LIST OF COMMONLY USED IDIOMS AND PHRASES WITH EXAMPLE SENTENCE
“NIP IN THE AIR” - a cold feeling; cold weather
“I felt a little nip in the air when I opened the window”
“BONE OF CONTENTION” - a subject or issue over which there is continuing disagreement.
"Legal agreement has long been a serious bone of contention between Komal and his husband"
“CRACK THE WHIP” - make someone work harder by asserting power or authority.
“State govt. cracks the whip on unauthorized borewells in Bengaluru amidst worsening water crisis.”
“SMACK (ONE'S) LIPS” - to lick one's lips in anticipation of eating something delicious
“Ayushi impressed her husband with a lip smacking butter chicken”
“BE IN THE BLACK” - not in debt; in a financially profitable condition
“The company just managed to stay in the black”
“THE UPPER CRUST” - member of the society's highest class
“If Sudhir was really part of the upper crust, he wouldn't need to borrow money all the time, would he?”
“HAVE TEETHING PROBLEMS” - having problems during the early stages of something
“My son had a few teething problems early in his studies, but now he is brilliant.”
‘HOLD YOUR OWN’ - you are as successful as other people in a situation
“Tom’s a great boxer and he can hold his own against anyone in his class.”
‘IN BROAD DAYLIGHT’ - during the day
“The beautiful woman was shot at very close range in broad daylight.”
‘BE ON THE LINE’ - at risk of failing or being harmed
“I'm afraid that my scholarship is on the line now that I've been accused of plagiarizing a paper.”
‘TIME AND AGAIN’ - to be repeated very often
“This story is played in my school time and again.”
‘BACK TO THE WALL’ - to be trapped in a situation
“I had my back against the wall when I was forced to take such a difficult decision.”
‘YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT’ - to point out the connection between food and health
“You are what you eat, so watch you diet and don’t eat unhealthy foods.”
‘PULL SOMEBODY UP SHORT’ - to surprise someone, often so that that person stops what they are doing
“Seeing her name in the list of visitors pulled him up short.”
‘KICK THE HORNET'S NEST’ - to start a conflict with (someone)
"I've had enough of Rajiv and his stupid gang. Come on. Let's kick the hornet's nest!"
‘RECHARGE (ONE'S) BATTERIES’ - to regain one's energy, liveliness, or motivation through a period of rest or recreation
“It's amazing how a short walk in the woods can really help you recharge your batteries sometimes.”
'AT A SNAIL'S PACE’ - a very slow or sluggish speed or rate
“We'll never get there on time with you driving at a snail's pace!”
‘THE FIRST LEG’ (OF A JOURNEY) - the first segment of a journey
“The first leg of the journey got me to Mumbai.”
'BEHIND THE TIMES’ - old-fashioned
“You're behind the times, Amir, you're old-fashioned.”
'TAKE MY WORD FOR IT’ - believe you
“You'll have nothing but trouble if you marry her, take my word for it.”
‘SUCK IT UP’ - accept something unpleasant or difficult
“Komal: I hate my job! I hate my boyfriend! I hate my life! I hate everything!
Amir: Suck it up! At least you have a boyfriend!” 😁
'STUCK IN A RUT’ - doing the same old thing for too long
“Roshni felt that she was stuck in a rut, so she decided to go back to University to study dentistry.”
'SPIT IT OUT’ - go ahead and say something
“Come on! Say it! spit it out! spit it out! Get it said!”
‘SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT’ - to make the true facts of something clear, especially when they have been previously misunderstood
“Komal’s mother heard that Ajay is a married man, but he set the record straight.”
'LIKE A BAT OUT OF HELL’ - very fast
“She was driving like a bat out of hell.”
‘SEE EYE TO EYE’ – this means agreeing with someone
“I'm glad that we see eye to eye on the project's details.”
‘ONCE IN A BLUE MOON’ – this means an event that happens infrequently
“Peter only comes out for a drink once in blue moon now that he has kids.”
‘WHEN PIGS FLY’ – something that will never happen
“I might wake up early tomorrow to clean my room”
“Yes, you'll do that when pigs fly.”
‘TO COST AN ARM AND A LEG’– something is extremely expensive
“You must visit that restaurant; the food is really good, and it doesn’t cost you an arm and a leg.”
‘A PIECE OF CAKE’– something is very easy
“The engineering interview proved to be a piece of cake.”
‘LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG’ – to accidentally reveal a secret
“It was going to be a surprise party until someone let the cat out of the bag.”
‘TO FEEL UNDER THE WEATHER’ – to not feel well.
“I’m really feeling under the weather today; I have a terrible cold.”
‘TO KILL TWO BIRDS WITH ONE STONE’ – to solve two problems at once
“In trying to play matchmaker and kill two birds with one stone, I nearly annihilated three.”
‘TO CUT CORNERS’ – to do something badly or cheaply
“The government cut corners when they built the school with bad materials, and put everyone in danger.”
‘TO ADD INSULT TO INJURY’ – to make a situation worse
“People were forced to work longer hours, and to add insult to injury, the company decided not to give pay raises.”
‘YOU CAN’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER’ – to not judge someone or something based solely on appearance
“He seemed like a bit of a jerk to me, but I guess you can't judge a book by its cover.”
‘BREAK A LEG’ – means ‘good luck’ (often said to actors before they go on stage)
“Danny's family told him to break a leg right before he went up on stage.”
‘TO HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD’ – to describe exactly what is causing a situation or problem
“He hit the nail on the head when he said that what the company was lacking in was clear vision and focus.”
‘THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS’ – you can enjoy two different opportunities at the same time
“The guy had the best of both worlds until his wife found out about how he was cheating on her.”
‘SPEAK OF THE DEVIL’ – this means that the person you’re just talking about actually turns up at that moment.
“I hope our teacher doesn’t come today – oh, speak of the devil, here he comes.”
The above listed commonly used Idioms and phrases with example sentences can be useful for the aspirants who are preparing for AFCAT, CDS, NDA, SSC or any other defense related or government competitive exams.
