250+ Most Important Idioms & Phrases
| S.No. | Idioms & Phrases | Meaning |
| 1. | Rank and File | Ordinary People |
| 2. | By fits and starts | In short periods, not regularly |
| 3. | A wee bit | A little |
| 4. | Out of the wood | Free from difficulties and dangers |
| 5. | Under his thumb | Under his control |
| 6. | At one’s wits end | In a state where one does not know what to do |
| 7. | Between the devil and the deep sea | Between two dangers |
| 8. | Burn the midnight oil | Work or study hard |
| 9. | Call a spade a spade | Speak frankly and directly |
| 10. | Come off with flying colors | Be highly successful |
| 11. | Hoping against hope | Without hope |
| 12. | Hit the nail on the head | Do or say the exact thing |
| 13. | An axe to grind | A personal interest in the matter |
| 14. | To get rid of | Dispose of |
| 15. | At daggers drawn | Bitterly hostile |
| 16. | To play ducks and drakes | To act foolishly or inconsistently |
| 17. | To take the bull by the horns | To tackle a problem in a bold and direct fashion |
| 18. | Rain cats and dogs | Rain heavily |
| 19. | To move heaven and earth | To make a supreme effort |
| 20. | No avail | Without any result |
| 21. | Bark up the wrong tree | Accuse or denounce the wrong person |
| 22. | Keep one at bay | Keep one at a distance |
| 23. | Make a clean breast of it | Confess – especially when a person has done a wrong thing |
| 24. | Have a card up one’s sleeve | Have a secret plan in reserve |
| 25. | Like a cat on hot bricks | Very nervous |
| 26. | Cat and dog life | Life full of quarrels |
| 27. | Cock and bull story | Made up story that one should not believe |
| 28. | Cry for the moon | Ask for the impossible |
| 29. | The pros and cons | The various aspects of a matter in detail |
| 30. | Be in a tight corner | In a very difficult situation |
| 31. | Cross one’s t’s and dot | Be precise, careful and one’s i’s exact |
| 32. | At arm’s length | To keep at a distance |
| 33. | Out of the question | Impossible |
| 34. | Out of the way | Strange |
| 35. | Show a clean pair of heals | Run away |
| 36. | Keep one’s fingers crossed | The anxiety in which you hope that nothing will upset your plans |
| 37. | In the nick of time | Just at the last moment |
| 38. | Sitting on the fence | Hesitate between two decisions |
| 39. | Spread like wild fire | Spread quickly |
| 40. | The gift of the gab | Talent for speaking |
| 41. | By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| 42. | Feather one’s own nest | Make money unfairly |
| 43. | Throw out of gear | Disturb the work |
| 44. | Take to one’s heels | Run away |
| 45. | Tooth and nail | With all one’s power |
| 46. | Die in harness | Die while in service |
| 47. | Take a leaf out of one’s book | Imitate one |
| 48. | Leave no stone unturned | Use all available means |
| 49. | A man of straw | A man of no substance |
| 50. | Read between the lines | Understand the hidden meaning |
| 51. | In cold blood | Deliberately and without emotion |
| 52. | A thorn in the flesh | A constant source of annoyance |
| 53. | Smell a rat | Suspect something foul |
| 54. | Harp on the same string | Dwell on the same subject |
| 55. | Bury the hatchet | End the quarrel and make peace |
| 56. | Leave one in the lurch | Desert one in difficulties; leave one in a helpless condition |
| 57. | Like a fish out of water | In a strange situation |
| 58. | At one’s beck and call | Under his control |
| 59. | To make both ends meet | To live within one’s income |
| 60. | In hot water | In trouble |
| 61. | Nip in the bud | Destroy in the early stage |
| 62. | Stick to one’s guns | Remain faithful to the cause |
| 63. | To eat humble pie | To apologize humbly and to yield under humiliating circumstances |
| 64. | In high spirits | Very happy |
| 65. | Put the cart before the horse | Put or do things in the wrong order |
| 66. | To all names | To abuse |
| 67. | On tenterhooks | In a state of suspense and anxiety |
| 68. | Wash one’s dirty linen | Discuss unpleasant in public-private matters before strangers |
| 69. | To bell the cat | To face the risk |
| 70. | A hard nut to crack | A difficult problem |
| 71. | Let the cat out of the bag | Reveal a secret |
| 72. | A big gun | An important person |
| 73. | Kill two birds with one stone | To achieve two results with one effort |
| 74. | Take one to task | Rebuke |
| 75. | Gain ground | Become Popular |
| 76. | To blow one’s own | To praise one’s own trumpet achievement |
| 77. | A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| 78. | A brown study | Dreaming |
| 79. | Turn a deaf ear | Disregard / ignore what one says |
| 80. | A close shave | Narrow escape |
| 81. | Turn over a new leaf | Change for the better |
| 82. | Make up one’s mind | Decide |
| 83. | In the long run | Eventually; ultimately |
| 84. | Bring to light | Disclose |
| 85. | Pay off old scores | Take revenge |
| 86. | Hard and fast rules | Strict rules |
| 87. | At the eleventh hour | At the last moment |
| 88. | A close shave | Narrow escape |
| 89. | To cut a sorry figure | To make a poor show |
| 90. | With a high hand | Oppressively |
| 91. | Burn one’s fingers | Get into trouble by interfering in other’s affairs |
| 92. | Laugh one’s head off | Laugh heartily |
| 93. | Chew the cud | Ponder over something |
| 94. | Play second fiddle | Take an unimportant part |
| 95. | Above board | Honest and open |
| 96. | Through thick and thin | Under all conditions |
| 97. | Put a spoke in one’s wheel | To upset one’s plans |
| 98. | At sixes and sevens | In a disordered/disorganized manner, chaotic |
| 99. | At home | Comfortable |
| 100. | Alpha and omega | The beginning and the end |
| 101. | At sea | Confused and lost |
| 102. | A bosom friend | A very close friend |
| 103. | At one’s beck and call | At one’s service |
| 104. | By leaps and bounds | Rapidly |
| 105. | To burn one’s boats | Go back on a decision |
| 106. | To beat about the bush | Talk irrelevantly |
| 107. | To burn candle at both ends | To waste lavishly |
| 108. | Take one to task | Rebuke |
| 109. | A bone of contention | A source of quarrel |
| 110. | Add fuel to the fire | To aggravate the situation |
| 111. | An acid test | A critical test |
| 112. | At a snail’s pace | Very slowly |
| 113. | A bolt from the blue | Something unexpected |
| 114. | To build castles in the air | Make imaginary schemes |
| 115. | Once in a blue moon | Something that happens very rarely |
| 116. | Beating around the bush | Avoiding the main topic |
| 117. | Cry over spilled milk | Complaining about a loss or failure from the past |
| 118. | Chip on your shoulder | When someone is upset about something that happened a while ago |
| 119. | Piece of cake | Something that is easy to understand or do |
| 120. | Golden handshake | A big sum of money given to a person when he/she leaves a company or retires |
| 121. | Spill the beans | To disclose a secret |
| 122. | Blessing in disguise | Something good and useful that did not initially seem that way |
| 123. | Mean business | Being Serious or Dedicated |
| 124. | Come hell or high water | Possible obstacles in your path |
| 125. | Apple of one’s eye | Being cherished |
| 126. | Bite off more than you can chew | Not able to complete a task due to lack of ability |
| 127. | The best of both worlds | The benefits of widely differing situations, enjoyed at the same time |
| 128. | Feeling a bit under the weather | Feeling slightly ill |
| 129. | Icing on the cake | Something that turns good into great |
| 130. | Cost an arm and a leg | Be very expensive |
| 131. | Jump the bandwagon | To join a popular activity or trend |
| 132. | Ball is in your court | When it is up to you to make the next decision or step |
| 133. | To be in the doldrums | To be in low spirits |
| 134. | To sit on the fence | To remain neutral |
| 135. | Break the ice | To initiate a social conversation or interaction |
| 136. | Hear it on grapevine | To hear rumors about something or someone |
| 137. | Can’t judge a book by its cover | Cannot judge something primarily on appearance |
| 138. | It takes two to tango | Actions or communications need more than one person |
| 139. | Let the cat out of the bag | To reveal the secret carelessly or by mistake |
| 140. | Black and blue | Full of Bruises |
| 141. | Be on cloud nine | Be very happy |
| 142. | Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| 143. | A bird’s eye view | A view from a very high place that allows you to see a very large area |
| 144. | A litmus Test | A method that helps to know if something is correct |
| 145. | At the drop of a hat | Willingness to do something instantly |
| 146. | Afraid of one’s own shadow | To become easily frightened |
| 147. | A house of cards | A poor plan |
| 148. | Fool’s paradise | False sense of happiness |
| 149. | Get a raw deal | To not be treated as well as other people |
| 150. | Give cold shoulder | To ignore |
| 151. | Hand to mouth | Live on only basic necessities |
| 152. | Make a face | To show dislike or disappointment through facial expressions |
| 153. | It’s Greek to me | Something that is not understandable |
| 154. | To pour oil on troubled waters | To make peace |
| 155. | Don’t put all your eggs in one basket | Do not put all your resources in one basket (in one place or thing) |
| 156. | To put in a nutshell | To say in a few words or to make something concise |
| 157. | Back out | To withdraw from a promise or contract |
| 158. | Blow up | To explode |
| 159. | Back Up | To support and sustain |
| 160. | Back Upon | To be relevant |
| 161. | Break Down | Failure in something |
| 162. | Break off | To end or discontinue |
| 163. | Break Up | To disperse / dissolve |
| 164. | Bring up | To rear |
| 165. | Call forth | To provoke |
| 166. | Call out | To shout |
| 167. | Call upon | To order |
| 168. | Carry on | To continue |
| 169. | Cast away | To throw aside |
| 170. | Catch up with | To overtake |
| 171. | Come off | To take place |
| 172. | Cry Down | To make little of |
| 173. | Catch up with | To overtake |
| 174. | Cry out against | To complain loudly against |
| 175. | Cut out | Designed for |
| 176. | Drop in | To Visit Casually |
| 177. | Drop out | To fall |
| 178. | Fall back | To Recede; To Retreat |
| 179. | Fall down | From a higher position to a lower one |
| 180. | Fall off | To Withdraw; To Drop Off |
| 181. | Fall under | To come under |
| 182. | Get along | To Prosper; To Progress; To Proceed |
| 183. | Get on with | To Live Pleasantly Together; To Progress |
| 184. | Get into | To be involved in |
| 185. | Give in | To Surrender; To Yield |
| 186. | Give over | Not to do any longer |
| 187. | Go after | To Follow; To Pursue |
| 188. | Go Down | To be accepted |
| 189. | Go without | To remain without |
| 190. | Go by | To follow |
| 191. | Hang about | To Loiter near a place |
| 192. | Hang upon | To depend upon |
| 193. | Hold out | To Endure; To Refuse to yield; To continue; To offer |
| 194. | Hold to | Abide By |
| 195. | Keep off | To ward off |
| 196. | Keep up with | To keep pace with |
| 197. | Knock out | To win by hitting another one |
| 198. | It takes two to tango | Both people involved in a bad situation are responsible for it |
| 199. | Last straw | The final problem in a series of problems |
| 200. | Keep something at bay | Keep something away |
| 201. | Kill two birds with one stone | To solve two problems at a time with just one action |
| 202. | Let sleeping dogs lie | Leave something alone if it might cause trouble |
| 203. | Open the floodgates | Release something that was previously under control |
| 204. | Out of the blue | Happen unexpectedly |
| 205. | Out on a limb | Do something risky |
| 206. | Over the Top | Totally excessive and not suitable for the occasion |
| 207. | Pen is mightier than the sword | Words and communication have a greater effect than war |
| 208. | Push one’s luck | Trying to obtain more than what one has |
| 209. | Reap the harvest | Benefit or suffer as a direct result of past actions |
| 210. | Roll up sleeves | To get yourself prepared |
| 211. | See eye to eye | To be in agreement with |
| 212. | Shot in the dark | A complete guess |
| 213. | Sink your teeth into | Do something with a lot of energy and enthusiasm |
| 214. | Take with a grain/pinch of salt | To doubt theaccuracy of information |
| 215. | Skating on thin ice | Do or say something risky |
| 216. | Tight spot | A difficult situation |
| 217. | Strike while the iron is hot | To act at the right time |
| 218. | Take the plunge | Venture into something of one’s interest despite the risks involved |
| 219. | Take a nosedive | Rapid drop or decrease in value |
| 220. | Think the world of | Admire someone very much |
| 221. | Stand in a good stead | To be useful or be of good service to someone |
| 222. | Take a back seat | Choose to be less important in a role |
| 223. | Wave a dead chicken | Do something useless |
| 224. | Whale of a time | Enjoy a lot |
| 225. | Wrap one’s brain around | Concentrate on something to understand |
| 226. | Zero in on something | Focus all attention on one thing |
| 227. | Above all | Chiefly, Mainly |
| 228. | On Account of | Due to |
| 229. | On no account | Not for Any Reason |
| 230. | A Fidus Achates | A faithful friend or a devoted follower |
| 231. | The Heel of Achilles | A Weak Point |
| 232. | An Adonis | A very handsome man |
| 233. | To assume airs | To affect superiority |
| 234. | To stand aloof | To keep to oneself and not mix with others |
| 235. | To lead to the altar | To marry |
| 236. | An Ananias | A Liar |
| 237. | An Apollo | A Man with Perfect Physique |
| 238. | To Upset the Apple Cart | To disturb the peace |
| 239. | Apple Pie Order | In perfect order |
| 240. | Arcadian Life | A blissful, happy, rural and simple life |
| 241. | To take up arms | To fight or go to the war |
| 242. | To Grind | To have some selfish objective in view |
| 243. | To break the back of anything | To perform the most difficult part |
| 244. | To backbite a person | To speak disguise about someone |
| 245. | He has no backbone | He has no will of his own |
| 246. | To cause bad blood | To Cause Enmity |
| 247. | Bag and Baggage | With all one’s belongings |
| 248. | To keep the ball rolling | To keep things going |
| 249. | Barmecide feast | Imaginary Benefits |
| 250. | Bee-line | The shortest distance between two places |
| 251. | Behind one’s back | Without one’s Knowledge |
| 252. | Behind the scenes | In Private |
| 253. | To hit below the belt | To act unfairly in a contest |
| 254. | To bite the dust | To be Defeated in Battle |
| 255. | A Wet Blanket | A person who discourages enjoyment or enthusiasm |
| 256. | In Cold Blood | Deliberately |
| 257. | A blue Stocking | A learned/educated or intellectual woman |
| 258. | At First Blush | At first sight |
| 259. | A Bolt from the Blue | Something completely unexpected that surprises you |
| 260. | One’s bread and butter | One’s means of livelihood |
| 261. | To breadth one’s last | To Die |
| 262. | To make bricks without straw | To attempt to do something without proper materials |
| 263. | To kick the bucket | To die |
| 264. | Good wine needs no bush | There is no need to advertise something good |
| 265. | To burn the candle at both ends | To expend energy in two directions at the same time |
| 266. | If the cap fits, wear it | If you think the remarks refer to you, then accept the criticism |
| 267. | Care killed the cat | Don’t fret and worry yourself to death |
| 268. | To Catch one’s eye | To attract attention |
| 269. | To take the chair | To preside a meeting |
| 270. | She is no chicken | She is older than she says |
| 271. | To pick and choose | To make a careful selection |
| 272. | To square the circle | To attempt something impossible |
| 273. | Every cloud has a silver lining | Adverse conditions do not last forever |
| 274. | Close fisted | Mean |
| 275. | Cut your cloth according to your cloth | Live within your income |
| 276. | A cock and bull story | A foolishly incredible story |
| 277. | To be cock sure | To be perfectly sure or certain |
| 278. | To throw cold water upon anything | To discourage efforts |
| 279. | Off color | Not in the usual form |
| 280. | To commit to memory | To learn by heart |
| 281. | Too many cooks spoil the broth | Where there are more workers than necessary |
| 282. | Crocodile tears | Hypocritical Tears |
| 283. | By hook or by crook | By fair or foul means |
| 284. | Cut and dried | Readymade |
| 285. | Up to date | Recent |
| 286. | Evil days | A period of misfortune |
| 287. | Halcyon Days | A time when there are peace and happiness in the land |
| 288. | To step into dead man’s shoes | To come into an inheritance |
| 289. | Go to the devil | Be off |
| 290. | Devil’s bones | Dice |
| 291. | Devil’s Playthings | Playing Cards |
| 292. | Give a dog a bad name and hang him | Once a person loses his reputation |
| 293. | Every dog has his day | Sooner or later, everyone has his share of good fortune |
| 294. | To throw dust in one’s eyes | To try to deceive someone or mislead someone |
| 295. | A white elephant | A useless possession which is extremely expensive to keep |
| 296. | To set the Thames on fire | To do something sensational or remarkable |
| 297. | A burnt child dreads the fire | One who has had a previous unpleasant experience is always scared of situations where such experiences are likely to be repeated |
| 298. | A fish out of water | Anyone in an awkward |
| 299. | Foul play | Cheating |
| 300. | To jump from a frying pan into fire | To come out of one trouble and get into a worse |
| 301. | All that glitters are not gold | Things are not always as attractive as they appear |
| 302. | To die in harness | To continue at one’s occupation until death |
| 303. | Make hay while the sun shines | Take advantage of all opportunities |
| 304. | Lock, stock and barrel | The whole of everything |
| 305. | A miss is as good as a mile | Comes nowhere near it. If someone narrowly misses the target it still is treated as a missed one or failure. |
| 306. | To move heaven and earth | To exert all efforts |
| 307. | One swallow does not make a summer | It is unreliable to base one’s conclusions on only a single test or incident |
| 308. | If wishes were horses, beggars might ride | If wishing could make things happen, then even the most destitute people would have everything they wanted |
| 309. | A nine days’ wonder | An event which relates a sensation for a time but is soon forgotten |
| 310. | Yellow press | Newspapers which publish sensational and unscrupulous stories and exaggerates the news to attract readers. |
| 311. | A ball park figure | A general financial figure |
| 312. | To balance the books | To make certain that the amount of money spent is not more than the amount of money received. |
| 313. | A cash cow | A product or service that makes a lot of money for a company |
| 314. | Devil’s Advocate | To present a counter argument |
| 315. | Don’t give up the day job | You are not very good at something. You could not do it professionally. |
| 316. | To cook the books | To modify financial statements |
| 317. | To get the sack | To be dismissed from your job |
| 318. | To be snowed under | To be very busy |
| 319. | To work your fingers to the boneOrTo sweat blood | To work really hard |
| 320. | Hear it on the grapevine | To hear rumors |
| 321. | In the heat of the moment | Overwhelmed by what is happening in the moment |
| 322. | Not a spark of decency | No Manners |
| 323. | Speak of the devil! | This expression is used when the person you have just been talking about arrives |
| 324. | Whole nine yards | Everything. All of it |
| 325. | Your guess is as good as mine | To have no idea about anything |