Idioms for Intermediate 1

IDIOMS

A Black Sheep	Democracy stops the way of black sheeps from reaching in the parliament.
At Large	The conspirators of the nation are at large after the independence.
A Wild Goose Chase	Success in politics is a wild goose chase without prosperity
By Fits and Starts	One should not work by fits and starts if he wants to get success in his life.
Day in and day out	Quaid-e-Azam work day in and day out for the establishment of Pakistan.
Far and Wide	Dr. Abdul Salam is recognized far and wide as a scientist.
In Black and White	I will not accept your offer until I see it in black and white.
Pokes Ones Nose	Don’t poke your nose into my business.
To Back out of something	It is very bad for a man to back out of his words.
End in Smoke	My efforts have ended in smoke after my defeat.
To give up	I have given up my hopes of getting a good post in the army.
To give away	The chief gave away the prizes in the party.
To make up	He can not make up his mistake.
To make both end meat	It is very difficult to make both ends meat in a low paying job.
To makes one mouth water	The smell of BIRYANI makes almost every ones’ mouth water.
To turn a deaf ear to	The Pakistani government is turning a deaf ear over the screams of Kashmiries.
To think over	The west must think over the problems of third world.
To cry over spilt milk	A sensible person never cries over spilt milk.
To feel like a fish out of water	A finger tips muslim would feel like a fish out of water in a Christian community.
To have a lions share	Indians are having lions share from the lives of Kashmiries.
To nib evil in the bud	The teachings of Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) nib the evilness in the bud from the heart.
To shed crocodiles tears	After murdering him she was shedding crocodiles tears.
To take to task	The policeman take the murderer to the task after his confession.
To turn over a new leaf	The criminal promised to the judge that he would turn over a new leaf after his punishment.
With a high hand	It is very unusual to take a person with a high hand in public
Die in harness	The great martyrs of the 1965 war have died in harness.
From hand to mouth	The poor people of Kashmier are living from hand to mouth.
Get into hot water	Falsehood always take you into the hot water.
Get though	I know that I will get through the problems of my personal life.
Flying colors	An intelligent student always comes out with flying colors.
Hue and cry	It is hue and cry in U.N.O. to talk in favour of Pakistan.
Keep body and soul together	A third grade officer can hardly keep his body and soul together.
Leave in larch	China is a friend who never leaves Pakistan in larch.
Write off	The acting president write off his all activities after hearing the news of fire in the parliament.
See off	The people of China see off the prime minister of Pakistan with warm heart at the air port.
Take off	The plane had took off to bomb Heroshima
Make out	Our country will make out of its political problems.
Break into	The spies of India have broken into our country for the purpose of conspiracy.
Bring to book	The murder will be brought to book after his arrest.
Bring to light	The matter will be brought to light on the next session of the general assembly.
Ones for all	A good muslim is ones for all a muslim till the end of his life.
Times and again	Never ask a single question time and again.
Thanks less job	Teaching is a thank less job.
Bring up	Our Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) was brought up by his uncle.
Take for	I take him for my brother due to his resemblance.
Look for	The army looked for the spy every where but they could not find him.
Turn the table	The politician turned the table when he was in the grip of the press.
Take after	Pakistan take after the Britain in law and enforcement.
Take big	The minstrel boy is in the habit of talk big.
Look down upon	West always looks down upon east as their slaves.
Let down	A good son never let down the hopes of his parents.
Ups and downs	Lite is full of ups and downs.
Upto mark	Sir Syed Ahmed Khan led his goal upto mark of supreme.
Keep up	A brave person must keep up his attitude to achieve his desired goal.
To come off	You will come off happiness by good deeds.
To get off	Prayer is the best to get off from the badness.
Break out off	America is breaking out of the Kashmir issue by his veto power.

To carry on	The victims of Bosnia will carry on their struggle till their end of life.
Out of date	Different types of fashions are becoming out of date now a days.
Call off	The labour leader call off the strick in the morning.
Hard up	Don’t loose money when you are hard up.
To part with	Never take part with the uncultured activities.
A couple of years	He left for England for couple a years to study there.
A Hard Task	He is interviewed for a job. This was a hard task for him.
By Hook or by Cooks	He has achieved a seat in the assembly by hook or by crook.
To act upon	He is a good boy and always acts upon the advises of his parents.
To save something for the rainy day	Wise people always save some thing for the rainy day.
The golden age	The Mughal rule over India may be considered as a golden age of our history.
At dagger drawn	The two tribes were at dagger drawn but at last they become friends.
To bears brunts of	The muslims all over the world are bearing the brunts of white man’s monopoly.
A bird eye view	We could hardly had a bird eye view at the time of Quaid-e-Azam funeral ceremony.
Break Through	He has break through all of economical difficulties.
To bring down	Please! Bring down your bad temper then we will talk sensibly.
To strike when the iron is hot	When the feelings run high, it is the right time to strike cause the iron is hot.
To pass away	The Quaid-e-Azam was passed away on 11th, Sep. 1948.
Out of question	It is out of question that younger son come against to his father.
Part and parcel	Food is part and parcel of our daily life.
Out and out	He is out and out a Pakistani
Odds and Ends	The beggar was in the bad habit of collecting odd and ends.
Keep up once’s appearance	He is the main man so he had to keep up his appearance every where.
To back up	They have back up us in every difficult turn of our life.
To break up with	We should not break up their our closed friends.
Close to	Nadeem is very close to me and to my family
All and All	He remains all and all a muslims.
Off and On	Off and ends I was singing the sound.
At home	Off and on I sing a solitary song.
A bed of roses	To serve for the welfare and benefit of suffering humanity is a difficult task and is not abed of roses to slumber on.
To run short of	I was running short of space in the shop so I made room in this regard.
To keep an eye on	Our braver soldiers keep an eye on the activities of the Indian army.
To give in	His business partner is so simple that he always acts upon his suggestion and gives in against his orders.
To call off	The labour union called off its strike as soon as the owners accepted over demands.
To turn a deaf ear to	She does not take care of the elders and turns a deaf ear to their advices.
To bury the hatchet	The Muslim World should bury the halchet and try to be united.

To bell the cat	Everyone wants to demands kept before the Officer but see who will bell the cat?
To die in harness	She adores her work and aspires to die in harness.
To break into	Last Sunday night, the dacoits broke into Citibank wall a away with all money.
To give up	If one wants to give up one’s bad habits one should get rid of one’s bad company first.
To take off	He took off his old coat and put on a new one.
From scratch	Pakistan’s economy was totally backward so it has to build from scratch.
To turn the tables	The world champs, Sri Lankans have capability to turn in the table in nearly every critical situation.
To get through	One who studies by fits and starts hardly gets through in exams.
With open arms	Pakistani government welcomed with open arms to those who crossed the borders on 1947.
A burning question	Killing and terrorism in Karachi is a burning question.
To bring up	Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) belonged to the noble family of the Quraish and was brought up chiefly by uncle.
Act upon/on	Pious man always follows the righteous path and acts upon noble principles.
Part and Parcel	India says that Kashmir is its part and parcel.
To blow hot and cold	I don’t believe him because he blows hot and cold in one breath.
To hold water	He turned my suggestion down by saying that it didn’t hold water.
To face the music	He never gives in and always faces the music.

In black and white	He was so careful that he kept all his agreement in black and white.
Upto the mark/standard	We should mise our education system upto the mark to complete with other nations.
To watch over	The mother bird watches over her youngs.
In hot water	The organization has been in hot water because o its defective policies.
To pay in the same coin	He paid his selfish friend in the same coin and taught him a bitter lesson.
To take the heels	The robbers look to their heels before the police could reach and stop them.
A black sheep	Mir Jafar proved himself to be a black sheep and betrayed his motherland.
To nip in the bud	Terrorism should be nipped in the bud because it causes a toll of precious lives.
Once in a blue moon	She often makes fun of others, once in a blue moon she praises them.
To bring up	Our Holy Prophet (Peace be upon him) belonged to the noble family of the Quraish and was brought up chiefly by his uncle.
In black and white	He was so careful that he kept all his agreement in black and white.
To get rid of	If one wants to give up one’s bad habits one should get rid of one’s bad company first.
A Rainy day	He found no trouble to face, during his joblessness as he had saved something for a rainy day.
To bring home	He brought home to them all the important facts of the affair.

To beg for	The Quaid-e-Azam the founder of Pakistan begged for friendship and pace with his former enemies.
To bring to light	His all misdeeds were brought into light and his property was confiscated.
To build castle in the air	He wants an over night change in his life and keeps on building castle in the air.
1993
A bed of roses	To serve for the welfare and benefit of suffering humanity is a hard task and is not a bed of roses to slumber on.
By fits and starts	One who keeps on one’s studies by fits and starts hardly secures honour.
To break out	The entire world is afraid of the horrors of atomic bomb that yields to prevent of breaking out of the 3rd world war.
To turn a deaf ear to	She does not take care of the elders and turns a deaf ear to their advices.
To belt the cat	Every one wants me demands kept before the Officer but see who will bell the cat?
To have an axe to grind	She looks after her old grand mother because of her property. She has an axe to grind.
To bury the batchet	The Muslim World should bury the hatchet and try to be united.
At the nick of time	At the nick of time he was provided medical aid, other wise he would be no more with us.
1992
To call a spade a spade	Pure men never hide any thing and always call a spade a spade and never take to heels by hardships
By hook or crooks	India wants to keep on its occupation on Kashmir by hook or crock.

To run short of	I was running short of space in the shop so I made room in this regard.
To keep an eye on	Our brave soldiers keep an eye on the activities of the Indian army.
From hand to mouth	Freedom has value of common people if they are living from hand to mouth.
1991
To turn the tables	The world champs, Sri Lankans have capability to the table in nearly every critical situation.
To hold water	He turned my suggestion down by saying that it didn’t hold water.
To face the music	He never gives in and always faces the music.
To bank on	Fair weather friends exploit so they should not be banked on.
To blow hot and cold	I don’t live him because he blows hot and cold in one breath.
To bring out	Shah-jo-Risalo was brought out by Shah Latif’s devotees.
1990
To beg for	Quaid-e-Azam the founder of Pakistan begged for friendship and peace with is former enemies.
To bring up	Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) belonged to the noble family of the Quraish and was brought up chiefly by uncle.
To watch over	The mother bird watches over her youngs.
In black and white	He was so careful that he kept all his agreements in black and white.
To run after	Most of the people run after worldly objects.
To take down	He takes down each and every point of the lecture.

1989
To eat down	The president decided to cut down all unrequired expenditure.
To egg on	He was not interested in his studies and always tried to egg on his friends to lesson their interest.
To be in a fix	When he was dismissed from the job he was in a fix what to do next.
To stir up	National songs stir up the spirit of patriotism.
To keep up	To keep up a certain position needs constant vigilance.
To make the most of	He made the most of his leisure and gained a lot about his subject.
1995
At the eleventh hour	At the eleventh hour it was decided to put off the meeting because of bad situation of law and order in the city.
To get rid of	If one wants to give up one’s bad habits one should get rid of one’s bad company first.
To break the ice
From hand to mouth	Freedom has no value for common people if they are listing from hand to mouth.
To look down upon	It’s had to look down upon all those whose status is less than we.
To nip in the bud	Terrorism should be nipped in the bud because it causes a toll of precious lives.
To give up	If one wants to give up one’s bad habits one should get rid of one’s bad company first.
To beat about the bush	It’s just a waste a time when someone start beating about the bush during an important discussion.

MISCELLANEOUS
By virtue of	By virtue of his good deeds every one admires him.
In accordance with	Everyone acts according to inner his necessity.
Above board	His character is above board and out can trust on him.
In high spirits	He started running in high spirits as there was a danger of storm.
To take to task	The servant was taken to task by the master.
All in all	You can’t challenge his authority, his is all in all in the office.
To Run
Run after	The police man ran after the thief and caught him.
Run away	The thief had run away when the police arrived.
Run down	His health has run down due to constant fever.
Run against	He suddenly ran against a motor cycle on the road.
To Look
Look after	She looks after her baby very well.
Look into	Please, look into the matter & submit complete report.
Look down upon	We must not look down upon the poor.
Look for	He is looking for a suitable job.
Look forward	I shall look forward to your reply.
Look up	Look up the meaning of this world in your dictionary.
To Take
Take up	He was taken up with my style of writing.
Take to heart	Don’t take to heart what my father said to you.
Take to heels	The thief took to heels as soon as he saw the police man.
Take into account	Take into account his difficulties and don’t press him so hard to pay the money.

To Turn
Turn over a new leaf	He will turn over a new leaf when he joins college.
Turn a deaf ear	He always turns a deaf ear to my instructions.
To Set
Set up	He wanted to set up a factory in this area.
Set down	Set down in black and white what you have to say.
Set off	He will set off for Lahore tomorrow.
Set out	They set on journey last evening.
Get through	All the students of my class got through the examination.
Get away	The robbers got clearly away with the stolen money.
Get over	He struggled to get over his problems.
To Give
Give up	We should not give up our noblest aims due to hardships.
Give away	The head master gave away prizes.
Give off	This drain gives off a bad smell.
Give out	He should not have given out my secrets.
Give in	We should not give in due to un-favourable circumstances.
To Keep
Keep body & soul together	Food is necessary to keep one’s body & should together.
Keep in the dark	He keeps every thing in the dark & tells us nothing.
Keep up with	He ran quickly and I could not keep up with him.
Keep away	He keeps away from school due to his bad company.
Keep off (out)	This blanket keeps off (out) cold.
Keep up	Keep up your spirit and do this work. Keep up your studies for two hours.
Keep pace with	He can not keep pace with me because he does not agree to my plans.
To Carry
Carry away	A dog carried away my bread.
Carry out	You should carry on your studies.
Carry out	We should carry out our elders’ orders.
Carry through	He will carry through all the difficulties.
To Come
Come across	I come across my old friend lost evening.
Come to pass	It came to pass that my house fall down lost night.
Come out	The truth will come out after all.
Come off with flying colours	He has come off with flying colours in the examinations.
To Get
Get across	Due to flood it is not possible to get across the river.
Get ahead	One, who works hard, will get ahead and win the prize.
Get at	The cat tried hard to get at meat, on the cupboard.
Get up	We must always get up early in the morning.
To Bring
Bring about	The count of Monte Cristo brought about Morcerf’s disgrace.
Bring forth	The new traffic laws have brought forth a great many troubles.
Bring in	His part time job brings him in Rs. 500/- per month.
Bring up	As his parents had died so he was brought up by his uncle.
Bring off	On the burning ships a large number of passengers were brought off by the helicopters.
To Break
Break down	All his plans broke down in the middle.
Break into	The robbers broke into the house and stole and T.V. set.
Break through	The thieves broke through the wall.
Break off	He broke off in the middle of the story.
To Call
Call at	I called at my uncle’s lost month.
Call of (away)	The strike has been called off (away) by the labourers.
R
Run short of	Now-a-days we are running short of pure milk.
Rainy-day	We should be habitual to save money for rainy day.
Rain cats and dogs	We can’t go out side the house because it is raining cats and dogs.
P
Pretty useless	A horse is pretty useless for riding nowadays in a big city, like Karachi.
Pick a hole in one’s coat	Don’t try to pick holes in others’ coats; mind your own business.
W
Wash dirty linen in the public	I advised him to compromise with his brother and go home because it was no use to wash dirty linen in the public.
With heart and soul	We should serve our dear home land with heart and sould.
With a high hand	Nobody likes a kind who rules the country with a high hand.
With might and main	King John was a notable king who ruled over his country with might and main.
S
See eye to eye	He never sees eye to eye with me on any matter.
Storm in a tea cup	It was storm in a tea cup, for the trouble was only about a pencil
Strike when iron is hot	If your officer is happy with you, submit your application for promotion strike when iron is hot.
T
Take the bull by the horns	He has strong will power so, he will not be worried about the problems but take the bull by the horns.
Time and again	The students were instructed time and again to go to their class rooms but they did not do so.
Tooth and nail	We struggled tooth and nail for independence and at last won Pakistan on 14th August 1947.
Take to task	He was taken to task for the theft of a tape recorder
Take to heart	Don’t take to heart what your father said to you in anger, he wanted to advise you.
Take to one’s heels	As soon as the thief saw the police, he took to his heels.
Turn a deaf ear to	He always turns a deaf ear to my advice.
Turn the table	We were winning in the beginning but their centre forward turned the table after first half.
Turn over a new leaf	The Indian Muslims turned over a new leaf due to the able leadership of the Quaid-e-Azam.
Tit for tat	He stole Akram’s money; Akram stole his watch and gave him tit for tat.
To & from	He was pacing to & from on the floor in distraction.
M
Make the most of	As long as you have this book. You should make the most of it and learn the important chapters.
Make one’s month water	The sight of meat made the cat’s month water and it tried hard to get at the plate.
Mind one’s own business	Don’t interfere in my domestic affairs and mind your own business.

Make a mess	He must make a mess of this machine because he does not know how to repair it.
Make fun of	Don’t make fun of the poor, as Allah dose not like it.
Make both ends meet	He is the only supporter of a larger family so it is very difficult for him to make both ends meet.
Move heaven and earth	He must move heaven and earth to get through the examination.
N
Nip in the bud	His hopes, for higher education, have been nipped in the bud, with his father’s untimely death.
Q
Over night	Due to hard struggle of the Quaid-e-Azam, the Indian Muslims became over night a nation from minority
Once and for all	I must tell your once and for all that, I will not lend you my new camera.
Out and out	The Quaid-e-Azam was a true Muslim out and out.
Over and above	He is wicked, he is a liar, and a thief over and above
Out of spirit	Due to constant failures, he is out of spirit now a days.
K
Keep an eye on	He shall have to keep an eye on those traitors who secretly work to divide our country.
Keep in the dark	He kept me in the dark and never told any thing about his family secrets.
Keep body and soul together	His income is so small that he can hardly keep body and soul together.
Kill two birds with one stone	He murdered one enemy and then lodged report against an other enemy. Thus he killed two birds with one stone.
Kith and kin	If you invite him to your party, he will arrive with his kith and kin.
Keep pace with	If we keep pace with time, we will get great success in life.
L
Leaps and Bounds	If we work hard sincerely, our country will develop by leaps and bounds.
Live from hand to mouth	He is a low paid employee so he lives from hand to mouth with his large family.
G
Get rid of	If we want to make Pakistan a great country we shall have to get rid of illiteracy first of all.
Give ear	He never gives ear to what his parents advise him.
I
In black and white	The police officer ordered them to submit their complaint in black and white.
In full swing	The fair was in full swing when all of sudden the panic started and the people began to run widely.
Ins and Outs (of anything)	Don’t say anything about a matter unless you know it’s ins and outs definitely.
H
Hue and cry	There is a great hue and cry against the aggression of the Hindus in India from the Sikhs.
Hand and glove	Akram and Nasir are hand and glove with each other and they have no difference of opinion.
Harping on one string	No one will listen to you if you harp on one string.
Heart and soul	We want to serve our country with heart and soul.
D
Down to earth	His plans, which are soar, may down to earth if he does not work hard.

Day in & day out	Our country can make great progress day in and day out if we serve with honesty and loyalty.
Die in harness	Though he is about seventy but still he works hard and wishes to die in harness.
E
End in smoke	All his efforts, to build a house, ended in smoke due to the shortage of money.
F
Fall to earth	Our plans for Pakistan, which are soar, may fall to earth if we don’t adopt Islamic system completely.
Feel lost	If he continued to feel lost in this way, he would surely destroy his career.
From hand to mouth	He is a low paid employee but he has a large family so they all have to live from hard to mouth.
For good	He became so dishearted in his country but he has a large family so they all have to live from hard to mouth.
Fish in the troubled	When ever there is a disorder in the city, the rogues always try to fish in the troubled water.
Fall flat	All my advices fell flat on him and he ruined himself with his own hands.
C
Cry for the moon	You have no money to buy this car. You are just crying for the moon.
Catch at a straw	If he is so helpless, he must think it enough to catch at a straw.
Come to blows	First he very angrily called me names and then he came to blows without any reason.
Call names	As he was badly drunk so he called me names without any reason.
Cry over split milk	It is no use to cry over spilt milk; for what is done, cannot be undone.
Catch red handed	The police caught the thief red handed as the stolen watch was found on him.
Call a spade a spade	We need out fear so long we should call a spade a spade to cruel persons.
Come across	Yesterday I came across an old friend by chance.
Carry the day	After a great deal of opposition he carried the day and succeeded in his mission.
Child’s play	It is a child’s play for him to murder any person.
Crocodile tears	He actually hated his master but he had to shed crocodile tears on his death to show his devotion.
B
Beat about the bush	It is no use to beat about the bush, tell me the actual matter clearly.
Build castle in the air	He could not pass the examination because he had been building castle in the air and did no hard work throughout the year.
Bosom friend	Last year Akram and Nadeem were at daggers drawn but now they are bosom friend.
By leaps & bounds	If we serve our country with honesty & loyalty, it must make progress by leaps & bounds.
Bring to book	He must be brought to book for this server faulth.
Blow hot & cold	If he continues to blow hot & cold, neither he will take the decision, nor the matter may be solved.
By fits & starts	He attends his classes by fits & starts, so he can’t pass his examinations.
Bring to an end	He always brings his lecture to an end with a little amusing story.
Burn the candle at both ends	He burned the candle at both ends after his father’s death; now he is in trouble.
Break open	The thief broke open the box and got clear away with a large amount of money.
Bring to light	The runs of Mohen-jo-daro bring it to light that the people of that time were well civilized & cultured.
Bring to the hammer	All his goods were brought to the hammer, because he did not pay the bank loan.
By hook & by crook	He wishes to get wealth by hook or by crook.
Break the ice	At last Akram broke the ice and started conversation with the guests.
Bed of Roses	It is not a bed of roses to be an owner of a factory. This world is not a bed of roses and it is a hard task to live here with happiness and peace of mind.
A
At daggers drawn	Akram and Nadeem were fast friends; but now they are at daggers drawn because of a plot.
At the eleventh hour	He came to see me at the eleventh hour while I was taken to the hospital.
A fish out of water	He always feels himself a fish out of water when he is far from his home & friends.
A fool’s paradise	He is living in a fool’s paradise if he thinks that he will stand first without hard work.
At home	He is quite a home in English. I am quite at-home at your place.
A Jack of all trades	He has an opinion on very point; for he is a Jack of all trades.
At Sixes & Sevens	When I entered his room I found every thing at sixes & sevens.
A black sheep	Micheal was the black sheep who betrayed his master and disclosed his secrets to enemy.
All in all	Your uncle can give me a job because he is all in all in that office.
A red letter day	It was a red letter day when we got independence from the British rule.
A storm in a tea Cup	It was only a storm in a tea cup; for the trouble was only about a pencil.
At a loss	My friend wants me to go to movie while I have work to do. I am at a loss to decide what to do.

Wolf in sheep’s clothing	Selfish and unpatriotic persons are always very dangerous because they are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
With open arms	My cousin welcomed me with open arms at the station when I got down the train.
Wash one’s hands off	I cannot co-operate with you in this sinful business and wash my hands off this affairs.
Ups and downs	You cannot settle this dispute because you don’t know ups and downs of the matter.
Up to the mark	He was fired by his employer because his performance was not up to the mark.
Turn up	He was stealing some goods from the shop when the police turned up on the scene and caught him.
To be at one’s wit’s end	In this critical situation he is at his wit’s end and does not know what to do.
To be at one’s bad books	He does not like them at all and they are in his bad books.

To be sick of	He is really a foolish man and I am sick off his empty boasts.
To be under a cloud	He did not do as his boss wanted him to so now-a-days he is under a cloud.
To be under a person thumb	He is quite a grown up young man but he still can not take a decision because he is under the thumb of his mother.
To cut one’s coat according to one’s cloth	If he wishes to lead a peaceful life, he will have to cut his coat according to his cloth.
To have clean hands	His own friends betrayed him and I have clean hands in this matter, so he can’t blame me.
To show a clean pair of heels	As soon as the thief saw the police man, he showed a clean pair of heels.
Turn down	I applied for one month’s leave but my boss turned down my application for no reason.
Turn one’s back on	When he became an engineer, he turned his back on his poor friends and relatives.
Turn one’s coat	The selfish and flatterers always turn their coat to get their benefits, and they are quite unreliable.
Turn tail	The enemy troops turned tail and fled from the front when our brave soldiers made a counter attack.
Spread like wild fire	I don’t know how the rumour spread like wild fire that the prices of sugar would go up very soon.
Square deal	To settle the dispute between two brothers, my uncle made a square deal, acceptable to both sides.
Stick to one’s gun	In the face of hard ships, he stuck to his gun and at last the solved all his problems.

Take a leaf out of someone’s book	He ought to take a leaf out of an a honest man’s book if he wishes to live a content life.
Take advantage of	It is not a good deed if one takes advantage of the weakness of others.
Take a leap in the dark	He is a careless and irresponsible man and he always takes a leap in the dark without thinking.
Through thick and thin	A true friend always keeps pace with his friends through tick and thin.
Throw dust in a person’s	I know him very well, he is a cheat, but he can’t throw dust in my eyes so easily.
Throw light on	He delivered a good speech and threw light on the current affairs of the country.
Time and again	He explained in details the function of the machine and time and again showed me how it worked.
To back up	Whenever he showed good performance at his school, I backed up him heartily.
To be all ears	He was telling an interesting story and we were all ears.
Poison one’s ear/mind	The old woman poisoned her son’s ear against his father and he beat the old man very badly.
Poke one’s nose	It is not good for anyone to poke his nose in the affairs of neighbours without any reason.
Put a spoke in one’s wheel	He is a jealous man and always tries to put a spoke in my wheel just to make me dishearted.
Read between the lines	He did not ask for some money directly but while he was talking, I read between the lines, and helped him.
Red tape	I could not get my loan sanctioned immediately on account of red tape.
Rolling stone	If he wants to get promotion, he will have to perform his duties strictly because a rolling stone gathers no moss.
Run away with	Though the police men were on the road, yet the thief ran away with my tape recorder.
Set one’s face against	He is a righteous person and he must set his face against the bitter opposition.
Set one’s heart on	She has
Show the white feather	Selfish friends never stay in critical situation, they always show the write feather and slip away quietly.
Soft corner	Our principal has a soft corner for Akram because he is poor but very intelligent student.
One the whole	He may have some weaknesses but on the whole he is a gentleman.
Once in a blue moon	Only once in a blue moon the circumstances allow us to do things as we wish.
Out and out	He will never become a noble man; he is a rogue out and out.
Over and above	He gets a reasonable amount from his part time job over and above his monthly salary.
Over head and ears	Due to his bad habit of gambling he borrowed money from others and now he is over head and ears in debt.
Part and parcel	A reading room is a part & parcel of a library.
Pay back in one’s own coin	If he tries to disgrace me for nothing. I must pay him back in this own coin.
Play a double game	The enemies of his country always play a double game, they live here but work for our enemy countries.
Play upon words	Some comedians and performers present great entertainment to the audience by skillfully playing upon words.
Play with fire	He is careless and bold man and he is always ready to play with fire, even at the risk of his life.
Pocket an insult	As he is my best friend so I do not pay him back in his coin and always pocket the insult.
Lick the dust	Our enemies had to lick the dust in 1965 war when the cowardly attacked our home land.
Lion’s share	As he is a working partner so he always gets the lion’s share in the profit.
Make a clean breast of	He made a clean breast of every crime that he had committed in the past.
Make a mountain of a mole hill	I don’t believe in a single word of his statement because he always makes a mountain of a mole hill.
Make amends for	We must always be prepared to make amends for our failures in life.
Make faces	I don’t know what pleasure he finds in making faces at others.
Make good	He has learnt a bitter lesson from his failure and now I hope, he must make good next time.
Make the most of	This is a valuable book and I want to make the most of it.
Make up one’s mind	I have made up my mind that I will sell this useless car next week.
Move heaven and earth	He moved heaven and earth but could not find his lost open.
Now and then	He is my best friend but on account of strict duties he comes here now and then.
Null and void	These rules have been declared null and void, so you cannot quote them in the court.
Odds and ends	When the picnic was over, we gathered all the odds and ends in the boxes and got rid of them.
In cold blood	He is a cruel man and always kills his enemies in cold blood.
In the long run	You must continue to help your poor relatives; in the long run your attempts will bring fruit.
In the nick of time	I was in a fix due to the shortage of money but in the nick of time my friend arrived and paid my bill.
Keep some one at arm’s length	It is better to keep bad persons at arm’s length.
Keep up appearance	He has been jobless for months but he does not disclose his position and always keeps up appearance before others.
Kick up a row	When he sees he cannot win a game, he always kicks up a row and starts to beat others.
Laugh in one’s sleeve	It is not a good habit to laugh in sleeve over misery of others.
Laughing stock	He is a foolish boy and always becomes the laughing stock of his friends.
Lame excuse	He is a habitual absentee and always gives lame excuses for his absence.
Learn by heart	He is an intelligent child and he has learnt many poems by heart.
Leave no stone unturned	He is a hard working and honest servant and he will leave no stone unturned.
Lend ear	Whenever I tell him some thing, he always lends an ear to me respectfully.
Give a good account of	He gave a good account of himself at his school and stood first in his class.
Give oneself airs	He always gives himself airs on his knowledge of English, and tries to impress others.
Go hand in hand	It is a fact that progress and prosperity go hand in hand.

Go through	After having gone through this essay, I have come to know that his observation is very remarkable.
Go through fire and water	He can face this critical situation because he is grown up man and has gone through fire and water.
Go to pieces	We should be united because I don’t wish to see my city go to pieces on account of our disputes.
Go to the dogs	On account of his bad company he is burning the candle at both ends, so he will soon go to the dogs.
Hand in the balance	They both claim to be the owner of that horse and the mater has been hanging in the balance for a week.
Hard and fast	For the maintenance of peace and discipline, this college has hard and fast rules.
Hit below the belt	Be careful because he is a coward person and he must hit below the beltat any time.
Hold one’s head high	He had gone through great hardships but he always held his head high.
Hold water	I can not agree with him because his argument does not hold water to make me satisfied.
In a fix	He is in a fix because he can not decide whether he should continue his studies or join arm forces.
Come to light	He was a very clever criminal but at last all his crimes came to light and he was sentenced.
Cut a sorry figure	He did not make preparation for the examinations and he cut a sorry figure in the annual exams.
Die a dog’s death	Traitors and evil-doers always die a dog’s death.
Do away with	We have done away with many old customs of our civilization and culture
Eat one’s words	He always speaks without thinking and several times he had to eat his words.
Face the music	He was not ashamed of what he did, and was fully prepared to face the music.
Fall a prey	He is a simple man and he falls an easy prey to the wicked persons.
Fall to one’s lot	He kept bad company so it fell to his lot to destroy all his wealth and property.
Feather one’s nest	Many dishonest officers take advantage of their position to feather their nest instead of to perform their duties.
Find fault with	It is a very bad habit to find fault with others.
French leave	Often he is on French leave because he never informs his officers in advance.
Get wind of	He is upset now-a-days because he has got wind of the news that his mill will be nationalized.
Give a false colouring to	I as sincerely giving him a piece of advice but he gave a false colouring to my intention, and disgraced me.
Burn one’s boats	He can do nothing now because he has burnt his boats by submitting his resignation from service.
Burning question	Now-a-days the burning question is to maintain peaceful atmosphere in the country.
Bury the hatchet	It is always better not to take revenge and bury the hatchet with pleasure and honour.
By and by	At first he rejected my idea but I brought him round by and by.
Bury one’s head in sand	We must not bury our head in the sand but we should face the situation bravely.
Call to account	If he makes a mistake he will be called to account.
Carry too far	It was a very trifle matter but he tried to carry the matter too far without any reason.
Cast in one’s teeth	He will cast it in their teeth if they try to disgrace him.
Castles in the air	He is practically doing nothing but making castles the air.
Cock and bull story	He has made a serious mistake, but just to prove himself innocent, he is telling a cock & bull story to others.
Come off with flying colours	Yesterday we were very happy because our cricket team played the final match and came off with flying colours.
At a loose end	Now-a-day he is at a loose end because he has been retired from service and he passes his time here and there.
At a stone’s throw	We go to our college on foot because it is at a stone’s throw.
At arm’s length	He is a noble boy and he always keeps bad boys at arms’ length.
Back out	He is an honourable man and he has promised to help me, so, he must not back out of is promise.
Bad blood	He must not try to create bad blood between two brothers while they are living peacefully.
Be cut to the quick	He was cut to the quick when I caught him red handed on the spot.
Be taken a back	He was taken aback when the started to call him names for no reason.
Bear the palm	I worked hard day and night and I almost wept when I bore the palm at the annual contest.
Blow one’s own trumpet	He is quite a follish man because he always wept when I bore the palm at the annual contest.
Blue blood	He will never betray you because he is an honest man and has blue blood in his veins.
Bone of contention	Akram beat his friend yesterday because the ownership of a beautiful pen was the bone of contention between them.
Break the news	Mrs. Ali was taken a back when Akram broke the news of her son’s death.
Burn the mid-night oil	He brunt the mid-night oil and got through his annual examination with flying colours.
A bone of contention	The two brothers are at daggers drawn because their father’s property has become a bone of contention between them.
A close shave A narrow shave	It was a close shave / a narrow shave but the driver Quickly applied the brakes in time and saved the car.
A man of letters	A man of letters always gets his due place in a company of reasonable persons.
A man of straw	He is a man of straw and cannot do any thing with confidence and courage in his life.
A narrow escape	Last week we had a narrow escape from a very serious accident.
Again and again	I have advised him again and again not to mix with bad boys but he always turns a deaf ear to the advice.
Add fuel to fire	It added fuel to fire when he began to call me names and I came to blows losing my patience.
Apple of discord	Some times wealth becomes the apple of discord among real brothers.
Apple of one’s eyes	Akram is an able and intelligent boy and that’s why he is the apple of his parents’ eyes.
An axe to grind	Selfish persons never do any thing for others unless they have an axe to grind.
An open secret	It is an open secret how some students pass the examination without any preparation.