Page-1 (A- Idioms)
1. A big
cheese- an
important or a powerful person in a group or family
Apparently her father is a big cheese in one of the major banks.
2. A bird’s eye view- a view from a very high place which allows you to see a large areaWe had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the city walls.
2. A bird’s eye view- a view from a very high place which allows you to see a large areaWe had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the city walls.
3. A bone of contention- something that people argue for a long time
The main bone of contention was deciding who would take care of the children
after the divorce.
4. A cock and a bull story- a story or an explanation which is obviously not true.
I cannot believe on his cock and bull story.
5. At the crack of the dawn- very early in morning
Jane was always awake at the crack of dawn. (Or) The birds start singing at the crack of dawn.
6. A cuckoo in the nest- someone in a group of people but not liked by them.For Peter, his new father was a cuckoo in the nest.
7. A litmus test- a method which clearly proves something
His views on abortion are effectively a litmus test of his views on women's rights.
8. As the crow flies- measuring distance between two places in a straight line.
It's only a mile as the crow flies, but about three miles by this mountain road.
9. A dead letter- an argument or law not followed by anyone.The ceasefire agreement was a dead letter as soon as it was signed since neither
side had any intention of keeping to it.
10. An early bird- someone who gets early in the morning
Ellen is the early bird in this house.
10. An early bird- someone who gets early in the morning
Ellen is the early bird in this house.
11. At the eleventh hour- be too late.
She always turned her term papers in at the eleventh hour.
We don't worry about death until the eleventh hour.
I cannot understand the ways of Mr. Arif. He is a queer fish.
13. A wake-up call- an event done to warn someone
The World Trade Center bombing served as a wake up call to the FBI on terrorism.
14. A worm’s
eye view- having
very little knowledge about something
Set in the Paris underworld, the novel provides us with a worm's eye view of
Set in the Paris underworld, the novel provides us with a worm's eye view of
society.
15. A closed fisted man- a miser who spends too little money
Aslam is a
close fisted man as he never spends a penny on entertainment.
16. At the heels of- to follow someone
We should go at the heels of Quaid-e-Azam if we have to make Pakistan a great nation.
17. A child’s play- an easy task
To pass CSS
examination is not a child’s play.
18. A fresh
water sailor- an inexperienced person
In business,
he is a fresh water sailor.
19. A man of
letters- an
educated person
Prof. Anjum
is a man of letters.
20. A busy bee- a very busy
person
Amina works
from dawn to dusk without interval. She is a busy bee.
21. A wet
blanket- a
person who spoils the charm of fun and or talk
A selfish person is a
wet blanket.
22. Afraid of
one’s own shadow- to become easily frightened
Richard constantly worries about security; he's afraid of his own shadow.
Richard constantly worries about security; he's afraid of his own shadow.
23. Against the clock- to be in a hurry to do something before a particular time
In a race against the clock, they rushed the accident victim to the hospital.
24. An arm and a leg- a large amount of moneyEverything the restaurant offers tastes good, and it doesn't cost an arm and a leg.
25. Appear out of now here- to appear suddenly without warning.
Without warning, the storm came out of nowhere.
26. Apple of someone’s eye- someone loved very much.
The youngest was the apple of his father's eye.
27. Asleep at the switch- not to be alert on opportunity
The security guard fell asleep at the switch and a robber broke in.
26. Apple of someone’s eye- someone loved very much.
The youngest was the apple of his father's eye.
27. Asleep at the switch- not to be alert on opportunity
The security guard fell asleep at the switch and a robber broke in.
28. At
sixes and sevens- to
be lost and bewildered
The new college admissions tests were poorly explained, leaving the students at
The new college admissions tests were poorly explained, leaving the students at
sixes and sevens.
29. At someone’s beck and call- to be always ready to serve
There were dozens of maids and waiters at our beck and call.
30. At the bottom of the ladder- at the lowest level
After Ann got fired, she had to start all over again on the bottom rung.