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.

**********************************************************