Idioms and Phrases
1. A blessing in disguise - Something good that isn’t recognized by first
2. A dead letter - a matter that is no longer important
3. A chip on your shoulder- Being upset for something that happened in the past
4. Afraid of her own shadow - to be extremely nervous and easily frightened
5. To be fair and square - in an honest way and without any doubt
6. A damp squib- Complete failure
7. Forty winks - a nap; some sleep.
8. A dime A dozen - Anything that is common and easy to get
9. Pink slip - a letter from your employer which tells you that you do not have a job any more
10. A gentleman at large- An unreliable person/Has no serious occupation
11. Always in the swim - alert to or actively engaged in events
12. A man of straw - A weak person
13. Barking up the wrong tree - to make the wrong choice
14. A green horn- Inexperienced
15. Know the ropes - Be informed about the details of a situation or task
16. A man of straw - A weak person
17. Added fuel to the fire - to say or do something that makes a bad situation worse
18. A piece of cake- A task that can be accomplished very easily
19. Rubbed him up the wrong way - to irritate someone
20. A slap on the wrist - A very mild punishment
21. Rings a bell - to stir something in someone’s memory
22. A taste of your own medicine - When you are mistreated the same way you mistreat others
23. Stood her ground - Maintained his position
24. A wolf in sheep’s clothing- A dangerous person pretending harmless
25. Cut someone dead - to ignore someone totally
26. Above board- Fair and honest
27. At daggers drawn - angry and ready to fight
28. Against the clock- Rushed and short on time
29. Go through the hoops - to do a lot of difficult things before you do something you want
30. Playing ducks and drakes - to carelessly misuse one’s wealth, to behave recklessly
31. Curtain lecture - Wife's tough talk
32. All and Sundry- Without making any distinction
33. Ended in smoke - To come to nothing
34. All Greek to me- Meaningless and incomprehensible like someone who cannot read, speak
35. Going places - to become very successful.
36. All in the same boat- When everyone is facing the same challenges
37. Pulls no punches - to deal with something honestly without hiding anything
38. Alpha and omega- First and last letter of Greek alphabet, means beginning and end
39. On the same page - thinking in a similar way
40. An axe to grind- To have a dispute with someone
41. Back to the drawing board - time to start from the start
42. Apple to my eye- Someone who is cherished above all others
43. A red letter day - A special occasion
44. At heart- Basically, fundamentally
45. All moonshine - Total lies
46. Back seat driver- People who criticize from the sidelines, much like someone giving unwanted advice
47. Showed a clean pair of heels - to run faster than someone who is trying to catch you
48. Back to square one- Having to start all over again
49. Fight tooth and nail - Engage in vigorous combat or make a strenuous effort, using all one's resources
50. Bank on/upon- Depend on, count on
51. Piece of his mind - to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong, scolding
52. Beat/Flog a dead horse- To force an issue that has already ended
53. Black and white - a very clear choice that causes no confusion
54. Between Scylla and Charybdis- Choice between two unpleasant alternatives
55. A hard nut to crack - a problem difficult to solve
56. Bite your tongue- To avoid talking
57. Egged you - to encourage
58. Blue moon- A rare event or occurrence
59. Not fit to hold a candle - not as good as that other person
60. Paying through the nose - To pay excessively.
61. Putting the cart before the horse - doing things in the wrong order
62. Can’t cut the mustard- Someone who isn’t adequate enough to compete or participate
63. Casting pearls before swine - to waste something good on someone who doesn't care about it.
64. Cats and dogs- Heavy rain
65. On the wane - in a state of decline
66. Chip on his shoulder- Angry today about something that occurred in the past
67. In doldrums - feeling sad and lacking the energy to do anything
68. Cock and bull story- An unbelievable tale, untrue story
69. Drops a bombshell - Make an unexpected or shattering announcement
70. Cross your fingers- To hope that something happens the way you want it to
71. Dots one’s I’s and cross one’s t’s - to do something very carefully and in a lot of detail
72. Dark horse- One who was previously unknown and is now prominent
73. Down in the dumps - In a gloomy or depressed mood
74. Dead Ringer- 100 % identical, a duplicate
75. Turned up his nose at my offer - a sign of rejection
76. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch- Don’t rely on it until you sure of it
77. Strained every nerve - to make the greatest possible effort
78. Fifty- fifty- Divided into two equal parts
79. Salt of the earth - a very good or worthy person
80. Hit below the belt- Contrary the principles of fairness
81. Hither and thither- Here and there
82. Hue and cry- Great noise
83. Pin money - Small amounts of money for incidental expenses
84. Lock and key- In safe place
85. Brought the house down - to entertain people very successfully, so that they laugh or clap for a long time
86. Knock on Wood- Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck
87. Picking holes - to find mistakes in something someone has done or said
88. A can of worms - a very difficult issue or set of problems
89. A man of letters - a man, who knows a lot about literature
91. Latin and Greek- Unable to understand
92. Lend me your ear- To politely ask for someone’s full attention
93. To be in two minds - unable to decide about something
94. Lend me your ear- To politely ask for someone’s full attention
95. Full of hot air - Talking a lot
96. Let the cat out of the bag- To share a secret that wasn’t suppose to be shared
97. Run into rough weather - to run into difficulties or experience problems
98. Fell on stony ground - be ignored or badly received
99. Off the top of his head - without giving it too much thought
100. It takes two to tango- A two person conflict where both people are at fault
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