English Idioms and Phrases

Why must you look a gift horse in the mouth ?

To make clean breast of

When he heard that he had once again not been selected he lost heart.

How long will the people put up with the increasing economic hardships?

The project did not appear to hold out bright prospects.

He visits the doctor off and on.

Sobhraj could be easily arrested because the police were tipped off in a advance.

This matter has been hanging fire for the last many months and must therefore be decided one way or the other.

He is an interesting speaker but tends to go off at a tangent.

I did not mind what he was saying, he was only through his hat.

Don't thrust your nose into my affairs.

He is leaving the country for a good.

In the armed forces, it is considered a great privilege to die in harness.

Do no trust a man who blows his own trumpet

To catch a tartar

The staff have felt on edge ever since they heard the rumour about retrenchment.

He was undecided. He let the grass grow under his feet.

To cry wolf

Dowry is a burning question of the day.

His friends let him down.

The case was held over due to the great opposition to it.

Despite the trust bestowed on the minister he turned out to be a snake in the grass during the revolution.

Although he has failed in the written examination, he is using backstairs influence to get the job.

To play second fiddle

The thief took to his heels when he saw a policeman on the beat.

Some people now wonder whether we just pay lip service or genuinely subscribe to democracy.

To be above board

He sold his house for a song.

He is out and out a reactionary.

Govind has left his country for good.

We should abstain from casting aspersions on the character of our colleagues.

I am afraid he is burning the candle at both ends and ruining his life.

Sanjay is very different about passing the Civil Services Examination this year.

Women should be paid the same as men when they do the same job, for, surely what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.

To drive home

To put one's hand to plough

The party stalwarts have advised the President to take it lying down for a while.

To have an axe to grind

The teacher warned the student once for all that no mischief shall be tolerated in the class.

The recent film "Secular India" has tried to keep the pot boiling for Muslim women's.

The popularity of the yesterday's superstar is on the wane.

To smell a rat

He struck several bad patches before he made good.

To beg the question

A man of straw

To pick holes

The robber took to his heels when the police arrived.

The accounts of the murder made her flesh creep.

To keeps one's temper

I felt like afish out of water among all those business tycoons.

To hit the nail right on the head

Companies producing goods play to the gallery to boost their sales.

To end in smoke

It is no longer easy to strike gold in Shakespeare's research since much work has already been done on him.

To set one's face against

The university will have to shelve its plans for expansion in view of present situation

I met him after a long time, but he gave me the cold shoulder.

Leaders should not only make speeches they should also be prepared to bell the cat.

I hope it will not put you out If I am late.

To leave someone in the lurch

The cricket match proved to be a big draw.

Sanjay was the real power behind the throne and all politicians were aware of this.

Since he knew what would happen, he should be left to stew in his own juice.

In the organised society of today no individual or nation can plough a lonely furrow.

It was he who put a spoke in my wheel.

He passed himself off as a noble man.

A black sheep

The time is running out, you must look sharp.

The parliamentary inquiry into the Bofors deal did not bring to light any startling facts.

The curious neighbours were disappointed as the young couple's quarrel was just a storm in a teacup.

Harp on

I cannot conceive of a time when I was without a refrigerator

I have a bone to pick with you in this matter.

He did me a good turn by recommending me for the post of Vice Principal.

Although both the parents are running the show for the last ten years but their business is now on its last legs.

To be in abeyance

To turn over a new leaf

The old father brought home the moral of unity by asking each of his sons to break the bundle of sticks

He went back on his promise to vote for me.

I ran out of money on my European tour.

The dacoit murdered the man in cold blood.

The prince did not take after the king.

The P.M has pulled up Orissa partymen.

Vikram said that he has got a problem to square up with the manager.

You have to be a cool customer and be patient if you want to get the best buys.

To keep one's head

He went to his friend's house in the evening as was his wont.

Do not imagine that Dharmendra is really sorry that his wife died. Those are only crocodile tears.

A pipe dream

Though he has lot of money, yet all his plans are built upon sand.

To catch somebody on the hop

The sight of the accident made myflesh creep.

The secretary and the treasurer are hand in glove with each other.

His plan was so complicated that it floored his listeners.

Mohan always keeps himself to himself

If you give John all your money, you are likely to burn your fingers.

There is no love lost between two neighbours.

This regular absenteeism is a bad business since on work is being completed.

In spite of the efforts of all peace loving people, world peace is still a far cry.

The new C.M stuck his neck out today and promised 10kgs. free wheat a month for all rural families.

He is always picking holes in every project.

The detective left no stone unturned to trace the culprit.

To get into hot waters

Discipline is on the wane in schools and colleges these days.

He is always standing up for the weak and oppressed.

The clerk wiped the nose of his employer by submitting a false bill and was dismissed from his job.

Their business is now on its last legs.

He has built a big business empire by his sharp practices.

Rohit has bitten off more than he chew.

In modern democratic societies lynch law seems to have become the spheres of life.

He believes in the policy of making hay while the sun shines.

Turban is in vogue in some communities.

Why do you wish to tread on the toes?

The speaker gave a bird's eye view of the political conditions in the country.

Pt. Nehru was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

The old man was cut to the quick when his rich son refused to recognise him.

The autographed bat from the famous cricketer Sunil Gavaskar is worth a jew's eye

He is in the habit of throwing dust in eyes of his superiors.

Maya had a checkered career. since I first knew him as an office assistant in the insurance company.

In his youth, he was practically rolling in money

Having sold off his factory, he is now a gentleman at large.

The authorities took him to task for his negligence.

To snap one's fingers

To talk one's head off

My car broke down on way to the railway station.

He resigned the post of his own accord.

The rebels held out for about a month

My father strained every nerve to enable me to get settled in life.

There is no hard and fast rule regarding this subject.

To turn up one's nose at a thing

The die is cast and now let us hope for the best.

The arrival of the mother-in-law in the family proved a rift in the lute.

To talk through one's hat

I am sure they will fight tooth and nail for their rights.

Don't lose patience, things will improve by and by

As a politician he is used to being in the limelight all the time.

While the ladies continued their small talk in the drawing room, I felt bored.

There was no opposition to the new policy by the rank and file of the Government.

To throw down the glove

You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

The class could not keep a straight face on hearing the strange pronunciation of the new teacher.

Madhuri might scream blue murder, but I feel Deepali should get the promotion since she is better qualified for the job.

The question of abolition of private property is still a moot point.

We should give a wide berth to bad characters.

He was in high spirits when I met him in the restaurant.

I felt that it was a tall order to expect Monisha to go home alone at twelve in the night.

His friends advised him to be fair and square in his dealings.

Will o' the wisp

By the skin of one's teeth

To take with a grain of salt

A fair crack of the whip

I cannot get along with a man who plays fast and loose.

He never liked the idea of keeping his wife under his thumb and so he let her do what she liked.

When he tells stories about himself, he is inclined to draw the longbow.

It is time that professors came down from their ivory towers and studied the real needs of the students.

We were in hurry. The road being zigzag we had to cut off a corner to reach in time.

It is high time that India did something about the population problem.

The old beggar ran amuck and began to throw stones at the passerby.

His speech went down well with the majority of the audience.

The new economic policy is likely to run into rough weather.

In spite of the immense pressure exerted by the militants, the Government has decided not to give in.

He intends setting up as a lawyer in the adjoining district.

To be at daggers drawn

A close shave

I requested him to put in a word for me.

There has been bad blood between the two communities even before shouting.

Harassed by repeated acts of injustice. he decided to put his foot down.

At one's beck and call

To plough the sands

To take people by storm

To get cold feet

To throw up the sponge

All and sundry

Adam's ale

To turn the cover

To flog a dead horse

To take a leap in the dark

To take the bull by the horns

To turn amuck

Castles in the air

To make the grade

To hit below the belt

To have brush with

To cast pearls before a swine

To fly off the handle

To accept the Gauntlet

A chip off the old block

Hobson's choice

A storm in a teacup

To give chapter and verse for a thing

To blaze trail

Queer somebody's pitch

To pay one back in the same coin

All Agog

To put the cart before the horse

A tall order

To lose one's head

To give a false colouring

To spill the beans

To have an easy time of it

To beggars description

To bring one's eggs to a bad market

To frame a person

To save one's face

To fight to the bitter end