Idioms
|
1. |
At
sixes and sevens |
Home
ruler, who were all at sixes and sevens among
themselves agreed only upon the one thing and that was the freedom of |
|
2. |
All
in all |
The
Head clerk is all in all in this office. |
|
3. |
All
the same |
It
is all the same to me whether the pull over is home-made or bazaar-made. |
|
4. |
At
large |
The
culprits are still at large. |
|
5. |
By
fits and starts |
He
works by fits and starts and does not apply him steadily. |
|
6. |
Black
sheep |
We
should be aware of the black sheep in our society. |
|
7. |
A
bone of contention |
This
property is a bone of contention between the two brothers. |
|
8. |
To
break the ice |
We
all wanted to talk on this subject by no one willing to break the ice. |
|
9. |
A
burning question |
|
|
10. |
To
back out |
He
promised to help me but backed out at the eleventh hour. |
|
11. |
To
beat about the bush |
Stop
beating about the bush; say exactly what you mean. |
|
12. |
Bed
of roses |
A
military life is not bed of roses. |
|
13. |
In
cold blood |
He
murdered the merchant in cold blood. |
|
14. |
To
fall to the ground |
The
theory has fallen to the ground. |
|
15. |
Go
hand in hand |
Diligence
and prosperity go hand in hand. |
|
16. |
Leave
no stone unturned |
Shah
Faisal left no stone unturned to bring about unity in the Islamic world. |
|
17. |
Live
from hand to mouth |
Our
middle class people live generally from hand to mouth. |
|
18. |
Look
down upon |
He
is so proud of his promotion that he looks down upon all his former friends. |
|
19. |
At
a loss |
He
is never at a loss for an appropriate word. |
|
20. |
To
pay back in the same coin |
If
a person rude towards you, it does not mean that you should pay him in the
same coin. |
|
21. |
To
keep pace with |
Agriculture
in the states has kept pace with manufacture, but it has far out stepped
commerce. |
|
22. |
Red
tape |
Florence
Nightingale was a sworn enemy of red tape. |
|
23. |
To
speak volumes |
The
murders spoke volumes about political conditions before Indian elections. |
|
24. |
Up
to the mark |
You
don’t look quite up to the mark today. |
|
25. |
To
get into hot water |
Do
not quarrel with your officers or you will soon get into hot water. |
|
26. |
Time
and again |
Time
and again proverbs come to be true. |
|
27. |
Cut
off |
The
supplies were cut off from the soldier due to snow fall. |
|
28. |
Run
against |
Zuhair Akram Nadeem was running against Dr. Farooq
Sattar in the elections 89. |
|
29. |
To
turn over a new leaf |
The
teacher pardoned the boy on the condition that he promised to turn over a new
leaf in future. |
|
30. |
To
nip in the bud |
The
plot to overthrow the Government was detected and nipped in the bud. |
|
31. |
To
feel like a fish out of water |
Being
the only educated person in that village, I felt like a fish out of water. |
|
32. |
To
shed crocodile terars |
Don’t
be deceived by the beggar’s crying. They are only crocodile’s tears. |
|
33. |
Lion
share |
The
stronger person generally gets the lions share of
the property. |
|
34. |
To
cry over spilt milk |
The
damage has been done but instead of crying over spilt milk do something to
repair it. |
|
35. |
It
is high time |
The
exams begin next month so it is high time to study seriously. |
|
36. |
To
save something for the rainy day |
He
wasted his savings and has kept nothing for the rainy day. |
|
37. |
With
a high hand |
He
is the most unpopular because he decides matters with a high hand. |
|
38. |
Day
in and day out |
I
have been warning you day in and day out. |
|
39. |
To
make the most of |
He
let me use his bicycle for a week and I am going to make the most of it. |
|
40. |
To
make the fun of |
We
should not make fun of handicaps. |
|
41. |
To
make room for |
They
made room for more guests as all seats were full. |
|
42. |
To
go through |
He
went through the whole book within a week. |
|
43. |
In
all |
He
got 782 marks in all. |
|
44. |
All
alone |
Yesterday
night she was all alone in her house. |
|
45. |
To
put into practice |
The
Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) put into practice what he preaches. |
|
46. |
A
wild goose chase |
The
robbers fled away and the police gave them a wild goose chase. |
|
47. |
To
end in smoke |
All
his efforts ended in smoke because they were not made sincerely. |
|
48. |
With
flying colours |
If
you work hard you will pass your examination with flying colours. |
|
49. |
Odds
and ends |
The
shopkeeper does not sell any particular article, but deals in odds and ends. |
|
50. |
Under
one’s nose |
The
police were on the look out for the culprit who was hiding under their nose. |
|
51. |
To
poke one’s nose into |
One
should not poke one’s nose into others affairs. |
|
52. |
To
kick up a row |
It
is useless kicking up a row when the matters can be decided peacefully. |
|
53. |
To
wind up |
He
is winding up his business in the city, as he going abroad. |
|
54. |
In
black and white |
I
want your statement in black and white. |
|
55. |
A
red letter day |
14th
August is a red letter day in the history of Pakistan. |
|
56. |
To
run into |
Last
night my friend ran into a cheat who deprived him of his brief case by
changing it with an empty one. |
|
57. |
To
bring to light |
A
number of facts were brought to light by the Prime Minister in the recent
Press Conference. |
|
58. |
At
the eleventh hour |
The
president postponed his meeting with the journalists due to visit of the
French delegation at the eleventh hour. |
|
59. |
To
come across |
In
the wedding party, she come across he two very close friends of the
University life. |
|
60. |
To
give up |
The
doctor has strictly advised him to give up drinking and smoking for the sake
of his life. |
|
61. |
To
call a spade, a spade |
Islam
teaches us to call a spade, a spade even before a cruel ruler. |
|
62. |
To
look after |
All
the parents have to look after their children during the early period of the
school life. |
|
63. |
To
break up |
The
two partners have decided to break up the partnership and divide the assets
equally. |
|
64. |
To
get rid of |
Pakistan
must get rid of that type of foreign aid, which puts on her, undue political
pressure. |
|
65. |
At
a stretch |
Saeed Anwer played an
aggressive inning and continued to score runs at a stretch. |
|
66. |
To
give in |
Imran Khan and Miandad were
real fighters and they would never give in till the last ball. |
|
67. |
To
let down |
The
rich feel proud of their wealth and usually let down the poor. |
|
68. |
Once
in a blue moon |
I
am not so fond of movies and watch some fine art movie once in a blue moon. |
|
69. |
To
fall out |
A
short tempered football player fell out with his opponents and got wounded. |
|
70. |
To
call on |
The
winners of 1994 World Cup called on the President, with their captain. |
|
71. |
To
call off |
The
University students finally decided to call off the strike as their demands
were accepted. |
|
72. |
To
bring home to |
Rizwan brought home to her all the important aspects of
the matter. |
|
73. |
To
get over |
The
Indian Government made all possible efforts to get over the epidemic of plague. |
|
74. |
To
get accorss |
The
news of Mr. Eddhi’s self-exile got across the
country within no time. |
|
75. |
To
makek up for |
The
Government and people of Iraq are working day and night to make up the loss
caused by the Gulf war. |
|
76. |
To
make off |
The
robbers made off through the back door just as the security guard started
firing into air. |
|
77. |
To
bring out |
The
telephone Corporation has brought a decent Directory in three volumes. |
|
78. |
To
bring up |
Abraham
Lincoln was brought up by his parents in a state of very limited financial resources. |
|
79. |
To
take off |
The
Hajj flight will take off every morning during the next couple of weeks. |
|
80. |
To
take place |
The
wedding of my cousin will take place in the first week of November, next. |
|
81. |
To
keep up |
Our
cricket team must go through an extensive training and practice session to
keep up their position in the next world cup. |
|
82. |
To
stir up |
The
statement given by Mr. Abdul Sattar Eddhi caused great stir up in the political circles. |
|
83. |
To
go off |
While
the police man was cleaning his rifle, it suddenly went off because it was
loaded. |
|
84. |
To
let off |
Finally,
the defaulter was let off by the civil authorities in view of his undertaking
to abide by the rules in future. |
|
85. |
To
beg for |
The
Quaid-e-Azam begged for peace and friendship with his former enemies, the Congress
leaders. |
|
86. |
To
furnish with |
The
chief justice was furnished with all the documentary proofs against the
accused. |
|
87. |
To
look for |
After
the panic had subsided, people started looking for their misplaced baggage. |
|
88. |
To
run after |
According
to Einstein, ordinary people run after ordinary objects such as property and
luxury. |
|
89. |
To
turn down |
The
secretary was taking down the main points to prepare a summary of the Seminar
on pollution. |
|
90. |
To
watch over |
Sensible
parents make it a point to watch over the outdoor activities of their growing
up children. |
|
91. |
To
bank on |
Never
bank on a fair weather friend because he will certainly cheat you. |
|
92. |
To
blow hot and cold |
It
is part of his nature to blow hot and cold as he favours
this political party today the other party tomorrow. |
|
93. |
To
break the news |
It
was really very hard to break the shocking news of her husband’s accidental
death to her. |
|
94. |
To
call names |
He
is such loose tempered man that he often begins to call names to his neighbours. |
|
95. |
To
turn the tabels |
The
pace attack by Wasim Akram
and Waqar turned the tables against India and our
cricket team got victory. |
|
96. |
To
hold water |
The
judge will give a favourable verdict only when you
lawyer’s arguments hold water. |
|
97. |
To
face the music |
Those
who are responsible for terrorism in the city must face the music and be
dealt with. |
|
98. |
To
be under the cloud |
These
days, the opposition leaders are under a cloud and being tortured by the
Government. |
|
99. |
By
hook or by crook |
The
corrupt politicians try to win in every general election by hook or by crook. |
|
100. |
To
run short of |
These
days most areas in Karachi are running short of water supply. |
|
101. |
To
keep an eye on |
Wise
and responsible parents always keep and eye on the outdoor activities of
their children. |
|
102. |
To
build castles in the air |
It
is a favourite hobby of day dreamers and idealists
to build castles in the air. |
|
103. |
To
take to heels |
Just
as the mobile of Rangers approached, the robbers jumped over the gate and
took to their heels. |
|
104. |
By
leaps and bounds |
In
the 21st century, Pakistan is expected to make progress by leaps
and bound. |
|
105. |
To
turn deaf ear to |
He
turned a deaf ear to his father’s advice and as a result, fell into trouble. |
|
106. |
At
the nick of time |
Medical
aid was provided to the injured passengers at the nick of time and it proved
effective. |
|
107. |
To
bell the cat |
All
the office workers are annoyed with the attitude of the M.D but no body dares
to bell the cat. |
|
108. |
To
have an axe to grind |
He
certainly had an axe to grind behind his sympathetic attitude. |
|
109. |
To
burry the hatchet |
At
last the two combatant groups agreed to bury the hatchet and restore peace. |
|
110. |
To
bear with |
During
our lifetime we have to bear with many sorrows and sufferings. |
|
111. |
To
bear out |
As
a witness, he bore out in the court that the man was innocent. |
|
112. |
To
bear in mind |
Always
bear in the advice of your elders. |
|
113. |
To
break into |
The
Dakotas broke into the bank and took away a large sum of money. |
|
114. |
To
break off |
Pakistan
has broken off with Israel since the last two decades. |
|
115. |
To
break down |
If
my car had not broken down on the way, I would have reached in time. |
|
116. |
To
break the heart |
Don’t
break the heart by rejecting the offer. |
|
117. |
To
blow out |
On
the occasion of his birthday, he blow out the candle on cake. |
|
118. |
To
blow up |
Four
bombs blew up at different places simultaneously. |
|
119. |
To
blow one’s own trumpet. |
I
always try to avoid such people who keep on blowing their own trumpet. |
|
120. |
To
bring in |
Imran Khan has brought in a large amount for setting up
the cancer hospital. |
|
121. |
To
bring about |
The
fight between the two political parties can bring about another martial law. |
|
122. |
To
bring round |
By
presenting a very logical argument, he was able to bring round all the
members of committee. |
|
123. |
To
bring to book |
All
those who kidnap people for ransom money should be brought to book. |
|
124. |
To
carry on |
Let
me carry on my work without any disturbance. |
|
125. |
To
carry through |
If
we work altogether like a lean, we can easily carry through our mission with
any difficulty. |
|
126. |
To
call on |
I
shall call on your brother next week. |
|
127. |
To
call at |
I
shall call at your office tomorrow. |
|
128. |
To
call for |
You
careless and rude behavior call for an explanation. |
|
129. |
To
call it a day |
As
we are tired after a hard day but let it call it a day. |
|
130. |
To
call to mind |
I
can call to mind when I saw you last. |
|
131. |
To
come of |
Although
she comes of a rich family, she is not proud of her wealth. |
|
132. |
To
come off |
The
annual meeting of the Board of Directors will come off next month. |
|
133. |
To
come by |
It
is difficult to understand how did he come by all that money. |
|
134. |
To
come round |
He
comes round after I had presented my views in a logical way. |
|
135. |
To
come to light |
Once
the facts come to light, we will know who is responsible for creating such a
situation. |
|
136. |
To
come to blows |
Very
often, student belonging to different groups come to blows on silly matters. |
|
137. |
To
come over |
With
faith in God and confidence in your self you can come over all you problems. |
|
138. |
To
do without |
No
living creature can do without air. |
|
139. |
To
do away with |
It
is the duty of the young people to do away with all the evil customs and
traditions of the society. |
|
140. |
To
die off |
In
the under developed countries, a large number of people die off. |
|
141. |
To
die in harness |
Once
he had lost all his money at stakes he died in harness. |
|
142. |
To
deal with |
He
has the knack of dealing with all kinds of people and situation. |
|
143. |
To
deal in |
As
he deals in auto-parts, he has a good knowledge of different kind of car. |
|
144. |
To
deal out |
He
dealt out the card after shuffling the cards. |
|
145. |
To
fall short of |
The
performance of Indian Cricket team fell short of the expectations of the
spectators. |
|
146. |
To
fall a prey to |
The
poor and the deprived always fall a prey to cruelty and injustice. |
|
147. |
To
give away |
At
the end of the function, the prizes were given way by the chief guest. |
|
148. |
To
keep in the dark |
The
patient was kept in the dark about the nature of his illness. |
|
149. |
To
keep body and soul together |
With
the price spiral, it is becoming difficult for the common man to keep body
and soul together. |
|
150. |
To
look forward to |
We
are looking forward to this visit next month. |
|
151. |
To
make off with |
The
robber make off with a large amount from the super market. |
|
152. |
To
make for |
The
|
|
153. |
To
make both ends meet |
With
his limited income, it is really very difficult to make both ends meet. |
|
154. |
To
make up the mind |
Once
you make your mind then stick to your decision. |
|
155. |
To
put in a nut shell |
At
the end of his lecture, he put all his arguments in a nut shell. |
|
156. |
To
put down |
The
revolt against the king was put down by the royal forces. |
|
157. |
To
put off |
The
debate, which was put off last week, is scheduled for tomorrow. |
|
158. |
To
stand by |
I
shall stand by you whenever you are in trouble. |
|
159. |
To
take after |
Children
very often take after their parents |
|
160. |
To
take up |
He
has decided to take up the profession of teaching. |