2.5 Idioms and Phrases

Idioms:

Idioms are groups of words put together as a unit with a particular meaning. The meaning of the word is

not literal. For example, if one says that “the cat is out of the bag” then it does not literally mean the cat is out of the bag, but it has a figurative meaning which means “the secret is out”. That’s why the meaning of idioms cannot be assumed based on the individual meaning of the words but by studying the words as a unit.

Example for Idioms: “Kick the bucket”. The meaning of the expression is different from the literal meaning or definition of the word of which it is made. The meaning is used figuratively – “to die”.

Phrases:

A Phrase, on the other hand, is a small group of words put together as a conceptual unit. It does not take a figurative meaning. The meaning of the word is literal. It can be long or short but it does not include the subject-verb pairing, necessary to make a clause. For example, ‘looking stunning’; to live and breathe’; ‘comfortable bed’.

Example for Phrases:

Next week, Prasanth has planned to visit the countryside. In the above sentence, to visit the countryside is a phrase with the conceptual meaning of going on a visit to the countryside.
The child hid under the stairs when the mother called her for a bath. In the above sentence, under the

stairs is a phrase.

Some Idioms and their Meanings:

Food Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
Bad Egg	A dishonest or ill-behaved person.	He was a bad egg.
A piece of cake	A task that can be accomplished very easily.	English is a piece of cake.
A couch potato	An idle person	After quitting his job, he became a couch potato, spending all day watching TV and doing nothing productive.
Bread and butter	The necessities	Clean water and shelter are the bread and butter of life—everyone needs them to survive.
A smart cookie	A clever person	She figured out the puzzle in no time—she’s a real smart cookie!
Big cheese	An important person	Everyone was nervous when the big cheese of the company walked into the office.
Apple of my eye	Someone who is cherished above all others	My little brother is the apple of my eye—I love him more than anything.

Sport Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
The ball is in your court	It is your turn to make a decision.	I’ve done more than my share in this partnership. The ball is in your court to decide what happens next.
Saved by the bell	Saved by a last minute intervention.	The accused was saved by the bell otherwise the judge would have pronounced the sentence today itself.
To strike out	To fail at something	He really struck out during the interview by forgetting the company’s name.
Jump for joy	Happy	She jumped for joy when she got accepted into her dream college.
On the ball	Fully aware and in control of a situation	The new manager is really on the ball—she solved the problem before it got worse.
Front runner	Expected to win or succeed	With his experience and popularity, he’s the front runner in the election.

Number Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
On cloud nine	Blissfully happy.	The grandmother was on cloud nine to see her grandson after a long time.
At sixes and sevens	Confused or in a state of disorder.	The government were at sixes and sevens over what to do about the unemployment rate.
One-horse town	Very small town or village	After growing up in a one-horse town, moving to the city felt like stepping into another world.
Take five	Take a short break	We’ve been working for hours—let’s take five and grab some water.
Seventh heaven	Very happy about something	She was in seventh heaven when she saw her favorite band perform live.
Perfect ten	Completely perfect	His performance on stage was a perfect ten—flawless from start to finish.

Colours Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
Caught red-handed	To catch someone in the act of doing something.	He was caught red-handed while stealing those candy bars.
Black sheep	To be the outcast, odd one out, unlike the others.	Rachel is the black sheep in the team.
Out of the blue	Randomly, surprisingly	Out of the blue, she got a call from an old friend she hadn’t heard from in years.
Once in a blue moon	Very rarely	We go out for a fancy dinner only once in a blue moon.
Gray area	Unclear, undefined	The rules about working from home are still a gray area in our company.
A golden opportunity	A good chance to get something valuable	Landing an internship at that tech company is a golden opportunity for his career.

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
Green with envy	To be very jealous envious	Saif was green with envy when he saw my new car.
Take the red eye	A late night flight that arrives early in the morning	Harish took the red eye from California to New York last night and now he is exhausted.
Tickled pink	To be extremely pleased	My aunt was tickled pink that you called on her birthday.
Black as a skillet	Used to describe something that is very dirty, black with dirt	You clothes are as black as a skillet after cleaning the car.
Blue collar	Used to describe men used as labourers or factory workers	The company got rid of a lot of the blue-collar workers during the recession.
Browned off	To be bored or annoyed with someone or something	Children are always browned off when their neighbour comes to visit.
White wash something	To cover up our faith or wrongdoings	The organization was accused of trying to white wash the scandal over charity pay outs.
A yellow streak	Someone who has cowardice in their character	My neighbour has a yellow streak and he will not help me, if I have problem.
Grey matter	Brains, intelligence	I wish my brother would use his grey matter more effectively when he is planning something.
In black and white	In writing, officially	Put down your complaint in black and white.
Black and blue	Bruised	My shoulder was black and blue after I fell down.

Animal Idioms

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
At a snail’s pace	Moving very slowly.	Traffic is moving at a snail’s pace.
Let the cat out of the bag	Reveal a secret.	Who let the cat out of the bag about the surprise party?
The lion’s share	The biggest part	During the meeting, the manager took the lion’s share of the credit for the team’s success.
Watch like a hawk	Watching carefully	The teacher watched the students like a hawk during the exam to prevent cheating.
Fish out of water	Very uncomfortable	He felt like a fish out of water at the fancy dinner party, not knowing which fork to use.
Mad as a hornet	Extremely angry	She was mad as a hornet when she found out someone had scratched her car.
Open a can of worms	Create a whole new set of problems	That discussion of yours will open a can of worms.
The world is your oyster	You have many good opportunities in front of you	Mohan has graduated from a wonderful university, so the world is his oyster!

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
Monkey around with (someone or something)	To play with or waste time with someone or something	My maid’s son spent the morning monkeying around with an old radio.
As meek as a lamb	Quiet, docile, meek	The new secretary is as meek as a lamb.
Get your ducks in a row	Organise things	The domain expert will review the project to make sure that all the ducks are in a row.
Hold your horses	Slow down, stop	Hold your horses! There’s no need to rush.
Let sleeping dogs lie	Leave it alone, leave something in peace	Finally, they decided to let sleeping dogs lie and not discuss the matter any further.
Chicken out	To decide not to do something out of fear	Don’t chicken out of the programme because you have to compete.
Make a bee line	Go straight for something	As soon as my friend got off the plane she made a bee line to the cafeteria.
Until the cows come home	For a very long time	Shailaja wouldn’t mind listening to music till the cows come home
A lone wolf	Someone who prefers to spend time alone and has few friends	That boy is a lone wolf and spends most of his time alone.
A dumb bunny	A stupid or gullible person	Sam is a dumb bunny and everyone makes fun of him.
Have a whale of a time	To have an exciting and interesting time	We had a whale of a time at the party.
Hungry as a bear	Being very hungry	After skipping lunch, I was as hungry as a bear by dinner time.
Gruff as a bear	Being unsociable, speaking in a very abrupt, rude way	Don’t mind Mr. Harris—he’s as gruff as a bear but has a kind heart deep down.
Take the bear by the tooth	Put oneself in a dangerous position	Challenging the boss in front of the whole team was like taking the bear by the tooth.
As busy as a hibernating bear	Remaining idle	All weekend he lay on the couch, as busy as a hibernating bear.
A bear hug	Put one’s arms around someone and hug them affectionately	She ran to her dad and gave him a big bear hug when he returned from his trip.
A bear market	A period of time when investors are more likely to sell rather than buy shares	Investors are nervous because the stock market has entered a bear market.

Other Idioms & their Meaning:

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
Blaze a trail	Be the first to take a certain approach	She blazed a trail in the tech industry by creating apps focused on accessibility.
Fast track	A quick way to accomplish or manage something	He took a fast track program and finished his degree in just two years.
On the beaten path	Frequented or well known path	Most tourists stick to spots on the beaten path, but we love discovering hidden gems.

Idiom	Meaning	Sentences
One track mind	Having a narrow focus	He has a one-track mind when it comes to video games—he talks about them nonstop!
End of the road	Conclusion or outcome	After years of struggling with the business, they finally reached the end of the road and decided to close it.
By the skin of one’s teeth	A narrow escape	He caught the train by the skin of his teeth—it pulled away just as he jumped on.
To make good	To compensate for a wrongdoing	After missing the meeting, she promised to make good by preparing a detailed report.
Don’t judge a book by its cover	Don’t judge based on appearance	He may look tough, but he’s actually really kind—just goes to show, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
Once in a blue moon	An event that happens rarely	We only go to the beach once in a blue moon, so we really make the most of it.
On the ball	Someone understands the situations well	She’s really on the ball when it comes to handling customer complaints.
Wait for the dust to settle	To wait for a situation to become clear or certain	Let’s wait for the dust to settle before making any big decisions.
Get/have all your ducks in a row	To have made all the preparations needed to do something / to be well organized	Before launching the project, he made sure to have all his ducks in a row.
Fetch and carry (for somebody)	To do a lot of little jobs for somebody as if you were their servant	She’s always fetching and carrying for her boss, even getting his coffee and dry cleaning.
Do the math	To think carefully about something before doing it, so that you know all the relevant facts or figures	If you do the math, you’ll see that renting is cheaper than buying right now.
Round the corner	Very near	Don’t worry, the bus stop is just round the corner.
Hang in there	Don’t give up	I know things are tough right now, but hang in there—it’ll get better.
Hit the sack	Go to sleep	I’m exhausted. I think i’ll hit the sack early tonight.
Miss the boat	It’s too late	He missed the boat on buying those concert tickets—they sold out yesterday.
Under the weather	Sick	I’m feeling a bit under the weather, so I’m going to rest today.
Comparing apples to oranges	Comparing two things that cannot be compared	You can’t compare classical music to rock—it’s like comparing apples to oranges.
Ignorance is bliss	You are better off not knowing	I didn’t check the test results right away—sometimes, ignorance is bliss.
Spill the beans	Give away a secret	He accidentally spilled the beans about the surprise party.
The ball is in your court	It’s your decision	I’ve made my offer, so now the ball is in your court.
Throw caution to wind	Take a risk	She threw caution to the wind and quit her job to travel the world.
Take a rain check	Postpone a plan	I’d love to hang out tonight, but I’m swamped—can I take a rain check?