To speak daggers

His father advised him to be fair and square in his dealings lest he should fall into trouble.

He is a plain, simple and sincere man. He will always call a spade a spade.

To show the white feather

The doctor says the patient has turned the corner.

He is at loggerheads with his assistants about the management of the concern.

He is in the habit of fishing in troubled waters.

The young heir to his father’s huge estate made ducks and drakes of his patrimony.

He has made his mark in politics.

A cock and bull story

Spick and span

Hard-pressed

To hold a brief for

Mr. Roy is known as a shop lifter in the city commercial centre.

To set the thames on fire

In parliament, every member can have the floor with the permission of the speaker.

To look down one’s nose at

There is no love lost between the two neighbours.

To cut the Gordian knot

To hit the nail on the head

The speaker’s observations on the subject were beside the mark.

The casting vote of the chairman clinched the issue.

At Christmas, even the elderly fathers paint the town red.

It is difficult to keep a level head in these days of mounting prices.

To change colour

Pell-mell

To let the cat out of the bag

To rip up old sores

To oil the knocker

It was such a messy affair but Manish somehow managed to wash his hands of the entire affair.

To have one’s heart in one’s boots

The pros and cons

By fair means or foul

To put somebody in his place

A square peg in a round hole

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

We should guard against our green-eyed friends.

Leave one to sink or swim

To keep one’s head above water

To cool one’s heels

A bull in a china shop

To take somebody for a ride

To make a shot

To strike one’s colours

To get the hang of a thing

It is a moot point whether we should stop work or struggle on.

He rides the high horse because of his high connection.

He works by fits and starts.

Rahul fought tooth and nail to save his company.

The robbery was committed in the wee hours of the day.

To bear the palm

The mealy-mouthed politician succeeded in influencing the voters.

To ride hell for Leather

To be at one’s finger’s ends

To be in two minds

He is a person after my own heart.

To talk shop

To give one a long rope

To beat the air

A sop to cerberus

To mind one’s P’s and Q’s

To cut the cackle

To give one’s ears

To break the ice

To pour oil in troubled water

To play on a fiddle

To be a good Samaritan

Be in the mire

To give a rap on the knuckles

The aroma from the kitchen makes my mouth water.

Whenever I meet him he pulls a long face.

The boy turned a deaf ear to the pleadings of all his well-wishers.

To leave no avenue unexplored

To pay off old scores

He threw cold water over the project that the secretary had prepared.

Things are progressing well. Don’t do anything to rock the boat.

In double-quick time

The parliamentary inquiry into the Bofors deal has not brought to light any startling facts.

It goes to his heart to see so much misery.

Rajeev achieved success by resorting to a hole and corner method.

She rejected his proposal of marriage point blank.

To hold somebody to ransom

I am ambitious and never want to rest on my laurels.

Once in a blue moon

To look sharp

Get down to brass tacks

To take a leaf out of somebody’s book

To show one’s teeth

To put one on one’s mettle

To keep the wolf away from the door

To live fast

In almost every party, my friend tries to rule the roost.

Sumit had to look high and low before he could find his scooter key.

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

I won’t mind even if he goes to dogs.

A man of weight

To go to each other hammer and tongs

This place affords a bird’s eye view of the green valley below.

To hang up one’s hat

I sent him about his business as I could stand his insolence no longer.