idioms and phrases - G 3

 List - 3

 41. To come to light ( to be revealed )

  ** Mohan's guilt has now come to light.

 42. To cry over spilt milk ( to feel sorry for the past losses )

  ** To feel sorry for the past losses is simply to cry over spilt milk.

 43. To catch red-handed ( to catch in the very act )

  ** The thief was caught red-handed while he was breaking into the house.

 44. To come of age ( to attain maturity )

  ** You must look after your affairs yourself as you have come of age.

 45. To die in harness ( to die while working )

  ** Nelson died in harness while fighting.

 46. To dance attendance on a person ( to please a person by flattering him )

  ** Kawal always dances attendance on his boss.

 47. To do a yeoman's service ( to help in need )

  ** They did a yeoman's service by helping the persons in the drought- stricken area.

 48. To dig a grave of one's reputation ( to do something to destroy one's reputation )

  ** By joining the company of drunkards, he is trying to dig the grave of his father's reputation.

 49. To end in smoke ( to fail )

  ** He wanted to earn a lot of money, but all his plans ended in smoke.

 50.To eat one's words (to withdraw one's words )

  ** He promised to help me, but when the time of help came, he ate his words.

 51. To eat the humble pie ( to pocket an insult )

  * He had to eat the humble pie when he was defeated in the election.

 52. To fan the flame ( to excite the anger )

  ** His father turned him out of his house. But when he came back, his entrance fanned the flame of his father's anger.

 53. To fall flat ( to have no effect )

  ** The good advice of the parents fell flat on the son.

 54. To face the music ( to face a difficult situation )

  ** The notorious dacoit who was arrested by the police, is facing the music in the jail.

 55. To fall foul of ( to quarrel with )

  ** I do not want to fall foul of my neighbours.

 56. To feel the pulse ( to find out one's inner feelings )

  ** Smt. Indira Gandhi was a great politician. She had felt the pulse of her countrymen.

 57. To fight shy of ( to be shy )

  ** He fights shy of talking with girls.

 58. To follow suit ( to follow example )

  ** If you are sincere and punctual to your duty, your sub-ordinates will also follow suit.

 59. To follow the beaten track ( to be traditionalist )

  ** Most of our country-men follow the beaten track in every affair.

 60. To gain ground ( to succeed slowly and steadily )

  ** The separatists should not be allowed to gain ground.

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idioms and phrases - G 2

List - 2

 21. To burn the candle at both ends ( to spend money lavishly )

  ** He is ruining himself by burning the candle at both ends.

 22. To bear the palm ( to be victorious )

  ** In the Indo-Pak War of 1971,India bore the palm.

 23. To bring to book (to punish )

  ** At best, the thief was brought to book.

 24. To bury the hatchet (to put an end to old enmity )

  ** Let us bury the hatchet and be friends again.

 25. To be like a fish out of water ( to be in a disagreeable situation )

  ** His father stopped supporting him,then he was like a fish out of water.

 26. To back up ( support )

  ** If you back me up, I shall be able to face the difficulties.

 27. To bear in mind (to remember )

  ** You must bear in mind that only the hard work will succeed in the life.

 28. To be true to one's salt ( to prove faithful )

  ** The guard will not deceive me. He is true to his salt.

 29. To be the order of the day ( to be the fashion of the day )

  ** To ask for dowry has become the order of the day.

 30. To beat the air ( to make useless efforts )

  ** His words carry no weight. He is merely beating the air.

 31. To be in good books ( to be favourite )

  ** Nowadays none can harm him because he is in good books of his boss.

 32. To call in question ( to express doubt )

  ** Mr. Vajpayee's patrotism cannot be called in question.

 33. To call a spade a spade ( to speak in plain terms )

  ** People get offended when he calls a spade a spade.

 34. To cast pearls before swine ( to offer to a person a thing which he cannot understand or appreciate )

  ** If you talk of space flight to an uneducated man, you will simply cast pearls before swine.

 35. To pour oil on troubled water ( to make the situation calm )

  ** There was a quarrel between the two brothers. The father came and poured oil on troubled water.

 36. To chew the end ( to meditate on ome idea )

  ** Lal Bahadur Shastri was in habit of chewing the end .

 37. To come to a standstill ( to come to atop )

  ** Due to want of petrol. the car came to a standstill.

 38. To come off with flying colours ( to achieve distinction )

  ** Manik has come off with flying colours in M. A. examinations.

 39. To cut one's coat according to one's cloth ( to spend within the range of income )

  ** Everyone should cut his coat according to his cloth.

 40. To cry for the moon ( to desire for an impossible thing )

  ** To top the list of successful candidates is simply to cry for the moon for him.

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idioms and phrases - G 1

  
 List - 1


  1. To be up to ( to be equal to, to be acquainted with )

   ** His work is up to the mark.

  2. To be up and doing ( to be actively engaged )

  ** If he wants to succeed in his mission, he must be up and doing.

  3. To be at a loss ( to be perplexed )

  ** Sunil was at a loss what to do in his case.

  4. To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth ( to be born in a rich family )

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

 5.To be worthwhile (worth spending the time which the attempt would require)

  ** It is worthwhile to do something or the other than to sit idle.

  6. To be all ears ( to be an attentive audience )

  ** I was all ears when the Prime Minister made his speech.

  7. To be weak in the storey ( to be feeble-minded )

  ** He cannot be depended on. He is weak in the upper storey.

  8. To be at daggers drawn ( to be bitter enemy )

  ** Ram and Shyam were fast friends. But now they are at daggers drawn.

  9. To be at one's wit's end ( to greatly perplexed )

  ** When he saw the lion in the forest, he was at his wit's end.

 10. To be at the helm of ( to be at the main position )

   ** Manish is the head of the family. He is, therefore, at the helm of affairs.

 11. To be beside oneself with joy or grief (overwhelmed with joy or grief )

  ** To hear of his friend's bright success in the I.A.S. examination' Vijay was beside himself with joy.

 12. To be on the horns of a dilemma (to be in a fix )

  ** When asked for support, he was on the horns of a dilemma and could not understand what to do.

 13. To bear the brunt of ( to feel the full force of )

  ** The Indian Battalian had to bear the brunt of the German attack in the World War II .

 14. To beat about the bush ( to approach a matter in a round about way )  

  ** Please let me know the matter directly and do not beat about the bush.

 15. To beggar description ( to be indescribable )

  ** The beauty of the Taj is beggar's description.

 16. To bell the cat ( to lead in a danger )

  ** Everyone hates mafias but nobody dares to bell the cat.

 17. To bid fair ( to seem likely )

  ** He has topped the list of successful candidates. He bids fair to be a genius.

 18. To break the ice ( to break silence in conversation )

  ** Mohan broke the ice by asking his friend for a match-box.

 19. To blow one's own trumpet ( to indulge in self praise )

  ** Mr. Sen is in the habit of blowing his own trumpet.

 20. To breath one's last ( to die )

  ** His father breathed his last in peace.

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