101 Important Idioms for Competitive Exams Part 1
101 Important Idioms for Competitive Exams Part 1
| An arm chair job | Good income job with high comfort |
| An old flame | Old lover from the past |
| An old head on young shoulders | A young person talking or thinking like an experienced person |
| An olive branch | Peace request |
| Apple of discord | Cause of quarrel or dispute |
| Apple of one’s eye | One who is very dear to someone |
| At a loss | Unable to decide |
| Apple-pie order | In very good condition |
| At a pinch | In a trouble |
| At arm’s length | Maintaining distance, avoiding friendship |
| At daggers drawn | Enmity |
| Bad Blood | Enmity |
| At ease | Comfortable, free from pain and anxiety |
| At one’s fingertips | To have complete knowledge of something |
| At one’s wit’s end | Puzzled, surprised, confused |
| At sixes and sevens | In disorder |
| At stake | At risk and unsecured |
| Back stairs gossip | Unfair talks, talk among servants |
| Baker’s dozen | 13 in number |
| Be in the driving seat | Controlling everything, bearing all responsibilities |
| Beat black and blue | To beat mercilessly |
| Beat hollow | To defeat thoroughly and convincingly |
| Beck and call | Ready to obey instantly |
| Beggar Description | Something that is very difficult to describe |
| Bell the cat | Taking the first step at personal risk |
| Bird of passage | Occasional appearance |
| Bird’s eye view | Overview |
| Birds of feather | People with similar characteristics |
| Black sheep | one who is regarded as a disgrace to one’s family |
| Blind alley | A situation where no further progress can be made |
| Blue blood | One from a royal descendant |
| Blue book | Government report |
| Body and soul | Completely |
| Bolt from the blue | unexpected sudden trouble |
| Bone of contention | The subject of a dispute |
| Bosom friend | Very close or best friend |
| Breathe one’s last | To pass away |
| Broken reed | Unreliable person |
| Brown study | A state of deep thought |
| Burn a hole in the pocket | To spend money quickly |
| Burn the candle at both ends | To waste money |
| Burn the midnight oil | Studying till late at night |
| Burning question | Hot topic |
| Bury the hatchet | To end the hostility or enmity |
| By the skin of one’s teeth | Narrow margin |
| Carry the coal to Newcastle | Wasting time and energy on useless things |
| Cast pearls before swine | a right thing in a wrong hand |
| Cat and dog life | Troublesome life |
| Cat’s paw | A person used by another as a tool |
| Chew the cud | To ponder (think) over something |
| Chicken hearted | Cowardly |
| Cock and bull story | A concocted or made-up story |
| Cry for the moon | To desire for unattainable |
| Cut a sorry figure | To give a poor show |
| Cut both ways | To argue in favor of both sides |
| Cut no ice | Fail to make an impression |
| Dark horse | One who wins unexpectedly |
| Dead letter | A law that is no longer in use |
| Democle’s sword | Constant threat |
| Die in harness | Die while in service |
| Dog in the manger | One who prevents others from enjoying what he cannot |
| Donkey’s years | A long time |
| Draw a line | Set a limit |
| Duck in the thunderstorm | In a painful condition |
| Eagled eyed | With a keen eyesight |
| Eat humble pie | To apologize |
| Eat one’s words | Take a statement back |
| Elbow room | Sufficient scope to move or work |
| End in smoke | Came to nothing |
| Escape one’s lips | Speak unintentionally or unexpectedly |
| Fabian policy | A policy of delaying decisions |
| Fair sex | Women |
| Fair weather friend | A selfish friend who is with us only in our good times |
| Feather in the cap | Additional success |
| Feather one’s nest | To enrich oneself by taking advantage of one’s position |
| Fool’s paradise | A state of being happy for foolish things |
| Forty winks | A quick nap (sleep) |
| French leave | Leave without permission |
| Fringe benefits | Additional benefits apart from salary |
| From hand to mouth | Just enough to survive, nothing extra |
| Gala day | Day of Celebration |
| Get into a soup | Get into trouble |
| Get off scot free | To escape without punishment |
| Get on one’s nerves | To irritate or annoy |
| Gibble-gabble | Foolish talk |
| Gift of the gab | Talent for speaking |
| Give a piece of mind | To scold or rebuke |
| Good Samaritan | Kind and helpful person |
| Grass widow | A woman who is separated, divorced, or lives apart from her husband |
| Green room | A room where performers get ready for the show |
| Grease the palm | To bribe |
| Hang by a thread | In a risky situation |
| Hammer and sickle | A symbol of communism |
| Have one’s hands full | To be completely occupied |
| Have several irons in the fire | To be onvolved in many projects at the same time |
| Hen-pecked husband | One who is dominated by wife |
| High and dry | Stranded, helpless, deprived |
| Hole and corner policy | Secret policy |
| Hush money | Money given to someone to keep something secret |
| Hobson’s choice | No real choice at all |
| Herculean task | Task requiring great efforts |
