It is the planters who, with Lord Curzon ‘s
commendations, rule the roast.
• Royal road: (easy way): You have to give your hundred percent as there is no royal
road to success
• To run amuck or amok: (run madly about, attacking all that may come in the way): Some
village boys were running amok on the busy highway.
• Run riot: (to act without restraint or control): Protesters are running riot on city streets.
• Run to seed: (become devitalized or worn out; deteriorate, to look shabby, unhealthy, or
unattractive due to a lack of care or attention): He was healthy a month ago, but now he
is running to seed
• Without rhyme or reason: (without any justification or excuse): He asked me to leave
the room without rhyme or reason.
• The three R’s: (used to refer to the basic areas of education: reading, writing, and
mathematics): Education system of Pakistan is in poor state as children are not taught
the three R's.
• Ragtag and bobtail: (the lowest social class; the common people): A lear leader must
know how to solve the issues of ragtag and bobtail.
• Raison d’etre: (reason or justification for existence): Two-nation theory is the raison
d’etre of Pakistan's existence.
• Red-handed: (no doubt referring to stains of blood): Police caught him red-handed,
selling drugs.
• A broken reed: (a weak or ineffectual person, support which will fail you): I never knew
Mr. Hamza was a broken reed, so I keep asking him for help until I get to know the
threat.
• To give the reins: (to give complete freedom to; indulge freely): His father has given him
the reins of his family business.
• A right arm: (one’s staunchest friend): He is the right arm of the mayor of Karachi
• To give a Roland for an oliver: (equal measure; measure for measure; adequate response):
India secured a victory against Pakistan, but the latter will surely give the former a
Roland for an Oliver.
• Rome was not built in a day: (important work takes time, patience is required in
production of anything): It took many years for Pakistan to win the Cricket world cup.
Rome was not built in a day.
• When at Rome do as the Romans do: (when visiting a foreign land, follow the customs
of those who live in it): I usually dislike lok music but when I am in the countryside, I
enjoy it. When at Rome do as Romans do.
• Not Worth a rush: (not worthy of, having no value of): This laptop is worth a rush.
• To rip up old sores: (to revive a quarrel which was almost forgotten): He has promised
me not to rip up old scores if I make peace with him.
• To rise like a phoenix from its ashes: (to emerge from a catastrophe stronger, smarter
and powerful): Japan rose like a phoenix from its ashes after World War 2.
• To run in the blood: (is said of a peculiarity, mental or physical, which clings to certain
families): Truthfulness and bravery run in the blood of my family.
• A racy style: ((of a person's manner, literary style) Vigorous, lively, spirited): His best-
selling novel was written in a racy style.
• A ready pen: (someone who is able to compose write easily and quickly): Khalil Ul
Rehman Qamar can be considered as a ready pen of Pakistani film industry.
• A round robin: (a written petition, memorial, or protest to which the signatures are affixed
in a circle so as not to indicate who signed first): I have signed the round robin that has
been sent to the international human rights organizations?
• The ruling passion: (an interest or concern that occupies a large part of someone's time
and effort): Music and poetry are my ruling passions.
• Rake up: (a quarrel is to revive it): I am least interested in raking up old quarrels.
• Rank with: (to be considered equal or comparable to someone or something else in value,
ability, significance, importance): I rank Parveen Shakir with the likes of Mirza Ghalib
and Mir Taqi Mir.
• Recoil from: (to move back because of fear or disgust): Mr. Ahmad recoils with horror at
the sight of a dead bod of a man who was stoned to death.
• Run away with: (accept an idea hastily): He is running away with the idea that a good
job is the only key to real happiness.
• Rack one’s brains: (make a great effort to think of or remember something): Meg racked
her brain for inspiration.
• Random shot: (a shot not directed or aimed toward any particular object): After dark,
Mostar was tense and random shots could be heard.
• Rake up a quarrel: (to talk again about a past event or experience that should be forgotten,
because it upsets or annoys someone else): She's always raking up the past/that old
quarrel.
• Raw material: (the basic material from which a product is made): These could be used as
raw material"
• Reckon with: (take something into account): They hadn't reckoned with a visit from
Charles.
• Recompense for: (to give something to someone as a payment or reward for their efforts or
loss): The court awarded the women $100,000 each to recompense them for nine
years of lost wages.
• Remonstrate with: (to complain to someone or about something): I went to the boss to
remonstrate against the new rules.
• Reprimand for: (to scold someone for something; to admonish someone for something):
There is no need to reprimand me for a simple accident
• Rope of sand: (used in allusion to something providing only illusory security or
coherence): Our union will become a mere rope of sand"
S
• A sadder but wiser man: (unhappy but having learned from one's mistakes): I am sadder
but wiser because I realize how fragile the life is.
• To be or sail in the same boat: (have the same dangers to face): In this era of
hyperinflation, everyone is sailing in the same boat.
• The salt of the earth: (a very good and honest person or group of people, the finest
citizens): My father is the salt of the earth.
• The scales fell from one’s eyes: (the previous wrong impression was removed): He used
to admire his friend, but when he got to know that he was a rather selfish fellow, the
scales fell from his eyes.
• To screw one’s courage to the sticking place: (to resolve to act decisively): If you want
to dominate the world of cricket, you need to screw your courage to the sticking
place.
• The sear and yellow leaf: (old age, a metaphor for being near the end of one's life): In our
society, people respect those who are in the sear and yellow leaf.
• See the light of the day: (to be published): I have written a story that has never seen
the light of the day.
• Self-made man: (a man who has risen to a high position from poverty or obscurity by his
own exertions): I really admire the self-made man.
• Sell one’s birthright for mess of pottage: (part with one’s valuable right for very small
consideration): The humankind is selling its birthright for mess of patronage by
relying on fossil fuels for the sake of economic development.
• Set the ball rolling: (set an activity in motion; make a start): I am determined to
become a prolific writer as I have just set the ball rolling with writing mock essays.
• Set the fashion: (to lead or establish the fashion): Showbiz personalities set the fashion
trends in Pakistan.
• To set the table in roar: (to cause loud laughter among the guests at the table): He has the
capability to set the table in roar.
• To set the teeth on edge: ((especially of a harsh sound) cause someone to feel intense
discomfort or irritation): Consistent and loud noise of children set the teeth of their
father on edge.
• To set the Thames on fire: (to do wonderful or exciting things; to cause a great or
remarkable sensation in the world; to be extremely exciting, popular, famous, renowned, etc):
In 2021, Mohammad Rizwan set the Thames on fire with his brilliant performance
with the bat.
• A square peg in a round hole: (a person unsuited to the position he fills): I am feeling
like a square peg in a round hole in my new job as everyone is so professional and
skilled.
• To give or show the cold shoulder: (to show indifference): I have given him a cold
shoulders as he always keeps spoiling my reputation.
• The silken tie: (the soft and invisible bond of love and affection): You can win the hearts
of the people only by the silken tie of love and kindness.
• A silver lining: (a silver lining means some ray of hope): There is a silver lining in his
failure. He will now truly understand the importance of hard work.
• Sins of commission: (a sinful action, Actual transgressions): The sins of commission
such as undue political interference in institutions is a key issue in the governance of
Pakistan.
• Sins of omission: (sins of failing to do what ought to be done): Sins of omission usually
breed more severe problems.
• The sinews of war: (the money and equipment needed to wage a war): You need to
secure ample sinews of war before embarking upon an actual war.
• Sit on the rail or fence: (avoid making a decision or choice): He prefers sitting on the
fence to save his reputation.
• A slough of despond: (a state of utter despondency): I am going to save my friend
from the slough of despond.
• Smaller fry, also small fry: (unimportant, insignificant people): Small-fry politicians
tend to get attention through violence and agitation.
• The small hours: (the early hours after midnight twelve): We departed the bus station
in the small hours of the morning.
• To snap one’s fingers at: (treat with contempt, scorn, disregard): He snaps his fingers at
my dress.
• Something is rotten in the state of Denmark: (used to describe corruption or a situation
in which something is wrong): In the police system of Pakistan, clearly, there is
something rotten in the state of Denmark.
• To throw a sop to Cerberus: (to try to pacify a greedy enemy by granting him favors):
Mr. Trump has thrown a sop to Cerberus to silence many actresses.
• Sour grapes: (a desirable thing which a person despises because it is unattainable): His
disparaging comments about highly paid jobs are just sour grapes.
• Sow one's wild oats: (to be wild and extravagant when young): Parents should let their
children sow their wild oats to a certain extent.
• To sow the dragon’s teeth: (to adopt measures which cause much evil and mischief):
Resolving family matters often sows the dragon's teeth.
• To sow the wind and reap the whirlwind: (to act wrongly and suffer a dreadful
punishment): He is the one who sows thw wind by delivering a controversial speech.
Now he should reap the whirlwind.
• To speak volumes: (to say a great deal): Endemic corruption speaks volumes about
the state of governance in Pakistan.
• To split hairs: (to dispute over extremely petty points): We are just wasting our time by
splitting hairs in this crucial time.
• Sponge upon: (to get money or food from a person by mean tricks): Everyone dislikes
him as he is in the habit of sponging upon other people's money.
• Spread like wildfire: (spread or pass quickly like the substance called Greek fire which
when inflamed, is very hard to extinguish): In the age of social media, news spreads like
a wildfire.
• Stand one in good stead: (to be useful): Your knowledge about softwares will stand
you in good stead in foreign countries.
• To stare one in the face: (to be very evident): Death stared me into the face when I
went to a busy highway driving my car for the first time.
• The stars and stripes or the star-spangled banner: (the flag of the united states of
America): The first mission landed on the moon under the star-sprangled banner in
July, 1969.
• Steal a march on or upon: (gain a secret advantage over a rival or opponent): We should
steal a march by starting online delivery service in the town.
• Stem the tide: (to oppose to tide): The government is doing its best to stem the tide of
terrorism.
• Step into one’s shoes: (to take the place of another): Benazir Bhutto stepped into the
shoes of his father after his judicial murder.
• Strike the key note of: (to achieve the desired effect; to do something suitable or pleasing):
He is trying hard to strike a key note in the political arena by highlighting real
issues.
• Suck in with the mother’s milk: (imbibe a taste for something from one’s very birth): The
german child sucks in order and discipline with his mother’s milk?
• Sum and substance: (the gist): The sum and substance of his speech was eradication
of corruption.
• Survival of the fittest: (the continued existence of those species of animals and plants
which are most adaptable to their surroundings): We witness the practical manifestations
of the law of the survival of the fittest on daily basis.
• To get the sack: (to be dismissed from employment): You would get the sack if you are
not punctual.
• Safe bind, safe find: (what is packed up securely will be easily got again): He is very
obsessed with his own things and believes in safe bind, safe find.
• To eat a man’s salt: (to partake of his hospitality): I cannot backbite against him as I
have eaten his salt.
• True to one’s salt: (faithful to one’s employer): A criminologist worth his salt will tell
you that poverty is not the sole reason of crime.
• Sang froid: (composure or coolness shown in danger or under trying circumstances): He
showed great sang froid when terrorist attacked his convoy.
• To make oneself scarce: (leave a place, especially so as to avoid a difficult situation):

Students made themselves scarce when the school head master scolded them.
• Scotland Yard: (the London police headquarters): We should request Scotland Yard to
investigate the crime.
• Well set up: (well formed, framed, or fashioned): His new secretary is a beautiful young
well-set-up lady.
• To fall into the shade: (to get eclipsed): Babar Azam has put everyone else's
performance into the shade.
• To shake in one’s shoes: (be very scared or nervous): I was shaking in my shows when
I saw the attacker with a gun.
• Where the shoe pinches: (where the difficulty or cause of discomfort lies): Mr. Aslam
thinks CSS examination is easy, but he will find out where the shoe pinches when he
goes for it.
• To talk shop: (discuss matters concerning one's work, especially at a social occasion when
this is inappropriate): I abhore talking shop in social gatherings.
• To make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear: (to make a handsome article out of soarse and
inferior materials): He knows how to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear by getting
huge profit through small amount of money.
• Sine die: (indefinitely): The matter should be settled sine die.
• A sine qua non: (an essential): Honesty and integrity are the sine qua non of a good
administrator.
• There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip: (between hope and reality): Do not
reach premediated conclusion as they say there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the
lip.
• Small talk: (conversation about unimportant things like the weather or the everyday events
of life): We should not waste our time in doing small talk.
• The sphinx’s riddle: (a mysterious, inscrutable person or thing): He is the sphinx' riddle
for me.
• To spin a yarn: (tell a long, far-fetched story): Grandparents often spin a yarn for their
grandchildren.
• To throw up the sponge: (give up, acknowledge defeat): He is a fighter and would
never throw up the sponge.
• The status quo: (the present situation of affairs): Traditional politicians are trying their
best to protect status quo.
• Still waters run deep: (silent and undemonstrative people have generally great powers of
thought and action): He seldom asserts himself in the public gatherings, still waters
run deep.
• Stone-throwing: (finding fault with one’s neighbor’s): This person is disliked in his
own area as he is in the habit of stone-throwing.
• Weak in the upper story: (crazy): Do not mess with Mr. Jalal. He is weak in the
upper story.
• To strain at a gnat and swallow a camel: (to fuss about trifles while ignoring more
serious matters): He does not know about his own priorities and wastes his time in
straining at gnat and swallowing a camel.
• A brown study: (a state of mental absorption): Sorry. I was too much involved in
brown study that I did not notice your presence.
• One Swallow does not make a summer: (we must not frame a general law from one
single phenomenon): Luckily we made some profit from our investment, but we
should proceed cautiously. One swallow does not make a summer.
• The sweat of one’s brow: (hard labour): I have earned this position by the sweat of
his brow.
• A standing dish: (a dish or article of diet which regularly appears at table): Rice is a
standing dish in Bangladesh.
• Subject to: (affected by or possibly affected by (something)): His promotion is subject my
approval.
• Set off: (to depart): I met my mother before setting of for France.
• Set out: (to begin to carry out a plan of action): She set out with the aim of becoming the
first police officer of her district by passing the CSS exam.
• Settle down: (to make or become calm and composed): He always tries to settle down the
matter.
• A snake in the grass: (a deceitful person): You are a very innocent person as you even
do not know the snake in the grass of your organization.
• A square deal: (a bargain marked by fairness and honesty): Workers have got a square
deal after months-long protests.
• To have two strings to one’s bow: (to have two things to rely upon): He is a multi-
talented person with many strings to his bow.
• To have a second string to one’s bow: (to be provided with something in reserve in case
of an accident happening or failure): Disraeli sought to have a second string to his bow
by having another career open to him on which he might fall back if he failed in
politics.
• To scatter to the four winds: (if a group of things or people are scattered to the four
winds, they go or are sent to different places that are far away from each other): The written
copies of Hitler's speech were scattered to the four winds.
• To put on the right scent: (to put one on the track which will lead to the thing intended):
His guidance has put me on the right scent in my CSS journey.
• To throw one off the scent: (to mislead a person): The police officers are right at your
door. You cannot throw them off the scent anymore.
• A swan song: (someone's swan song is the last time that they do something for which they
are famous): The movie that we are watching was the swan song of Shabnam and
Nadeem.
• A stalking horse: (a person or thing that is used to conceal someone's real intentions): His
courteous demeanor and enviable communication skills are a stalking horse to
unleash propaganda against his rivals.
• Spin out: (to prolong to a tedious length, make something last as long as possible): He is
spinning out his speech through useless examples and obscure quotes.
• Struggle against: (to exert a lot of physical energy to overcome someone or some force,
barrier, or restriction): He struggled against cancer for so long.
• To stand one’s ground: (to maintain one’s position): No terrorist group can stand to its
ground in the face of state power.
• To stand someone a drink or meal: (to pay for it oneself): I want to stand you a dinner
on your promotion.
• A strait-laced person: (is one who has very rigid principles and manners, and who acts in
a narrow-minded way): His strait-laced demeanor often puts him in trouble.
• Show-piece: (a fine exhibition of public entertainment and competition): His music
performance will be the show-piece of the ceremony.
• Sail in the same boat: (be in the same difficult circumstances as others): Do not despair:
you are one of millions in the same boat.
• The good Samaritan: (someone who compassionately helps others): A good Samaritan
stopped to help me change my tire.
• See the light of day: (begin to exist or to become publicly known or available): This
software first saw the light of day back in 1993.
• Self made man: (a man who became successful or wealthy through hard work and not by
inheritance or help from others): Joe is a self-made man who worked long, hard hours
to turn his small business into a large, successful company.
• The Scapegoat: (a person who is blamed for something that someone else has done): The
captain was made a scapegoat for the team's failure.
• Scoff at: (to show ridicule or scorn for someone or something): The directors scoffed at
her when she presented her plan
• Screw loose: (be slightly eccentric or mentally disturbed): I think I must have a screw
loose—I can't care about what might happen next"
• Seasoned timber:
• See a thing through coloured spectacles: (take an optimistic view of something): Kate
enjoys just about every activity; she sees the world through rose-colored glasses.
• Set one’s house in order: (make necessary reforms): They need to put their own
economic house in order.
• To give the cold shoulder to: (to ignore someone or be unfriendly): I thought we were
friends, but the last time I saw him he gave me the cold shoulder.
• Smell a rat: (begin to suspect trickery or deception): When he died, investigators were
called in and soon smelt a rat.
• Scot-free: (without suffering any punishment or injury): The people who kidnapped
you will get off scot-free.
• A short cut: (a shorter way to go to a place): I usually take a short cut behind the post
office to get to college.
• Side issue: (a point or topic connected to or raised by some other issue, but not as
important, especially one that distracts attention from that which is important): His foreign
policy tended to be dominated by side issues.
• Sleeping partner: (Inactive partner): He is a sleeping partner and has no hand in the
management.
• A slow coach:
• Sound beating:
• A strait jacket: (a strong garment with long sleeves which can be tied together to confine
the arms of a violent prisoner or mental patient): A straitjacket is a special jacket used to
tie the arms of a violent person tightly around their body.
• A stump orator:
• Show the white feather: (behave in a cowardly fashion): He showed the white feather
and ordered a general retreat.
• Slip through one’s fingers: (of something important or worthwhile) be lost, especially as a
result of carelessness or lack of effort): The police let him slip through their fingers"
• Stare you in the face: (look fixedly or boldly at someone): I stared him straight in the eye
but he didn't recognize me.
• Steer clear of: (take care to avoid or keep away from): Steer clear of fatty food
• Swallow the bait:
• Stand on ceremony: (insist on the observance of formalities): We don't stand on
ceremony in this house.
• Skin of one’s teeth: (by a very narrow margin; only just): I only got away by the skin of
my teeth.
• Smart under: (to experience sharp, stinging, typically superficial pain caused by something
causing injury or harm from above): The child's hands smarted under the crack of his
teacher's ruler.
• A son of Mars:
• Sound one’s own trumpet: (to talk about oneself or one's achievements especially in a way
that shows that one is proud or too proud): He had a very successful year and has every
right to blow his own trumpet.
• Stand to reason: (it is obvious or logical): It stands to reason that if you can eradicate
the fear the nervousness will subside.
T
• Take bird’s eye view: (a bird’s eye view is a view seen from above as by a bird flying):
Press is narrating a bird's eye view of the whole situation in the city.
• Take a leaf out of another’s book: (to imitate another’s mode of action): Pakistan
should take a leaf out of Bangladesh's book to develop its textile industry.
• Take the cue: (to understand a hint): The student took the cue of teacher and left the
class immediately.
• Take the law into one’s own hands: (to inflict punishment for an offence without seeking
the legal or constitutional remedies for redress): Protesters have taken the law into their
own hands in the city of Paris.
• Take the tide at the flood: (to take advantage of an opportunity when it occurs):
Educational institutions took the tide during the pandemic and earned a lot through
online online education.
• Take the wind out of one’s sails: (to cause someone to lose confidence or energy): The
news of the death of their commander took the wind out of their sails.
• Tell its own tale: (require no explanation): The bad condition of this car is telling its
own tale.
• To take to task: (to criticize or correct (someone) for some fault or failing): His father took
him to the task for his dishonest conduct.
• Tell on or upon: (to affect adversely): Hard work is telling upon the health of this poor
labourer.
• Tea—A storm in a tea-cup: (a petty squabble): He is in the habit of creating storms in
a tea-cup.
• Tempt fate: (to court danger or destruction): He regularly tempts fate by doing one
wheeling.
• Thank one’s stars: (to consider oneself fortunate): You should thank your stars for
winning this election with a narrow margin.
• Thanks to: (owing to): Thanks to the good weather, we were able to reach there in
time.
• Thereby hangs a tale: (a story or an incident is closely connected with this matter):
realized where I had seen him before—and thereby hangs a tale.
• A thorn in one’s side: (a constant source of annoyance): CPEC is proving to be a thorn
in the side of India.
• A thousand and one: (innumerable): There are a thousand and one reasons to dislike
him.
• Through thick and thin: (through every obstacle): My father has supported me
through thick and thin.
• Throw dust in one’s eyes: (to try to lead one astray): He is a very clever boss. You
cannot throw dust in his eyes.
• Throw overboard: (to abandon): He will never throw his qualities of honesty and
integrity overboard to win someone's favours.
• To all intents and purposes: (in effect, practically, in all senses): The government, to all
intents and purposes, has failed to deliver.
• To order: (in accordance with one’s directions or orders): I make delicious food to order.
• To the life: (to become very interesting, appealing, or exciting): His strong role brought
the whole movie to the life.
• To the tune of: (to the amount of): A multinational company funded the event to the
tune of several million dollars.
• Tooth and nail: (with all possible vigor and fury): He fought tooth and nail to clear his
name.
• A tower of strength: (a strong and mighty support): My father is a tower of strength to
me.
• Tremble in the balance: (to fluctuate between two opposite sides of balance): The fate of
the prime minister trembles in balance until the court decides the matter.
• To turn a person round one’s finger: (to manage one with ease): Mr. Zeeshan has the
power to turn his employees round his finger.
• Turn over a new leaf: (to commence a new and better course of life): When a school
teacher scolded my younger brother, he turned over a new leaf and his grades
improved.
• To turn the tables: (to reverse the position of two rival parties): Pakistan was going to
lose the match, but Babar Azam's brilliant performance turned the tables.
• Turns up one’s nose at: (to show one’s contempt for): He often turns up his nose at
romantic novels but likes biographies.
• To turn tail: (to retreat in an undignified way): Burglars turned tails and ran away
upon seeing a gun in my hands.
• Tweedledum and Tweedledee: (two things which differ very slightly): International
community takes these two countries as tweedledee and tweedledum, but the one
located in the east generally do not like being lumped in with the one located in the
west.
• To take by storm: (to secure by one great effort): Babar Azam has taken the world of
Cricket by storms.
• To take to: (to apply oneself to): I have taken myself to writing short stories,
nowadays.
• To take too much: (to accept or undertake too many tasks, burdens, or responsibilities): He
has taken on too much at work lately, so he is going to hire a new assistant.
• To talk a person’s head off: (to bore or weary someone by excessive talk): The students
were talking their teacher's head off.
• In his teens: (between the ages of twelve and twenty): He was a prolific writer in his
teens.
• God tempers the wind to the shorn lamb: (Mitigate, God mercifully ensures that
misfortune does not overwhelm the weak or helpless): I was not feeling well and had a lot
of work to do, however, my boss allowed me to leave the office early. God tempers
the wind to the shorn lamb.
• Terra firma: (dry land): I feel so content while lying on terra firma.
• To throw dirt or mud at: (to abuse): Politicians often throw mud at each other.
• Under the thumb of: (completely subservient to): This couple is living an ideal life as
the husband lives under the thumb of his wife.
• Tom, dick and Harry: (the common man): With his busy schedule, he does not have
time to meet every Tom, Dick and Harry.
• Tamper with: (to meddle with): Some employees have tempered with the office
record to spoil the reputation of the company.
• Turn upon: (to be determined or decided by (something)): The outcome of the case turns
upon how solid are the evidences presented before the court.
• To take the lead: (to take a position that is ahead of others): He has taken the lead in the
computer industry by hiring best software engineers.
• To throw off the mask: (his deceit was as mask to conceal his intentions): He throws off
the mask of decency when talking about his political opponents.
• To turn a matter over in one’s mind: (to consider it carefully and look at it from all
sides): I have been turning his offer over in my mind from last three days.
• To turn one’s head or one’s brain: (to cause one to suddenly become fixated or infatuated,
To avoid paying attention to something uncomfortable, undesirable, unsafe, or
inconvenient): A sudden fortune seems to have turned his head.
• To tear to shreds: (to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way):
Critics are tearing his performance to shreds.
• To tempt providence: (to take unnecessary or reckless risks): He regularly tempt
providence by doing one wheeling on busy roads.
• To tie one’s hands: (to restrain from action): He cannot help you as his hands are tied
owing to his official position.
• To tread in the footsteps of: (both these phrases mean, to follow the example of): He tried
his hard to tread in the footsteps of his father but failed to make his name in the
music world.
• To fish in troubled waters: (to make personal profit out of a disturbance): Whenever
these two brothers are at loggerheads, someone always come to fish in trouble
waters.
• To pour oil on troubled waters: (to bring about a compromise, try to settle a
disagreement or dispute with words intended to placate or pacify those involved): I tried my
best to pour oil on troubled waters whenever my friends indulge in a quarrel.
• A turn coat: (a person who deserts one party or cause in order to join an opposing one): The
public should realize that turncoats have no place in Pakistani politics.
• A thorn in the flesh: (a cause of eternal trouble or annoyance): Separatist movements in

various states are a thorn in the flesh of India.
• The eternal triangle: (the problem arising from two women’s love for one man or one
man’s love for two women): The eternal triangle has always been a dominating aspect
in Pakistani dramas.
• To take time by the forelock: (seize an opportunity, to be on the alert for every available
opportunity): I should take time by the forelock and do it now.
• To be taken aback: (to surprise or shock (someone): —usually used as (be) taken aback
When I told him my answer, he seemed taken aback.
• Take a bird’s eye view of: (the ability to look at something from a very high place so that
you see a large area below you): From the top of this building, you can get a bird's-eye
view of the city.
• Take law into one’s own hands: (to do something illegal and often violent in order to
punish someone because you know the law will not punish that person): One day, after
years of violent abuse from her husband, she took the law into her own hands.
• Tide over: (help someone through a difficult period, especially with financial assistance):
She needed a small loan to tide her over"
• Time hangs heavy: (time passes slowly): She adjusted quite well to the nursing home,
except that she says time hangs heavy on her hands.
• Time honoured custom: (a time-honoured tradition, practice, or method is respected
because it has been done or used in the same way for many years): The developers dealt
with the problem in the time-honoured fashion/way, burying the industrial waste
in landfill sites.
• Trump up: (invent a false accusation or excuse): They've trumped up charges against
her.
• Take a person’s head off: (to criticize or respond to one in an extremely angry and
aggressive manner): I just tried to ask him a question, and he nearly took my head off!
Look.
• In her teens:
• Turn up one’s nose at: (show distaste or contempt for): He turned his nose up at the
job.
• Turning point: (a time at which a decisive change in a situation occurs, especially one with
beneficial results): This could be the turning point in Nigel's career"
U
• Under a cloud: (under suspicion or discredited): Mr. XYZ has been under a cloud since
his coworkers's cell phone disappeared.
• Under one’s nose: (close to one): My money has been stolen from right under my
nose.
• Under the auspices of: (helped and favored by): Israel is wreaking havoc upon
Palestinians under the auspices of America.
• Under one’s breath: (in a whisper): He has just complained to me about the insolent
behavior of the boss under his breath.
• Under the sun: (in the world): He has a clear opinion about almost everything under
the sun.
• Ups and down: (prosperity and adversity): I really admire him because he never lose
mind while going through the ups and downs of life.
• Up to the hit: (thoroughly): A key step towards improving good governance in
Pakistan can be eradicating corruption up to the hit.
• Up to the mark: (equal to the standard): His communication skills are up to the mark.
• The upper storey: (the head or brain): He has some problems with his upper story.
That is why he is behaving like this.
• Untimely end: (premature death): His younger brother came to an untimely end
because of a rare disease.
• A utopian scheme: (an attractive and desirable but impracticable scheme): Universal
health care is still considered a utopian scheme in the developing countries.
• Undertake a risk: (to try to do something for which there is a high probability of a negative
or unfortunate outcome): I'm taking a real risk hiring this guy, so you had better be
right about him.
V
• To be in the van: (at the front or in the leading position): Ali brothers were in the van of
the Independence movement.
• Vantage ground: (the place or condition which gives one an advantage over another): His
wealth gained him some vantage ground in the political arena.
• Vent one’s spleen: (to allow one’s anger to break forth): I really dislike when people
vent their spleen on their poor servants.
• Vested interests or vested rights: (fixed rights or interests): Politicians have their own
vested interests when they interfere in police affairs.
• Vexed question: (a question about which there has been a good deal of disputation without
final settlement): Kashmir is a vexed question between India and Pakistan.
• Victoria Cross: (a decoration awarded for conspicuous bravery in the Commonwealth
armed services, instituted by Queen Victoria in 1856.): My grandfather won a Victoria
Cross in the second world war.
• Visit one’s sins on another: (to punish one for the sins of another): The sins of the father
should not have been visited on the head of the son.
• Viva voce: (especially of an examination oral rather than written): You have to go
through a brief viva voce after passing the written exam.
• At the top of one’s voice: (loudly): His father was yelling at him at the top of his
voice.
• Volte Face: (a complete change of position): Our politicians need to do a volte face if
they want political stability in the country.
• Vent one’s wrath upon:
• Vie with: (to fight, contend, or compete with one (for something)): Tom and I have vied
with one another for top of the class since our freshman year.
• Viva voce: ((especially of an examination) oral rather than written): A viva voce
examination.
• At the top of voice: (as loudly as one can): She was yelling at the top of her voice.
W
• Waifs and strays: (people with no home): Namia has established a charity home for
waifs and strays.
• Wait or look for dead man’s shoes: (to await one's inheritance (and thus anticipate
another's death): You need not look for dead man’s shoes if you already own
sufficient financial resources.
• A walk-over: (an easy victory): Javed will walk over all the competitors in the boxing
contest.
• Wash one’s dirty linen in public: (talk about private matters in public): It is foolish to
wash our dirty linen in public. Let us discuss this affair in private.
• To wash one’s hands of a business: (to refuse to acknowledge as one's own or as one's
responsibility): When one of the directors realized the bank was going to fail, he
washed his hands of the whole affair.
• Ways and means: (methods of raising money): It is for the Muslim League party and its
representatives to devise the ways and means of carrying on the election campaign.
• Wear and tear: (damage caused by use or by time): The castle walls have stood the wear
and tear of centuries.
• Wear one’s heart upon one’s sleeve: (to be open hearted or frank): Anum is wearing
her heart on her sleeve as she conceals nothing from her friends.
• If the worst comes to the worst: (if a bad situation becomes even worse): If the worst
comes to the worst, we can ask dad to send us some more money.
• The weather eye: (constant and shrewd watchfulness and alertness): Amjid has a
weather eye as he can accurately foresee the future happenings.
• A wet blanket: (a person who spoils other people's fun by failing to join in with or by
disapproving of their activities): Nobody asks him to join the group because he is such
a wet blanket.
• What cannot be cured must be endured: (what cannot be remedied must be borne with
patience): By saying to the patient that what cannot be cured must be endured will
have a worst impact on its health.
• What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander: (like things demand like
treatment): Human nature is much the same everywhere, and what is sauce for the
goose is sauce for the gander.
• Wheels within wheels: (a complexity of forces or influences): The Kashmir problem is
not so simple as it seems, there are wheels within wheels.
• Where the shoe pinches: (where the trouble or difficulty is): Only the wearer knows
where the shoe pinches.
• The whirligig of time: (process or activity characterized by constant change or hectic
activity): If the whirligig of time brings bitter experiences, it also brings at time
soothing compensations.
• A white lie or fib: (a harmless falsehood): He told a white lie to avoid the humiliation
of his friend.
• Wide of the mark: (beside the point): The arguments of the lawyer in the case under
adjudication were wide of the mark.
• A wild goose chase: (a vain pursuit): After two hours spent wandering in the snow, I
realized we were on a wild goose chase.
• Within living memory: (within or during a time that is remembered by people still alive):
There are meager chances of new World War while the last one is within living
memory.
• Within one’s rights: (entitled to do something): Kashmiris are within their rights when
they demand for right of self determination.
• Worm out: (to extract information by using cunning methods): The investigator finally
wormed the truth out of the suspect.
• A wolf in sheep’s clothing: (a person or thing that appears friendly or harmless but is
really hostile): My friend was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, as apparently he looked
sincere to me but actually he was conspiring against me.
• To get into hot water: (to be in trouble): He got into hot water by arguing with his
boss.
• To get wind: (to come to know): I don’t want my colleagues to get wind of the fact
that I am leaving the job.
• To live by one’s wits: (to earn one’s living through cleverness, deceit or fraud): Arslan is
a young thief who lives by his wits.
• To go the way of all flesh: (to die or come back an end): Mr. Safdar has gone the way
of all flesh after being hit by a car.
• Wear out one’s welcome: (to come so often or stay so long that one is no longer welcome):
After staying for a week, she felt that she had worn out her welcome.
• To wind up one’s affairs: (to bring them to a final settlement or adjustment): The
partnership between them has broken and now they are winding up their business
of livestock.
• What: (when applied to persons, refers to one’s calling or profession): What a man’s father
is, is a matter of no importance if he is honest.
• Worm oneself into favour: (gradually achieve the position of trust possibly by dishonest
means): He knows how to worm himself into the favour of his employer by all sorts
of subtle devices.
• To be on the wane: (becoming weaker or less extensive): The COVID-19 pandemic is on
the wane.
• Worthy of: (having or showing the qualities that deserve the specified action or regard):
Political and economic issues of Pakistan are worthy of further consideration.
• Watery grave:
• Weaker vessel:
• Weather a storm: (to deal with a difficult situation without being harmed or damaged too
much): Newspapers have weathered the storm of online information by providing
news online themselves.
• Weigh anchor:
• A white elephant: (a possession unwanted by the owner but difficult to dispose of): When
he bought the mansion he didn't know it was going to be such a white elephant.
• Year of grace: (year dating from the birth of Jesus Christ): Khushhal was born in the
year of grace 1995.
• Years of discretion: (an age when one is able to judge between what is right and what is
wrong): Sarah can run the business of her mother as she has reached the years of
discretion.
• Yellow peril: (a danger to Western civilization held to arise from expansion of the power
and influence of eastern Asian peoples): Sinophobia is the outcome of yellow peril.
• Yearn for: (have an intense feeling of longing for something, typically something that one
has lost or been separated from): He is yearning for the glance of his mother.
• A young hopeful/ young turk: (a young person, animal, or plant has not lived or existed
for very long and is not yet mature): Ali is a young hopeful and wants to win the race
competition in his first attempt.
• Yoke around someone's neck: (a burden): They decided to buy the car on credit. This
became a yoke around their neck.
• Yellow journalism: (sensationalistic/misleading): This paper is practicing yellow
journalism with its reports on sex scandals.
• Yearns for: (to long for someone or something; to desire someone or something strongly):
Sam sat alone in his room, yearning for Mary.
Z
• Zealous for, in: (very enthusiastic or passionate): Awais is zealous in the defense of the
rights of workers.
• Zero hour: (the time at which a planned operation, typically a military one, is set to begin):
Yesterday 18:00 has marked as the zero hour of the biggest dance competition.
• Zero tolerance: (strictness): There is zero tolerance for terrorist.
• Zigged before you zagged: (to misstep or err): He really should have won the
election, but he zigged when he should have zagged by focusing so much of his
campaign on taxes instead of attacking his opponent's political policies.
• Zip it/ Zipped your lips: (to stop talking immediately): She angrily told him to zip it.

Idioms (Winning English Grammar & Composition)

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Wining English Grammar & Composition by Mureed Hussain Jasra 03165701593

Wining English Grammar & Composition

Writer: Mureed Hussain Jasra, CSP

IDIOMS AND PHRASAL WORDS

• Advantage ground: (superiority in place or position): Once a man gets popular, he is an

• Go a begging: (to be unwanted or unused): Do not let any chance go begging.

• An itching palm: (an avaricious disposition): Officers of this particular department

• To make oneself scarce: (leave a place, especially so as to avoid a difficult situation):

• A thorn in the flesh: (a cause of eternal trouble or annoyance): Separatist movements in

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Idioms (Winning English Grammar &amp; Composition)

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Idioms (Winning English Grammar &amp; Composition)

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Wining English Grammar & Composition by Mureed Hussain Jasra 03165701593

Wining English Grammar & Composition

Writer: Mureed Hussain Jasra, CSP

IDIOMS AND PHRASAL WORDS

• Advantage ground: (superiority in place or position): Once a man gets popular, he is an

• Go a begging: (to be unwanted or unused): Do not let any chance go begging.

• An itching palm: (an avaricious disposition): Officers of this particular department

• To make oneself scarce: (leave a place, especially so as to avoid a difficult situation):

• A thorn in the flesh: (a cause of eternal trouble or annoyance): Separatist movements in

You might also like

Idioms (Winning English Grammar & Composition)

Idioms (Winning English Grammar & Composition)