ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABETS I TO Q
Idioms in fact, evolve the language and they are the building blocks of a language and civilization as well they have great intensity to make a language interesting and dynamic. Idioms bring the spectacular illustration to the speech. They provide interesting insights into Essay Writing, languages and thought processes of their speakers. Idioms can be useful for Essay writing for the competitive exams including CSS/ PMS, one paper exam conducted by PPSC, FPSC posts etc.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET I
1. Icing On The Cake: When you already have it good and get something on top of what you already have.
2. Idle Hands Are The Devil’s Tools: You are more likely to get in trouble if you have nothing to do.
3. If It’s Not One Thing, It’s Another: When one thing goes wrong, then another, and another.
4. In Like Flynn: To be easily successful, especially when sexual or romantic.
5. In The Bag: To have something secured.
6. In The Buff: Nude.
7. In The Heat Of The Moment: Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment.
8. In Your Face: An aggressive and bold confrontation.
9. It Takes Two To Tango: A two person conflict where both people are at fault.
10.It’s A Small World: You frequently see the same people in different places.
11.Its Anyone’s Call: A competition where the outcome is difficult to judge or predict.
12.Ivy League: Since 1954 the Ivy League has been the following universities: Columbia, Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Yale, Pennsylvania, Princeton, and Harvard.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET J
13.Jaywalk: Crossing the street (from the middle) without using the crosswalk.
14.Joshing Me: Tricking me.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET K
15.Keep An Eye On Him: You should carefully watch him.
16.Keep body and soul together: To earn a sufficient amount of money in order to keep yourself alive.
17.Keep your chin up: To remain joyful in a tough situation.
18.Kick The Bucket: Die.
19.Kitty-corner: Diagonally across. Sometimes called Catty-Corner as well.
20.Knee Jerk Reaction: A quick and automatic response.
21.Knock On Wood: Knuckle tapping on wood in order to avoid some bad luck.
22.Know the Ropes: To understand the details.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET L
23.Last but not least: An introduction phrase to let the audience know that the last person mentioned is no less important than those introduced before him/her.
24.Lend Me Your Ear: To politely ask for someone’s full attention.
25.Let Bygones Be Bygones: To forget about a disagreement or arguement.
26.Let Sleeping Dogs Lie: To avoid restarting a conflict.
27.Let The Cat Out Of The Bag: To share a secret that wasn’t suppose to be shared.
28.Level playing field: A fair competition where no side has an advantage.
29.Like a chicken with its head cut off: To act in a frenzied manner.
30.liquor someone up: To get someone drunk.
31.Long in the Tooth: Old people (or horses).
32.Loose Cannon: Someone who is unpredictable and can cause damage if not kept in check.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET M
33.Make No Bones About: To state a fact so there are no doubts or objections.
34.Method To My Madness: Strange or crazy actions that appear meaningless but in the end are done for a good reason.
35.Mumbo Jumbo: Nonsense or meaningless speech.
36.Mum’s the word: To keep quiet. To say nothing.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET N
37.Nest Egg: Savings set aside for future use.
38.Never Bite The Hand That Feeds You: Don’t hurt anyone that helps you.
39.New kid on the block: Someone new to the group or area.
40.New York Minute: A minute that seems to go by quickly, especially in a fast paced environment.
41.No Dice: To not agree. To not accept a proposition.
42.No Room to Swing a Cat: An unsually small or confined space.
43.Not Playing With a Full Deck: Someone who lacks intelligence.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET O
44.Off On The Wrong Foot: Getting a bad start on a relationship or task.
45.Off The Hook: No longer have to deal with a tough situation.
46.Off the Record: Something said in confidence that the one speaking doesn’t want attributed to him/her.
47.On Pins And Needles: Anxious or nervous, especially in anticipation of something.
48.On The Fence: Undecided.
49.On The Same Page: When multiple people all agree on the same thing.
50.Out Of The Blue: Something that suddenly and unexpectedly occurs.
51.Out On A Limb: When someone puts themself in a risky situation.
52.Out On The Town: To enjoy yourself by going out.
53.Over My Dead Body: When you absolutely will not allow something to happen.
54.Over the Top: Very excessive.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET P
55.Pass The Buck: Avoid responsibility by giving it to someone else.
56.Pedal to the metal: To go full speed, especially while driving a vehicle.
57.Peeping Tom: Someone who observes people in the nude or sexually active people, mainly for his own gratification.
58.Pick up your ears: To listen very carefully.
59.Pig In A Poke: A deal that is made without first examining it.
60.Pig Out : To eat alot and eat it quickly.
61.Pipe Down: To shut-up or be quiet.
62.Practice Makes Perfect: By constantly practicing, you will become better.
63.Pull the plug: To stop something. To bring something to an end.
64.Pulling Your Leg: Tricking someone as a joke.
65.Put a sock in it: To tell noisy person or a group to be quiet.
ENGLISH IDIOMS ALPHABET Q
66.Queer the pitch: Destroy or ruin a plan.
