100 Top Most Important English Idioms For CSS and PMS Exams


Here, you will find the 100 Top Most Important English Idioms for CSS, PMS and all other Competitive Exams. These English idioms must be learnt by heart in order to have a good score in various competitive exams of Pakistan.

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100 Top Most Important English Idioms


IDIOMS: MEANINGS

  1. To cut the Gordian knot means To solve the difficulty
  2. Cut and dried means Ready-made
  3. Feather one’s own nest means To make money by unfair means
  4. To fish in troubled water means To do something under very unpromising circumstance
  5. To give oneself airs means Affected manners
  6. To give the devil his due means To allow even a bad man the credit due
  7. To hang by thread means To be in a critical condition
  8. A henpecked husband means A man habitually snubbed by his wife
  9. Hush money means Money given as a bribe to hush or make one keep silent
  10. Kick up a row means Make a great noise
  11. To let the cat out of the bag means To reveal a secret
  12. Null and void means Not valid means of no effect
  13. On the spur of the moment means At once
  14. Pay one back in one’s own coin means To treat in the same way as one has been treated
  15. Put in cold storage means To forget or neglect something
  16. Pull wires means To manage the show by secret Influence
  17. Read b/w the lines means To hit at the real meaning
  18. Sit on the fence means To avoid taking sides; to remain neutral
  19. A square deal means Justice
  20. Sword of Damocles means Treating danger
  21. To take up the gauntlet means To accept the challenge
  22. To eat one’s heart out means To suffer silently, bitterly
  23. B/t the devil and the deep sea means B/w two dangers equally harmful
  24. A sweet tooth means A liking for sweetmeat
  25. A dark horse means An unknown person
  26. A bottleneck means Anything that cause delays
  27. To put one’s foot down means To show determination
  28. A wet blanket means A grumbling, depressing person
  29. To add insult to injury means To intensify a person
  30. To be born with a silver means To be born in a rich family Spoon in one’s mouthmeans
  31. A bolt from the blue means An expected disaster
  32. To blow one’s own trumpet means To boast
  33. A bone of contention means Cause of quarrel
  34. To burn one’s fingers means To suffer
  35. To beat black & blue means To beat mercilessly
  36. To cast an aspersion means To bring discredit
  37. To cry over spilt milk means To feel sorry for what has happened
  38. To cut a sorry figure means To make a poor impression
  39. To die in harness means To die while doing one’s duty
  40. To end in smoke means To fail
  41. To go to the dogs means To be ruined
  42. To hang in the balance means To remain undecided
  43. To hit the nail on the head means To do the right thing at the right time
  44. To hold water means To sound logical
  45. To live no stone unturned means To try one’s level best
  46. To live from hand to mouth means To live with great difficulty
  47. To make up one’s mind means To decide
  48. To see eye to eye with means Agree
  49. To play ducks and drakes means Waste

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  50. To put the cart before the horse means To do a thing in a wrong way
  51. To have too many irons in the fire means To have too many things in hand
  52. To read b/w the lines means To try to understand the hidden meaning
  53. To turn over a new leaf means To change for the better
  54. To take the bull by horns means To face difficulties boldly
  55. To win laurels means To distinguish oneself
  56. At daggers drawn means At enmity or fighting
  57. Blake and white means Written
  58. By leaps and bounds means Very fast
  59. In cold blood means deliberately
  60. Laid up with means Confined to bed
  61. Ins and outs means Full details
  62. A black sheep means Scoundrel means a bad person
  63. A cock and bull story means An absurd tale
  64. A gala day means A day of festivity means a holiday with rejoicing
  65. A hard nut to crack means A difficult person or problem to deal with
  66. A turn coat means One who changes one’s opinion or party
  67. A fool’s paradise means In a state of happiness founded on vain hopes
  68. Beat a retreat means To retire before the enemy
  69. To be on the horns of a dilemma means To have a choice b/w two equal evils
  70. To beat about the bush means Approach a subject in a round about method
  71. Bury the hatchet means To make peace
  72. By fits and starts means Irregularly
  73. Capital punishment means Death sentence
  74. By hook or by crook means By fair or foul means
  75. Eat humble pie means To face humiliation
  76. Hit below the belt means To act unfairly
  77. In apple pie order means In perfect order
  78. Leave one in lurch means To desert in difficulty
  79. To make a clean breast of means To confess fully one’s faults
  80. To nip the evil in the bud means To destroy an evil in early stage
  81. Pick holes in another’s coat means To find fault with another
  82. Scot free means To go unpunished
  83. Smell a rat means To have a reason to suspect
  84. Through thick and thin means Through every difficulty
  85. True to one’s salt means Faithful to one’s master
  86. To turn the corner means To begin to improve
  87. With a grain of salt means To accept a statement with doubt as to its complete true
  88. Worship the rising sun means To respect one rising in power
  89. A Herculean task means An extremely difficult or dangerous task
  90. A fish out of water means In a wrong place
  91. A leap in the dark means An act of which we can’t force consequences
  92. A thorn in one’s side means A constant source of annoyance
  93. To be at one’s beck and call means Under one’s absolute control
  94. Bread and Butter means Means of subsistence
  95. Burn one’s fingers means To get into trouble
  96. Burn the candle at both endsmeans Use up too much energy
  97. To throw up the sponge means To acknowledge defeat
  98. A feather in one’s cap means Something to be proud of
  99. A red letter day means An auspicious day
  100. Bag and baggage means With all one’s belongings

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Top Most Important English Idioms

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