A Simple Guide To Useful Idioms & Idiomatic Phrases

An idiom is a group of words established by usage as having a meaning different from the individual words.
A phrase is a small group of words standing together as an idiomatic expression.
Learn and practise as may as you can.

A Useful List of Idioms and Idiomatic Phrases:

Part 1: Idioms

 

- ABC (basic principles)
She does not know the ABC of photography.
- At one's beck and call (ready to obey)
He had a dozen men at his beck and call.
- At sixes and sevens (in disorder)
The drawing room articles were lying at sixes and sevens on the floor.
- A wet blanket (a discouraging person)
Don't allow Rakesh to accompany you to the hunting trip because he is a wet blanket.
- A big gun (an important person)
Mr Smith is a big gun in our city.
- At a stone's throw (at a short distance from)
My school is at a stone's throw from my house.
- A man of word (a person who keeps his promise)
Mr Sharma is a man of word.
- A man of a few words (a remarkable person)
Gandhiji was a man of a few words.
- At arm's length (to keep away)
We should always keep bad boys at arm's length
- A bolt from the blue (a sudden and unexpected event)
The news of my friend's death came to me like a bolt from the blue.
- A man of letters (a scholar)
Radha Krishnan was a man of letters.
- A hard nut to crack. (a puzzling problem)
To get a win over American basket ball team is a hard nut to crack for India.
- A yeoman's service (service which is beneficial to the human beings)
He did yeoman's service through his life.
- A snake in the grass (a hidden foe)
Beware of him because he seems to be a snake in the grass.
- Acid test (hard test)
The election will be an acid test for the ruling party.
- A wolf in sheep's clothing (a hypocrite)
You should not keep company with him because he is a wolf in sheep's clothing.
- At the eleventh hour (at the last moment)
The war was about to start but fortunately at the eleventh hour a messenger came to the PM with a message of peace.
- A great card (an important person)
Mr Sood is a great card in the ministry of finance.
- A fool of the first water (one completely foolish)
Being a fool of the first water he could not solve even the simplest sum.
- A bone of contention (to be the cause of quarrel)
Kashmir is the bone of contention between India and Pakistan.
- A green hand (not very much experienced)
We shall pay a little to a green hand.
- All in all (completely)
Rajesh is all in all in this office.
- A bed of roses (a comfort)
Life is not a bed of roses.
- An apple of discord (to be the cause of)
Kashmir is an apple of discord between India and Pakistan.
- A white elephant (of no use)
This sort of glib talker always proves a white elephant in the end.
- A red letter day (An important day)
15th August is a red letter day for the Indians.
- By hook or by crook (by any means fair or foul)

Their team always tries to win at everything by hook or by crook.

- Black sheep (a traitor)
Later on Mr XYZ proved a black sheep.
- By dint of (by means of)

By dint of hard work, she earned a lot of money.
- Break ones back (to work hard to get something)
He broke his back to earn his livelihood.
- Break the back of (accomplish the hardest part of a certain job)
There is nothing to be worried about as we've already broken the back of the problem.
- Beat about the bush (to go on talking on some worthless topic)
Stop this beating about the bush, come to the main task.
- Beyond one's means (beyond one's budget)
He is living beyond his means, therefore, he is sure to get ruined.
- Cut loose (Keep away)
India should cut loose from bad politics.
- Chips of the same block (having the same taste)
They are the chips of the same block.
- Cut-throat competition (a stiff competition)
There is a cut-throat competition among the publishers in the market.
- Come what may (no matter what happens)
I'll do it come what may.
- Drop someone a line (send a letter, etc.)
Please drop me a line of your well-being.
- Dull the edge of (reduce the intensity of)
Take this pill and it will dull the edge of pain.
- From hand to mouth (without any saving)
The poor factory worker is living from hand to mouth.
- Fair and square (clean)
One must be fair and square in one's dealing.
- Hard of hearing (somewhat deaf)
She is a bit hard of hearing.
- In the good books of (be good in one's mind)
Jack is in the good books of his teachers.
- In black and white (in written)
Don't give him anything in black and white.
- In cold blood (mercilessly)
The old woman was murdered in cold blood.
- In a crack (all of a sudden or rapidly)
The thief left the place in a crack.
- In full swing (in full force)
The studies of the students are going on in full swing.
- In the twinkling of an eye (quickly)
The monkey ate up grams in the twinkling of an eye.
- Keep the ball rolling (to maintain the progress of some activity)
After the death of his father he had to take the charge of his office to keep the ball rolling.
- Neck and neck (even)
There is a neck and neck fight between the two boxers.
- Once in a blue moon (seldom)
She visits her brother once in a blue moon.
- Slow and steady (slowly but continually)
Slow and steady wins the race.
- To cut a sorry figure (present oneself in a bad way)
She cut a sorry figure on the stage.
- To give a red carpet reception (to give a warm welcome)
The PM was given a red carpet reception in America.
- To dance one's tune (to follow someone submissively)
He always dances to his brother's tune.
- To turn a deaf ear to (to disregard)
She turned a deaf ear to her parents' advice.
- To call a spade a spade (to speak the truth)
Gandhiji always called a spade a spade.
- To bring to book (to scold)
The naughty boy was brought to book by the teacher.
- To cut short (to reduce)
Smoking will cut short your life.
He wants to get money by hook or by crook.
- To grease the palm of (to bribe)
Rohit greased the palm of the clerk and got the file moved.
- Through thick and thin. (under all circumstances)
We'll stand by you through thick and thin.
- To die by inches (to die a painful death)
The old man died by inches.
- To eat one's words (to retract one's statement)
You'll have to eat your words because you have spoken without thinking.
- To burn the midnight oil (to work hard)
You'll have to burn the midnight oil if you want to get good marks.
- To poke one's nose into (to meddle with)
I. is bad to poke your nose into others' affair.
- To fall flat (to have no effect)
His father's advice fell flat on him.
- To make a clean breast of (to confess)
He made a clean breast of his involvement in the bomb blast.
- To get the better of (overcome)
Anger got the better of him.
- To break somebody's back (to give too much work to him to do)
She broke his back by giving him so much hard work to do.
- Throw cold water on (to discourage)
She tried to throw cold water on his plan but he was well-determined.
- The long and short of (in brief)
The long and short of his lecture is that we should live like brothers.
- To burn one's fingers (to get oneself in trouble)
You have burnt your fingers by speaking against him.
- To turn over a new leaf (to change the course of life)
He has turned over a new leaf in his life.
- To have one's own axe to grind (to have vested interest)
He has his own axe to grind in this matter.
- To take to one's heels (to run away)
The thief took to his heels as soon as he saw the policeman.
- To move heaven and earth (to make too much effort)
The young man moved heaven and earth to find a job.
- To be caught red handed (to be caught at the time of committing a crime)
The clerk was caught red handed when he was accepting bribe from Mr ABC.
- To receive with open arms (to give a warm welcome)
The new president of the club was received with open arms by the members.
- To be born with a silver spoon in one's mouth (to be born in a rich family)
Mr. J. L. Nehru was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
- To come to light (to be known)
A new disease has recently come to light.
- To be the apple of one's eye (be very dear)
He is the apple of his parent's eye.
- To make fun of (laugh at)
The children made fun of the waiter in the hotel.
- To let the cat out of the bag (to divulge secret)
It was Sohan who let the cat out of the bag by telling the real matter.
- To open a new chapter (to start some habit, etc.)
By drinking, you've opened a new chapter in your life.
- To make the flesh creep (to terrify)
The story made my flesh creep.
- To lose ground (to retreat)
After fighting for some time the Pakistani army began to lose ground.
- To bring to book (to punish)
The student was brought to book by the teacher.
- To show a clean pair of heels (to run away)
The thief showed a clean pair of heels as soon as he saw the policeman approaching.
- To gain ground (to be established)
He gained ground in India in a few years.
- To get wind of (to get information)
I got wind of his secret plans.
- Under a cloud (be in trouble or in a state of disgrace or suspicion)
His company seemed to be under a cloud as it had no funds to pay the wages to the workers.

Part 2: Verbal Phrases

- Act upon (to follow)
I acted upon my father's advice.
- Act upto (to perform within limits)
He acted upto his conscience.
- Act beyond (to perform crossing limits)
We should not act beyond our capacity.
- Act for (to perform in place of someone else)
The vice principal acted for the principal.
- Back up (to make a queue)
The vehicles began to back up.
- Back down (withdraw claim in the presence of opposition)
The leader backed down from his previous statement.
- Back off (draw back some plan or action)
They backed off from building a flyover.
- Back out (withdraw from a promise, etc.)
The government backed out of its promise.
- Break down (stop working) My car broke down on the highway.
- Break into (enter in certain premises by breaking the door, etc.)
Last night a thief broke into my neighbour's.
- Break off (stop all of a sudden)
She broke off and began to think over about her/his hand.
- Break out (spread)
Cholera has broken out in the town.
- Break out of (escape from)
A prisoner broke out of the prison last night.
- Break up (disperse)
The cloud of fog began to break up as the sun rose.
- Break something up (Cause something to break into small pieces)
She broke up the chocolate to distribute it among the girls.
- Break with (Cut off connection after quarrelling with someone)
He has broken with his brother.
- Call on (pay a visit to somebody)
I'll call on Mohan's today.
- Call out (to start)
The workers have called out a strike.
- Call off (to stop the strike etc.)
The workers have called off the strike.
- Call at (to visit someone's house)
I called at his house yesterday.
- Call in (send for)
Please call in the doctor.
- Carry on (continue)
Please carry on your work.
- Carry something out (perform a task)
Our company is carrying out a big deal with a foreign company.
- Carry something over (postpone)
The fancy dress competition had to be carried over till Monday
- Carry someone off (kill somebody)
Cancer carried her off on the day of her 20th birthday.
- Come of age (get established) As our company has come of age, so, there is no problem in selling our goods.
- Come of (belong to)
She comes of a royal family.
- Come over (surmount)
We at last came over all our problems.
- Come off (to take place)
The marriage of my brother comes off in the next month.
- Come round (agree) A. last he came round to my views.
- Come under (fall in the category of)
All these animals come under the same species.
- Come down with (suffer from)
She came down with whopping cough.
- Come from (be the nature of)
She came from London.
- Come about (happen)
The explosion came about when the worker struck the match to light a cigarette.
- Cut off (die)
The princess was cut off in the prime of her life.
- Cut down (reduce)
The prices of consumer goods should be cut down.
- Cut someone out (exclude someone)
His father cut him out of his will.
- Fall in
She fell in love with the prince.
- Fall down (fail)
The deal fell down for lack of transparency.
- Fall out (quarrel)
She fell out with his elder brother.
- Fall through (fail)
The project fell through for lack of funds.
- Get away (escape)
She got away with her life.
- Get by (to accomplish something with great difficulty)
She is not rich. She has just enough to get by.
- Get on (perform)
How are you getting on with your studies?

- Get out (become known)
The news got out that the PM was paying a visit to Russia.
- Get over (overcome)

At last I got over all obstacles.
 

- Get up (rise)
When do you get up in the morning?
- Give up (stop)
He gave up smoking.
- Give out (emit)
Garlic gives out a pungent smell.
- Give in (collapse)
The bridge gave in under the heavy load.
- Give away (distribute)
The Principal gave away the prizes.
- Give out (announce)
I. was given out that the President of India would visit the place soon.
- Go off (explode)
The gun went off suddenly.
- Go on (continue)
She went on about how she flew the aeroplane.
- Go through (examine)
I'll go through this book later on.
- Go up (be built)
The construction of the house is going up.
- Grind on (continue for a long time in a tedious way)
The discussion over political issues ground on.
- Grind something out (produce something a tedious way)
She will grind some more short stories.
- Look out (be careful)
Look out! there is a snake.
- Look down upon (hate)
We should not look down upon the poor.
- Look at (watch)
Look at the blackboard.
- Look after (take care of)
We ought to look after our old parents.
- Look into (investigate)
The new police inspector will look into the matter.
- Look up (rise)
The prices of consumer goods are looking up.
- Look back (think of the past)
I. made her feel disolate when she looked back on things of the past.
- Make up (to fulfil)
I'll make up my deficiency in Mathematics.
- Make out (understand)
I could not make out what she said.
- Make up one' mind (to resolve)
I have made up my mind to settle in the USA.
- Make off (leave hurriedly)
She made off without informing anybody.
- Make something over (transfer)
She should make her property over to her sons.
- Make over (hand over)
He made over the charge of the file to Mr Robert.
- Pull back (retreat)
The government has pulled back from its previous policy.
- Pull something down (demolish)
The authorities concerned pulled down a few building which were illegally built on government land.
- Pull out (pluck)
The child pulled out a few petals of the flower.
- Pull through (recover)
The patient will pull through.
- Push on (continue a journey)
I. was getting darker but we pushed on.
- Push at (exert force)
He pushed at the bell, but it did not ring.
- Push for (demand persistently)
The workers have been pushing for the installation of new machines for five years.
- Put out (extinguish)
She put out the light.
- Put on (wear)
He put on an overcoat.
- Put off (postpone)
The plan had to be put off.
- Put by (spare something for future)
We must put by some money for future.
- Put up with (stay)
Your aunt is out of town for a couple of days, you may put up with us till she comes.
- Put something down (record something)
She put a new idea down on the paper.
- Take after (resemble)
He takes after his father.
- Take off (remove)
He took off his shoes.
- Take something out (obtain)
You may take out some money from Rohit if you want to purchase this car.
- Take to (fall into the habit of)
He took to gambling.
- Turn something down (reject something)
The judge turned down his appeal.
- Turn on (attack)
The thief turned on him with a knife.