Idioms
|
Meaning
|
Use
|
1. To turn over a new leaf
|
Start
behaving in a more acceptable way.
|
When everyone complained of Bali’s bad behavior, the
teacher advised him to turn over a
new leaf.
|
2.To
throw a spanner in the works
|
To
prevent/stop things from happening smoothly the way it was planned
|
Hari
keeps troubling his neighbors and throws
spanner in their important work.
|
3.To make someone eat one’s words
|
To
make someone admit that his statement about something was wrong and make him
look foolish.
|
Varun
once claimed that I would not pass my English exam but now that I have scored
very good marks in English I will make
him eat his words.
|
4.A
wild Goose chase
|
Searching
something that they have little chance of finding.
|
It
was a wild goose chase when we
started looking for food on that deserted island.
|
5.To
belittle someone’s achievement
|
Dismiss/reject
someone’s achievement as unimportant
|
Mr Asgar, did not approve of his son’s
passion for photography .Therefore when Farhan won a prize in photography,
his father tried to belittle his
achievement.
|
6.Never-ending
complaints
|
Having
no end of dissatisfaction or annoyance
|
The
hotel manager got tired of never-ending complaints from tourist.
|
7.
Absolutely dumfounded
|
Astonished/surprised
greatly
|
All
were dumbfounded to see a little boy skillfully walking on a thin
rope.
|
8.Zest
for life
|
Great
enthusiasm and energy for life
|
Kalpana
Chawla is still remembered by her
friends for having tremendous zest
for life.
|
9.Lend
an ear
|
Listen
Attentively
|
People like to share their problems with
those who willingly lend an ear
to them
|
10.
Shape up or ship out
|
Improve the performance or leave/resign from
job
|
Hamid
was asked to shape up or ship out by
his boss when he failed to
meet the deadlines of his
projects.
|
11.Point
of no return return
|
A
point in a course of action beyond which it is not possible to go back to
earlier position/situation
|
In
1942 Mahatma Gandhi realized that Indians’
struggle for freedom had reached
a point of no return and time had come to ask the British to QUIT
INDIA categorically.
|
12.Put
one’s foot down
|
To be very strict and firm, using one’s
authority
|
The
Principal put his foot down
and asked the late comers to go back home
|
13.Through
the grapevine
|
Informal
ways of spreading a message
|
We
heard through the grapevine
that our manager was resigning from his job.
|
14.Ring
a bell
|
Reminds
you of something but you cannot remember it exactly
|
I
don’t remember her face but her name rings a bell.
|
15. To be in Paradise
|
To
be in a state of happiness
|
When
school children went on picnic they seemed to be in paradise.
|
16. Old habits die hard
|
It
is very difficult to change a habit
once formed and continued for a very
long time.
|
Right
from my childhood I was careless about turning-off electric switches and even
now I am forgetful at times. Old habits die hard.
|
17.Heart and soul
|
With lot of energy and enthusiasm
|
Naresh
put his heart and soul into
learning slasa.
|
18. At heart
|
In
one’s real nature
|
By
helping the poor, the old gentleman proved that he was good at heart.
|
18. By heart
|
From
memory
|
Shalini
learned the poem by heart.
|
19.Close/ dear to one’s heart
|
Of
deep interest and concern to one
|
Charity is something very close to my heart.
|
20. From the bottom of one’s
heart
|
With
sincere feeling
|
He
felt sorry from the bottom of his
heart.
|
21.Have a heart of gold
|
Have a generous/kind nature
|
Malvika
is very affluent/rich and she has a heart of gold.
|
22.Have
a heart
|
Show pity
|
His
friend told him,”Come on Have a heart and give some charity.”
|
23.Lose heart
|
Become sad and depressed
|
Hearing
the words of criticism Sophia lost
heart.
|
24.Take something to heart
|
Take
criticism seriously
|
Steve
realized that Harry has taken his
teasing to his heart.
|
25.Do not have the heart to do something
|
Do
not do something because it may make someone unhappy
|
He
did not have the heart to
turn those hungry people away.
|
