50 Important Idioms And Phrases

 ✍ 50 Important Idioms And Phrases Asked In Exams

1. At sixes and seven – In disorder or confusion

2. Lose head – Panic 

3. Take to task – To criticize severely/ to punish

4. Sit in judgement – To pass judgement(or comment on someone ) especially when you have no authority

5. Leave in the lurch – To desert someone

6. Cry over spilt milk – Cry over irreparable loss

7. Bad blood – Active enmity

8. Close shave – A narrow escape

9. Grease palms – To bribe someone

10. Carrot and stick – Reward and punishment policy

11. To cut teeth – To gain experience of something for the first time

12. Cut no ice – Had no influence

13. Close the book - Stop working on something

14. In fits and starts - Irregularly

15. Bird’s eye view – An overview 

16. Run in the same groove – Clash with each other 

17. Keep your head – Remain calm 

18. Pull strings – Use personal influence

19. Pot luck dinner – Dinner where somebody brings something to eat

20. To hit below the belt – To attack unfairly 

21. All at sea - Puzzled 

22. Sought after – Wanted by many people because it’s of good quality or difficult to find/Pursued by 

23. Build castle in the air - Daydreaming 

24. On the spur of the moment – To act suddenly, without planning

25. To have something up one’s sleeve – To have a secret plan

26. A red letter day – An important or joyful occasion in one’s life

27. To explore every avenue – To try every opportunity 

28. At one’s beck and call – Ready to follow orders/ To be dominated by someone 

29. By fair or foul means – In honest or dishonest way 

30. Status quo – As it is/ unchanged position 

31. To burn candle at both ends – To be extravagant/ Spend without any worry

32. To hit the jackpot – To make money quickly 

33. To bring to light – to reveal 

34. At the eleventh hour – At the last possible moment 

35. Go scot-free – To escape without punishment

36. To shed crocodile tears – To pretend grief 

37. To look down one’s nose – To regard with contempt 

38. To miss the bus – To miss an opportunity 

39. A white elephant – Costly and troublesome possession, with much use to its owner

40. To call spade a spade – To be frank

41. To fight tooth and nail – To fight heroically, in very determined way

42. Birds of same feather – Persons of same character

43. Take exception – To object over something 

44. High handed – Using authority in an unreasonable way, overbearing

45. Too fond of one’s own voice – To like talking without wanting to listen to other people/Very selfish 

46. By leaps and bounds – Rapidly

47. An open book – Straight forward and honest dealings 

48. Fall short – Fail to meet expectation/ have no effect 

49. Heart to heart talk – Frank talk 

50. Give the game away – Give out the secret(unintentionally)