English Idioms and Phrases

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

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

Why must you look a gift horse in the mouth ?

To pick holes

A black sheep

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

It was he who put a spoke in my wheel.

To cry wolf

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

To keeps one's temper

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

His friends let him down.

To make clean breast of

He struck several bad patches before he made good.

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

To catch a tartar

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

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

Don't thrust your nose into my affairs.

He is leaving the country for a good.

To drive home

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

He is out and out a reactionary.

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

The project did not appear to hold out bright prospects.

He passed himself off as a noble man.

Do no trust a man who blows his own trumpet

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

He sold his house for a song.

The robber took to his heels when the police arrived.

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

To be above board

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

To set one's face against

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

To play second fiddle

The cricket match proved to be a big draw.

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

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

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

To hit the nail right on the head

Govind has left his country for good.

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

Dowry is a burning question of the day.

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

The accounts of the murder made her flesh creep.

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

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

To smell a rat

To have an axe to grind

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

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

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

To put one's hand to plough

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

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

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

To end in smoke

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.

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

He visits the doctor off and on.

To beg the question

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

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

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

To leave someone in the lurch

A man of straw

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

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

To throw down the glove

To turn over a new leaf

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

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

My car broke down on way to the railway station.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too.

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

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

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

To turn up one's nose at a thing

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

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

To be at daggers drawn

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

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

There is no hard and fast rule regarding this subject.

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

To talk one's head off

The time is running out, you must look sharp.

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

The prince did not take after the king.

To snap one's fingers

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.

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

A fair crack of the whip

The P.M has pulled up Orissa partymen.

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

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

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.

Mohan always keeps himself to himself

To be in abeyance

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

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

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

We should give a wide berth to bad characters.

He resigned the post of his own accord.

To talk through one's hat

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To take with a grain of salt

Turban is in vogue in some communities.

His plan was so complicated that it floored his listeners.

The authorities took him to task for his negligence.

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

To catch somebody on the hop

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rebels held out for about a month

The sight of the accident made myflesh creep.

He is always standing up for the weak and oppressed.

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

To get into hot waters

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He is always picking holes in every project.

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

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

There is no love lost between two neighbours.

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

Rohit has bitten off more than he chew.

A close shave

I ran out of money on my European tour.

He went back on his promise to vote for me.

To keep one's head

Their business is now on its last legs.

Why do you wish to tread on the toes?

Harp on

I requested him to put in a word for me.

By the skin of one's teeth

A pipe dream

The dacoit murdered the man in cold blood.

In his youth, he was practically rolling in money

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

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

Will o' the wisp

The detective left no stone unturned to trace the culprit.

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

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

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

To set the people by ears

To throw dust in one's eyes

To save one's face

By the rule of thumb

Castles in the air

To hold something in leash

To turn amuck

Tall order

To pay one back in the same coin

To fly off the handle

French leave

To hit below the belt

To play the gallery

Dog in the manger

To be rolling in money

Queer somebody's pitch

To tempt providence

Hush money

To bring one's eggs to a bad market

Foar in the mouth

To be lost in the cloud

All and sundry

To carry off the bell

To throw up the sponge

At one's beck and call

A fool's errand

To lose one's head

A red letter day

To turn the tables

To split hours

To lose face

To live in clover

To give/get the bird

Within an ace of

To cross swords

To hit the jackpot

Pin-money

To wash one's dirty linen in public