Idioms and phrases starting with A
1. Achilles heel- दुखती रग
Meaning: vulnerable spot, a small fault or
weakness in a person or system that can result in its failure.
Example: The corrupt minister is regarded as
the government’s Achilles heel and is expected to resign.
2. A
bone of contention- झगड़े की जड़
Meaning: if there is an issue that always
causes tension and arguments
Example: A bone
of contention between the husband and wife is that the husband always spends
too much money.
3. A
dead letter-
Meaning: An
argument or law not followed by anyone.
Example: The
blue laws here are a dead letter; all the stores open on Sundays and holidays
4. At the eleventh hour-आख़िरी वक्त में
Meaning: be too late.
Example: She
always turned her term papers in at the eleventh hour.
5. A queer fish-सनकी व्यक्ति
Meaning: a strange person
Example: I knew
his father and he was a queer fish too.
6. A
worm's eye view-
Meaning: having very little knowledge
about something
Example: The
novel provides us with a worm's eye view of society.
7. At
(on) the heels of
Meaning: close behind or soon after something
Example: As in
Mom's birthday comes on the heels of Mother's Day
8. Apple
of someone's eyes-आँखों का तारा
Meaning: someone loved very much.
Example: His
youngest son was the apple of his eye.
9. Ask
for the Moon-
Meaning: to ask for too much.
Example: There's
no point hoping for a permanent peace in the area. It's like asking for the
moon.
10. Asleep at the switch
Meaning: not to be alert on opportunity
Example: Health
experts were asleep at the switch when the disease began to spread rapidly
again.
11. At
sixes and sevens
Meaning: to be lost and bewildered
Example: Riya
is at sixes and sevens since the death of her husband.
12. At
someone's beck and call
Meaning: to be always ready to serve
Example: Imagine
what it's like to have a cook and a maid at your beck and call.
13. At an arm's length
Meaning: to keep at a distance
Example: Ram
always keeps his friends at arm's length, so that no one gets close enough to
hurt his feelings.
14. A red letter day
Meaning: an important day
Example: A
special occasion, as in When Ram comes home from his tour of duty, that'll be a
red-letter day
15. A nine days wonder
Meaning: pleasure for a short time
Example: His
music was derided by an older generation convinced that he was a nine-day
wonder.
16. Alma
Mater
Meaning: Institution where i got my education
Example: She
has been offered the position of professor of international economic policy in
Delhi , her alma mater.
17. At the drop of a hat
Meaning-Willingness
to do something instantly
Example: She expects
me to make dinner at the drop of a hat even if I am very busy with office work
18. A
cold Fish
Meaning: A person devoid of emotions
Example: Ram
isn't very demonstrative, but his mother was a cold fish so he probably gets it
from her.
19. A
cock and bull story
Meaning: An improbable excuse
Example: She
told me some cock-and-bull story.
20. Above board
Meaning: straight; without concealment,
legitimate; open.
Example: No tricks, please. We want the deal
to be above board completely
Idioms and phrases starting
with B
1.Back to square one
Meaning: To be back at the starting point of something.
Example: I picked up all the leaves and branches from my lawn yesterday but there
was a storm last night and now I’m back
to square one.
2.Back on one’s feet:
Meaning: to be healthy again after sickness.
Example: I couldn’t do anything for two weeks while I had the flu but now I’m back on my feet.
3.By hook or by Crook
Meaning: At any cost /by fair or unfair mean.
Example: I decided that I was going to get that job by hook or by crook.
4.Blow one's trump
Meaning- self praise
Example: Anyone will tell you she's one of the best journalists we've got,
although she'd never blow her own horn.
5.Beat the air
Meaning- do useless effort
Examples: The candidates for office were so much alike that we thought our vote
amounted to beating the air .
6.Bed of thorns
Meaning: Full of difficulties
Examples: Life of an ill person always remains a bed of thorns.
7.Beat about the bush
Meaning :To discuss a topic
without being specific about anything
Examples: Don't beat around the bush. Just tell me where my brother is
8.Bag and baggage
Meaning: (with) all one’s belongings.
Meaning: (with) all one’s belongings.
Example: Tired of their
tantrums, the landlady asked her tenants to vacate the house, bag and baggage, in a
week’s times.
9.Blue eyed boy
Meaning: a man who is liked and admired by somebody in authority.
Meaning: a man who is liked and admired by somebody in authority.
Example: She gets the charge of
all the assignment except the finance, which is kept for the blue-eyed boy.
10.Bread and Butter
Meaning: someone’s livelihood.
Meaning: someone’s livelihood.
Example: Teaching classic music
to young boys and girls is her bread
and butter.
11.Bear the brunt of
Meaning: take the main force, often of a criticism or unpleasant event.
Meaning: take the main force, often of a criticism or unpleasant event.
Example: When the teachers and
other government employees went on a strike, they did not realize they’d have
to bear the brunt of public
anger when they go back to work.
12.Burn the candle at both the ends
Meaning: exhaust someone’s energies or resources by leading a hectic life.
Meaning: exhaust someone’s energies or resources by leading a hectic life.
Example: She has been burning the candle at both ends by
doing a full-time job and preparing for her International English Language Test
exams.
13.Bury the hatchet
Meaning: make peace; end a quarrel, settle one’s differences to become friends again.
Meaning: make peace; end a quarrel, settle one’s differences to become friends again.
Example 1: The
two neighboring countries India and Pakistan have often been advised
by the world bodies to bury the hatchet for their own progress.
14.Bury head in the sand
Meaning: refuse to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not have to deal with it.
Meaning: refuse to think about an unpleasant situation, hoping that it will improve so that you will not have to deal with it.
Example: Parents and Principal
said ragging was being ignored and accused the girls hostel’s warden of burying her head in the sand,
in Perth city of Australia.
15.Blue blood
Meaning: descent from nobility, aristocrat.
Meaning: descent from nobility, aristocrat.
Example: She often tell her
friends that she has blue blood flowing
through her veins.
16.By dint of
Meaning: as result of something.
Example: Mark got what he wanted by dint of requesting and threatening
17.Break a leg
Meaning: good luck, best wishes
Example:
to wish someone luck especially before a performance
“Break a leg!” I shouted out to him before he rushed in for his
auditions.
18.Born with a silver spoon in mouth
Meaning: To be born to parents who are rich and have a good social
rank.
Example: He does not need this job as much as I do, he is born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
19.Beyond the pale
Meaning
An unacceptable way to express something.
Something that is not considered decent.
Example:
They broke up because her behaviour was simply beyond the pale
No comments:
Post a Comment