This document contains notes prepared by Imtiaz Hussain Bhatti for English intermediate part 2 students of Siddique Science Academy. The notes include idioms and phrases with their meanings and example sentences. Imtiaz Hussain encourages students to share the notes with others to improve their English skills and benefit the academy. The notes contain over 100 common idioms and phrases.

1. CADEMY
la Hithar
80076
USMAN
SIDDIQUE SCIENCE ACADEMY
Hussain Khan
03017
IMTIAZ HUSSAIN BHATTI
M.phill(edu), M.Ed, M.A(Political science)
ENGLISH INTERMEDIATE
PART-2
Idioms& Phrases

2. Message by the Author
These notes are prepared for
students of class 12th , they can
share it with other students for
the good will of our Academy & to
improve their English skills.
Regards ;
IMTIAZ HUSSAIN

3. 3
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Sr.
No.
Idiom Meaning Sentence
1 Above board The honest people do everything above board.
2 A bad debt A lot of companies go down because of bad debt.
3 Abide by We should abide by the traffic rules.
4 All in all The principal is all in all in this college.
5 All and sundry We should help sincerely all and sundry.
6 Alpha and omega Allah is the alpha and omega of Islam.
7 A rotten egg The principal has struck off the rotten eggs of the class.
8
An apple of
discord
New business has become an apple of discord between them.
9 Apple of one’s eye !"# The youngest son was the apple of his father's eye.
10 An eyewash %& % Government’s new scheme is just an eyewash.
11 An axe to grind '(
)
Socialists have no political axe to grind; they
just want to save the society.
12 Again and again " " He requested my help again and again.
13 As the crow flies *+' , The hospital is only a mile as the crow flies from my house.
14 At a loss "-%./0 He was at a loss when he missed the last train.
15 At large 1 The culprit of the Ali’s murder is still at large.
16 At home in 2 He is at home in Physics.
17 At arm’s length *34 Keep bad friends at arm’s length.
18
At the eleventh
hour
*5 6 The match was cancelled at the eleventh hour.
19
20 At a stone’s throw 7 8 The hospital is at stone’s throw from my home.
21
At the daggers
drawn
9
Local residents are at daggers drawn with the council over
rubbish collection.
22 A narrow escape : He had a narrow escape from the railway accident.
Important Idioms and Phrases
Intermediate PART-II
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4. 4
23 A jail bird ; <=>" " His father is an escaped jailbird.
24 A queer fish ?@ I cannot understand the ways of Mr. Arif. He is a queer fish.
25
A blessing in
disguise
AB "CD
E"
Dad's illness was a blessing in disguise as it brought the family
Together for the first time in years.
26 A close fisted man FG
H
Aslam is a close fisted man as he never spends a penny on
entertainment.
27 A near miss
"I I JK L
M=
I managed to brake just in time and the accident was a near miss.
28
As cool as a
cucumber
NO* She was as cool as cucumber even when she caught red handed.
29 A wild goose chase PQ"%R To look for a good restaurant in this town is a wild goose chase.
30 A gala day N %ST Every Sunday is gala day for students.
31 A fishy story UVWX
The late comers always come with a fishy story about the late
arrival.
32
A fair weather
friend
Y Z A fair-weather friend isn't much help in an emergency.
33 A blind alley [ The latest evolutionary theory may turn out to be a blind alley.
34 A laughing stock ]^
The nonsense talk will make you a laughing stock among your
friends.
35 A rolling stone _(%`aR A rolling stone gathers no moss.
36 A sugar daddy )b01 cN J Mr. akram is sort of a sugar daddy to the whole team.
37 Add fuel to fire d e*f Shouting at a crying child just adds fuel to the fire.
38 Back out =g We should not back out of our promises.
39 Bag and baggage hij"0 He left for another country bag and baggage.
40 Bad blood k There should be no bad blood among the Muslims.
41 Blue blood %N lmn Although Hina’s family is poor, she has blue blood in her veins.
42 By and by o o
You may think your heart is broken, but you'll feel better by and
by.
43
By hook or by
crook
pqr= r= He wants to become rich by hook or by crook.
44 By fits and starts stuR The dull students are not regular, they work by fits and starts.
45
By leaps and
bound
vwx"v N Our country is making progress by leaps and bounds.
46 Bed of roses y z({ Life is a hard challenge, not a bed of roses.
47 Beat about the | _ Don’t beat about the bush, just come to the point.
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5. 5
bush
48 Beat in the air PQ}% If you want to make him a good boy, you are beating the air.
49 Bird’s eye view ~ •• We had a bird's eye view of the old town from the top of the hill.
50 Broken reed "€•‚ You cannot rely on Usama’s support as he is a broken reed.
51 Black sheep Nƒ „… One black sheep can spoil the whole class.
52 Blow hot and cold † ‡ˆ‰Šˆ
Amina kept blowing hot and cold about the idea of working abro
ad.
53 Break the news ‹
1
Œ
•Ž I broke the news of his son’s excellent result in exams.
54 Bread and butter W " 1 " Teaching at the local college is his bread and butter.
56 Bring to book •• J The umpire was brought to book for wrong decision.
57 Broad daylight ‘ "!1 " The robbers robbed the bank in the broad daylight.
58 Better half (imp) ’“” 1 His better half is an educated lady.
59 Between two fires N•" Cz– They decided to retreat lest they would be between two fires.
60 Bosom friends Y — Ali is my bosom friend, and I trust him.
61
Bone of
contention
Kashmir is a bone of contention between Pakistan and India.
62 Bolt from the blue U˜ M™ His death at the age of 28 is a bolt from the blue for his parents.
63 Break the ice bšxO
There was complete silence in the class and the teacher broke
the ice.
64 Burning question ›œ • Kashmir is burning question between India and Pakistan.
65
Burn the mid night
oil
“žŸ ¡ Qx"
¢£
You have to burn midnight oil to pass the exams.
66
Burn the candle at
both ends
¤ ¥ You'll wear out if you keep burning the candle at both ends.
67 Bury the hatchet , k “ ¦
Both parties have buried the hatchet after 28 years of family
enmity.
68
Call a spade a
spade
x §¨§¨ The honest people always call a spade a spade.
69 Call in question Our religion forbids calling any one’s character in question.
70 Carry one’s point ©
B
ª We can carry our point by dint of hard work.
71 Carry the day «L¬•%
Our team didn't play well at
first, but we carried the day in the end.
72 Cast aside - I knew you would cast me aside once you became famous.
73 Catch at straw "2z® ¯°AD A drowning man catches at a straw.
74 cat’s paw "%; Aslam is not the mastermind of this plan; he is just a cat’s paw.
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6. 6
75 Close shave ±²³ The shot missed him, but it a close shave.
76 Cock and bull story UVx´µ I cannot believe in his cock and bull story.
77 Call names ¶ z·¸ Bad boys call names of others.
78
Cold blooded
murder
¹]%º I condemn the cold blooded murder of the innocent child.
79 Come to light »
Four officers have faced charges since the scandal came to light l
ast month.
80 Come to grief ¼½¾
In the end, he came to grief because he did not follow
instructions.
81 With flying colours «L¬•%" l¿ Sidra qualified for the race with flying colours.
82 Crocodile tears À CÁ‡ÁX He shed crocodile tears on the death of his revolting wife.
83 Cheek by jowl  8 The two families lived cheek by jowl in one house.
84 Chicken-hearted à Chicken-hearted people die before their death.
85 Cut a sorry figure Ä sÅÆ British high commissioner cut a sorry figure on visa scandal.
86 Cut one to quick Ç Èx É Your heartless comments cut me to the quick.
87 Dark horse Ê"Ë A dark horse player can win if all the others are creeps.
88 Drawn game CÌÍ Neither of the teams could win the game; it was a drawn game.
89 Die in harness
N" Csl1Î
x4
Quad-e-Azam died in harness.
90 Dead letter }Ï%
The ceasefire agreement is a dead letter between India and
Pakistan because neither side follows it.
91 Every inch *"ÐÑ“"Ò"Ò Nobody in politics is every inch a gentleman.
92 Eat one’s words ÓÔ ÕÖ Look before you leap otherwise you will have to eat your words.
93
Face the music
(imp)
× 1Ø You've been caught cheating now you must face the music.
94 Fair and square §Ù§¨“" Új Fair and square elections are difficult in Pakistan.
95 Fall flat Û R My advice fell flat on the naughty boy.
96 Flesh and blood xÜUƒ This cold weather is more than what flesh and blood can stand.
97
From hand to
mouth
Ý"Þ ß After she lost her job she was living from hand to mouth.
98 French leave àáâ Í He has received a notice for taking a French leave.
99 Fall back on Ó"€ Ali fell back upon his old complaint.
100
Few and far
between
"㈠He visits me few and far between.
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7. 7
101 First and foremost ä The first and foremost duty of a student is to work hard.
102 Find fault with åæ Man is apt to find fault with others.
103 For good çCè He had a quarrel with his wife and left the house for good.
104 Give vent to "é Children give vent to their anger in various ways.
105 Get into hot water ß
êA We'll get into hot water if the teacher hears about this.
106 Get wind of ëŽj "¿ Our competitors must not be allowed to get wind of our plans.
107 Get rid of «Lxì It is difficult to get rid of insects.
108 Gift of the gab í%¡î Our new English professor has a great gift of grab.
109 Give up the ghost = x4 He gave up the ghost after a prolonged illness of two months.
110 Go back on ¶ ï C& He went back on me, and joined a rival company in such a way.
111 Go hand in hand ð"ñ Wealth and power go hand in hand in most societies.
112
Go to dogs/go to
wall
ò
Owing to the corruption, the economy of our county is going to
walls/dogs.
113
Go through fire
and water
óô%`õ
Ahmad is always ready to go through fire and water for the sake
of his friends.
114 Hand in glove with Y `ö The two friends are hand in glove with each other.
115
Hair breadth
escape
®÷ß She had a hair breadth escape in the bus accident.
116 Hard and fast £
The new principal has set some hard and fast rules for the
students.
117 Heart and soul N= I will put my heart and soul into this job.
118
Hit the nail on its
head
*5 ø}%
Bob doesn't say much, but every now and then he hits the nail ri
ght on its head‫۔‬
119 Hope against hope ù"ú ûA ú I'm hoping against hope that someone will return my wallet.
120 Hold water ü ýþ Nothing you’ve said so far holds water.
121 Hue and cry " There was a hue and cry on the bomb blast spot.
122 In a fix A The surprise attack of China put India in a fix.
123 Ill at ease N **"Ð He is always ill at ease when facing his step-father.
124 Ins and outs x } He knows all the ins and outs if this plan.
125 In black and white *"Ð ¡ He submitted his explanation in black and white.
126 In a nutshell Tell me your new idea in a nutshell.
127 In the air 1N 1
} His secret affairs were soon in the air.
128 In full swing * J`"Ò When we arrived the party was already in full swing.
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8. 8
129 In the teeth of J C Š The new policy was adopted in the teeth of fierce criticism.
130 Keep pace with "
The company is struggling to keep pace with changes in the
market.
131 Kith and kin •"u He is very kind to his poor kith and kin.
132 Keep an eye on ù" Keep an eye on the notice boards for forthcoming events .
133 Keep abreast of ð" Read the papers if you want to keep abreast of current affairs.
134 Keep back ù"1 She was unable to keep back her tears, and wept freely.
135 Kick the bucket = His heirs were greedily waiting for him to kick the bucket.
136 Lame excuse _X She's always got some lame excuse for being late.
137 Lay by ù" He laid his tools by for the next project.
138 Lay down arms ¶ " The rebel soldiers laid down their arms and surrendered.
139 Lick the dust You will never lick the dust unless you give up!
140 Look down upon x" You shouldn't look down upon him just because he is a dustman.
141 Lead by nose Û *"ÐÑ He thinks she's perfect, and she leads him around by the nose.
142
Lead a cat and dog
life
ð"I I The love married couple soon started to lead a cat and dog life.
143
Let the cat out of
the bag
»1"
I was trying to keep the party a secret, but Amina went and let
the cat out of the bag.
144 lion’s share 8 Boss took the lion’s share of bribed amount.
145 Life and soul z " !
Ç " My parents are life and soul of my aspirations.
146 Long and short •!!" Please write the long and short of this essay.
147 Maiden speech ¡î# His maiden speech was too long and boring.
148
Make both ends
meet
Ý"Þ I have to work at two jobs to make both ends meet.
149 Make amends for $% They must make amends for the harm they've caused you
150 make fun of b & ' The boys made fun of her short dress at the party.
151 Man of parts H (u Men of parts achieve their goals.
152 man of letters ?) Prof. Anjum is a man of letters.
153 Now and then *
We visit my parents
now and then, but we rarely see our other relatives.
154 Null and void }Ï% The old rules of taxation are null and void now.
155
Once in a blue
moon
" 1¿ We go out to eat once in a blue moon.
156 On the eve of x"+," He felt sick on the eve of the race.
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9. 9
157 Oily tongue }-
.
N 1 /¿T She has an oily tongue but bad heart.
158 Pay lip service 0 N 1§1 The government always pays lip service to women issues.
159 Play truant (imp) =23 ‚ O Our institute is clamping down on those who often play truant.
160 Part and parcel 4H1 Breathing is the part and parcel of life.
161 Pocket an insult ü ý5 R
He did not retaliate and pocketed an insult when his friend called
him by names.
162 Rainy day %x" 6
5 Wise people save something for the rainy day.
163 Rank and file 78“} Most rank and file police officers rejected the new pay offer.
164 Red tape 9 "% : ; It takes months for a case to get through the red tape.
165 Royal road "Nô
< There is no royal road to success.
166 Safe and sound = > I reached home safe and sound.
167 Set off ] " We ate a hearty breakfast before we set off.
168 Sixes and sevens 9 ? The books were laying sixes and sevens on the table.
169 Smell a rat He could smell a rat in the way the men were talking.
170 Snake in the grass 9 @ Beware of your new friend, he is a snake in the grass.
171 Split hairs " Scholars nowadays just split hairs; they never address the basics.
172 Spick and span A§¨ She keeps her room spick and span.
173 Storm in a tea cup ½B*x 78 His anger was unreasonable, it was just a storm in a teacup.
174 Talk tall "CD Some people talk tall about their achievements.
175 Time and tide 5 Þ Time and tide waits for none.
176
The sum and
substance
•!!" Quickly tell me the sum and substance of your proposal.
177
The apple of one’s
eye
" %E
He has five kids, but his only daughter is clearly the apple of his e
ye.
178
Through thick and
thin
A5 `ý" n Good friends stand by each other through thick and thin.
179
To be caught red
handed
"FGzH°I" The thief was caught red handed.
180 To pass on #
" The committee passed on the proposal, so work can now begin.
181 To pass away = I'm sorry to hear that your father passed away last night.
182 To be taken aback = "JK I was taken aback by the news of his death.
183 To nip in the bud ¶ Aá Æ A bad habit in a child should be nipped in the bud.
184 To end in smoke ÂL M4R
They must take practical measures to carry out their plan;
otherwise it will end in smoke.
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10. 10
185 Turn a deaf ear to N% The boss turned a deaf ear to my explanation.
186 Up to the mark N C"O Her latest batch of work just isn't up to the mark.
187 Ups and downs 1 P Q There were many ups and downs in his political career.
188 Up to the mark N C"O Her school work is not quite up to the mark.
189 Wet blanket R STJ A selfish person is a wet blanket.
190 White elephant U VW The old car has now become a white elephant for him.
191 With a view to qm He's painting the house with a view to selling it.
192 With open arms ,X* Reduction in income tax will be welcomed with open arms.
193 Work wonders Å M4 j18 This new medicine works wonders with my headaches
Phrases
Sr.
No.
Phrase Meaning Sentence
Break
194 Break away =ÁY ZU[ I tried to break away from him, but he was holding me too tight.
195 Break into ] Spies have been trying to break into my computer.
196 Break out ŸÁ{^_ A fire broke out in the forest.
Bring
197 Bring down ` Government brought down the prices of petrol last month.
198 Bring in §"aUb Our new boss has brought in new rules in the company.
199 Bring out c¿ I hear you have brought out a new edition of your book.
200 Bring up T" *
We brought up the puppies carefully and sold them for a good pr
ofit.
201 Bring about de Floods bring about destruction on large scale.
202 Bear out fg Her theories were not borne out by the research I did.
Give
203 Give away ¶ h He gave away all his money before his death.
204 Give up , If you give up smoking, you will live longer.
205 Give in i2"° This government will not give in to terrorism.
Put
206 Put off j Don’t put off what you can do today till tomorrow
207 Put on k
When he put on the wig and false moustache I could not
recognize him.
208 Put out l It took two hours to put out the fire.
209 Put in Y T" I am writing to boss to put in for a transfer.
210 Put down 5 R They frequently put down their sister for walking slowly.

11. 11
Carry
211 Carry out m n You must carry out my orders.
212 Carry on ù" "= Let's carry on this discussion at some other time.
213 Carry off "w
oÄ I think someone carried off the lawn chairs last night.
Come
214 Come of ù"p He comes of a noble family.
215 Come down ò
The fire is so great that the whole building will have to come
down.
216 Come by q¯° Cheap organic food is still difficult to come by.
217 Come across óô Suddenly I came across my old friends on the road.