HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE ENGLISH IDIOMS

 THE 1ST 100 IDIOMS YOU MUST KNOW

Idiomatic Expressions: are simply expressions which possess hidden meanings. We cannot get their meanings by interpreting the literal meaning of their constituent elements. Commit the following idioms to memory and be sure to practise them often as practice makes perfect.

 

IDIOMS	INTERPRETATION
1.      A Bird of Passage	A Sojourner
2.      A man of letters	A Scholar
3.      Fidus Achates	A Faithful friend
4.      A Wet Blanket	A killjoy, fun-killer
5.      A Black sheep	The odd member in a group/family
6.      A Persona non grata	An uninvited guest, a gate crasher
7.      Darby and Joan	Old couples
8.      Flora and Fauna	Plants and Animals
9.      To do something in a thrice	To do it quickly or at once
10.  A dark horse	To win unexpectedly and also a person that you know little about.
11.  To be a small fry	To be unimportant
12.  To have your heart in your mouth	To be frightened or agitated
13.  To hit a plan	To discover a plan
14.  To run neck and neck	To be at same/exact level
15.  To cut no ice	To have no effect
16.  To be under a cloud	To be out of favour
17.  A burning question	A matter of serious controversy
18.  To hand out an olive branch	To make peace
19.  Tell-tale signs	Revealing signs
20.  To give in	To surrender
21.  To lead a dog’s life	To live in misery, poverty
22.  To be in the air	To be uncertain
23.  To be at sea	To be confused
24.  Fast friends	Friends who are not easily separated
25.  To keep your head	To stay calm
26.  To go under	To go bankrupt, to be in the red
27.  Still water runs deep	There is wisdom in silence
28.  To be in the same boat with someone	To face similar or same circumstances
29.  To be tied to someone’s apron string	To be under that person’s control
30.  The man in the street	The ordinary man in the society
31.  To get too big for one’s boots	To become too proud of oneself
32.  To be in evil case	To be poor
33.  God’s speed	Safe journey
34.  A peppery individual	A hot tempered person, easily provoked
35.  To fish in troubled waters	To make personal gain from other person’s trouble
36.  A hill of beans	Something worthless or of little value
37.  To pour oil on troubled waters	To settle a dispute or quarrel
38.  To hit someone below the belt	To be unfair to the person
39.  A happy-go-lucky attitude	Not bothered about the future, no plans
40.  A boon companion	A close friend with whom you enjoy spending time
41.  A gold-digger	A woman who uses her sexual attractions to get money from men
42.  A hatchet man	A person employed to carry out criminal tasks
43.  To hit the nail on the head	To state the truth exactly
44.  To see the wood from the trees	To see or understand the main point
45.  A fair weather friend	A friend that lurks around only when the going is good
46.  The whys and the wherefores	The reasons
47.  A jack-of-all-trades	A person who can do a variety of works but not an expert in them
48.  To be at one’s wit end	To be very worried and not knowing what to do or say
49.  To keep a stiff upper lip	To appear calm even when in pain or trouble
50.  To strike while the iron is hot	To make good use of an opportunity or favorable condition
51.  To cut corners	To do something in the easiest, quickest and convenient way
52.  To stew in your own juice	To suffer the consequences of your actions
53.  To hit the jackpot	To make or win a lot of money
54.  A golden handshake	A huge sum of money
55.  A Gilbertian situation	A humorous or funny situation
56.  To jump the gun	To do something before the proper time
57.  To jump the broom	To get married
58.  To jump out of one’s skin	To move violently because of a sudden shock
59.  To be alive and kicking	To be active and in good health
60.  To be as fit as a fiddle	To be in a very good physical condition
61.  A heart of gold	A very kind nature
62.  To fire on all cylinders	To put all your energy in doing something
63.  The cynosure of all eyes	The center of attraction
64.  To put one’s cards on the table	To make your plans or intention known
65.  The game is not worth the candle	The benefits of doing that thing is lesser than the disadvantage
66.  To make both ends meet	To live within your income
67.  A widow’s mite	All that one can afford
68.  There is more to it than meets the eye	It is more complex or interesting than you think
69.  A chip off the old block	A person who resembles his/her parents
70.  To play possum	To pretend to be asleep or unaware of something in order to deceive others
71.  To keep the pot boiling	To keep the interest in something alive
72.  To hold someone spellbound	To completely capture their attention as though you used a magical spell
73.  When your blood is up	You are in a fighting mood
74.  Bad blood between persons	Feelings of hatred or strong dislike
75.  To make one’s blood boil	To make somebody very angry
76.  To bite the dust	To die or to be defeated
77.  To open up a can of worms	To cause a complicated problem
78.  A swan song	An artiste’s last performance
79.  A pyrrhic victory	A victory gotten at a very high cost
80.  You can’t have your cake and eat it	You can’t have both ways, you can’t enjoy the benefits of two different course of action
81.  To raise one’s eyebrow	To disapprove of something or to be surprised at that thing
82.  A daylight robbery	To charge too much money for something
83.  Second to none	The first or best
84.  To be in one’s salad days	The time when you were young and inexperienced
85.  To fall between two stools	To fail or to be unsuccessful
86.  To be at large	Not yet captured i.e. to be free
87.  A stone’s throw	A very short distance
88.  A Daniel	An impartial judge
89.  Donkey’s years	A very long time
90.  Strange bedfellows	Incompatible friends
91.  Achilles’ heel	Your weak point or vulnerable spot
92.  To cross the rubicon	To take an irreversible decision
93.  To be large than life	To be untrue, incredible, exaggerated
94.  No room to swing a cat	Not enough space to live or work
95.  To pull someone’s leg	To play pranks on someone by making them believe something untrue
96.  To stick to one’s gun	To maintain one’s stand
97.  To have  a bee in one’s bonnet	To have a thought that is constantly on your mind
98.  To pay a flying visit	A brief visit
99.  To clear the air	To get rid of suspicion and doubt
100.          To be hard up	To be short of money, bankrupt