Idioms & Meanings

[Imtiaz ali]

IDIOMS MEANINGS
1. To add insult to injury ; To intensify a person
2. To be born with a silver To be born in a rich family
Spoon in one’s mouth;
3. A bolt from the blue ; An expected disaster
4. To blow one’s own trumpet; To boast
5. A bone of contention ; Cause of quarrel
6. To burn one’s fingers ; To suffer
7. To beat black & blue ; To beat mercilessly
8. To cast an aspersion ; To bring discredit
9. To cry over spilt milk ; To feel sorry for what has happened
10. To cut a sorry figure ; To make a poor impression
11. To die in harness ; To die while doing one’s duty
12. To end in smoke ; To fail
13. To go to the dogs ; To be ruined
14. To hang in the balance ; To remain undecided
15. To hit the nail on the head; To do the right thing at the right time
16. To hold water ; To sound logical
17. To live no stone unturned ; To try one’s level best
18. To live from hand to mouth ; To live with great difficulty
19. To make up one’s mind ; To decide
20. To see eye to eye with ; Agree
21. To play ducks and drakes ; Waste
22. To put the cart before the hors ; To do a thing in a wrong way
23. To have too many irons in the fire ; To have too many things in hand
24. To read b/w the lines ; To try to understand the hidden
meaning
25. To turn over a new leaf ; To change for the better
26. To take the bull by horns; To face difficulties boldly
27. To win laurels ; To distinguish oneself
28. At daggers drawn ; At enmity or fighting
29. Blake and white ; Written
30. By leaps and bounds ; Very fast
31. In cold blood ; deliberately
32. Laid up with ; Confined to bed
33. Ins and outs ; Full details
34. A black sheep ; Scoundrel; a bad person
35. A cock and bull story ; An absurd tale
36. A gala day ; A day of festivity; a holiday with
rejoicing
37. A hard nut to crack ; A difficult person or problem to deal
with
38. A turn coat ; One who changes one’s opinion or party
39. A fool’s paradise ; In a state of happiness founded on
vain hopes
40. Beat a retreat ; To retire before the enemy
41. To be on the horns of a dilemma; To have a choice b/w two equal evils
42. To beat about the bush ; Approach a subject in a round about
method
43. Bury the hatchet ; To make peace
44. By fits and starts ; Irregularly
45. Capital punishment ; Death sentence
46. By hook or by crook ; By fair or foul means
47. Eat humble pie ; To face humiliation
48. Hit below the belt ; To act unfairly
49. In apple pie order ; In perfect order
50. Leave one in lurch ; To desert in difficulty
51. To make a clean breast of ; To confess fully one’s faults
52. To nip the evil in the bud ; To destroy an evil in early stage
53. Pick holes in another’s coat ; To find fault with another
54. Scot free ; To go unpunished
55. Smell a rat ; To have a reason to suspect
56. Through thick and thin ; Through every difficulty
57. True to one’s salt ; Faithful to one’s master
58. To turn the corner ; To begin to improve
59. With a grain of salt ; To accept a statement with doubt as
to its complete true
60. Worship the rising sun ; To respect one rising in power
61. A Herculean task ; An extremely difficult or dangerous task
62. A fish out of water ; In a wrong place
63. A leap in the dark ; An act of which we can’t force
consequences
64. A thorn in one’s side ; A constant source of annoyance
65. To be at one’s beck and call ; Under one’s absolute control
66. Bread and Butter ; Means of subsistence
67. Burn one’s fingers ; To get into trouble
68. Burn the candle at both ends; Use up too much energy
69. To cut the Gordian knot ; To solve the difficulty
70. Cut and dried ; Ready-made
71. Feather one’s own nest ; To make money by unfair means
72. To fish in troubled water ; To do something under very
unpromising circumstance
73. To give oneself airs ; Affected manners
74. To give the devil his due ; To allow even a bad man the credit due
75. To hang by thread ; To be in a critical condition
76. A henpecked husband ; A man habitually snubbed by his wife
77. Hush money ; Money given as a bribe to hush or
make one keep silent
78. Kick up a row ; Make a great noise
79. To let the cat out of the bag; To reveal a secret
80. Null and void ; Not valid; of no effect
81. On the spur of the moment; At once
82. Pay one back in one’s own coin ; To treat in the same way as one has
been treated
83. Put in cold storage; To forget or neglect something
84. Pull wires ; To manage the show by secret
nfluence
85. Read b/w the lines ; To hit at the real meaning
86. Sit on the fence ; To avoid taking sides; to remain neutral
87. A square deal ; Justice
88. Sword of Damocles ; Treating danger
89. To take up the gauntlet ; To accept the challenge
90. To eat one’s heart out ; To suffer silently, bitterly
91. B/t the devil and the deep sea ; B/w two dangers equally harmful
92. A sweet tooth ; A liking for sweetmeat
93. A dark horse ; An unknown person
94. A bottleneck ; Anything that cause delays
95. To put one’s foot down ; To show determination
96. A wet blanket ; A grumbling, depressing person
97. To throw up the sponge ; To acknowledge defeat
98. A feather in one’s cap ; Something to be proud of
99. A red letter day ; An auspicious day
100. Bag and baggage ; With all one’s belongings

[Imtiaz ali]

One Word Substitution

1. One who is out to subvert a government Anarchist
2. One who is recovering from illness Convalescent
3. One who is all powerful Omnipotent
4. One who is present everywhere Omnipresent
5. One who knows everything Omniscient
6. One who is easily deceived Gullible
7. One who does not make mistakes Infallible
8. One who can do anything for money Mercenary
9. One who has no money Pauper
10. One who changes sides Turncoat
11. One who works for free Volunteer
12. One who loves books Bibliophile
13. One who can speak two languages Bilingual
14. One who loves mankind Philanthropist
15. One who hates mankind Misanthrope
16. One who looks on the bright side of things Optimist
17. One who looks on the dark side of things Pessimist
18. One who doubts the existence of god Agnostic
19. One who pretends to be what he is not Hypocrite
20. One incapable of being tired Indefatigable
21. One who helps others Good Samaritan
22. One who copies from other writers Plagiarist
23. One who hates women Misogynist
24. One who knows many languages Polyglot
25. One who is fond of sensuous pleasures Epicure
26. One who thinks only of himself Egoist
27. One who thinks only of welfare of women Feminist.
28. One who is indifferent to pleasure or pain Stoic
29. One who is quite like a woman Effeminate
30. One who has strange habits Eccentric
31. One who speaks less Reticent
32. One who goes on foot Pedestrian
33. One who believes in fate Fatalist
34. One who dies without a Will Intestate
35. One who always thinks himself to be ill Valetudinarian
36. A Government by the people Democracy
37. A Government by a king or queen Monarchy
38. A Government by the officials Bureaucracy
39. A Government by the rich Plutocracy
40. A Government by the few Oligarchy
41. A Government by the Nobles Aristocracy
42. A Government by one Autocracy
43. Rule by the mob Mobocracy
44. That through which light can pass Transparent
45. That through which light cannot pass Opaque
46. That through which light can partly pass Translucent
47. A sentence whose meaning is unclear Ambiguous
48. A place where orphans live Orphanage
49. That which cannot be described Indescribable
50. That which cannot be imitated Inimitable
51. That which cannot be avoided Inevitable
52. A position for which no salary is paid Honorary
53. That which cannot be defended Indefensible
54. Practice of having several wives Polygamy
55. Practice of having several husbands Polyandry
56. Practice of having one wife or husband Monogamy
57. Practice of having two wives or husbands Bigamy
58. That which is not likely to happen Improbable
59. People living at the same time Contemporaries
60. A book published after the death of its author Posthumous
61. A book written by an unknown author Anonymous
62. A life history written by oneself Autobiography
63. A life history written by somebody else Biography
64. People who work together Colleagues
65. One who eats too much Glutton
66. That which cannot be satisfied Insatiable
67. One who questions everything Cynic
68. A flesh eating animal Carnivorous
69. A grass eating animal Herbivorous
70. One who lives in a foreign country Immigrant
71. To transfer one's authority to another Delegate
72. One who is a newcomer Neophyte
73. That which is lawful Legal
74. That which is against law Illegal
75. One who is unmarried Celibate
76. A game in which no one wins Draw
77. A study of man Anthropology
78. A study of races Ethnology
79. A study of the body Physiology
80. A study of animals Zoology
81. A study of birds Ornithology
82. A study of ancient things Archaeology
83. A study of derivation of words Etymology
84. Murder of a human being Homicide
85. Murder of a father Patricide
86. Murder of a mother Matricide
87. Murder of an brother Fratricide
88. Murder of an infant Infanticide
89. Murder of self Suicide
90. Murder of the king Regicide
91. To free somebody from all blame Exonerate
92. To write under a different name Pseudonym
93. A thing no longer in use Obsolete
94. A handwriting that cannot be read Illegible
95. Words written on the tomb of a person Epitaph
96. One who is greedy for money Avaricious
97. Something that cannot be imitated Inimitable
98. One who doesn't know how to read and write Illiterate
99. A person's peculiar habit Idiosyncrasy
100. An animal who preys on other animals Predator <img class="yiv991994031inlineimg" title="Pipe" alt="" border="0">
101. Violating the sanctity of a church Sacrilege
102. One who can throw his voice Ventriloquist