LIST OF IMPORTANT IDIOMS AND PHRASES
Heads In The Cloud : Thinking in an illogical or delusional manner
Vinit does not like the logic and keeps his head in the clouds all the time.
A Pyrrhic Victory : a victory which is achieved at too high a price and therefore not worth having
It was a Pyrrhic victory. They won the strike but then most of them lost their jobs.
Set (One's) Teeth On Edge : To greatly irritate or annoy someone
Nothing sets my teeth on edge like seeing my ex-girlfriend partying with some other guy.
Eat Crow : To be shamed
When it became clear that Amir had blamed the wrong person, he had to eat crow.
Water Over The Dam : An event or set of events which have already happened and cannot be changed
That argument we had is just water over the dam now - don't even worry about it.
Leave In The Lurch : to leave in an uncomfortable or desperate situation
The manager will really leave me in the lurch if he decides to quit before this project is finished.
Achilles Heel : a weakness or vulnerable point
The corrupt minister is regarded as the government’s Achilles heel and is expected to resign.
Turn Of Phrase : the ability to express yourself well
Savita has a nice turn of phrase, which should serve her well in journalism.
A Queer Fish : a strange person
I know Vinit and he is a queer fish too.
Bite The dust : a to die, to end in failure
With vaccines, dengue could be the next virus to bite the dust.
Give Teeth To : to make something powerful
Advanced Light Helicopter gives teeth to Navy's airborne ops.
Asleep At The Switch : not to be alert on opportunity
Health experts were asleep at the switch when the disease began to spread rapidly again.
A Nine Days Wonder : pleasure for a short time
The escape of Ajay and Komal was a nine days' wonder. Now people never mention it.
Alma Mater : institution where i got my education
Bhaskar has been offered the position of professor in Delhi, his alma mater.
Dead On : exactly right; on target
That’s a good observation, Sandeep. You are dead on.
Laying Siege To : to surround and attack a place with armed troops
The army has laid siege to our town.
In Dribs and Drabs : in small portions
The whole story is being revealed in dribs and drabs.
In The Red : in debt
State government has been operating in the red for five straight years because of draught.
Iron Out : resolve by discussion
The president has called for a meeting to iron out the current issues.
Shore Up : to support or help (something)
The tax cuts are supposed to shore up the economy.
Within Earshot : to be able to hear something or someone
The man was within earshot and heard all about how the incident took place when you were speaking of it.
Elbow Room : enough space to move around an area easily
The mall was so crowded today that there was hardly any elbow room at all.
By A Whisker : by a very small amount
Last time she raced against the Russian, she won by a whisker.
Tongue In Cheek : something said in humour, but with an act of being serious
His comments were intended to be tongue in cheek, but his friends took it seriously and that started a huge argument.
Foot The Bill : to pay for something
I hope the production company is footing the bill for all of these expenses.
To Pooh - Pooh : dismiss (an idea or suggestion) as being foolish or impractical
Until recently, this idea was pooh-poohed by the scientific community.
Go Great Guns : to do something enthusiastically and successfully
Business is great. We are going great guns selling video cassettes.
Dog In The Manger : someone who keeps something that they do not want in order to prevent someone else from getting it
His was a dog-in-the-manger affection; he did not want Nikita himself, and yet he would allow nobody else to have her.
Bear The Brunt (Of Something) : to suffer the worst part of an unpleasant or problematic situation
When our system crashed, the call center employees bore the brunt of our customers' anger.
A Ballpark Figure / A Ballpark Estimate : give a number which you think is fairly close to the actual one
That's just a ballpark figure - they don't know exactly how many people will be attending Arjun’s marriage.
Make Hay While The Sun Shines : to make good use of the chance to do something while it lasts
We finally have the full group assembled, so let's make hay while the sun shines.
Cut To The Bone/Heart : to say or do something unkind that makes someone feel very upset
Company's suggestions on the sales of products cut to the heart of crucial issues.
A Flash In The Pan : when someone/something is popular or effective for a short time only
With only one hit song, it was obvious that the young pop star was going to be just another flash in the pan.
Hold All The Aces : to be in a favorable position
How can I advance in my career when my competitor holds all the aces ?
Separate The Wheat From The Chaff : separate the good or valuable from that which is inferior
Can you please separate the wheat from the chaff? I have no idea which of these old tools still work.
Cock and Bull Story : a hard-to-believe, made-up story
Tarun’s statements were dismissed as a cock and bull story.
Bag And Baggage : with one's luggage
Abhishek showed up at our door bag and baggage one Sunday morning.
Shoot (Firing) From The Hip : react without careful consideration of one's words or actions
The country's prime minister has gained a reputation of firing from the hip, issuing executive orders without consulting members of parliament.
Cock A Snook : to regard someone or something with disrespect
Don't you cock a snook at my instructions, I'm your superior!
The Ball Is In (One's) Court : One needs to take some action to keep something going
I have helped Amir in every way I can – the ball's in his court now.
Armed To The Teeth : fully armed, having many weapons
It was dangerous to chase the robbers. They were armed to the teeth and looked merciless.
Turn A Corner : pass a milestone or critical point
Asia's third largest economy turned a corner after a period of slower expansion.
Make The Scene : to appear in a particular place or engage in a particular activity
Amir and I plan to make the scene, but we may be a bit late.
Bark Up The Wrong Tree : waste one’s efforts by pursuing the wrong thing or path
It was a very sensitive case and yet for over one year the investigators kept barking up the wrong tree.
Money Pit : something that costs a lot of money over time
I bought this used car because I thought it would be more affordable but it's a money pit requiring frequent repairs.
Up In Arms : to protest strongly
The employees were up in arms over the management’s plan to discontinue five-day week policy.
Sitting Pretty : living in comfort
Sanjana has been sitting pretty since she got that new job.
Stink ( or smell ) To High Heaven : to have a very strong and unpleasant odour
This meat smells to high heaven. Throw it away!
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is : To do something rather than to just talk about it
The government claims to care about its citizens, but it should put its money where its mouth is.
Pass The Buck : To blame someone or make them responsible for a problem
She's always trying to pass the buck and I'm sick of it!
Hold A Grudge : To stay angry (at someone or something)
I made a mistake. That's not a good reason to hold a grudge against me.
Handle With Kid Gloves : Handle a situation, or a person or an object, with special consideration
He has become so sensitive after his divorce. You need to handle him with kid gloves.
A Dime A Dozen : anything that is common and easy to get
People who can write good books are not a dime a dozen.
By The Skin Of Teeth : just barely
Seems like you have passed all your test by the skin of your teeth.
Take Something With A Pinch Of Salt : to not completely believe something that you are told, because you think it is unlikely to be true
You have to take everything she says with a pinch of salt, because she tends to exaggerate.
Sick As A Dog : extremely ill
We've never been so ill. The whole family was sick as dogs.
Dead As A Dodo : undoubtedly and unquestionably dead
Although popular in the 1970s, disco music is as dead as a dodo today.
Have Ducks In A Row : To be well-organized, prepared, and up-to- date
We need to get our ducks in a row to ensure that there are no problems at home while we're gone on our trip.
On The Tip Of Your Tongue : About to be said or almost remembered
Her name is on the tip of my tongue.
Have Your Cake And Eat It (Too) : To have all the benefits of a situation when, in fact, having one thing means that you cannot have the other
You can't have your cake and eat it - if you want more local services, you can't expect to pay less tax.
Easy As Pie : Extremely easy, simple, or intuitive
After so many years as an accountant, doing taxes is as easy as pie for me. Boy, that test was easy as pie!
Also Read ↓
One Word Substitute with Hindi Meaning for AFCAT CDS NDA
The above listed important Idioms and Phrases for AFCAT CDS and NDA written exam will give you an idea of what kind of Idioms and Phrases you can expect or can be asked in your coming AFCAT, CDS, NDA or any other competitive written exam. These list of expected English Idioms & Phrases in Objective English paper are also important for other competitive written exams like Bank, SSC, Railway etc.
