IDIOMS AND PHRASES

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Play an important part in all languages.
Have a fixed character.
Expressions peculiar to a language.
Many verbs acquire an idiomatic sense when
followed by prepositions/adverbs

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Murderer has given himself up
Doctors have given him up/ given him up for dead
It was given out that he was a bankrupt.
The rope gave way
Give over this foolish attempt.
In his cross-examination he ultimately gave
himself away.
The fire gave off a dense smoke.
The strikers will not easily give in.

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Looks after his nephew
Looks down upon his poor relatives
Look up the word in the dictionary
He is looking forward to the visit of his friend
He will look into the matter
I look on him as my son
Prices of grains are looking up
Things are looking up
His friends look up to him
He will not look at your offer

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Hobsons Choice
White Elephant
To cleanse the Augean stables
To bury the hatchet
The apple of discord
Attic salt
Once in a blue moon
Backstairs intrigue/influence

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

As you make your be, so you must lie on it/as you
sow, so shall you reap
A bird in hand is worth two in the bush
A bolt from the blue
Every cloud has a silver lining
Too many cooks spoil the broth
To be on the horns of a dilemma
To be in the doldrums
To flog a dead horse
Back in harness

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

To be in hot water
A bitter pill
To bell the cat
To call a spade a spade
To bear the brunt
A bull in a china shop
To buttonhole a person
To be at ones wits end
To be in the same boat

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Check-mate
Crocodile tears
To dance attendance upon a person
A cats paw
A Fabian policy
Draconian rules
Cast-iron regulations
Dutch courage
A fly in the ointment
Heal of Achilles

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

To hold ones tongue
A fair weather friend
Don Juan
To crow over
A lame duck
Yellow journalism
To die in ones boots
A diehard
Down and out
To leave in the lurch
A left-handed compliment

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

A nine days wonder
From pillar to post
To pocket ones pride
Scylla and Charybdis
Soft soap
Spick and span
To spill the beans
To stab in the back

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

A square peg in a round hole
To swallow the bait
To tilt at windmills
To turn a deaf ear to
To turn the tables on someone
To turn up ones nose at something
To out-Herod Herod
To wash ones dirty linen in public
A wet blanket
To go wool-gathering
To take the bull by the horns

IDIOMS AND PHRASES

Street Arabs
A slip of the tongue
To steal a march
To take with a grain of salt
To nip in the bud
To run with the hares and hunt with the hounds
To rise to the occasion
the salt of the earth
Red tape