CSS – Idioms & Phrases (2010-2020)

 CSS – Idioms & Phrases (2010-2020)

1.      Make for

2.      Yeoman’s service: exceptionally good, useful, or loyal service or assistance.

Use: Sir Syed Ahmed Khan rendered “Yeoman’s Service” to the Muslims of the sub-continent Ino-Pak.

3.      A casting vote: The deciding vote of a presiding officer in an assembly or council, exercised when there is a deadlock due to tie

Use: Without the hesitation the General threw his casting vote in favour of the ………

Or Finally, the president exercised his casting vote, and the matter was amicably and legally setted.

4.      Look down upon: to consider………..jesser or inferior in some way consider on less intelligent than you are /dumb / stupid.

Use: You must not look down upon him just because he is a ………

5.      Out of the wood: Out of danger or difficulty / hazardous situation

Use: Your financial situation can improve, but you may have its wait till next year before you are entirely “out of the woods”.

6.      Under the harrow: Distress, subjected to actual torture, great affliction, oppression.

Use: She was kept “Under the horrow” for four year in jail/prison.

7.      A gold digger: A woman who forms relationship with men to obtain gifts from them.

Use: She is a “gold digger”. If you have money everything will be alright.

8.      Walk with God: To live in obedience to God’s commands.

Use: Islam teaches us to submit ourselves to Allah, and walk with God, all the time.

9.      On the thin ice: Unsafe, Vulnerable, risky, dangerous situation.

Use: Parents warned their children not to walk “on the thin ice”; they should avoiding staying in bad company.

10.  A queer fish: A person whose behavior seems strange or unusual

Use: She is a bit and fort of a queer fish.

11.  To eat one’s words: regret, retiact, or feel foolish about what one his previously said.

Use: He said, he would never sell his car but when he saw sale’s figures, he had to “eat his words”

12.  Dog in the manger: Someone who insists on processing … they don’t want or need out of spite to prevent …….. from having it.

Use: We asked our neighbor for the fence posts he had left over, but, like dog in the manger, he threw them out rather than giving them to us.

13.  A close shave: a narrow escape from serious danger or trouble.

Use: I have a “close shave” this morning, some idiot almost knocked me off my bike.

14.  A Freudian slip: a slip of the tongue that is motivated by and reveals some unconscious aspect of the mind.

Use: Many claim that it was a ‘Freudian slip’ a that the PM really believes that saved the world during the financial crisis.

15.  A Gordian Knot: an extremely difficult or involved problem.

Use: Kosovo issue is a Gordian knot in the balkams at all times.

16.  Bread the lion in his den : Compete/ confront / challenge someone on their own ground     

Use: if you don’t face risk and bread the loin in his den, you will never achieve the success you truly desire.

17.  Groan inwardly: feel dismayed by ---- but remain silent.

Use: Tom groaned inwardly, hoping he wasn’t making any noise.

18.  Chicken out: breakdown, avoid, beg off, cancel, resign, to decline

Use: I was going to apply for this job but I chickened out.

19.   Spirit away: Kidnap, capture, hijack, seize, steal, abduct.

Use: The pop start was spirit away at the end of the concert before his fans could get near her.

20.  The whole ball of wax: Everthing

Use: John is in charge of marketing, personnel, sales – the whole ball of wax.

21.  It is about time: once and for all, finally, after all, at last, sooner or later.

Use: I am nearly 31, and its about time I had something to show for my time in my job.

22.  Punch – up: a disorderly bout of fighting with the fists; a brawl, strengthen, augment, reinforce, stoke.

Use: The arguments ended in a punch – up.

23.  To militate against: to make the less likely to happen or succeed.

Use: His inexperience militates against his getting an early promotion.

24.  To be cognizant of: fully informed; conscious

Use: I am fully cognizant of the effects of sedatives on one’s ability to drive.

25.  Wages of sin: The results or consequences of evil doing.

Use: She ate all of the strawberries and ended up with a terrible stomachache – the wages of sin, no doubt.

26.  Smash hit: play, triumph, crowning, achievement, theatre, comedy.

Use: He says he will have enough time to relax, when he shall be able to smash hit with his first novel.

27.  To keep one’s finger crossed: To hope that nothing will happen is bring bad luck, ruins one’s plans.

Sentence: I am keeping my finger crossed about the result.

28.  With one’s tongue in one’s cheek : in a way that is not serious and that meant to be funny.

Sentence: After waiting in line for an hour, I didn’t appreciate the clerk’s tongue – in – cheek comment.

29.  A storm in the tea cup: great outrage or excitement about a trivial matter.

Use: She won’t be angry for long; its only a storm in a tea cup.

30.  To walk through one’s hat: talk foolishly, wildly or ignorantly.

Use: He is talking through his hat when he says he’ll make the team.

31.  Unearthly hour: a time of day that is unreasonably earthy or late.

Use: He called a meeting at some unearthly hour of the morning.

32.  The milk of human kindness: An innate sense of compassion for others

Use: There is no milk of human kindness is that girl – she is totally selfish.

33.  A rule of thumb: Rule that it is wise to follow, criterion, unwritten rule.

Use: As a rule of thumb, you should cook a chicken for 20 minute for each pound that it weighs.

34.  Out and Out: Intensive, prefect, positive, exhaustive, demanding comprehensive, radical.

Use: He is a layman out and out, so you had better not let him fold things up.

35.  Murphy’s law: humorous maxim stating that anything that can go wrong will  go wrong.

Use: One can’t blame Murphy’s Law for everything that goes wrong in one’s life.

36.  A place in the sun: A favourable position, recognition, fame.

Use: He has been struggling to achieve a place in the sun for last ten years.

37.  Go bananas: rave, go insane, freak out, go crazy, talk endlessly.

Use: Love is making you go bananas.

The passenger went bananas when they realized that their plane would be delayed by 5 hours.

38.  Wooden spoon: An ironic prize for finishing last a competition.

Use: Javeria took the wooden spoon in the first tournament.

39.  Cap in hand: humbly asking for a favour.

Use: He approached his teacher with cap in hand and requested for an appointment.

40.  Hold out a carrot: Entice by offering an advantage.

Use: The parents held out the carrot of a new bicycle to make their son study harder.

41.  Over the moon: Extremely happy, delighted

Use: They are going on holiday, so they are all over the moon.

42.  Show and tell: Public presentation, display, sharing.

Use: Sarah and Mark always invite us over for show and tell with the photos they look.

43.  Penny wise € pound foolish: unwise because doing the small now would prevent much more trouble.

Use: don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. The cheap gas will ruin your car’s engine in the long run.

44.  Itching palm: A desire for money, greed, wanting a bribe.

Use: The porter has an itching palm, he wants a big tip.

45.  Helter – skelter: with undue hurry and confusion, chaotic, haphazard, hastily, carelessly.

Use: People were screaming and running helter – skelter down the step to escape the flames.

46.  To the death: until someone is dead, until you achieve even if it means that you suffer.

Use: The leadership election has become a fight to the death.

47.  Tilt at windmills: fighting imaginary enemies

Use: I will not get involves in this issue. I’ve already wasted too much of my life tilting at windmills.

48.  Het up: angry, agitated

Use: Her husband is all het up about something.

49.  A swan song: A final performance, accomplishment , as due to death, retirement, closure.

Use: I am resigning tomorrow, this project was my swan song.

50.  Iconoclast: a person who attacks established or traditional concepts, principles, laws, etc – destroyer of images used in religious worship critic , sceptic, questioner, rebel, original

Use: Mr. Davis is well known as an iconoclast who punctures the comforting myths of countries that history has blessed with conquest, expansion and linguistic dominance.

51.  Discretion is the better part of valour: it is better to avoid a dangerous situation than to confront it / caution is more important than bravery.

Use: The man I admire the most has always taught me that discretion is the greater part of valour.

52.  A cog in the machine: a small or insignificant member of a large organization or system.

Use: I am just a cog in the machine of a big insurance company.

53.  A sugar daddy: a rich older man lavishes gifts on a young woman in returns for her company.

Use: Don’t go near to him. He is a sugar daddy.

54.  A wet blanket: a person who spoils other people’s fun by failing to join in with or by disapproving of their activities.

Use: Don’t bring Robert to the picnic. He is such a wet blanket.

55.  Wool gathering: day – dreaming, building castles in air, distraction

Use: He’s a poet. I‘ve always found him absorbed in wool gathering.

56.  Cold comfort: poor or inadequate consolation.

Use: A small drop in the inflation rate was cold comfort for the millions without jobs.

57.  To wash one’s dirty linen in public: to air private problems publicly or to unveil private matter in public.

Use: My parents have taught me not to wash my dirty lumen in public.

58.   To pay through the nose: to pay too much money for something

Use: We paid through the nose to get the car fixed.

59.  To lose face: be embarrassed or humiliated – publicly

Use: If you don’t want to lose face, the gift should not be too cheap.

60.  To bring grist to the mill: something that you can use in order to help you to succeed.

Use: As an actor, all experience is grist to the mill.

61.  Plough back: to reinvest (the profit of a business) in the same business

Use: Companies can plough back their profits into new equipment.

62.  Eager beaver: industrious person, ambitious, busy person.

Use: He seems never to know what tiredness is, and he is really an eager beaver.

63.  Ring a bell: recall, recognize, remember, awaken.

Use: The doctor said that seeing her husband face should ring bell and relieve her amnesia.

64.  Be left holding the baby: be left with an unwelcome responsibility.

Use: He was left holding the financial baby when his musical partner joined another bond.

65.  The primose path: the pursuit of pleasure, easy and pleasant life

Use: On one side of the road was a scattering of ordinary houses, on the other hand primose path to eternity.

66.  Break one’s fall: interrupt a tumble or descent.

Use: A pile of leaves broke her fail when she slipped off the roof of the shed.

67.  Wash one’s hand of: To absolve oneself of responsibility or blame for, to refuse to have anu further involment with.

Use: She can’t wait to wash her hands of the whole project.

68.  To become reconcile to: to bring into harmony, accord balance with something.

Use: His courage and faith reconciled him to possible deal on the battle field.