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Old Tuesday, February 05, 2013
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Default Top 10 Most Common Idioms in English

1. Piece of cake – No, when someone says that the assignment they just finished was a piece of cake, it does not mean that their professor gave them a red velvet cupcake for their midterm paper, what piece of cake actually means is that something is very easy to complete.

2. Costs an arm and a leg – It would be a strange world we lived in if buying that fancy shiny purse literally required us to chop off our body parts to give as tribute to the Louis Vuitton gods. When something costs an arm and a leg it actually means that something is very expensive.

3. Break a leg – Oh, look, another idiom about legs. You’re about to take your dreaded calculus final and before you head into your classroom your roommate texts you, “Break a Leg!” Why, you think in your head, would he ever wish that upon me? I thought we were cool with each other. Well, your roommate surely doesn’t want your bones to break while walking to your seat in the exam room that’s for sure. Break a leg actually means good luck!

4. Hit the books – If you’re a student in an English speaking environment you’re probably going to be hearing this phrase a lot. Before you imagine students running into their campus library and punching, kicking and wrestling apart the complete works of Shakespeare, we would just like to say that hit the books actually means to study. There there, you can still punch books in your spare time if you want, we won’t judge you.

5. Let the cat out of the bag – Why would someone put their cat in a bag? What did the cat ever do to them? Our last idiom actually means to disclose a secret that was supposed to be kept, well, as a secret. The next time someone lets the cat out of the bag do not immediately pick up your phone and call animal cruelty control.

6. Hit the nail on the head – This idiom has to do with doing or saying something that is precisely right. If you don’t understand this, just think about that sweet feeling you get when you swing a hammer at a nail and hit it perfectly.

7. When pigs fly – So, have you ever seen a pig fly before? Never? Me neither. This idiom basically means that something will never happen, like fat little pink mammals soaring toward the sun!

8. You can’t judge a book by its cover – How many awesome books do you think you’ve never read in your life just because the cover did not catch your eye? This idiom does not only apply to books however, but can be used for everything in general. Essentially it means that you should not decide upon something based just on outward appearances.

9. Bite off more than you can chew – Imagine your waiter brings you the biggest juiciest hamburger from your favorite American restaurant. In your hunger, you grab it quickly and take a giant bite out of it. Unfortunately, the bite you’ve taken is too big, and you end up looking like an idiot trying to shove this bite down your throat while drinking water and trying not to choke. That is the most literal sense of the meaning, but in general it just means to attempt to take on a task that is too much for you to handle.

10. Scratch someone’s back – We all know how difficult it is to scratch that itch on your back that your hand just aren’t flexible enough to reach, so why would you want to scratch some random person’s smelly back? Because if you do, they may eventually be willing to scratch your own smelly back when you need it! What this idiom means is to help someone out with the assumption that they will return the favor in the future!
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Haseeb brother,
Can it be possible for you to share the meanings of difficult idioms from previous ten-year papers.?
Thank you.
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Old Tuesday, February 05, 2013
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Originally Posted by Waqas77 View Post
Haseeb brother,
Can it be possible for you to share the meanings of difficult idioms from previous ten-year papers.?
Thank you.
Explore this link: http://www.cssforum.com.pk/css-compu...71-2010-a.html
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Old Tuesday, February 12, 2013
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Some important idioms:

1. A penny for your thoughts: this idiom is used as a way of asking someone what they are thinking about.

2. Add insult to injury: When people add insult to injury, they make a bad situation even worse.

3. A hot potato: This idiom is used to speak of an issue (especially in current affairs) which many people are talking about.

4. Once in a blue moon: This is used when something happens very rarely.

5. Caught between two stools: When someone finds it difficult to choose between two alternatives.

6. See eye to eye: This idiom is used to say that two (or more people) agree on something.

7. Hear it on the grapevine: This means ‘to hear a rumour' about something or someone.

8. Miss the boat: This idiom is used to say that someone missed his or her chance at something.

9. Kill two birds with one stone: This means ‘to do two things at the same time'.

10. On the ball: When someone understands the situation well.

11. Cut corners: When something is done badly to save money. For example, when someone buys products that are cheap but not of good quality.

12. To hear something straight from the horse's mouth:
To hear something from the authoritative source.

13. Costs an arm and a leg: When something is very expensive.

14. The last straw: The final problem in a series of problems.

15. Take what someone says with a pinch of salt: This means not to take what someone says too seriously. There is a big possibility that what he/she says is only partly true.

16. Sit on the fence: This is used when someone does not want to choose or make a decision.

17. The best of both worlds: All the advantages.

18. Put wool over other people's eyes: This means to deceive someone into thinking well of them.

19. Feeling a bit under the weather: Feeling slightly ill.

20. Speak of the devil!: This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives.
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