THE MOST REPEATED IDIOMS
Idioms are extremely important part of day to day life. In English, idioms allow you to say something in few words and also the use of idioms shows your high grip on English language. There are thousands of idioms in English language and it's almost impossible to memorize all of them but don't worry we got you covered 😌
Here we have given you 100 important idioms which are very common in day to day use and also the are the ones which are asked in job test like CSS/SPSC/PPSC/KPSC/BPSC/NTS/PTS/STS and all sort of other exams.
THE LIST OF IDIOMS 👇
1. CROSS YOUR FINGERS
Meaning: It means to be hopeful about a positive outcome or to wish someone "Good luck"
Sentence: I crossed my fingers after the examination.
2. NUTS AND BOLTS
Meaning: Basic parts or details about something
Sentence: Whenever we try to learn something new we always need to know the nuts and bolts about it.
3. MAKE NO BONES ABOUT SOMETHING
Meaning: To talk about something openly and without any hesitation
Sentence: The teacher made no bones about my academic performance which is unsatisfactory.
4. CANARY IN A COAL MINE
Meaning: A warning about something dangerous
Sentence: The gunfire looked like a canary in a coal mine of a larger conflict.
5. GREENER PASTURES
Meaning: Better Opportunities
Sentence: Many people emigrate abroad in search of greener pastures.
6. UNDER WRAPS
Meaning: To keep something hidden, secret
Sentence: The police forced the shopkeeper to keep the matter about extortion money under wraps.
7. SLEEP LIKE A LOG/BABY
Meaning: To sleep very well
Sentence: After burning the midnight oil I slept like a log/baby during the day.
8. CATCH SOMEONE'S EYES
Meaning: Attract someone's attraction
Sentence: The dress of Alexa caught everyone's eyes.
9. COME IN HANDY
Meaning: To be helpful
Sentence: Those people are very nice who come in handy to other people in their difficult times.
10. BE SNOWED UNDER
Meaning: To be very busy
Sentence: It was the end of the year so the administration was snowed under the work as they have to submit the annual reports.
11. IN THE LONG RUN
Meaning: In the future
Sentence: Hardwork in your early stage will give you success in the long run.
12. SIT ON THE FENCE
Meaning: To avoid taking sides/To be neutral
Sentence: Pakistan sat on the fence in the conflict of Saudia Arabia and Yemen.
13. LOSE ONE'S SHIRT
Meaning: To lose all of your money
Sentence: After John lost his shirt in the gambling.
14. OPEN BOOK
Meaning: Everything is known about someone
Sentence: Politicians are hardly a open book.
15. CLOSED BOOK
Meaning: Very few is known about someone
Sentence: Hermetics live a closed book lifestyle.
16. LOSE YOUR TRAIN OF THOUGHT
Meaning: To forget what you were saying
Sentence: The teacher lost her train of thoughts during the lecture when her mobile rang.
17. UP AND RUNNING
Meaning: Functioning normally
Sentence: The new laptop was up and running.
18. ROLL UP ONE'S SLEEVES
Meaning: To be ready for something
Sentence: I roller up my sleeves for my imminent exams.
19. CRY WOLF
Meaning: To call for help when you don't need it, then when you call for help when you actually need it nobody believes you or come to your help
Sentence: The mother got angry on his child for crying wolf again and again.
20. STEAL SOMEONE'S THUNDER
Meaning: To attraction all the attention or praise often by doing something before someone's else
Sentence: The X Foundation stole the thunder of Z Foundation when they announced 1 million dollars prize money for the differently abled cricketer.
21. GIVE SOMEONE THE COLD SHOULDER
Meaning: To ignore someone
Sentence: I gave the cold shoulder to the beggar who doesn't want to work.
22. WHEN PIGS FLY
Meaning: A way to say that something will never happen
Sentence: China will cede its right on Taiwan when pigs fly.
23. WHEN THE HELL FREEZES OVER
Meaning: A way to say that something will never happen
Sentence: Mother will allow me to take a day off from school when the hell freezes over.
24. COLD DAY IN JULY
Meaning: A way to say that something will never happen
Sentence: Coming to office on time is like a cold day in July.
25. ALL WALKS OF LIFE
Meaning: From every field
Sentence: People from all walks of life are eligible to vote in the election.
26. BE PUSHING UP DAISIES
Meaning: To die
Sentence: Remember them in your prayers who are pushing up Daisies.
27. BUY THE FARM
Meaning: To die
Sentence: We must pay our debts before we buy the farm.
28. CASH IN ONE'S CHIPS
Meaning: To die
Sentence: Nobody knows when will they cash in their chips.
29. SMELL A RAT
Meaning: To suspect something
Sentence: I smelt a rat when a motorcycle stopped near me and one of the two man started to slide his hand towards his pocket.
30. JUMP ON THE BANDWAGON
Meaning: Join an activity or trend
Sentence: It's not nice to jump on the bandwagon of everything that you see on social media.
31. UP AND ABOUT
Meaning: To be in good health
Sentence: After being ill for two weeks, Nicole was up and about now.
32. ODD BALL
Meaning: A strange person
Sentence: Adolf Hitler was an odd ball.
33. MAD AS A HATTER
Meaning: Completely mad
Sentence: Those who leave the children on the roads unattained are mad as a hatter.
34. HAVE A SCREW LOOSE
Meaning: To be mad/crazy
Sentence: "Do you have a screw loose?", Asked Robert
35. CUT FROM THE SAME CLOTH
Meaning: To be similar in characteristics, habits or temperament
Sentence: Sons are often cut from the same cloths as their fathers.
36. WRITTEN ALL OVER SOMEONE'S FACE
Meaning: It means that the emotions or expression tell something every well.
Sentence: It was written all over her face that she didn't like my friendship with Sarah.
37. DRIVE SOMEONE UP THE WALL
Meaning: To irritate someone
Sentence: Frequent load shedding in Pakistan drives everyone up the wall.
38. SLEEP TIGHT
Meaning: A way to say "Sleep Well"
Sentence: I wished my tired colleague to sleep tight when he was leaving for his house.
39. TAKE A PENNY
Meaning: To urinate
Sentence: I took a penny in a public toilet.
40. POWDER YOUR NOSE
Meaning: To go to the toilet
Sentence: Catherine said, "I need to powder my nose".
41. WITH A FINE TOOTHED COMB
Meaning: To search thoroughly
Sentence: The police searched the entire crime scene with a fine toothed comb.
42. PUT YOURSELF IN SOMEONE'S SHOES
Meaning: To feel about what other people are going through or experiencing
Sentence: I can put myself in African people's shoes and can understand their sufferings.
43. FIT LIKE A GLOVE
Meaning: Completely fit
Sentence: The shirt which Christina bought for me fit on me like a glove.
44. FOLLOW SUIT
Meaning: To do the same thing
Sentence: Good acts must be followed suit.
45. SUIT YOURSELF
Meaning: It means to say do whatever you want
Sentence: "I don't want to go to the party." "Suit yourself. We'll go without you."
46. HOLD WATER
Meaning: Sound reasonable
Sentence: His story doesn't hold water.
47. KNOCK SOMEONE'S SOCKS OFF
Meaning: To surprise someone
Sentence: The sight of intense cyclone knocked my socks off.
48. TIE THE KNOT
Meaning: To get married
Sentence: Adrina and Gladstone are tieing the knot on the Christmas.
49. GET HITCHED
Meaning: To get married
Sentence: It's the dream of every individual to get hitched to someone of his/her choice.
50. PART WAYS
Meaning: To end a relationship/association
Sentence: After being married for ten years the couple decided to part ways.
51. BACK IN THE DAYS
Meaning: In the past
Sentence: Back in the days relationships were pure and cordial.
52. RED LETTER DAY
Meaning: A day of high importance
Sentence: Independence day of every country is a red letter day in their history.
53. GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY
Meaning: A perfect chance
Sentence: Scholarships are a golden opportunity for the underprivileged students who want to pursue higher education.
54. COOK THE BOOKS
Meaning: To alter the number dishonestly
Sentence: The railway minister was accused of cooking the books in his favour.
55. BRING SOMEONE TO BOOK
Meaning: To scold, reprimand or punish someone
Sentence: The police brought the burglars to the books.
56. BY THE BOOKS
Meaning: According to the rules/laws
Sentence: Every citizen must spend his life by the books.
57. READ SOMEONE LIKE A BOOK
Meaning: To understand the feelings, emotions and opinions of other people clearly
Sentence: The mother reads her children like a book.
58. THE OLDEST TRICK IN THE BOOK
Meaning: An old trick to deceive someone
Sentence: The beggar tried to use the oldest trick in the book of telling me about his hungry children in order to elicit money from me.
59. IN SOMEONE'S GOOD BOOKS
Meaning: Means someone is happy with you
Sentence: Every employee wants to be in the good book of the company's owner.
60. TAKE A LEAF OUT OF SOMEONE'S BOOK
Meaning: To do what someone has been doing
Sentence: I think Pakistan need to take a leaf out of EU's book and must switch to green energy.
61. DON'T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER
Meaning: Don't form an opinion based on a superficial look
Sentence:
62. IN THE RED
Meaning: In the loss
Sentence: After speculating his savings in a failed project he was in the red.
63. IN THE BLACK
Meaning: Profitable
Sentence: The Apple company is in the black always.
64. IN BLACK AND WHITE
Meaning: In written
Sentence: Financial matters must be in black and white.
65. LYING AT SIX AND SEVEN
Meaning: Scattered/Disorganized
Sentence: The mother scolded her children because their books were lying at six and sevens.
66. SMELL/STINK TO HIGH HEAVEN
Meaning: To smell extremely bad
Sentence: Two days older socks smell/stink to high heaven.
67. ROCK THE BOAT
Meaning: To disrupt an existing situation
Sentence: It's not recommend to rock the boat on smoothly running economy.
68. RUN A TIGHT SHIP
Meaning: To strictly manage something
Sentence: Leaders who run a tight ship in their country are often successful.
69. JUMP SHIP
Meaning: To start and activity early
Sentence: Jump shipping is not allowed in the spirit competition.
70. GET YOUR WALKING PAPERS
Meaning: To be dismissed from employment
Sentence: After I failed to submit the report my boss asked me to get my walking papers.
71. PICK SOMEONE'S BRAIN/BRAINS
Meaning: To get advice or information from someone
Sentence: Whenever I am in two minds about my studies I pick my teachers brain.
72. DEAD TO THE WORLD
Meaning: Sleeping deeply
Sentence: After his 10 hours long flight he was dead to the world when he reached home.
73. HAVE A SWEET THOUGHT
Meaning: To like sweet dishes.
Sentence: My mother has a sweet tooth.
74. GIVE UP THE GHOST
Meaning: To die
Sentence: Everyone is mournful whenever someone gives up the ghost.
75. CRY YOUR EYES OUT
Meaning: To cry for a very long time
Sentence: Hina cried her eyes out when somebody stole her phone.
76. AN APPLE PIE ORDER
Meaning: In a complete order
Sentence: The books in the shelves were arranged in a Apple pie order.
77. GET YOUR DUCKS ORGANIZED
Meaning: To be organized
Sentence: In order to pass the examination we will have to get out ducks in order.
78. HAVE A LOT ON YOUR PLATE
Meaning: To be very busy
Sentence: The tailor refused to take my cloth as he has a lot on his plate.
79. HAVE BIGGER FISH TO FRY
Meaning: To have more important things to do
Sentence: The adult doesn't play with childrens as they have bigger fish to fry.
80. DRINK LIKE A FISH
Meaning: To drink alcohol to an excessive degree
Sentence: Michael drinks like a fish.
81. BRING HOME THE BACON(MEAT)
Meaning: To earn money
Sentence: it has become extremely hard to bring home the bacon in third world countries.
82. DRAG YOUR FEET
Meaning: To do something slowly because you don't want to do it
Sentence: The clerk was dragging his feet to submit my job application when I refused to give him any bribe.
83. KEEP THE WOLF FROM THE DOORS
Meaning: To earn just enough money to survive
Sentence: The poor man was hardly keeping the wolf from the door.
84. UPSET THE APPLECART
Meaning: To do something that destroys the present normal situation
Sentence: Removing the CEO from its position turned out to be upsetting the Applecart as the company went in the red.
85. SPREAD LIKE A WILD FIRE
Meaning: To spread quickly
Sentence: The news of the death of Michael Jackson spread like a wild fire.
86. HEAR SOMETHING ON GRAPEVINE
Meaning: To hear rumours
Sentence: I have heard it on the grapevine that Mona and David are getting married.
87. PINCH AND SCRAPE
Meaning: To spend as little money as possible
Sentence: The couple was pinching and scraping to save some money to buy a gift for son.
88. CRY FOR MOON
Meaning: To want something precious
Sentence: Poor man was upset as his son was crying for moon and wanted to buy a sports car.
89. WALK ON AIR
Meaning: To be very happy
Sentence: After winning the tournament, Pakistan cricket team was walking on air.
90. PIPE DREAM
Meaning: An unrealistic dream, an idea which will not be successful
Sentence: Before the solution of Kashmir issue, peace between Pakistan and India is a pipe dream.
91. HOUSE OF CARDS
Meaning: Very Weak
Sentence: Pakistan financial condition is a house of cards.
92. DO THE DISHES
Meaning: To wash dishes
Sentence: Elina was under the weather so I did the dishes.
93. HIT THE ROAD
Meaning: To begin a journey
Sentence: I will hit the road at 5pm in the evening.
94. WEAR YOUR HEART ON YOUR SLEEVES
Meaning: To express your feelings openly
Sentence: Romantic people often wear their heart on their sleeves.
95. POP THE QUESTION
Meaning: To ask for marriage
Sentence: It's very hard to pop the question to someone you like.
96. STICK/STAND OUT LIKE A SORE THUMB
Meaning: To be very noticeable because of being different from others
Sentence: The bald people often stick/stand out like a sore thumb in a gathering.
97. HAVE BUNS IN THE OVEN
Meaning: To be pregnant
Sentence: Maria has bun in her oven.
98. CUT THE CHEESE
Meaning: Come to the point
Sentence: The teacher asked the student to cut the cheese and tell her why he was about from the class.
99. EAT HUMBLE PIE
Meaning: To face humiliation
Sentence: India ate humble pie in the Operation Swift Retort.
100. NEW KID ON THE BLOCK
Meaning: Someone who is new to any place
Sentence: The boss asked me to make the new kid on the block learn the ropes of his work.
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