General English : Idioms and Phrases

By Asha Gupta|Updated : June 21st, 2021

Idioms are a collection of words or phrases which have a figurative meaning that is generally well established and known. So these words can't be taken at their literal meanings since they would sound farcical. Idioms are often used in stories, poems, and even in spoken words.

Idioms and Phrases:
  1. (an) eye wash (a pretense)- My friend’s promise to help me just proved an eye
  2. A culture vulture : someone who is very keen to experience art and
  3. A death below: An action or event which causes something to end of fail
  4. A double entendre ( a word which has two meanings)
  5. A match made in heaven: A marriage that is likely to be successful and
  6. Above all (before everything else)- Above all, he is blunt and dare devil.
  7. Above board (honest and straightforward)- He is known for his above board conduct.
  8. Achilles’ heel (weak point) Everyone has his Achilles’ heel
  9. Add fuel to the flame or fire (to make matter worse)- The attempt to suppress the agitation of the strikers only added fuel to the
  10. After one’s own heart (to one’s liking)- When Deepa met a man she went after her own heart, she got married to him.
  11. All in all (most important)- as he was the only son in a big family, he was all in all in his
  12. An apple of discord (cause of quarrel)- Ancestral property is an apple of discord between two
  13. Apple-pie order (in perfect order)- On the eve of inspection everything was kept in apple-pie order.
  14. Argus eyed (careful, observant)- as a politician, He is Argus Eyed and never overlook even a small
  15. As fit as a fiddle (strong and healthy)- He has recovered from illness and now he is as fit as a
  16. Assumer airs (to pretend superiority)- The rich are in the habit of assuming airs in the presence of their poor
  17. At a loose end (unoccupied, idle)- Now a days he is at a loose end because he has wound up his
  18. At a loss (to be unable to decide)- I am at a loss to know what to do.
  19. At a stone’s throw (very close)- My friend’s house is at a stone’s throw from
  20. At close quarters (close examinations)- Many of my friends proved selfish at close quarters.
  21. At cross purposes (have conflicting intentions)- How can there be peace in their family when husbands and wife are at cross
  22. At dagger’s drawn (to have bitter enmity)- The quarrel between the two brothers has grown more bitter now and they are at dagger’s drawn.
  23. At large (abscond, to keep unchained)- People keep their dogs at large at night .
  24. At logger heads (to be at strife)- The partners of our firm are at logger heads these
  25. At odds (in dispute)- The members of the group were at odds over the selection
  26. At one’s fingertips (complete knowledge)- All the rules of synthesis are at his fingertips.
  27. At one’s wits’ end (perplexed)- Sohan was at his wit’s end to find that his younger brother has taken
  28. At random (aimlessly)- The militants fired at random killing a lot of innocent persons.
  29. At sea (applied to a person confused)- My sister is quite at sea in math; she cannot solve a single
  30. At sixes and sevens (in disorder)- There was robbery in our neighborhood last night and when I entered the house to inquire, everything was at sixes and
  31. At the bottom of (to be mainly responsible for)- it was found later that Shanu was at the bottom of the whole trouble.
  32. At the spur of the moment (at the exact time)- In an interview we must reply at the spur of the moment.
  33. Back stairs influence (by unfair means)- These days many persons are given good posts through back stairs influence.
  34. Bad blood (bitter relations)- the riots have created bad blood between the two communities in
  35. Bad egg (a worthless)- He comes of a noble family but he himself is a bad
  36. Bandy words (to wrangle, to argue)- Obedient children don’t use bandy words with their parents when they are
  37. Bank on (depend on, count on)- The rich always bank on money to get things done.
  38. Bated breath (in anxiety, expectancy)- The fate of the match hung in balance and everybody waited for the result with bated breath.
  39. Be up to (to be equal to)- He is up to all the tricks of the trade to grind his own axe.
  40. Bear the burnt of (to bear the main shock of)- The poor have to bear the burnt of increasing
  41. Beat about the bush (to talk in a roundabout manner)- We should always come to the point and should not beat about the bush.
  42. Beat the air (to make useless efforts)- some speakers merely beat the air in speech while
  43. Bee in one’s bonnet (to be fussy)- She seems to have a bee in her bonnet because she is always finding faults with others.
  44. Bell the cat (to take first step at personal risk)- Many people can boast of their bravery, but very few can bell the cat.
  45. Beside the mark (irrelevant)- No body agreed with him because his arguments were beside the mark.
  46. Besides oneself (to feel excessively)- Due to the accidental death of his wife he was beside himself with grief.
  47. Bid defiance (to ignore)- Rohan bade defiance to his father’s wish of becoming a doctor and instead became an engineer.
  48. Big draw (a huge attraction)- The match between India and Pakistan is always a big
  49. Bird’s eye view (concise view)- We had a bird’s eye view of the whole fair from the top of a giant wheel.
  50. Bit/piece of one’s mind (to scold)- My father wrote to my brother giving a piece of his mind about his insulting conduct.

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