English BC Cycle Test 3 Topic-IDIOMS

                                           IDIOMS

What are idioms???

1. A group of words established by usage.
2.  Meaning  different  from those of the individual words (e.g., raining cats and...dogs.
3. A form of expression natural to a language, person, or group of people: "he had a feeling of discomfort.

4.Idioms are words, phrases, or expressions that are  either grammatically  unusual, as in, “Long time, no see!”,  or their  meaning cannot be taken literally, as in, “It’s raining cats and dogs!”

This expression does not mean that cats and dogs are falling from the sky, but it is a metaphorical expression (word picture) that means that it is raining very heavily.

 SOME EXAMPLES OF ENGLISH IDIOMS

•  After John had broken the window, he decided to face the music and tell his mother.

 Meaning: 'to accept the unpleasant consequences of one's actions'

•  Mary had to learn a very long poem by heart.

 Meaning: 'to rote-learn/memorize something'

                                                            List of Idioms

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.