Encyclopedic Guide to Idioms and Phrases
Foundational Idioms and General Meanings
Slap on the wrist: A mild punishment.
Body and soul: Wholly and entirely.
To burn one's finger: To suffer a loss by acting rashly.
A shot in the dark: Randomly doing something, the outcome of which is unknown.
Take your eye off the ball: To stop paying attention for a moment.
A bull market: Market where prices are rising.
A fish out of water: A person out of accustomed environment.
To shake in one's shoes: To be afraid.
To be in two minds: In a dilemma.
To meet one's waterloo: To be badly defeated in a contest.
Slack off: To ease pressure on something.
Pig in a poke: Something that is bought without examining properly.
Over and above: In addition to.
Ace in the hole: A major advantage that one keeps hidden until an ideal time.
For old time's sake: Because of sentimental memories of the past.
Dead ringer: An exact duplicate.
To keep an eye on: To watch over closely.
Water under the bridge: Anything from the past that isn't significant or important anymore.
Green light: To permit something to proceed.
All and sundry: Everyone without distinction.
Wear your heart on your sleeve: To openly display one's emotions.
Sea change: Major transformation.
Give cold shoulder: Ignore, avoid or be unfriendly towards someone.
To twiddle one's thumbs: To be idle.
Armed to the teeth: Fully armed, having many weapons.
To sleep like a dog: To sleep soundly.
Apropos of nothing: Having no relevance to any previous discussion or situation.
Once in a blue moon: Rarely.
Lion's mouth: A dangerous situation.
A bolt from the blue: An unexpected event.
Neck of the woods: Neighbourhood.
At daggers drawn with: To be bitterly hostile towards each other.
To bridge the gap: To reduce differences and reconcile.
Zero tolerance: A policy of not allowing any violations of a rule or law.
In black and white: In writing.
Bite the dust: To die.
Pedal to the metal: To go full speed, especially while driving a vehicle.
Blessing in disguise: Bad thing that turns out to be good.
High and dry: Abandoned.
The whole ball of wax: Everything.
Method to my madness: Strange or crazy actions that appear meaningless but in the end are done for a good reason.
Dead lock: A state in which progress is impossible.
To lay someone by the heels: To confine somebody in prison.
To make one's mark: To attain success.
In the flesh: In bodily form.
Have people rolling in the aisles: Make an audience laugh uncontrollably.
To breast the tape: To win a race.
Piece of cake: Something which is very simple.
To jump out of one's skin: To be extremely surprised.
Good grief: An expression of surprise or frustration.
Penny wise and pound foolish: Careless with large amounts, but not small.
Get into hot water: To get into trouble.
Appeal to Caesar: Appeal to the highest possible authority.
All bark and no bite: Full of talk, but low on action.
To make a mountain of a mole hill: To give great importance to trifles.
A bite at the cherry: An attempt or opportunity to do something.
Save your breath: To make an effort that will be futile.
Burn your bridges: To eliminate the possibility of return or retreat.
A beast of burden: An animal that carries luggage.
To lose one's head: To lose one's self-control.
New kid on the block: Someone new to the group or area.
Cast someone adrift: To leave someone without any support or purpose.
To take the veil: To become a nun.
To the manner born: To do something as though it is coming naturally.
Buy a lemon: To buy something that is of much less value.
Be my guest: Please do it.
To have a nodding acquaintance: Know somebody/something slightly.
To miss the bus: To lose an opportunity.
To play with fire: To take foolish risk.
Backseat driver: A person who offers unsolicited advice.
As hard as nails: Physically or mentally tough.
The whys and wherefores: Reasons.
Idioms in Character and Personal Disposition
A night owl: A person who prefers to be awake late at night.
At your beck and call: To have absolute control over someone.
After one's own heart: Having likes and dislikes similar to one's own.
A snake in the grass: A deceitful person (Applied to the defeat of Siraj-ud Daula).
As hard as nails: Physically or mentally tough.
Fit as a fiddle: In good health.
Blow one's own trumpet: To praise oneself.
An old head on young shoulders: Being experienced and full of wisdom at a young age, such as a university chemistry teacher at age .
A chip on one's shoulder: An attitude that leads one to become easily angered.
Chicken hearted: Someone who lacks courage and is easily frightened.
Blue blood: A person belonging to a high family; not a guarantee of public decorum.
Salt of the earth: A very good and honest person.
Toffee-nosed: A person who thinks he is of a high social class and looks down on people of lower class.
A black sheep: A disgrace for the family.
A cold fish: An unemotional person.
A live wire: A very active or energetic person.
A bad egg: Someone who is dishonest and unreliable.
A rotten apple: A single bad person or thing in a group.
An old hand: Someone who is experienced.
A stuffed shirt: A pompous person.
An eager beaver: A keen and enthusiastic person.
Idioms of Action, Effort, and Strategy
Take into account: To consider all important factors before making a decision.
Take stock of: To survey a whole situation, often periodically.
A Herculean effort: A difficult task completed successfully, such as a relay run of .
Go the extra mile: Do much more than required.
Steal someone's thunder: To take the credit for something someone else did.
Wild goose chase: To do something pointless or engage in a futile search.
Hang in there: Don't give up; persist in a difficult situation.
Bite off more than you can chew: Take on a task that you cannot finish or handle.
Level playing field: A fair competition.
On the ball: Aware of any changes or developments and quick to react to them.
Throw caution to the wind: To take risks or ignore the risk entirely.
Explore all avenues: Try out every possibility to get a result.
Blaze the trail: Be the first to do something important or start a movement.
Strain every nerve: To try extremely hard to do something.
Lock horns: Fight with someone.
Move the goalposts: Unfairly alter the conditions or rules of a procedure during its course.
Flogging a dead horse: To waste time on useless things.
Gird up your loins: To prepare oneself for a difficult situation.
Play for time: To make excuses or do things to gain time.
Full steam ahead: Move onward with determination.
Nip in the bud: To destroy something early to prevent further development.
Leave no stone unturned: Make every possible effort to solve a problem or search for answers.
The gift of the gab: A talent for speaking well and persuasively.
Bite the bullet: To force oneself to do something unpleasant or accept a difficult situation, such as an amputation.
Upset the apple-cart: Spoil careful plans.
Strain every nerve: Execute a task with extraordinary effort.
To catch someone's fancy: To appeal to someone.
Idioms Regarding Conflict, Rivalry, and Difficulty
At daggers drawn with: To be bitterly hostile towards each other.
In dire straits: A very bad situation, such as the Russian economy.
Add fuel to the flames / Add fuel to the fire: Making a bad situation even worse.
To put a spoke in one's wheel: To thwart someone in execution of one's design.
Hit below the belt: To attack or strike someone in a cruel or unfair manner.
Between the devil and the deep blue sea: Between two equally unacceptable or dangerous choices.
Between Scylla and Charybdis: Choosing between two unpleasant alternatives or dangers.
A bone of contention: A dispute.
At loggerheads: Disagreeing strongly.
Up in arms: In rebellion or very angry about something.
To meet one's Waterloo: To experience a final and crushing defeat.
A stumbling block: An obstacle to progress.
To fan the flames: To make a bad situation worse.
To fight tooth and nail: To fight or compete with great ferocity and intensity.
A hard nut to crack: A difficult person or a problem that is hard to solve.
Run into rough weather: Experience significant difficulties.
Apple of discord: The reason for a quarrel among people, such as an inheritance.
Idioms of Time and Opportunity
Miss the bus / Miss the boat: To lose an opportunity.
At the eleventh hour: At the very last minute or just before a deadline.
A nine days' wonder: A short-lived sensation.
In the blink of an eye: Something that happens fast and instantaneously.
Once in a blue moon: Very rarely.
Back to square one: Having to restart a process from the beginning.
Go back to the drawing board: Start planning again because earlier plans failed.
Wait for the calm before the storm: A quiet period before a period of disturbance or noise.
Against the clock: In a great hurry, as fast as possible.
In the fast lane: In great excitement.
Coming of age: Reaching maturity.
The wee hours of the day: Dawn.
Months on end: Several months in a row.
For the time being: Temporarily.
Off and on: Sometimes but not regularly.
At a stretch: Continuously without stopping.
Idioms for Success, Happiness, and Prosperity
A bed of roses: A pleasant condition of life.
Bear the palm: To be a winner.
In সপ্তম heaven / In seventh heaven: To be extremely happy.
On cloud nine: Extremely happy and excited.
Rags to riches: Starting life very poor and later becoming very rich, like the journey of Dheerubai.
Beaming from ear to ear: Smiling broadly.
In high spirits: Cheerful and joyful.
In weal and woe: In prosperity and adversity.
To be on a roll: To be experiencing a successful period.
To make big time: Attain fame and success.
Carried the day: To win a victory or be successful.
Walking on air: Being very happy.
The best of both worlds: An ideal situation where one enjoys advantages from two different things at once.
Idioms of Deception and Honesty
To smell a rat: To have reason to suspect trickery or deception.
A Judas kiss: A deceitful pretence of friendship, such as an untrustworthy matrimonial alliance.
Let the cat out of the bag: To reveal a secret, often accidentally.
In black and white: In writing, to ensure clarity and evidence.
Fair and square: Honestly and according to the rules.
Eye wash: A deception or pretence.
To spill the beans: Tell something that should be kept secret.
Crocodile tears: A pretended show of sorrow.
Keeping up appearances: Maintaining an outward expression of well-being despite difficulties.
Cook the books: To falsify financial records.
Cock and bull story: A wildly exaggerated, falsified, or improbable story.
To give away a secret: To spill the beans.
Financial and Economic Idioms
Costs an arm and a leg: Extremely expensive.
Break the bank: To spend a large amount of money; very expensive.
Loosen the purse strings: Allow more money to be spent.
On the breadline: To be very poor.
Going for a song: Incredibly inexpensive.
To pay lip service: To express loyalty or support insincerely.
Penny wise and pound foolish: Careful in trivial matters but wasteful in large sums.
Mark up: To increase the price of an item.
To feel the pinch: To face financial difficulties, often due to job loss.
A man of means: A wealthy man with significant assets.
Tighten one's belt: To cut expenditure.
Hard cash: Notes and coins rather than digital or cheque payments.
Big bucks: A large amount of money.
Chicken feed: A very small amount of money.
Idioms Regarding Health and Status
Fit as a fiddle: In good health.
Hale and hearty: Strong and healthy.
Alive and kicking: Healthy and active.
Under the weather: Feeling slightly ill or sick.
Go cold turkey: Suddenly stopping addictive or dangerous behavior.
Greenhorn / A green horn: An inexperienced person.
To stay cool as a cucumber: To remain calm and composed, especially under pressure.
No spring chicken: A person who is no longer young.
Verbal Communication and Speech Idioms
Beating around the bush: Avoiding the main point by talking in a vague or roundabout way.
Gift of the gab: The ability to speak confidently, clearly, and persuasively.
Call a spade a spade: To speak frankly and tell the truth, even if unpleasant.
Mumbo jumbo: Nonsense or meaningless speech.
Not mince words: To speak in a direct and straightforward way.
Laugh like a drain: To laugh very loudly.
Explain at length / Set forth: To clarify views extensively in a speech.
Make head or tail of: To understand something (often used in the negative: "couldn't make head or tail of it").
Straight from the horse's mouth: To hear information directly from the person who knows.
Loaded words: Words that carry more significance than their literal meanings.
Crack up: To laugh out loud suddenly.
Maiden speech: The first speech delivered by someone.
A Parthian shot: A parting hit.
Metaphorical Situations and Objects
A red letter day: A memorable and important day.
A white elephant: Something that costs a lot but has no useful purpose.
A bolt from the blue: Something that happens suddenly and unexpectedly.
A drop in the bucket: Something small and unimportant compared to the whole.
A bear garden: A place characterized by noise and disturbance.
Skeleton in the cupboard: An embarrassing fact kept secret.
Aladdin's cave: A place containing many interesting and valuable objects.
A house of cards: An insecure or fragile situation.
A pipe dream: An illusory plan or dream that is unlikely to happen.
A needle in a haystack: Something virtually impossible to find.
A fly on the wall: An unperceived observer.
A cat's paw: A person used as a tool by another.
A stone's throw / At a stone's throw: A very short distance.
Wolf in sheep's clothing / Crying wolf: Asking for help when it is not needed.
Decision Making and Thinking
On the fence / Sitting on the fence: Hesitating between two options or avoiding taking sides.
Take with a grain of salt / pinch of salt: To believe something with skepticism; to doubt the absolute truth.
To lose one's head: To lose self-control, often through anger.
In a quandary: Confused and unsure what to do.
On tenterhooks: Anxious and tense.
Think on your feet: Adjust quickly to changes and make fast decisions.
Keep a straight face: Looking serious despite wanting to laugh.
Brown study: A state of deep reverie or localized thought.
Judgement based on outward appearance: Judging a book by its cover.
Look before you leap: Think carefully about consequences before acting.
Reinvent the wheel: Wasting time on things that have already been satisfactorily completed.
Social Interaction and Relationships
Break the ice: To make people meeting for the first time feel more comfortable.
Keep at an arm's length: To maintain a distance and avoid becoming too friendly with someone.
Fair-weather friend: A person whose friendship cannot be relied upon during difficult times.
Two peas in a pod: Individuals who look very similar in character or appearance.
Apple of one's eye: A person of whom someone is extremely fond and proud.
Get on like a house on fire: To get on extremely well with someone.
Fish out of water: Feeling uncomfortable in an unfamiliar or new environment.
Wash your dirty linen in public: Discussing private matters in front of others.
Thick as thieves: Having a very close and intimate friendship.
Poke one's nose into: To interfere or meddle in the affairs of others.
Fall out with someone: To stop being friendly after an argument.
No love lost: A state where two people do not like each other at all.
Procedures and Outcomes
Bob's your uncle: Something achieved easily and quickly.
Went pear-shaped: Went terribly wrong.
Cakewalk / A cakewalk: An easy task or victory.
Hit the nail on the head: Doing or saying something exactly right.
Catch 22: A difficult situation where the solution is impossible due to contradictory rules.
Running around in circles: Being very active but achieving few results.
Spick and span: Extremely neat, clean, and organized.
Up a creek without a paddle: In a troublesome and serious situation without aid.
The elephant in the room: An obvious, major problem that everyone is ignoring.
The straw that broke the camel's back: The final event in a series that makes a situation intolerable.
Tick all the boxes: To fulfill all the required norms or conditions.
Honeymoon period / Lean patch: A period of poor performance.
Specific Metaphors and Allusions
Achilles' Heel: A person's vulnerable point.
Argus-eyed: Extremely vigilant.
A Penelope's web: An endless or perpetual job.
Hobson's choice: A choice forced upon someone where there is effectively no alternative.
Appeal to Caesar: To appeal to the highest possible authority.
God's ape: A born fool.
The Lion's share: The greatest and most desirable portion of something.
Charley horse: A cramp in the leg.
Nine times out of ten: Used to signify that something happens in most cases.
Speak of the devil: Used when the person being discussed suddenly appears.
The devil is beating his wife: A description of the sun shining while it is raining.
Human Emotions and Reactions
Beside oneself: Almost out of one's senses due to overwhelming fear, worry, or grief.
Belly laugh: A loud and unrestrained laugh.
Foaming at the mouth: To be enraged and show it openly.
Butterflies in one's stomach: A nervous or anxious feeling.
Heart skipped a beat: Feeling extremely nervous or shocked.
Flesh crawl: To feel extremely frightened or repulsed.
Make one's blood boil: To make someone extremely angry.
Jump out of one's skin: To be extremely surprised.
In the heat of the moment: Saying or doing something without thinking due to anger.
Want to curl up and die: To feel terribly ashamed and sorry.
Go red in the face: To feel deeply embarrassed.
Rules and Authority
Rules the roost: To be in complete control of a situation or group.
On the cards: Something that is probable or likely to happen.
Toe the line: To follow the rules or established standards.
Iron hand: Strict and harsh control.
Hold water: To appear valid, reasonable, or sound.
Red tape: Official rules and bureaucracy that make tasks difficult to resolve.
Bring to book: To hold someone accountable for their actions.
Under wraps: Kept secret.
Call the shots: To have the power or control in a situation.
Idioms in Phrases: Quick Reference List
Forty winks: A short nap.
At a stretch: Continuous progress without stopping.
Nine times out of ten: In most cases.
Spick and span: Neat and tidy.
Hale and hearty: Strong and healthy.
Odds and ends: Scraps or miscellaneous items.
Hue and cry: A noisy expression of anger.
Give and take: Mutual obliging of each other.
Tit for tat: A counter-attack or retaliatory action.
Slow and steady: Consistent progress leads to success.
Little by little: Gradually.
First and foremost: The most important aspect.
By and by: Gradually.
Inside out: Thoroughly.
Point blank: From a very close range.
Hoping against hope: Hoping in a hopeless situation.
Wrangle for an ass's shadow: Argue over petty issues.
Take your heart: To feel encouraged.
Chew the fat: To gossip and make small talk.
Keep a good table: Offer sumptuous food to guests.
Take a leaf out of someone's book: To emulate or imitate someone.
Done for: Ruined.
Called for: Required.
Wait until the last minute: At the eleventh hour.
By hook or by crook: Using any means necessary, good or bad.
Dressed to kill: Dressed to attract maximum attention.
Let your hair down: To take it easy and relax.
Laughing stock: An object of ridicule.
Fifth wheel: An unnecessary or unneeded person.
Game is up: Deception is at an end.
Dig up dirt: Discover damaging facts about someone.
Land a job: To be hired for a position.