BA English Idioms

Here is a list of Famous BA English Idioms

IDIOMATIC PHRASES

1. Above board                              Ali is an honest trader, he is above board in his business.

2. A bluestocking                            As a player, he will not marry a bluestocking.

3. Add insult to injury                     You do not return my money, and then talk against me, you clearly add insult to injury.

4.All ears                                          While listening to the lecture, the students were all ears.

5.Apple of discord                            This property is an apple of discord between these two     brothers.

6. Apple –pie- order                       Everything in the room was lying in apple – pie- order.

At a snail s, pace                                The child was going to school but at a snail s’ pace.

7. At the first blush                        He fell in love with her at the first bush.

8.     At sixes and sevens                 He is all at sixes and sevens as he has to arrange his marriage in poverty.

9.   At the eleventh hour               The aid reached to the calamity stricken people but at the eleventh hour.

10. Bad blood                                There is not any bad blood between these two fronds.

11. Bark up the wrong tree          Be careful in talking as it is you habit to bark up the wrong tree.

12. Beat about the bush                Do not beat about the bush and come to the point at once.

13. Better half                               His better half is always seen with him in parties.

14.Bigwig                                     Three are many bigwigs in our country

15.Black sheep                             The police department should try to reform all the black sheep in the department.

16. Blow one’s’ own trumpet        where ever he sits, he blows his own s’ trumpet.

17. Blue eyed boy                         he is a blue eyed boy in this office.

18. Bolt from the blue                  The news of his loss in the business came as a bolt from the blue for him.

19. Bone of contention                 Kashmir problem is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.

20.  Break the ice                           Everyone in the room was sitting silently, he entered and broke the ice.

21.  Bridge over                             With a lot of courage, you can bridge over your all problems.

22.  Broken reed                            No one trusts on him as he is a broken reed.

23. Build castles in the airs           He is in the habit of building castles in the airs.

24.  Burn the candle at the both ends       Usually students burn the candle at the both ends near their examinations.

25. Burt the hatchet                      Let us bury the hatchet and be a good friends.

26.  By leaps and bounds               Pakistan is making progress by leaps and bounds.

 Call a spade a spade                     He is an honest man , he always calls a spade a spade.

27.  Call names                              To call other names, is a very bad habit.

28.  Carry the day                          Baber carried the day in the battle of Panipat.

29.  Cast pearls before swine        Giving books to an illiterate person is just to cast pearls before  a swine.

30.  Catch at a  straw                     The drowning man catches at a straw.

31. Cope with                                With a strong determination, you can cope with your all difficulties.

32. Crocodile tears                       The step mother is only shedding crocodile tears on her step son s’ death.

33. Cut a sorry figure                    He cut a sorry figure at his office and lost his job.

34. Cut a fine figure                      He cut a fine figure at the work place and became favorite with his boss.

35.  Cut in                                       you should not cut in my personal affairs.

36.  Dark horse                              By getting first position, he proved himself a dark horse.

37.  Damocles’ s’ sword                 He can  be dismissed from his office any time, this dismissal is like a Damocles’ s’ sword for him.

38.  Die in harness             Our great leader Quaid- Azam, worked hard and died in harness.

39.  Egg on                                     The politician egged the people on to protest against the government policies.

40.  Every inch                               He is a good Muslim every inch.

41.  Eye wash                                 The lover said that he would marry her but it  was an eye wash.

42.  Face the music                        Due to  its wrong policies the government has to face the music.

43.  Fair weather friend                 No one likes  the fair weather friend.

44.  Feather in one s’ cap              To this is degree is like a feather in his cap.

45.  Few and far between              He visits his close friend few and far between.

46.  Fishy deal                                It is a fishy deal , don’t be party to it.

47.  Flash in the pan                       His temporary success only proved a flash in the pan.

48.  For rainy days             Save something for your rainy days.

49.  For good                                  She left the country for good and went abroad.

50.  Freudian slip                           She spoke by chance that she liked to marry Mr. X which was a Freudian slip.

51.  From hand to mouth               The poor are living from hand to moat in their low income.

52.  From pillar to post                  After his fall, the Shah of Iran moved from pillar to post.

53.  Get wind of                             How did he get wind of your secret plans?

54.  Gift of the gab                         He is a very successful lawyer, as he has the gift of the gab.

55.  Go back on                              Honest people never go back on their promise.

56.  Hard and fast                          There are no hard and fast rules in this office.

57.  Harp on the same string         He always harps on the same string and bores others.

58.  Head and shoulder above       Iqbal is head and shoulders above several Eastern poets.

59.  Hold water                              She makes reports to me which cannot hold water.

60.  House of cards                        His plans proved only a house of cards as thety are not applicable.

61.  In a  fix                                    she is in a fix what subjects she should take up in M.A.

62.  In black and white                   She tendered the resignation in black and white.

63.  Ins and outs of something       He knows quite well the ins and outs of this business.

64.  In line with                              Their plans are in lines with ours.

65.  Keep up appearance               it is better to be simple than to keep up appearance.

66.  Kick the bucket                        His neighbor kicked the bucket last night.

67.  Lame duck                               The government cannot give loan to a lame duck.

68.  Laughing stock                        He has become a laughing stock in the class due to his foolishness.

69.  Leap in the dark                      This businessman took a leap in the dark and his business collapsed.

70.  A fish out of water                  At his new job, he is like a fish out of water.

71.  Maiden speech.                      He was somewhat nervous at his maiden speech.

72.  Make amends                         You have insulted him in public , now you will have to make amends.

73.  Make both ends meet In a  small income, the poor hardly make both ends meet.

74.  Make off with                         The thief made off with the ornaments.

75.  Man in the street                    If the man in the street is happy, the country is in good condition.

76.  Man of letters                          Allama Iqbal was a man of letters.

77.  Move heaven and earth         He will move heaven and earth to  marry the girl of his choice.

78.  Neck or nothing                      He will fight against his enemy neck or nothing.

79.  Nip in the bud             The government should nip the corruption in the bud.

80.  Pandora s’ box                        If you discuss their broken marriage, you will open a Pandora s’ box.

81.  Pocket an insult                       She abused me before all, I cannot pocket this insult easily.

82.  Read between the lines          I can read between the lines,  and say that he is not sincere to me.

83.  Red rag to  a bull                    These bitter remarks  against the politician proved a red rag to a bull

84.  Rule out                                   The U.N ruled the settle of this dispute by force.

85.  Sit on the fence                       In this matter , he sits on the fence

86.  Smell a rat                              The police man smelt a rat  and stopped the biker.

87.  Split hair                                  You should not split  hair of his failures in the exams.

88.  Stir up                                      Some politicians try to stir up trouble in the country but fail.

89.  At a stone s’ throw                  Our college is located at a stone s’ throw.

90.  Strom in the tea cup               This hot discussion only proved a storm in the tea cup.

91.  French leave                           He is in the habit of enjoying French leave.

92.  Take the bull by the horns      Let us take the bull by the harms, ask them directly to return our land.

93.  Take the time by the forelock            Being newly employed uin this office, you should tak the time by the fore lock.        

94.  Take to heart                                      He took his failure to his hart.

95.  Talk shop                                             It is not good t talk shop at parties.

96.  Through thick and thin                        I would help you through thick and thin.

97.  Thumbnail sketch                                Here is a thumbnail sketch of our future plans.

98.  Tower of strength                               Our great leader, the Quaid-e- Azam was a tower of strength.

99.  Turn a deaf ear to                               You should not turn a deaf ear to your teacher s’ advice.

100.Turn the tables on                             Today the enemy is defeating the,  tomorrow they may turn the tables on them.

101.Turn turtle                                         The bus turned turtle on the way but all the passengers remained safe.

102.Pour oil on troubled water                When his friend began fighting. He tried to pour oil on the troubled water.

103.A jail bird                                           Being a jail bird, he often remains in the jail.

104.At home in                                         She is at home in cooking.

105.A red letter day                                 14^th August is a red letter day in the history of Pakistan.

106.As busy as bee                                   At his new job, he is as busy as bee.

107.A bosom friend                                  He is my bosom friend.

108.A hard nut to crack                            To pass the B.A examination is not  a hard nut to crack.

109.At arms’ length                                  keep the selfish friend at a arm s’ length.

110.A hen pecked husband                      He is a hen pecked husband.

111.All and sundry                                    All and sundry came to the meeting.

112.An oily tongue                                   A person with an oily tongue often makes his way through life.

113.A cock and bull story             It is foolish to believe in a cock and bull story.

114.Bag and baggage                               He left the room bag and baggage.

115.By dint of                                           He got success by dint of hard work.

116.Cry for the moon                              The child is crying for the moon.

117.A close fisted man                             He is a close fisted man.

118.Day in and day out                            To achieve success in life , he worked day in and day out.

119.Double faced                                     Ghandi was a double faced politician.

120.A far cry                                           Science is a far cry from Arts.

121.Go through fire and water.  I am ready to go through fire and water to achieve my goal.

122.Hand in glove                        Both the friends are hand in glove with each other.

123.Hue and cry                           The students were raising hue and cry in the absence of teacher.

124.In no time                              You should leave this place in no time.

125.Nip in the bud                        The government should nip the corruption in the bud.

126.In lieu of                                We would get a holiday in lieu of Sunday.

127.In full bloom                          When I reached the party was in full bloom.

128.In a nut shell                          In a nut shell the poet has expressed his views about youth and old age.

129.The lion s’ share                    He got a lion s’ share in the property of his father.

130.Leave in lurch                        Usually the selfish friends leave in lurch.

131.Learn by heart                       He learnt the poem by heart.

132.Over head and ears               He is good man over head and ears.

133.Off and on                             He comes to see me off and on.

134.Poke nose into                       It is not good to poke nose into other matters.

135.Pros and cons                        I know quite well the pros and cons of this business.

136.Root and branch                    Our brave army has destroyed the enemy root and branch.

137.Taken aback                          I was taken aback to see the juggler s’ tricks.

138.   Tooth and nail                            He fought his enemy tooth and nail.

139.   Come true                                              All his dreams came true.

140.   A utopian scheme                                  This, being a utopian scheme, is impracticable.

141.   A wolf in the sheep s’ clothing           Do not trust on him as he is a wolf in the sheep s’ clothing.

142.   A yew man s’ service                         We should perform a yew man s’ service to the suffering mankind.

143.   Off hand      She failed in the exams as she appeared in the examination off hand.

144.   All moonshine       His love for her is all moonshine.

145.   Chips of the same block         Both the friends are the Chips         of the same block.

146.  On cloud nine( to be very happy)  When he heard the news of his success in the examination,he                                                           was on cloud nine.