20 idioms
in
english
correct
20
idioms
Answers
Answer:
Here are a few idioms and their meanings.
1. A penny for your thoughts
Used to ask what someone is thinking about.
2. Actions speak louder than words
What someone does means more than what they say.
3. Add insult to injury
Make a bad situation worse.
4. At the drop of a hat
Without any second thought or hesitation.
5. Bite off more than you can chew
Take on something that you are not capable of doing.
6. Call it a day
Give up on something temporarily or permanently.
7. Costs an arm and leg
Very expensive.
8. Driving me up the wall
Making something extremely irritated and annoyed.
9. Fat chance
Incredibly unlikely to occur.
10. Feeling a bit under the weather
Feeling slightly ill.
11. Hear it on the grapevine
Hear a rumor about someone.
12. In stitches
Laughing very hard till your sides hurt.
13. Kill two birds with one stone
To do two things at the same time.
14. Let the cat out of the bag
Tell everyone a secret.
15. Once in a blue moon
Something that happens very rarely.
16. Piece of cake
Something that is very easy to accomplish.
17. Raining cats and dogs
Raining heavily.
18. Steal someone’s thunder
Take credit for something that someone else has done.
19. The ball is in your court
It is up to you to take a decision or the next step.
20. The last straw
The final problem in a series of problems.
Answer and Explanation:
An idiom is a phrase or expression that has a meaning that in most cases cannot be deduced directly from the individual words in that phrase or expression.
For example, the idiom ‘bite off more than you can chew’ doesn’t mean you bite more than a mouthful of a cake or something else and then struggle to chew. It means you try to do something that is too difficult for you. Some examples of idioms are:-
1. Stir up a hornets’ nest
Provoke trouble
Example: It’s not that the management is not aware of few false bills here and there, but they don’t call it because it would expose many and stir up a hornet’s nest.
2. Back against the wall
Be in a difficult situation from where escape is difficult
Example: With banks baying for his blood over default in payments, he has his back against the wall.
3. Bite off more than you can chew
To try to do something that is too difficult for you
Example: He has taken more responsibilities as he couldn’t say ‘no’ to his boss. I think he has bitten more than he can chew, and he’ll struggle to handle them all.
4. Head over heels
If you’re head over heels, you’re completely in love.
Example: Max fell head over heels in love with her colleague and wants to marry her.
5. Upset someone’s applecart
If you upset someone’s applecart, you do something that causes a plan to go wrong.
Example: The increase in customs duty by the government has upset the applecart of those car companies who were importing most of their car parts.
6. Spoil someone’s plans
To ruin someone’s plans
Example: The heavy overnight rain spoilt our plan to play cricket next morning.
7. Keep someone at arm’s length
If you keep someone at arm’s length, you avoid becoming friendly with them.
Example: I’ve more productive time in the day because I’ve developed this good habit of keeping video games at arm’s length.
8. Up in arms
Angry about something
Example: Media has traditionally been up in arms with the government of the day.
9. Drive a hard bargain
If you drive a hard bargain, you argue hard to get a favorable deal.
Example: The author tried to drive a hard bargain with the publisher on signing amount, but couldn’t because he didn’t have best sellers in his name.
10. Barking up the wrong tree
To ask the wrong person or follow the wrong course
Example: The sales team blamed the engineers for the organization’s failure to bag the mega deal, but they were barking up the wrong tree.
11. Scrape the barrel
When you’re scraping the barrel, you’re using something you do not want to but you’ve no option.
Example: I was scraping the barrel when I had to stay for six months with my parents after I lost my job.
12. Bend over backwards
To try please or accommodate someone to an unusual degree
Example: The hotel staff bent over backwards to make the visit of the dignitaries a memorable one.
13. A chip off the old block
If you’re a chip off the old block, you’re similar in some distinct way to your father or mother.
Example: He is as stingy as her mother – a real chip off the old block.
14. Blow your own trumpet
If you blow your own trumpet, you tell people how good or successful you are (used in negative way).
Example: That doctor can be so off-putting. He is always blowing his trumpet mentioning his awards and positions in various associations.
15. Once in a blue moon
If something happens once in a blue moon, it happens rarely.
Example: Many startups turn in a profit once in a blue moon.
16. Burn your boats/ bridges
If you burn your boats, you do something that makes it impossible to change your plans and go back to the earlier position or situation.
Example: I’ve burnt my boats with my previous supervisor by criticizing him publicly.
17. Make no bones about something
If you make no bones about something, you say clearly what you feel or think about it.
Example: Jack made no bones about getting a hike in his salary.
18. Break fresh/ new ground
If you break new ground, you do something that was not done before.
Example: Our scientists are breaking new ground in robotics and cancer research.
19. In the same breath
When you say two things in the same breath, you say two very different or contradictory things.
Example: How can the manager praise my colleague and talk of his average performance in the same breath?
20. Take away your breath
If someone or something takes your breath away, it astonishes you.
Example: His diving catch at the crunch moment in the match took my breath away.