SSC CGL idioms and phrases

428 entries. Each idiom with a one-line meaning and an example sentence. In the exam, the options are usually plausible, so learn the meaning rather than the literal words.

Practise with flashcards One-word substitution Synonyms Antonyms Commonly misspelt words

Idiom	Meaning	Example
Above board	Honest and open; nothing hidden	The tender process was completely above board.
Achilles' heel	A weak or vulnerable point	Poor fielding has been the team’s Achilles’ heel.
Add fuel to the fire	Make a bad situation worse	His rude reply only added fuel to the fire.
Add insult to injury	Make a bad situation worse by further offending	He broke my pen and, to add insult to injury, laughed about it.
All at sea	Completely confused	I was all at sea with the new software.
All ears	Listening with full attention	Go ahead, I am all ears.
All thumbs	Clumsy in handling things	He is all thumbs when it comes to repairing gadgets.
An apple of discord	A cause of quarrel	The old well became an apple of discord between the neighbours.
Apple of one's eye	A person who is very dear	The youngest son is the apple of his mother’s eye.
Apple-pie order	Perfect order	She keeps her files in apple-pie order.
An arm and a leg	A very high price	The tickets for the final cost an arm and a leg.
As cool as a cucumber	Remaining calm and unruffled under pressure	The pilot stayed as cool as a cucumber during the storm.
At a loose end	Having nothing to do	With the exams over, I was at a loose end.
At a stone's throw	Very near	The station is at a stone’s throw from our house.
At daggers drawn	Bitterly hostile to each other	The two brothers have been at daggers drawn over the property.
At large	Free and not yet caught	The thief is still at large.
At loggerheads	In strong disagreement with someone	The two partners are at loggerheads over profit sharing.
At one's wit's end	Completely puzzled; not knowing what to do	With the bills piling up, he was at his wit’s end.
At sixes and sevens	In total confusion or disorder	After the party the house was at sixes and sevens.
At stake	At risk of being lost	The reputation of the whole school is at stake.
At the drop of a hat	Immediately, without hesitation	He will help you at the drop of a hat.
At the eleventh hour	At the last possible moment	The match was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
An axe to grind	A selfish motive or private interest behind one’s action	He praised the minister only because he has an axe to grind.
Back to the wall	In a desperate situation with no escape	With his back to the wall, he fought hard.
Bad blood	Ill feeling or hatred between people	There is bad blood between the two families.
Bag and baggage	With all one’s belongings	The tenant left bag and baggage.
Bark up the wrong tree	Pursue a mistaken line of action or blame the wrong person	If you think I took your pen, you are barking up the wrong tree.
Bear a grudge	Keep feeling resentment against someone	He still bears a grudge against his old boss.
Bear the brunt	Suffer the worst part of an attack or difficulty	Small farmers bore the brunt of the drought.
Beat about the bush	Avoid coming to the point	Stop beating about the bush and tell me what happened.
Beat the clock	Finish something before the time runs out	The team beat the clock and submitted the report on time.
Bell the cat	Undertake a dangerous task for the common good	Everyone complained, but no one would bell the cat.
Beside the point	Irrelevant	Whether he is rich is beside the point.
Between the devil and the deep sea	Caught between two equally dangerous choices
A bird's eye view	A general view from above; an overall picture	The tower gives a bird’s eye view of the city.
Bite off more than one can chew	Take on more work than one can handle	By accepting three projects at once, he bit off more than he could chew.
Bite the bullet	Face a painful or unpleasant situation with courage	She decided to bite the bullet and tell her boss the truth.
Bite the dust	Be defeated or killed	Three top seeds bit the dust in the first round.
Black and blue	Covered with bruises	He came home from the fight black and blue.
A black sheep	A member who brings disgrace to a family or group	Every family has a black sheep.
A blessing in disguise	Something that seems bad but turns out to be good	Missing that train was a blessing in disguise.
Blow hot and cold	Keep changing one’s opinion; vacillate	He keeps blowing hot and cold about the job offer.
Blow one's own trumpet	Boast about oneself	He never misses a chance to blow his own trumpet.
Blue blood	Aristocratic or noble birth
Blue-eyed boy	A favourite person (of someone in authority)	He is the boss’s blue-eyed boy.
A bolt from the blue	A sudden and unexpected event	His resignation came as a bolt from the blue.
A bone of contention	The subject of a dispute	The river water is a bone of contention between the two states.
Bread and butter	One’s main source of income	Teaching is her bread and butter.
Break down	Stop working; lose control of one’s emotions	Our car broke down on the highway.
Break out	Begin suddenly (a war, fire or disease)	Cholera broke out in the village.
Break the bank	Cost more than one can afford	A simple wedding will not break the bank.
Break the ice	Ease tension; start a conversation	A joke helped break the ice at the meeting.
Break up	End a relationship or gathering	The meeting broke up at noon.
Bring about	Cause to happen	The new law brought about a big change.
Bring home the bacon	Earn a living for the family	He works two shifts to bring home the bacon.
Bring to book	Punish; make someone answer for wrongdoing	The culprits will be brought to book.
Bring up	Raise (a child); mention (a topic)	She was brought up by her grandparents.
Build castles in the air	Daydream; make impractical plans	Instead of working, he builds castles in the air.
Burn one's boats	Take an irreversible step; leave no way to retreat
Burn the candle at both ends	Overwork oneself and exhaust one’s energy
Burn the midnight oil	Work or study late into the night	Before the exam she burnt the midnight oil.
Bury the hatchet	Make peace; end a quarrel	After years of rivalry, they buried the hatchet.
By and large	On the whole; in most respects	By and large, the students were happy with the new rules.
By dint of	By means of; through the force of	He passed the exam by dint of hard work.
By hook or by crook	By any means, fair or foul	He wants the contract by hook or by crook.
By leaps and bounds	Very rapidly	Her English improved by leaps and bounds.
By the skin of one's teeth	Only just; by a very narrow margin	He escaped being late by the skin of his teeth.
Call a spade a spade	Speak plainly and frankly	He calls a spade a spade, even to his seniors.
Call for	Require; demand	The situation calls for immediate action.
Call it a day	Stop working for the day	It is past midnight, so let us call it a day.
Call off	Cancel	The strike was called off.
Call the shots	Be in command; make the decisions	In this firm the owner calls the shots.
Carry on	Continue	Carry on with your work.
Carry out	Perform; execute (a task or order)	The orders were carried out at once.
Carry the day	Win; be victorious	The home team carried the day.
Cast pearls before swine	Offer something valuable to those who cannot appreciate it
Cat and dog life	A life full of quarrels	The couple lead a cat and dog life.
A cat nap	A short sleep during the day	He took a cat nap after lunch.
A cat's paw	A person used as a tool by another	The clerk was only a cat’s paw in the fraud.
Chew the cud	Think deeply about something; ponder
A close shave	A narrow escape	The bus nearly hit him — it was a close shave.
A cock and bull story	An absurd, unbelievable story	Nobody believed his cock and bull story about the lost homework.
Cold feet	Loss of nerve just before an undertaking	He got cold feet before the interview.
Come a cropper	Fall heavily; fail badly	The company came a cropper after its reckless expansion.
Come across	Meet or find by chance	I came across my old diary yesterday.
Come to grief	Meet with failure or disaster	The plan came to grief when the funds ran out.
Cool one's heels	Be kept waiting	We cooled our heels in the lobby for an hour.
Count on	Depend on; rely on	You can count on me.
Crocodile tears	False, insincere sorrow	The minister shed crocodile tears over the flood victims.
Cross swords	Quarrel or argue with someone	The two leaders crossed swords over the budget.
Cry for the moon	Ask for something impossible to get	Expecting a promotion in your first week is crying for the moon.
Cry over spilt milk	Regret what cannot be undone	The exam is over; there is no use crying over spilt milk.
Cry wolf	Raise a false alarm so that later real warnings are ignored	Don’t cry wolf, or nobody will help when you are truly in danger.
Cut a long story short	Come to the point without further details	To cut a long story short, we missed the flight.
Cut a sorry figure	Make a poor impression	Unprepared, he cut a sorry figure in the debate.
Cut and dried	Already decided and unlikely to change	The rules for admission are cut and dried.
Cut corners	Do something cheaply or carelessly to save time or money
Cut down	Reduce the amount of something	The doctor asked him to cut down on sugar.
Cut no ice	Have no effect or influence	His excuses cut no ice with the teacher.
Cut the Gordian knot	Solve a difficult problem by a bold, direct action
A dark horse	A little-known competitor who does unexpectedly well	The newcomer proved to be a dark horse in the election.
A dead end	A situation with no way forward	The investigation has reached a dead end.
Dead wood	Useless people or things in an organisation	The new CEO plans to remove the dead wood from the department.
Die in harness	Die while still working
Dog in the manger	Someone who stops others from using what he cannot use himself
A double-edged sword	Something with both good and bad effects	Social media is a double-edged sword for teenagers.
Down in the dumps	Depressed; in low spirits	She has been down in the dumps since her pet died.
Down the drain	Wasted; lost for good	All our hard work went down the drain.
Draw a blank	Fail to find or remember something	I tried to recall his name but drew a blank.
Draw the line	Set a limit beyond which one will not go	I help my friends, but I draw the line at lying.
Drop in	Visit casually without prior notice	Do drop in whenever you pass our street.
A drop in the ocean	A very small amount compared with what is needed	The donation was a drop in the ocean.
Dutch courage	Bravery gained from drinking alcohol	He needed some Dutch courage before facing the crowd.
Eat humble pie	Apologise humbly; admit one’s mistake	Proved wrong, he had to eat humble pie.
Eat one’s words	Take back what one said, admitting it was wrong	He had to eat his words when she won the race.
Elbow grease	Hard physical effort	A little elbow grease will make the old table shine.
End in smoke	Come to nothing	All his grand plans ended in smoke.
Every dog has its day	Everyone gets a turn at good fortune	Don’t lose heart; every dog has its day.
Face the music	Face the consequences of one’s actions	He was caught cheating and had to face the music.
Fair and square	Honestly and according to the rules	She won the contest fair and square.
Fall back on	Turn to something for help when other options fail	She had her savings to fall back on.
Fall flat	Fail to produce the intended effect	His joke fell flat.
Fall out	Quarrel with someone	The brothers fell out over their father’s land.
Fall through	Fail to happen; come to nothing	Our trip to Goa fell through at the last minute.
A far cry	Very different from; a long way from	This flat is a far cry from our old house.
A feather in one's cap	An achievement to be proud of	Winning the gold medal was a feather in her cap.
Feather one's nest	Enrich oneself, often dishonestly	The official feathered his nest while in office.
Feel blue	Feel sad	I feel blue when it rains for days.
Few and far between	Rare; occurring at long intervals	Honest officers are few and far between in that office.
Fish in troubled waters	Take advantage of a confused situation
A fish out of water	Someone uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings	At the formal dinner he felt like a fish out of water.
Fit as a fiddle	In very good health	My grandfather is eighty but fit as a fiddle.
Flesh and blood	One’s close relatives; ordinary human nature	He refused to testify against his own flesh and blood.
A fly in the ointment	A small thing that spoils an otherwise good situation	The only fly in the ointment was the lack of parking.
Fly off the handle	Lose one’s temper suddenly	He flies off the handle at the slightest criticism.
A fly-by-night	Unreliable, especially in business or money matters	Avoid fly-by-night schemes that promise quick money.
Food for thought	Something that deserves serious thinking	The speaker’s remarks gave us food for thought.
A fool’s paradise	A state of happiness based on false hopes	He lived in a fool’s paradise, ignoring his debts.
For good	Permanently	He left the village for good.
For the time being	For now; temporarily	You can stay with us for the time being.
Foul play	Unfair or criminal action, especially violent	The police suspect foul play in his death.
French leave	Absence without permission	He took French leave and went to the match.
From hand to mouth	With just enough to survive	After losing his job, he lived from hand to mouth.
From pillar to post	From one place to another, often without success	The jobless youth was driven from pillar to post.
From scratch	From the very beginning	She built the business from scratch.
Get into hot water	Get into trouble	He got into hot water for missing the deadline.
Get over	Recover from an illness or disappointment	It took him weeks to get over the flu.
Get the sack	Be dismissed from one’s job	He got the sack for repeated absence.
Get the upper hand	Gain an advantage or control	Our bowlers soon got the upper hand.
Gift of the gab	The talent of speaking fluently and persuasively	A salesman needs the gift of the gab.
Give a wide berth	Keep well away from someone or something	Everyone gives the angry dog a wide berth.
Give in	Surrender; yield	The union refused to give in to the pressure.
Give the cold shoulder	Treat someone with deliberate coldness	After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder.
Give the slip	Escape from someone who is chasing or following	The suspect gave the police the slip in the crowded market.
Give up	Stop doing; abandon	He gave up smoking last year.
Give vent to	Express strong feelings openly	She gave vent to her anger in a long letter.
Go back on one’s word	Fail to keep a promise	A man of honour never goes back on his word.
Go Dutch	Share the cost, each paying for oneself	We decided to go Dutch at the restaurant.
Go for broke	Risk everything in an attempt to win	In the last over the batsman decided to go for broke.
Go haywire	Go out of control; malfunction	The computer went haywire during the exam.
Go out of one’s way	Make a special effort to help	The staff went out of their way to make us comfortable.
Go to the dogs	Deteriorate; be ruined	The business went to the dogs under the new owner.
Go up in smoke	Come to nothing; be completely lost	Years of savings went up in smoke when the bank collapsed.
A good Samaritan	A kind person who helps strangers in trouble	A good Samaritan took the injured man to hospital.
Grease the palm	Bribe	He tried to grease the clerk’s palm to speed up the file.
The green-eyed monster	Jealousy	The green-eyed monster ruined their friendship.
Greenhorn	An inexperienced person
Grin and bear it	Put up with something unpleasant without complaining	There is no other way, so just grin and bear it.
Hand in glove	In close (often secret) partnership	The thieves were hand in glove with the guard.
Hand over	Give control or possession of something to someone	He handed over the keys to the new warden.
Hand over fist	Very quickly and in large amounts	The shop is making money hand over fist.
Hang by a thread	Be in a very precarious state	The patient’s life hung by a thread.
Hang fire	Be delayed; remain undecided	The project has been hanging fire for months.
Hard and fast	Fixed and strict; not open to change	There are no hard and fast rules for writing a good essay.
A hard nut to crack	A difficult problem or person to deal with	The new manager is a hard nut to crack.
Harp on the same string	Keep talking about the same subject
Have a finger in every pie	Be involved in many different activities	The secretary has a finger in every pie in the club.
Head over heels	Completely, especially in love	He fell head over heels in love with her.
Heart and soul	With total commitment and enthusiasm	She threw herself heart and soul into the campaign.
Heart-to-heart	A frank and sincere talk	The father had a heart-to-heart with his son.
A Herculean task	A task needing enormous effort	Cleaning the river is a Herculean task.
High and dry	Left helpless without support or resources	The sudden strike left the passengers high and dry.
Hit below the belt	Act unfairly	Mentioning his illness in the debate was hitting below the belt.
Hit the jackpot	Achieve a great and unexpected success	The little-known film hit the jackpot at the box office.
Hit the nail on the head	Say or do exactly the right thing	You hit the nail on the head with that analysis.
Hit the roof	Become suddenly very angry	Father hit the roof when he saw my report card.
Hit the sack	Go to bed	I am tired and will hit the sack early.
Hobson's choice	No real choice: take what is offered or nothing
Hold on	Wait; keep gripping	Hold on, I will check the file.
Hold one’s tongue	Stay silent; refrain from speaking	I held my tongue to avoid another quarrel.
Hold the fort	Take charge while someone is away	Please hold the fort while I attend the meeting.
Hold water	(Of an argument) be sound or valid	His alibi does not hold water.
A hot potato	A controversial issue that people are wary of handling	The fee hike became a hot potato for the college board.
Hue and cry	A loud public protest	The fare hike raised a hue and cry.
In a fix	In a difficult situation	I am in a fix because I have lost my ticket.
In a jiffy	Very quickly; in a moment	Wait here; I will be back in a jiffy.
In a nutshell	In brief	In a nutshell, the plan failed.
In black and white	In writing	Get the promise in black and white.
In cold blood	Deliberately and cruelly	The prisoners were shot in cold blood.
In the black	Having money; making a profit	After the sale the shop was finally in the black.
In the doldrums	In low spirits; inactive or stagnant	The market has been in the doldrums all year.
In the lap of luxury	In a state of great comfort and wealth	The heir grew up in the lap of luxury.
In the long run	Eventually; over a long period	Honesty pays in the long run.
In the nick of time	Just in time; at the last moment	The ambulance arrived in the nick of time.
In the pink	In excellent health	After the holiday she was in the pink.
In the red	Owing money; having a negative balance	The company has been in the red for three years.
In the soup	In trouble	He is in the soup for missing the deadline.
In the teeth of	In spite of; in direct opposition to	The bill was passed in the teeth of opposition.
In vain	Without success; to no purpose	All our efforts to save the old tree were in vain.
Ins and outs	All the details	She knows the ins and outs of the tax system.
Iron out	Settle small difficulties or differences	The two sides ironed out their disagreements.
Jack of all trades	Someone who can do many kinds of work (but masters none)
Jump on the bandwagon	Join a popular trend or cause that seems successful	Many firms jumped on the bandwagon of online classes.
Jump the gun	Act too soon, before the proper time	He jumped the gun and announced the results early.
Keep a stiff upper lip	Stay calm and hide emotion in difficulty	She kept a stiff upper lip despite the bad news.
Keep abreast of	Stay informed about the latest developments	A doctor must keep abreast of new research.
Keep at arm's length	Avoid close contact with	She keeps flatterers at arm’s length.
Keep one's fingers crossed	Hope for a good outcome	Keep your fingers crossed for my result.
Keep one’s head	Stay calm in a crisis	The driver kept his head and braked slowly.
Keep the wolf from the door	Earn just enough to avoid hunger
Keep up	Maintain the same speed or standard	He could not keep up with the class.
Kick the bucket	Die (informal)	The old miser finally kicked the bucket.
Kill two birds with one stone	Achieve two aims with one action	By cycling to work I kill two birds with one stone — exercise and savings.
Kith and kin	Friends and relatives	All his kith and kin attended the wedding.
Know the ropes	Be familiar with how things are done	The new clerk soon learnt to know the ropes.
A lame duck	A weak or ineffective person, or an official nearing the end of a term	The outgoing chairman was only a lame duck.
The last straw	The final small event that makes a situation unbearable	His rude remark was the last straw, and she resigned.
A laughing stock	An object of ridicule	His silly speech made him a laughing stock.
Leave in the lurch	Desert someone in difficulty	His partner left him in the lurch.
Leave no stone unturned	Make every possible effort	The police left no stone unturned to find the child.
Let off steam	Release pent-up energy or emotion	The children let off steam in the playground.
Let sleeping dogs lie	Avoid disturbing a situation that is better left alone	It is wiser to let sleeping dogs lie than to reopen old quarrels.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret carelessly	She let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party.
Lion's share	The largest part	The elder son got the lion’s share of the property.
Lock, stock and barrel	Completely; including everything	He sold the business lock, stock and barrel.
Look a gift horse in the mouth	Find fault with a gift
Look after	Take care of	Who will look after the children?
Look before you leap	Think carefully before acting	Look before you leap when signing any contract.
Look down upon	Regard as inferior; despise	Never look down upon the poor.
Look forward to	Wait with pleasure for	We look forward to meeting you.
Look into	Investigate	The committee will look into the complaint.
Look up to	Respect and admire	Students look up to a teacher like her.
Lose face	Be humiliated; lose respect
Lose heart	Become discouraged	Do not lose heart after one failure.
Make a beeline for	Go straight and quickly towards	The children made a beeline for the ice-cream stall.
Make a clean breast of	Confess fully	He made a clean breast of his crime.
Make a clean sweep	Win all or nearly all the prizes or seats	The party made a clean sweep of the elections.
Make a mountain of a molehill	Exaggerate a minor problem	It is a small scratch — don’t make a mountain of a molehill.
Make a scene	Create a noisy fuss in public	He made a scene at the ticket counter.
Make both ends meet	Live within one’s income	With prices rising, it is hard to make both ends meet.
Make hay while the sun shines	Make the most of a favourable opportunity
Make headway	Make progress	The police are making headway in the case.
Make light of	Treat something as unimportant	Do not make light of his warning.
Make out	Understand or see with difficulty	I could not make out his handwriting.
Make up	Invent a story; become friends again after a quarrel	The sisters made up after a week.
Man in the street	An ordinary person	The man in the street cares about prices, not policy jargon.
A man of letters	A scholar; a literary person
A man of straw	A person of no substance or weak character
Meet one’s Waterloo	Suffer a final, decisive defeat	The champion met his Waterloo in the final.
Midas touch	The ability to make money from everything one does
Mind one’s p’s and q’s	Be careful about one’s manners and speech	Mind your p’s and q’s in front of the guests.
Miss the boat	Lose an opportunity by being too late	Apply today, or you will miss the boat.
Moot point	A debatable question	Whether the rule applies here is a moot point.
Mum’s the word	Keep it a secret	The party is a surprise, so mum’s the word.
Neck and neck	Level with each other in a race or contest	The two runners were neck and neck at the finish.
Nine days' wonder	A short-lived sensation
Nip in the bud	Stop something at an early stage	The rebellion was nipped in the bud.
Not to mince matters	To speak plainly without softening the truth	To put it without mincing matters, your work is poor.
Null and void	Having no legal force	The contract was declared null and void.
Of no avail	Useless; without effect	All our efforts were of no avail.
Off the record	Said unofficially and not to be quoted	The minister’s comments were strictly off the record.
On cloud nine	Extremely happy	She was on cloud nine after the result.
On pins and needles	Anxious and nervous while waiting	We waited on pins and needles for the verdict.
On the cards	Likely to happen	A reshuffle of the cabinet is on the cards.
On the horns of a dilemma	Facing two equally unpleasant choices
On the rocks	In serious trouble and likely to fail	Their marriage is on the rocks.
On the spur of the moment	Suddenly, without planning	We went to the beach on the spur of the moment.
Once and for all	Finally and definitely	Let us settle this question once and for all.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	He visits us once in a blue moon.
One’s cup of tea	Something one likes or is good at	Chess is not really my cup of tea.
Out and out	Complete; thorough	He is an out and out rogue.
Out of sorts	Slightly unwell or in low spirits	I have been feeling out of sorts since morning.
Out of the blue	Without any warning	An old friend called me out of the blue.
Out of the question	Impossible; not to be considered	A holiday this month is out of the question.
Out of the woods	Out of danger or difficulty	The patient is not out of the woods yet.
Over head and ears	Completely (e.g., in debt or in love)	He is over head and ears in debt.
Over the moon	Extremely pleased	The parents were over the moon at her success.
Par for the course	Just what one would normally expect	Delays are par for the course on this route.
Pass away	Die (a gentle expression)	Her grandfather passed away last year.
Pass the buck	Shift responsibility to someone else	Don’t pass the buck; admit your mistake.
Pay lip service	Express support in words but not in action	Many leaders only pay lip service to women’s safety.
Pay through the nose	Pay an excessive price	We paid through the nose for last-minute tickets.
Penny wise, pound foolish	Careful about small sums but wasteful with large ones
Pick a quarrel	Deliberately start an argument	He tried to pick a quarrel with the shopkeeper.
Pick holes in	Find faults in	It is easy to pick holes in other people’s plans.
Pick up	Learn casually; collect; improve	She picked up French quickly during her stay.
Pie in the sky	An unrealistic hope
A piece of cake	Something very easy to do	The reasoning test was a piece of cake for her.
Play fast and loose	Behave carelessly or irresponsibly, ignoring rules	The firm played fast and loose with safety norms.
Play second fiddle	Take a subordinate role	He refused to play second fiddle to his junior.
Play truant	Stay away from school without permission	The boy played truant to watch the match.
Play with fire	Take a dangerous risk	Ignoring safety rules is playing with fire.
Point out	Draw attention to	The teacher pointed out a few errors in my essay.
Pour oil on troubled waters	Calm a quarrel	The teacher poured oil on troubled waters between the boys.
Pull a fast one	Trick or cheat someone	The dealer pulled a fast one by selling us a faulty phone.
Pull one's leg	Tease someone playfully	Don’t worry, I was only pulling your leg.
Pull strings	Use one’s influence secretly	He pulled strings to get the transfer.
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes	Deceive someone	Don’t try to pull the wool over my eyes.
Pull up one’s socks	Make a better effort	You must pull up your socks if you want to pass.
Put a spoke in one's wheel	Obstruct someone’s plans
Put off	Postpone	The meeting has been put off till Monday.
Put one’s foot down	Firmly refuse or insist	The principal put his foot down on late arrivals.
Put out	Extinguish; inconvenience	Firemen put out the blaze in an hour.
Put the cart before the horse	Do things in the wrong order
Put two and two together	Draw a conclusion from the available clues	She put two and two together and guessed the truth.
Put up with	Tolerate	I cannot put up with his rudeness.
Queer fish	A strange, eccentric person
Rack one’s brains	Think very hard to remember or solve something	I racked my brains but could not recall the address.
Rain cats and dogs	Rain very heavily	It rained cats and dogs all night.
Raise the roof	Make a very loud noise	The fans raised the roof when India scored.
Rank and file	The ordinary members of a group	The rank and file of the party opposed the move.
Read between the lines	Understand the hidden meaning	Read between the lines — he is unhappy with the plan.
Red tape	Excessive official formality; bureaucratic delay	The file was stuck in red tape for months.
A red-letter day	A memorable, important day	The day she joined the IAS was a red-letter day for the family.
Ride roughshod over	Treat harshly, ignoring others’ feelings or rights
Ring a bell	Sound familiar	His name rings a bell, but I cannot place him.
Rock the boat	Disturb a calm, stable situation	Nobody wanted to rock the boat before the audit.
Rub salt into the wound	Make a painful situation worse
Rub shoulders with	Mix socially with	As a reporter he rubs shoulders with the powerful.
A rule of thumb	A rough practical guide, not an exact rule	As a rule of thumb, revise each chapter thrice.
Run in the family	Be a common trait among relatives	Musical talent runs in the family.
Run into	Meet by chance	I ran into an old classmate at the station.
Run of the mill	Ordinary; of no special quality	The film was just a run of the mill thriller.
Run out of	Use up the supply of	We ran out of petrol on the highway.
Safe and sound	Unharmed	The trekkers returned safe and sound.
Salt of the earth	A very good, honest person	Our village teacher was the salt of the earth.
Save for a rainy day	Keep money aside for future need	Wise people save for a rainy day.
Save one’s skin	Escape harm, often selfishly	He lied to save his own skin.
Scot-free	Without punishment or harm	The main accused walked away scot-free.
See eye to eye	Agree fully	The partners don’t see eye to eye on expansion.
See red	Become suddenly very angry	I saw red when he insulted my mother.
Sell like hot cakes	Sell very quickly	The new novel is selling like hot cakes.
Set off	Begin a journey	We set off at dawn.
Set the ball rolling	Start an activity or discussion	The chairman set the ball rolling with a short speech.
Set the Thames on fire	Do something remarkable or sensational	He is hardworking, but he will never set the Thames on fire.
Set up	Establish or start	He set up a small bakery in the town.
Shed light on	Make something clearer by giving information	The report sheds light on the cause of the accident.
Show off	Display one’s abilities or possessions to impress others	He likes to show off his new bike.
Show the white feather	Show cowardice
Sit on the fence	Refuse to take sides	The party sat on the fence over the new law.
A skeleton in the cupboard	A shameful secret kept hidden	Every rich family seems to have a skeleton in the cupboard.
Sleep like a log	Sleep very soundly	After the long trek we slept like logs.
A slip of the tongue	An unintended mistake while speaking	Calling him by the wrong name was just a slip of the tongue.
Small fry	People or things of little importance	The police caught only the small fry, not the gang leader.
Smell a rat	Suspect something is wrong	When the price was too low, I smelt a rat.
A snake in the grass	A hidden enemy; a treacherous person
Sow one's wild oats	Indulge in youthful follies
Spick and span	Perfectly clean and tidy	She kept the house spick and span.
Spill the beans	Reveal a secret	Who spilled the beans about the exam paper?
Stand in good stead	Prove useful to someone when needed	Your typing skill will stand you in good stead.
Stand on ceremony	Behave in a stiff, formal way	Please don’t stand on ceremony; help yourself.
Steal a march on	Gain an advantage by acting first	The rival firm stole a march on us by launching early.
Steal someone’s thunder	Take the attention or credit that rightly belongs to another	Her cousin stole her thunder by announcing his engagement at her party.
Steal the show	Attract the most attention in an event	The young singer stole the show.
Stick to one’s guns	Refuse to change one’s opinion despite pressure	She stuck to her guns despite the criticism.
A storm in a teacup	A great fuss over a trivial matter	The quarrel was a storm in a teacup.
Straight from the horse’s mouth	Directly from a reliable source	I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth: the exam is postponed.
Swan song	The last work or performance of a person	The final concert was the singer’s swan song.
Sweat blood	Work extremely hard	They sweated blood to finish the project.
Take a rain check	Decline an offer now but promise to accept it later	I can’t come tonight, but I’ll take a rain check.
Take after	Resemble an older relative in looks or character	She takes after her mother.
Take for granted	Value too little, assuming something will always be there	Don’t take your parents’ support for granted.
Take heart	Gain courage or confidence	Take heart; the worst is over.
Take off	Leave the ground (aircraft); remove (clothing)	The plane took off on time.
Take over	Assume control of	The new owner took over the company in May.
Take the bull by the horns	Face a difficulty boldly	She took the bull by the horns and confronted her boss.
Take the wind out of one’s sails	Suddenly reduce someone’s confidence or advantage	The early wicket took the wind out of their sails.
Take to one's heels	Run away	Seeing the police, the thief took to his heels.
Take to task	Scold or criticise severely	The teacher took him to task for cheating.
Take with a pinch of salt	Accept with doubt	Take his stories with a pinch of salt.
Talk shop	Discuss one’s work in a social setting	The doctors kept talking shop at dinner.
Tall talk	Boastful talk
A thorn in the flesh	A constant source of annoyance	The noisy neighbour is a thorn in my flesh.
Through thick and thin	In all circumstances, good or bad	She stood by him through thick and thin.
Throw cold water on	Discourage (a plan or idea)	The boss threw cold water on our proposal.
Throw down the gauntlet	Issue a challenge	The champion threw down the gauntlet to all newcomers.
Throw in the towel	Admit defeat
Tie the knot	Get married	They tied the knot last winter.
Tit for tat	Retaliation in equal measure	The two countries imposed tit for tat tariffs.
To the backbone	Thoroughly; completely	He is honest to the backbone.
To the hilt	Completely; to the fullest extent	He is mortgaged to the hilt.
Toe the line	Obey the rules	New members are expected to toe the line.
Tooth and nail	With all one’s strength	The villagers fought tooth and nail against the eviction.
Turn a deaf ear	Refuse to listen	He turned a deaf ear to our advice.
Turn down	Reject; refuse	She turned down the job offer.
Turn out	Prove to be; attend	The rumour turned out to be false.
Turn over a new leaf	Change one’s behaviour for the better	After the warning, he turned over a new leaf.
Turn the corner	Pass the critical point and begin to improve	The patient has turned the corner and is recovering.
Turn the tables	Reverse the situation to gain the advantage	A late goal turned the tables on the visitors.
Turn the tide	Change the course of events, especially for the better	A brilliant spell turned the tide of the match.
Turn up	Appear or arrive	He turned up late for the meeting.
Under a cloud	Under suspicion	The officer retired under a cloud.
Under one’s thumb	Under someone’s complete control	The manager keeps his staff under his thumb.
Under the weather	Slightly unwell	I am feeling a bit under the weather today.
Up in arms	Angrily protesting	Residents are up in arms over the new tax.
Up the creek	In a difficult situation	We will be up the creek if the car breaks down here.
Up to the mark	Of the required standard	His work is not up to the mark.
Ups and downs	Good and bad times	Every business has its ups and downs.
Walk of life	A person’s occupation or social class	People from all walks of life attended the rally.
Walk on air	Feel extremely happy	After the interview she was walking on air.
Wash one's dirty linen in public	Discuss private quarrels in public
Wash one’s hands of	Refuse to take any further responsibility for	He washed his hands of the whole affair.
Water under the bridge	Past events that are no longer worth worrying about	Our old quarrel is water under the bridge now.
Wear one's heart on one's sleeve	Show one’s feelings openly
Wet behind the ears	Young and inexperienced	The new recruits are still wet behind the ears.
A wet blanket	A person who spoils others’ enjoyment
A white elephant	A costly possession that is useless and expensive to maintain	The unused stadium has become a white elephant.
A white lie	A harmless, polite untruth	She told a white lie to spare his feelings.
A wild goose chase	A hopeless, futile search	Looking for the ring on the beach was a wild goose chase.
Wind up	Bring to an end; close a business	The firm was wound up after the scandal.
With flying colours	With great success	He passed the test with flying colours.
A wolf in sheep's clothing	An enemy who pretends to be a friend
Word of mouth	Information passed on by speaking	The restaurant became popular by word of mouth.
Work out	Solve; end in a particular way	Things worked out well in the end.
Worth one’s salt	Competent and deserving of one’s pay	Any teacher worth her salt will encourage questions.
The writing on the wall	A clear sign that something bad will happen	The falling sales were the writing on the wall for the firm.
Yeoman's service	Excellent and useful service	The volunteers did yeoman’s service during the floods.
Zero hour	The moment when something important begins	Zero hour for the launch is 6 a.m.

Meanings are short study notes written for revision, not dictionary entries. When an option in the exam fits the sentence better, trust the sentence.