Idioms & Phrases

1) To let the cat out of the bag – to reveal a secret2) To keep the wolf from the door – to maintain oneself at a minimal level; to keep from starving,

freezing, etc3) To show the white feather – to show cowardice4) To beat black & blue – to beat severely5) To be in the pink – to be in perfect health6) A white paper – a government report7) To catch red handed – to catch in the act of stealing/ committing the crime8) A red carpet welcome – a respectable welcome9) A white elephant – an expensive thing10) Palmy days – prosperous days11) The fair sex – women12) A live wire – dynamic, active13) Sharp tongue – in the habit of using abusive language14) The sixth sense – intuition15) A vicious circle – a series of unwanted/unhappy/evil incidents16) The zero hour – an important part of time for launching something17) A feather in one’s cap – a symbol of honour and achievement18) Pros & cons – for and against19) To be in poor supply – scarcity20) Hard words – harsh language21) Dutch courage – courage shown by a drunken person22) Hot news – new or sensational news23) A rainy day – a time of financial difficulty24) An open secret – a secret known to all25) A bull in a china shop – a clumsy person, someone who upsets other people's plans

26) Bread and butter – food for livelihood27) Kith and kin – close relatives, family28) A big shot – an important person29) A shortcut – easier/shorter way30) Big words – boasting31) Alpha and omega – the beginning and the end32) An iron will – a strong will33) High life – aristocratic, rich life34) A rope of sand – a promise easily broken35) The golden rule – the best principle36) An apple of discord – a cause of quarrel37) A dead language – a language which is not spoken now38) To be dead against – to oppose staunchly, strongly

39) Come to a bad end – to become a criminal40) A herculean task – an extremely difficult task41) To pay homage to – to pay respects to42) Plunge into – to fall into43) Short and sweet – brief and impressive44) The salt of the earth – those of great worth and reliability45) Bag and baggage – with all belongings46) Way and means – methods47) To keep one’s word - to keep one’s promise48) By word of mouth – orally49) Null and void – legally invalid50) Castles in the air – daydreams, thinking or dreaming about something unattainable51)A storm in a teacup – much discussion about some unimportant thing52)To bring to book – to punish53)A cool head – being calm, composed 54)A child’s play – something easy55)Black and white – simple, clear and understandable56)To be well off – to be rich57)The fourth estate – the press58)A fool’s paradise – an illusionary world

59) To break the ice – to break the silence60) A yeoman’s service – helping or serving61) Between Scylla and charybdis – to choose between 2 unattractive choices/perils62) To turn over a new leaf – change for the better63) Hand and glove – intimate64) At sixes and sevens – in disorder65) At the eleventh hour – at the last moment66) To make a slip of the tongue – an accidental and usually trivial mistake in speaking67) To smell a rat – to suspect68) To pick holes – to find fault with69) To keep the ball rolling – to cause something that is in progress to continue70) To fall a prey – to become a victim to71) To break the news – to announce72) Come off with flying colours – win credit, being successful73) Cut coat according to cloth – adapt expenditure to income74) A cock and bull story – fictious story75) Chicken hearted – lacking courage76) Dance to one’s tunes – follow blindly, to always do what someone tells you to do, whether you

agree with it or not77) A dead letter – a law no longer in use 78) Rain cats and dogs – to rain heavily79) Not fit to hold candle to – person much inferior to or not to be compared with another80) Burn the midnight oil – to study late in the night

81) Burn candle at both ends – to regularly stay awake late and get up early 82) Burn one’s fingers – to get oneself into unexpected trouble due to rashness83) Miss the bus – lose an opportunity84) Keep body and soul together – remain alive85) Blow hot and cold – to be enthusiastic one moment and not interested the next86) Once in a blue moon – very rarely87) Between the devil and deep sea – in an inescapable position88) To make the best of a bad bargain – adapt as well as possible to a bad situation89) Apple of one’s eyes – the favourite object of one’s love or affection90) Lead to the altar – to marry91) Like hot cakes – in much demand92) A cake walk – an easy task93) Birds of a feather – people of like character94) The afternoon of life – beyond middle age95) Achilles’ heel – a weak spot, a fatal weakness in spite of overall strength, actually or potentially

leading to downfall96) With all of one’s heart – sincerely97) Keep one’s head above water – to be free from debt98) Go out of one’s head – go mad, act unpredictably99) Throw one’s hat in the ring – to accept a challenge100) Jack of all trades – one who knows something of everything101) A snake in the grass – a person who pretends to be friendly, a deceitful or treacherous

person102) A skeleton in the cupboard – a dark or embarrassing secret of the past103) The life and soul – essence, the most important part of104) By fair means or foul means – by good or evil methods105) A fly in the ointment – a cause for trouble, a small but irritating flaw that spoils the

whole thing 106) A wet blanket – one who dampens the atmosphere, tries to spoil others’ fun 107) To have clean hands – to be innocent108) To hold one’s head high – to be proud of 109) An eye opener – revealing, enlightening, informative110) To be on the last legs – at the end of one's strength or resources; ready to collapse, fail,

or die111) To pull the leg of – to tease112) An utopian scheme – excellent and ideal but impracticable113) The bill of fare – the menu114) By hook or crook – by any means, fair or unfair115) To turn a deaf ear to – to ignore116) A fish out of water – in strange circumstances, to feel out of place in a new place117) To jeer at – to make fun of118) A man of letters – someone who writes well

119) To die before one’s time – to die young120) To put two and two together – to guess the truth about a situation from pieces of

information121) To be born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth – to be born rich122) To have an axe to grind – have a dispute to take up with someone or, to have an ulterior

motive123) To nip in the bud – put an end to something at an early stage124) Cry over spilt milk – cry or complain about something that has already happened 125) By leaps and bounds – to grow larger very quickly, rapidly126) A turning point – a crucial point127) To read between the lines – to perceive or detect an obscure or unexpressed meaning128) To play with fire – to engage in dangerous activities129) Spare the rod – not beating a young child, student130) Gift of the gab – ability to speak in a persuasive and interesting way131) Out of the frying pan into the fire – get out of a bad situation only to find oneself in a

worse situation132) Own flesh and blood – to be related133) One foot in grave – almost dead

ANTONYMS

1 Believe x Incredible 23 Awful x pleasant2 On the edge x In the middle of 24 Remember x forget3 Float x Sink 25 Get rid of x retain4 Earsplitting x gentle 26 Plenty x shortage5 Taken over x given up 27 Accept x deny6 Terrible x pleasant 28 Hospitable x unfriendly7 Conscious x unconscious 29 Vanish x reappear8 Managed x failed 30 Entertain x ignore9 Gathered x dispersed 31 Independence x dependence10 Shame x fame 32 Amiable x unfriendly11 Thoughtful x senseless 33 Bewildered x clear12 Courage x weakness, cowardice 34 Grateful x ungrateful13 Wriggled x straightened 35 Enjoyed x suffered14 Strange x familiar 36 Resemble x differ15 Agree x disagree 37 Retreat x advance16 Difficult x easy 38 Arrive x depart17 Urgent x slow 39 Enormous x limited18 Pleaded x ordered, commanded 40 Mercy x unmerciful, pitiless19 Wonderful x tough 41 Weaker x powerful20 Scared x unafraid 42 Paradise x hell21 Aware x unaware 43 Conservation x destruction22 Admit x disagree 44 Attracted x repelled45 Always x never 91 Fickle x constant, steady

46 Funny x serious 92 Fragile x strong47 Normal x abnormal 93 Guilty x innocent48 Cover x unwrap 94 Homogeneous x heterogeneous49 Offensive x defensive 95 Haughty x meek50 Positive x negative 96 Gloomy x bright, cheerful51 Obeyed x disobeyed 97 Idle x busy52 Precious x valueless 98 Imminent x transcendent53 Blessed x cursed 99 Industrious x lazy54 Failure x success 100 Knowledge x ignorance55 Persuade x dissuade 101 Luxury x penury56 Agony x relief 102 Lament x rejoice57 Complete x partial 103 Latitude x longitude58 Dissected x joined 104 Liberate x enslave59 Obey x disobey 105 Material x spiritual60 Exit x entrance 106 Naive x sophisticated61 Excitement x dullness 107 Epilogue x prologue62 Standstill x move 108 Spendthrift x niggard63 Prolong x limit 109 Idealistic x pragmatic64 Exhausted x stored up, refreshed 110 Succeed x precede65 Crucial x unimportant 111 Demote x promote66 Familiar x uncommon 112 Wholesale x retail67 Content x discontent 113 Punish x reward68 Distant x nearby 114 Saint x sinner69 Brevity x long 115 Sacred x secular 70 Bonafide x malafide 116 Sympathy x antipathy71 Cautious x careless 117 Terrestrial x celestial72 Compulsory x optional 118 Thesis x antithesis73 Barren x fertile 119 Triumph x defeat74 Benediction x malediction 120 Variable x constant75 Convex x concave 121 Reluctant x ready76 Counterfeit x genuine 122 Urbane x rude77 Courtesy x rudeness 123 Poignant x blunt78 Deficit x surplus 124 Protected x jeopardized79 Democracy x autocracy 125 Praiseworthy x reprehensible80 Diligent x lazy 126 Tranquil x agitated81 Delete x insert 127 Active x passive82 Demolish x construct 128 Curious x uninquisitive83 Dynamic x static 129 Famous x notorious84 Elevation x depression 130 Ordinary x extraordinary85 Exaggeration x understatement 131 Stirred x unstirred, calm86 Economical x extravagant 132 Anxious x unconcerned87 Egoist/ egotist x modest, humble 133 Confidence x diffidence88 Excessive x deficient 134 Profit x loss89 Emigrant x immigrant 135 Dormant x active90 Fictious x real 136 Gigantic x dwarfish

137 Humble x proud

138 Comfort x discomfort

139 General x particular

140 Trivial x significant

141 Higher x lower

142 Regular x irregular

143 Modern x ancient

144 Simple x complex

145 Freedom x slavery

146 Betterment x deterioration

147 Expensive x cheap

148 Optimistic x cheap

149 Slimy x fat

150 Normal x abnormal

151 Abandon x keep

152 Abolish x establish

153 Adversity x prosperity

154 Admonish x praise

155 Abstract x concrete

156 Affluence x poverty

157 Assent x dissent

158 Ascend x descend

159 Alien x native

160 Amuse x bore

161 Appreciate x depreciate

162 Ample x scanty