English idioms and phrases are one of the important features of English for all the defence examinations.
Below is a list of 500 most commonly asked questions that you can expect from the Idioms and Phrases section for your upcoming NDA exam, AFCAT exam and CDS exam and other Defence examination, as per the last five years’ exam trends.
The below list of 500+ English Idioms and Phrases questions and answers will be really helpful for your upcoming NDA, CDS, AFCAT, TA, INET, MNS, ACC exams, and other SSB interviews
English Idioms and Phrases are important for competitive exams like CDS NDA AFCAT UPSC etc. They come up all the time in different competitive exams in English papers. Having good knowledge of Idioms will help you to score around 10-20 marks on your English question paper for various exams like CDS AFCAT NDA Bank UPSC SSC etc. Idioms don’t always make sense literally, they are different words with different meanings and usage. To understand the Idioms, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. Learning idioms will be easy and the best way to understand and remember Idioms is by comparing English idioms to the idioms in your own language.
The candidates who are preparing for the NDA AFCAT CDS exam in 2022 – 2023 can read the Useful Idioms & Phrases given below. Reading idioms daily and gaining enough knowledge of Idioms and Phrases will help you to score more marks on your English paper.
Also Read: 1000+ Most Commonly Asked Synonyms & Antonyms For NDA CDS AFCAT Exam [DOWNLOAD PDF]
Below you can find the list of Idioms and Phrases for the competitive exams
COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS
List of most common English Idioms for the competitive exams.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A blessing in disguise | a good thing that seemed bad at first | as part of a sentence |
| A dime a dozen | Something common | as part of a sentence |
| Beat around the bush | Avoid saying what you mean, usually because it is uncomfortable | as part of a sentence |
| Better late than never | Better to arrive late than not to come at all | by itself |
| Bite the bullet | To get something over with because it is inevitable | as part of a sentence |
| Break a leg | Good luck | by itself |
| Call it a day | Stop working on something | as part of a sentence |
| Cut somebody some slack | Don’t be so critical | as part of a sentence |
| Cutting corners | Doing something poorly in order to save time or money | as part of a sentence |
| Easy does it | Slow down | by itself |
| Get out of hand | Get out of control | as part of a sentence |
| Get something out of your system | Do the thing you’ve been wanting to do so you can move on | as part of a sentence |
| Get your act together | Work better or leave | by itself |
| Give someone the benefit of the doubt | Trust what someone says | as part of a sentence |
| Go back to the drawing board | Start over | as part of a sentence |
| Hang in there | Don’t give up | by itself |
| Hit the sack | Go to sleep | as part of a sentence |
| It’s not rocket science | It’s not complicated | by itself |
| Let someone off the hook | To not hold someone responsible for something | as part of a sentence |
| Make a long story short | Tell something briefly | as part of a sentence |
| Miss the boat | It’s too late | as part of a sentence |
| No pain, no gain | You have to work for what you want | by itself |
| On the ball | Doing a good job | as part of a sentence |
| Pull someone’s leg | To joke with someone | as part of a sentence |
| Pull yourself together | Calm down | by itself |
| So far so good | Things are going well so far | by itself |
| Speak of the devil | The person we were just talking about showed up! | by itself |
| That’s the last straw | My patience has run out | by itself |
| The best of both worlds | An ideal situation | as part of a sentence |
| Time flies when you’re having fun | You don’t notice how long something lasts when it’s fun | by itself |
| To get bent out of shape | To get upset | as part of a sentence |
| To make matters worse | Make a problem worse | as part of a sentence |
| Under the weather | Sick | as part of a sentence |
| We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it | Let’s not talk about that problem right now | by itself |
| Wrap your head around something | Understand something complicated | as part of a sentence |
| You can say that again | That’s true, I agree | by itself |
| Your guess is as good as mine | I have no idea | by itself |
COMMON ENGLISH IDIOMS & EXPRESSIONS
List of common English Idioms and expressions for the competitive exams.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush | What you have is worth more than what you might have later | by itself |
| A penny for your thoughts | Tell me what you’re thinking | by itself |
| A penny saved is a penny earned | Money you save today you can spend later | by itself |
| A perfect storm | the worst possible situation | as part of a sentence |
| A picture is worth 1000 words | Better to show than tell | by itself |
| Actions speak louder than words | Believe what people do and not what they say | by itself |
| Add insult to injury | To make a bad situation worse | as part of a sentence |
| Barking up the wrong tree | To be mistaken, to be looking for solutions in the wrong place | as part of a sentence |
| Birds of a feather flock together | People who are alike are often friends (usually used negatively) | by itself |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Take on a project that you cannot finish | as part of a sentence |
| Break the ice | Make people feel more comfortable | as part of a sentence |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely | as part of a sentence |
| Comparing apples to oranges | Comparing two things that cannot be compared | as part of a sentence |
| Costs an arm and a leg | Very expensive | as part of a sentence |
| Do something at the drop of a hat | Do something without having planned beforehand | as part of a sentence |
| Do unto others as you would have them do unto you | Treat people fairly. Also known as “The Golden Rule” | by itself |
| Don’t count your chickens before they hatch | Don’t count on something good happening until it’s happened. | by itself |
| Don’t cry over spilt milk | There’s no reason to complain about something that can’t be fixed | by itself |
| Don’t give up your day job | You’re not very good at this | by itself |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | What you’re doing is too risky | by itself |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | Good things come after bad things | by itself |
| Get a taste of your own medicine | Get treated the way you’ve been treating others (negative) | as part of a sentence |
| Give someone the cold shoulder | Ignore someone | as part of a sentence |
| Go on a wild goose chase | To do something pointless | as part of a sentence |
| Good things come to those who wait | Be patient | by itself |
| He has bigger fish to fry | He has bigger things to take care of than what we are talking about now | by itself |
| He’s a chip off the old block | The son is like the father | by itself |
| Hit the nail on the head | Get something exactly right | by itself |
| Ignorance is bliss | You’re better off not knowing | by itself |
| It ain’t over till the fat lady sings | This isn’t over yet | by itself |
| It takes one to know one | You’re just as bad as I am | by itself |
| It’s a piece of cake | It’s easy | by itself |
| It’s raining cats and dogs | It’s raining hard | by itself |
| Kill two birds with one stone | Get two things done with a single action | by itself |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Give away a secret | as part of a sentence |
| Live and learn | I made a mistake | by itself |
| Look before you leap | Take only calculated risks | by itself |
| On thin ice | On probation. If you make another mistake, there will be trouble. | as part of a sentence |
| Once in a blue moon | Rarely | as part of a sentence |
| Play devil’s advocate | To argue the opposite, just for the sake of argument | as part of a sentence |
| Put something on ice | Put a projet on hold | as part of a sentence |
| Rain on someone’s parade | To spoil something | as part of a sentence |
| Saving for a rainy day | Saving money for later | as part of a sentence |
| Slow and steady wins the race | Reliability is more important than speed | by itself |
| Spill the beans | Give away a secret | as part of a sentence |
| Take a rain check | Postpone a plan | as part of a sentence |
| Take it with a grain of salt | Don’t take it too seriously | as part of a sentence |
| The ball is in your court | It’s your decision | by itself |
| The best thing since sliced bread | A really good invention | as part of a sentence |
| The devil is in the details | It looks good from a distance, but when you look closer, there are problems | by itself |
| The early bird gets the worm | The first people who arrive will get the best stuff | by itself |
| The elephant in the room | The big issue, the problem people are avoiding | as part of a sentence |
| The whole nine yards | Everything, all the way. | as part of a sentence |
| There are other fish in the sea | It’s ok to miss this opportunity. Others will arise. | by itself |
| There’s a method to his madness | He seems crazy but actually he’s clever | by itself |
| There’s no such thing as a free lunch | Nothing is entirely free | by itself |
| Throw caution to the wind | Take a risk | as part of a sentence |
| You can’t have your cake and eat it too | You can’t have everything | by itself |
| You can’t judge a book by its cover | This person or thing may look bad, but it’s good inside | by itself |
FAMILIAR ENGLISH IDIOMS & PROVERBS
List of difficult English Idioms for the competitive exams.
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A little learning is a dangerous thing | People who don’t understand something fully are dangerous | by itself |
| A snowball effect | Events have momentum and build upon each other | as part of a sentence |
| A snowball’s chance in hell | No chance at all | as part of a sentence |
| A stitch in time saves nine | Fix the problem now because it will get worse later | by itself |
| A storm in a teacup | A big fuss about a small problem | as part of a sentence |
| An apple a day keeps the doctor away | Apples are good for you | by itself |
| An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure | You can prevent a problem with little effort. Fixing it later is harder. | by itself |
| As right as rain | Perfect | as part of a sentence |
| Bolt from the blue | Something that happened without warning | as part of a sentence |
| Burn bridges | Destroy relationships | as part of a sentence |
| Calm before the storm | Something bad is coming, but right now it’s calm | as part of a sentence |
| Come rain or shine | No matter what | as part of a sentence |
| Curiosity killed the cat | Stop asking questions | by itself |
| Cut the mustard | Do a good job | as part of a sentence |
| Don’t beat a dead horse | Move on, this subject is over | by itself |
| Every dog has his day | Everyone gets a chance at least once | by itself |
| Familiarity breeds contempt | The better you know someone the less you like him | by itself |
| Fit as a fiddle | In good health | as part of a sentence |
| Fortune favours the bold | Take risks | by itself |
| Get a second wind | Have more energy after having been tired | as part of a sentence |
| Get wind of something | Hear news of something secret | as part of a sentence |
| Go down in flames | Fail spectacularly | as part of a sentence |
| Haste makes waste | You’ll make mistakes if you rush through something | by itself |
| Have your head in the clouds | Not be concentrating | as part of a sentence |
| He who laughs last laughs loudest | I’ll get you back for what you did | by itself |
| Hear something straight from the horse’s mouth | Hear something from the person involved | as part of a sentence |
| He’s not playing with a full deck | He’s dumb | by itself |
| He’s off his rocker | He’s crazy | by itself |
| He’s sitting on the fence | He can’t make up his mind | by itself |
| It is a poor workman who blames his tools | If you can’t do the job, don’t blame it on others | by itself |
| It is always darkest before the dawn | Things are going to get better | by itself |
| It takes two to tango | One person alone isn’t responsible. Both people are involved. | by itself |
| Jump on the bandwagon | Follow a trend, do what everyone else is doing | as part of a sentence |
| Know which way the wind is blowing | Understand the situation (usually negative) | as part of a sentence |
| Leave no stone unturned | Look everywhere | as part of a sentence |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Stop discussing an issue | as part of a sentence |
| Like riding a bicycle | Something you never forget how to do | as part of a sentence |
| Like two peas in a pod | They’re always together | as part of a sentence |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of a good situation | as part of a sentence |
| On cloud nine | Very happy | as part of a sentence |
| Once bitten, twice shy | You’re more cautious when you’ve been hurt before | by itself |
| Out of the frying pan and into the fire | Things are going from bad to worse | by itself |
| Run like the wind | Run fast | as part of a sentence |
| Shape up or ship out | Work better or leave | by itself |
| Snowed under | Busy | as part of a sentence |
| That ship has sailed | It’s too late | by itself |
| The pot calling the kettle black | Someone criticizing someone else he is just as bad | as part of a sentence |
| There are clouds on the horizon | Trouble is coming | by itself |
| Those who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones | People who are morally questionable shouldn’t criticize others | by itself |
| Through thick and thin | In good times and in bad times | as part of a sentence |
| Time is money | Work quickly | by itself |
| Waste not, want not | Don’t waste things and you’ll always have enough | by itself |
| We see eye to eye | We agree | by itself |
| Weather the storm | Go through something difficult | as part of a sentence |
| Well begun is half done | Getting a good start is important | by itself |
| When it rains it pours | Everything is going wrong at once | by itself |
| You can catch more flies with honey than you can with vinegar | You’ll get what you want by being nice | by itself |
| You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink | You can’t force someone to make the right decision | by itself |
| You can’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs | There’s always a cost to doing something | by itself |
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| Idioms & Phrases | Meaning |
| Rank and File | Ordinary People |
| By fits and starts | In short periods, not regularly |
| A wee bit | A little |
| Out of the wood | Free from difficulties and dangers |
| Under his thumb | Under his control |
| At one’s wits end | In a state where one does not know what to do |
| Between the devil and the deep sea | Between two dangers |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work or study hard |
| Call a spade a spade | Speak frankly and directly |
| Come off with flying colors | Be highly successful |
| Hoping against hope | Without hope |
| Hit the nail on the head | Do or say the exact thing |
| An axe to grind | A personal interest in the matter |
| To get rid of | Dispose of |
| At daggers drawn | Bitterly hostile |
| To play ducks and drakes | To act foolishly or inconsistently |
| To take the bull by the horns | To tackle a problem in a bold and direct fashion |
| Rain cats and dogs | Rain heavily |
| To move heaven and earth | To make a supreme effort |
| No avail | Without any result |
| Bark up the wrong tree | Accuse or denounce the wrong person |
| Keep one at bay | Keep one at a distance |
| Make a clean breast of it | Confess – especially when a person has done a wrong thing |
| Have a card up one’s sleeve | Have a secret plan in reserve |
| Like a cat on hot bricks | Very nervous |
| Cat and dog life | Life full of quarrels |
| Cock and bull story | Made up story that one should not believe |
| Cry for the moon | Ask for the impossible |
| The pros and cons | The various aspects of a matter in detail |
| Be in a tight corner | In a very difficult situation |
| Cross one’s t’s and dot | Be precise, careful and one’s i’s exact |
| At arm’s length | To keep at a distance |
| Out of the question | Impossible |
| Out of the way | Strange |
| Show a clean pair of heals | Run away |
| Keep one’s fingers crossed | The anxiety in which you hope that nothing will upset your plans |
| In the nick of time | Just at the last moment |
| Sitting on the fence | Hesitate between two decisions |
| Spread like wild fire | Spread quickly |
| The gift of the gab | Talent for speaking |
| By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| Feather one’s own nest | Make money unfairly |
| Throw out of gear | Disturb the work |
| Take to one’s heels | Run away |
| Tooth and nail | With all one’s power |
| Die in harness | Die while in service |
| Take a leaf out of one’s book | Imitate one |
| Leave no stone unturned | Use all available means |
| A man of straw | A man of no substance |
| Read between the lines | Understand the hidden meaning |
| In cold blood | Deliberately and without emotion |
| A thorn in the flesh | A constant source of annoyance |
| Smell a rat | Suspect something foul |
| Harp on the same string | Dwell on the same subject |
| Bury the hatchet | End the quarrel and make peace |
| Leave one in the lurch | Desert one in difficulties; leave one in a helpless condition |
| Like a fish out of water | In a strange situation |
| At one’s beck and call | Under his control |
| To make both ends meet | To live within one’s income |
| In hot water | In trouble |
| Nip in the bud | Destroy in the early stage |
| Stick to one’s guns | Remain faithful to the cause |
| To eat humble pie | To apologize humbly and to yield under humiliating circumstances |
| In high spirits | Very happy |
| Put the cart before the horse | Put or do things in the wrong order |
| To all names | To abuse |
| On tenterhooks | In a state of suspense and anxiety |
| Wash one’s dirty linen | Discuss unpleasant in public-private matters before strangers |
| To bell the cat | To face the risk |
| A hard nut to crack | A difficult problem |
| Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| A big gun | An important person |
| Kill two birds with one stone | To achieve two results with one effort |
| Take one to task | Rebuke |
| Gain ground | Become Popular |
| To blow one’s own | To praise one’s own trumpet achievement |
| A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| A brown study | Dreaming |
| Turn a deaf ear | Disregard / ignore what one says |
| A close shave | Narrow escape |
| Turn over a new leaf | Change for the better |
| Make up one’s mind | Decide |
| In the long run | Eventually; ultimately |
| Bring to light | Disclose |
| Pay off old scores | Take revenge |
| Hard and fast rules | Strict rules |
| At the eleventh hour | At the last moment |
| A close shave | Narrow escape |
| To cut a sorry figure | To make a poor show |
| With a high hand | Oppressively |
| Burn one’s fingers | Get into trouble by interfering in other’s affairs |
| Laugh one’s head off | Laugh heartily |
| Chew the cud | Ponder over something |
| Play second fiddle | Take an unimportant part |
| Above board | Honest and open |
| Through thick and thin | Under all conditions |
| Put a spoke in one’s wheel | To upset one’s plans |
| At sixes and sevens | In a disordered/disorganized manner, chaotic |
| At home | Comfortable |
| Alpha and omega | The beginning and the end |
| At sea | Confused and lost |
| A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| At one’s beck and call | At one’s service |
| By leaps and bounds | Rapidly |
| To burn one’s boats | Go back on a decision |
| To beat about the bush | Talk irrelevantly |
| To burn candle at both ends | To waste lavishly |
| Take one to task | Rebuke |
| A bone of contention | A source of quarrel |
| Add fuel to the fire | To aggravate the situation |
| An acid test | A critical test |
| At a snail’s pace | Very slowly |
| A bolt from the blue | Something unexpected |
| To build castles in the air | Make imaginary schemes |
| Once in a blue moon | Something that happens very rarely |
| Beating around the bush | Avoiding the main topic |
| Cry over spilled milk | Complaining about a loss or failure from the past |
| Chip on your shoulder | When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago |
| Piece of cake | Something that is easy to understand or do |
| Golden handshake | A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires |
| Spill the beans | To disclose a secret |
| Blessing in disguise | Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way |
| Mean business | Being Serious or Dedicated |
| Come hell or high water | Possible obstacles in your path |
| Apple of one’s eye | Being cherished |
| Bite off more than you can chew | Not able to complete a task due to lack of ability |
| The best of both worlds | The benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time |
| Feeling a bit under the weather | Feeling slightly ill |
| Icing on the cake | Something that turns good into great |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Be very expensive |
| Jump the bandwagon | To join a popular activity or trend |
| Ball is in your court | When it is up to you to make the next decision or step |
| To be in the doldrums | To be in low spirits |
| To sit on the fence | To remain neutral |
| Break the ice | To initiate a social conversation or interaction |
| Hear it on grapevine | To hear rumors about something or someone |
| Can’t judge a book by its cover | Cannot judge something primarily on appearance |
| It takes two to tango | Actions or communications need more than one person |
| Let the cat out of the bag | To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake |
| Black and blue | Full of Bruises |
| Be on cloud nine | Be very happy |
| Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| A bird’s eye view | A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area |
| A litmus Test | A method that helps to know if something is correct |
| At the drop of a hat | Willingness to do something instantly |
| Afraid of one’s own shadow | To become easily frightened |
| A house of cards | A poor plan |
| Fool’s paradise | False sense of happiness |
| Get a raw deal | To not be treated as well as other people |
| Give cold shoulder | To ignore |
| Hand to mouth | Live on only basic necessities |
| Make a face | To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions |
| It’s Greek to me | Something that is not understandable |
| To pour oil on troubled waters | To make peace |
| Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | Do not put all your resources in one basket (in one place or thing) |
| To put in a nutshell | To say in a few words or to make something concise |
| Back out | To withdraw from a promise or contract |
| Blow up | To explode |
| Back Up | To support and sustain |
| Back Upon | To be relevant |
| Break Down | Failure in something |
| Break off | To end or discontinue |
| Break Up | To disperse / dissolve |
| Bring up | To rear |
| Call forth | To provoke |
| Call out | To shout |
| Call upon | To order |
| Carry on | To continue |
| Cast away | To throw aside |
| Catch up with | To overtake |
| Come off | To take place |
| Cry Down | To make little of |
| Catch up with | To overtake |
| Cry out against | To complain loudly against |
| Cut out | Designed for |
| Drop in | To Visit Casually |
| Drop out | To fall |
| Fall back | To Recede; To Retreat |
| Fall down | From a higher position to a lower one |
| Fall off | To Withdraw; To Drop Off |
| Fall under | To come under |
| Get along | To Prosper; To Progress; To Proceed |
| Get on with | To Live Pleasantly Together; To Progress |
| Get into | To be involved in |
| Give in | To Surrender; To Yield |
| Give over | Not to do any longer |
| Go after | To Follow; To Pursue |
| Go Down | To be accepted |
| Go without | To remain without |
| Go by | To follow |
| Hang about | To Loiter near a place |
| Hang upon | To depend upon |
| Hold out | To Endure; To Refuse to yield; To continue; To offer |
| Hold to | Abide By |
| Keep off | To ward off |
| Keep up with | To keep pace with |
| Knock out | To win by hitting another one |
| It takes two to tango | Both people involved in a bad situation are responsible for it |
| Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| Keep something at bay | Keep something away |
| Kill two birds with one stone | To solve two problems at a time with just one action |
| Let sleeping dogs lie | Leave something alone if it might cause trouble |
| Open the floodgates | Release something that was previously under control |
| Out of the blue | Happen unexpectedly |
| Out on a limb | Do something risky |
| Over the Top | Totally excessive and not suitable for the occasion |
| Pen is mightier than the sword | Words and communication have a greater effect than war |
| Push one’s luck | Trying to obtain more than what one has |
| Reap the harvest | Benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions |
| Roll up sleeves | To get yourself prepared |
| See eye to eye | To be in agreement with |
| Shot in the dark | A complete guess |
| Sink your teeth into | Do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm |
| Take with a grain/pinch of salt | To doubt theaccuracy of information |
| Skating on thin ice | Do or say something risky |
| Tight spot | A difficult situation |
| Strike while the iron is hot | To act at the right time |
| Take the plunge | Venture into something of one’s interest despite the risks involved |
| Take a nosedive | Rapid drop or decrease in value |
| Think the world of | Admire someone very much |
| Stand in a good stead | To be useful or be of good service to someone |
| Take a back seat | Choose to be less important in a role |
| Wave a dead chicken | Do something useless |
| Whale of a time | Enjoy a lot |
| Wrap one’s brain around | Concentrate on something to understand |
| Zero in on something | Focus all attention on one thing |
| Above all | Chiefly, Mainly |
| On Account of | Due to |
| On no account | Not for Any Reason |
| A Fidus Achates | A faithful friend or a devoted follower |
| The Heel of Achilles | A Weak Point |
| An Adonis | A very handsome man |
| To assume airs | To affect superiority |
| To stand aloof | To keep to oneself and not mix with others |
| To lead to the altar | To marry |
| An Ananias | A Liar |
| An Apollo | A Man with Perfect Physique |
| To Upset the Apple Cart | To disturb the peace |
| Apple Pie Order | In perfect order |
| Arcadian Life | A blissful, happy, rural and simple life |
| To take up arms | To fight or go to the war |
| To Grind | To have some selfish objective in view |
| To break the back of anything | To perform the most difficult part |
| To backbite a person | To speak disguise about someone |
| He has no backbone | He has no will of his own |
| To cause bad blood | To Cause Enmity |
| Bag and Baggage | With all one’s belongings |
| To keep the ball rolling | To keep things going |
| Barmecide feast | Imaginary Benefits |
| Bee-line | The shortest distance between two places |
| Behind one’s back | Without one’s Knowledge |
| Behind the scenes | In Private |
| To hit below the belt | To act unfairly in a contest |
| To bite the dust | To be Defeated in Battle |
| A Wet Blanket | A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm |
| In Cold Blood | Deliberately |
| A blue Stocking | A learned/educated or intellectual woman |
| At First Blush | At first sight |
| A Bolt from the Blue | Something completely unexpected that surprises you |
| One’s bread and butter | One’s means of livelihood |
| To breadth one’s last | To Die |
| To make bricks without straw | To attempt to do something without proper materials |
| To kick the bucket | To die |
| Good wine needs no bush | There is no need to advertise something good |
| To burn the candle at both ends | To expend energy in two directions at the same time |
| If the cap fits, wear it | If you think the remarks refer to you, then accept the criticism |
| Care killed the cat | Don’t fret and worry yourself to death |
| To Catch one’s eye | To attract attention |
| To take the chair | To preside a meeting |
| She is no chicken | She is older than she says |
| To pick and choose | To make a careful selection |
| To square the circle | To attempt something impossible |
| Every cloud has a silver lining | Adverse conditions do not last forever |
| Close fisted | Mean |
| Cut your cloth according to your cloth | Live within your income |
| A cock and bull story | A foolishly incredible story |
| To be cock sure | To be perfectly sure or certain |
| To throw cold water upon anything | To discourage efforts |
| Off color | Not in the usual form |
| To commit to memory | To learn by heart |
| Too many cooks spoil the broth | Where there are more workers than necessary |
| Crocodile tears | Hypocritical Tears |
| By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| Cut and dried | Readymade |
| Up to date | Recent |
| Evil days | A period of misfortune |
| Halcyon Days | A time when there are peace and happiness in the land |
| To step into dead man’s shoes | To come into an inheritance |
| Go to the devil | Be off |
| Devil’s bones | Dice |
| Devil’s Playthings | Playing Cards |
| Give a dog a bad name and hang him | Once a person loses his reputation |
| Every dog has his day | Sooner or later, everyone has his share of good fortune |
| To throw dust in one’s eyes | To try to deceive someone or mislead someone |
| A white elephant | A useless possession which is extremely expensive to keep |
| To set the Thames on fire | To do something sensational or remarkable |
| A burnt child dreads the fire | One who has had a previous unpleasant experience is always scared of situations where such experiences are likely to be repeated |
| A fish out of water | Anyone in an awkward |
| Foul play | Cheating |
| To jump from a frying pan into fire | To come out of one trouble and get into a worse |
| All that glitters are not gold | Things are not always as attractive as they appear |
| To die in harness | To continue at one’s occupation until death |
| Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of all opportunities |
| Lock, stock and barrel | The whole of everything |
| A miss is as good as a mile | Comes nowhere near it. If someone narrowly misses the target it still is treated as a missed one or failure. |
| To move heaven and earth | To exert all efforts |
| One swallow does not make a summer | It is unreliable to base one’s conclusions on only a single test or incident |
| If wishes were horses, beggars might ride | If wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted |
| A nine days’ wonder | An event which relates a sensation for a time but is soon forgotten |
| Yellow press | Newspapers which publish sensational and unscrupulous stories and exaggerates the news to attract readers. |
| A ball park figure | A general financial figure |
| To balance the books | To make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received. |
| A cash cow | A product or service that makes a lot of money for a company |
| Devil’s Advocate | To present a counter argument |
| Don’t give up the day job | You are not very good at something. You could not do it professionally. |
| To cook the books | To modify financial statements |
| To get the sack | To be dismissed from your job |
| To be snowed under | To be very busy |
| To work your fingers to the boneOrTo sweat blood | To work really hard |
| Hear it on the grapevine | To hear rumors |
| In the heat of the moment | Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment |
| Not a spark of decency | No Manners |
| Speak of the devil! | This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives |
| Whole nine yards | Everything. All of it |
| Your guess is as good as mine | To have no idea about anything |
These were 500 Idioms and Phrases in short, the most commonly asked questions that you can easily expect for your upcoming NDA, CDS, and AFCAT, and other defence exam. Not only that, you can also follow these questions & learn the words & remember them for the other defence competitive exam preparation for the Idioms and Phrases section in English.
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