Idioms and Phrases
Idioms and Phrases
What are Idioms and Phrases?
A phrase is a group of words which represents a part of speech.
- The big bad wolf – Noun Phrase
- Surprisingly good – Adjective Phrase
- Was sleeping – Verb Phrase
When the group of words or a phrase represents an idea or a thought which has a deeper, figurative meaning, it is called an idiom.
- Wolf in sheep’s clothing – A deceptive person or a thing
- Flesh and blood – related by blood
- No love lost – not on good terms
In this chapter, we shall learn some commonly used English idioms and phrases.
Idioms Related to Animals
Idioms Related to the Paranormal
Idioms Related to Food
Idioms Related to Mental State
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| Down in the mouth | Depressed/sad | After her friend’s departure, Margaret is a little down in the mouth. |
| All ears | To listen attentively | Tell us all about your trip to Peru. We are all ears! |
| Break a leg | A phrase said to actors in an ironic manner to avoid bad luck before a performance | I hope you all perform well. Go break a leg! |
| Cost an arm and a leg | Cost a lot/expensive | Vineeta’s new house by the bay cost her an arm and a leg. |
| Get something off one’s chest | Make a confession | I want to get something off my chest; it was my dog that destroyed your flowerbed. |
| Have one’s head in the clouds | To be in a fantasy world | He seems to have his head in the clouds ever since the boss promised him a promotion. |
| Keep one’s chin up | To be optimistic during trying times | Be positive and keep your chin up. Your efforts will be rewarded. |
| Play something by ear | To not have a plan and to take things as they come | None of us have any formal training; we just play by the ear. |
| Rule of thumb | A basic principle | The thumb rule for making a delicious cake is getting the proportions of the ingredients right. |
| Wash one’s hands of something | To disassociate oneself from a problem | I have washed my hands of my neighbours; they are on their own now. |
Idioms Related to History/Mythology
| Idiom | Meaning | Explanation | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross the rubicon | Pass a point of no return | Julius Caesar had crossed a river (the rubicon), after which he became a part of a civil war. | Salim crossed the rubicon by accepting the position of the assistant manager. |
| Achilles’ heel | A weak spot/primary weakness | Achilles, the greatest warrior on earth, was invincible. The only vulnerable part was his heel. He was killed by an arrow to the heel. | Math has always been her Achilles’ heel. |
| Pyrrhic victory | A victory which comes at a huge cost | Named after King Pyrrhus who incurred great losses despite his victory over the Romans. | The king conquered new kingdoms but lost all his best men. It was unfortunately a pyrrhic victory. |
| Trojan horse | Something which looks harmless but intends to harm covertly | Named after the wooden horse the Greeks gifted the Trojans as a peace offering. It hid soldiers who later attacked Troy. | His seemingly harmless offer is actually a Trojan horse; he will strike when you least expect it. (Note: Some harmful computer programs are also called Trojans/Trojan horses.) |
| Beware the Greeks bearing gifts | Do not trust your enemies even if they seem to have the best intentions | Refer to the explanation for ‘Trojan Horse’. | Person A: My arch rival is being good to me these days. Person B: You know the saying: beware the Greeks bearing gifts. |
| The face that launched a thousand ships | To be the primary cause of a big problem | Alludes to Helen of Troy who was the main cause of the war between Greeks and Trojans. | Hers is a face that launched a thousand ships. Both suitors were warring to court her. |
| Hounds of hell | To be pursued by evil forces as retribution for wrongdoing | In Greek mythology, the underworld is guarded by devilish hounds that pursue sinners. | If one opposes the mafia boss, one would be pursued by his hounds of hell. |
| Midas touch | An ability to make money easily | Named after King Midas who turned anything he touched into gold. | Subodh is known to have a Midas touch. |
| Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion | A person in a high public position should have a spotless reputation | Julius Caesar divorced his wife to avoid any suspicion of adultery, even though she was innocent. | The new political party should guard their reputation with their lives since Caesar’s wife should be above suspicion. |
Idioms Related to Business and Work
Idioms Related to Studies
| Idiom | Meaning | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| A for effort | Acknowledging someone for efforts even if not successful | Although he didn’t pass, I have to give Ganesh an A for effort. |
| Back to basics | Learn the basic concepts again | I have forgotten all the formulas. Looks like I have to go back to basics. |
| Cover a lot of ground | To accomplish a great deal within a short time | Although she was allotted only a week, our substitute teacher covered a lot of ground in History. |
| Show of hands | To put up one’s hands for votes or survey | Through a show of hands, how many of you want Gauri as the class representative? |
| School of hard knocks | Learning through life’s negative experiences | Whatever Bill has learnt in life is through the school of hard knocks. |
| An old head on young shoulders | Someone wise for his/her age | The precocious child is truly an old head on a young body. |
| Learn the ropes | To understand the tricks and workings of a job | In barely a year, Vinayak has learnt the ropes in the industry. |
| Schoolboy error | A silly mistake | How can an inveterate lawyer commit such a schoolboy error? |
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